This is the latest newsletter from the South American team. Its copied virtually verbatim – obviously we’ve not tried out all the links!

Columbia

A Colombian trade union leader, Gilberto Torres, is beginning an unprecedented claim for damages against BP in the high court in London, alleging the oil company’s complicity in his kidnap and torture 13 years ago. Read a recent article in the Guardian.

The FARC suspended an almost five-month unilateral ceasefire on Friday after troops killed 26 of its fighters, a move that looks set to ratchet up tension at the talks. Read more: http://reut.rs/1PO4k1D

The Colombian Human Rights Lawyer Jorge Molano is in the UK from 3rd to 7th June 2015. He represents victims in some of the most emblematic human rights cases in Colombia, including the 2005 massacre against the San José de Apartadó Peace Community. Actions to follow.

The text of a prospective American Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples has been compromised during discussions by members of the Organization of American States and, if not corrected, will result in a Declaration that denies the rights enshrined in the landmark 2007 United Nations Declaration. Read Amnesty’s public statement attached.

Key witnesses and lawyer harassed. Andrea Torres Bautista, the witness’ lawyer and other members of the human rights organisation Fundación Nydia Erika Bautista, have also been threatened. Another witness in an emblematic case of enforced disappearances has been attacked.

Brazil

Evany José Metzker, who had investigated child prostitution and drug dealing, was found dead in Minas Gerais State. He was tortured before being decapitated. At least 14 Brazilian journalists have been killed since 2011. Read more at http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/may/20/brazil-blogger-known-for-reporting-on-corruption-found-decapitated

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Venezuela is intimidating and harassing human rights defenders, and making unsubstantiated allegations that they are seeking to undermine Venezuelan democracy. The authorities’ allegations concern the groups’ legitimate functions of documenting abuses and representing victims before international human rights bodies. As mentioned in the South American newsletter, last month marked the first anniversary of the outbreak of anti-government protests in Venezuela and their brutal suppression by the security forces. To mark the occasion, Amnesty issued a public statement, which you can find here https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/AMR53/0015/2015/en/

Ar our meeting last week we wrote letters to the Venezuelan Authorities, bringing attention to this report and calling for them to take action. A sample letter is here, with other addresses available.

As well as the report, you find this press release gives a good summary of what is going on in Venezuela.

Below is the latest update from our South American coordinators – Ian McGarr (Colombia); Richard Crosfield (Brazil); Graham Minter (Rest of South America). Our group been specialising on South American actions for most of our existance – sadly, despite successes, there are always more to follow.

Brazil

Good news! The National Truth Commission’s final report (December 2014) marks an historic step in Brazil’s efforts to obtain justice for crimes against humanity and other violations during the military dictatorship that took power five decades ago. The commission spent two years investigating the thousands of cases of torture, extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances and other violations dating back to the period of military rule in Brazil from 1964-1985. For Amnesty’s press release read here.
We brief both the Brazilian Embassy and the Brazil desk at the FCO on Amnesty’s concerns for human rights in Brazil. In the case of the Brazilian embassy, we ask them for specific actions to be taken by the authorities. And we carry on asking them until we get a reply.
We have again been in touch with the Brazilian embassy to get answers to our appeals on behalf of the four casefiles that are active at the International Secretariat. They include Laísa Santos Sampaio (death threats, protection, illegal logging) and Alexandre Anderson de Souza (death threats, protection, unsolved murders, damage to the environment), which have been adopted by AIUK groups. And Jorge Lázaro Nunes (Black homicide, police ‘disappearance’, death threats, protection) and the Guaraní Apika community (Land rights, death threats, protection) that have not yet been adopted by AIUK. The Embassy have promised to get answers to our appeals. We have also provided the embassy with recent AI reports on Brazil. [Read more…]

Unfortunately Hajras bin Saleh bin Muhammad al-Qurey was executed in September. We know no more details, but no further action has been indicated by Amnesty International.

The current surge in executions in Saudi Arabia was continuing unabated with 22 execution in the last three weeks. However, the scheduled execution of Hajras bin Saleh bin Muhammad al-Qurey on the 25th August did not take place.

The Death Penalty in Saudi Arabia in 10 Shocking Facts

 

• More than 2,000 people were executed in Saudi Arabia between 1985 and 2013.
• At least 22 people were put to death between 4 and 22 August 2014 alone – more than one every day.
• The death penalty in Saudi Arabia is used in violation of international human rights law and standards. Trials in capital cases are often held in secret and defendants rarely have access to lawyers.
• People may be convicted solely on the basis of “confessions” obtained under torture, other ill-treatment or deception.
• Non-lethal crimes including “adultery”, armed robbery, “apostasy”, drug-related offences, rape, “witchcraft” and “sorcery” are punishable by death.
• Three people under 18 were executed in 2013, and so far in 2014 one has been sentenced to death, in blatant violation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
• In some cases, the relatives of those on death row are not notified of the executions in advance.
• Foreign nationals represent a disproportionate number of those executed, largely because of inadequate legal representation and translation support. Almost half of the 2,000 people executed between 1985 and 2013 were foreign nationals.
• People with mental disabilities are not spared the death sentence.
• Most executions are by beheading. Many take place in public. In some cases, decapitated bodies are left hanging in public squares as a “deterrent”.

 

“The use of the death penalty in Saudi Arabia is so far removed from any kind of legal parameters that it is almost hard to believe.”

Said Boumedouha, Deputy Director of Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa Programme.

Hajras al-Qurey, 53, was sentenced to death on 16 January 2013 in the south-eastern city of Najran on drug-trafficking charges. He was arrested, together with his son Muhammad, on 7 January 2012 at the al-Khadra border crossing with Yemen, when customs officers suspected they were carrying drugs in their car. Muhammad was sentenced to 20 years in prison and 1,000 lashes.

Both men claim they were tortured during their interrogation and were denied access to legal representation until their trial. Hajras al-Qurey’s lawyer complained that the only evidence used by the prosecution to sentence his client was the coerced ‘confessions’, but the court dismissed his complaint.

This is an Urgent Action from Amnesty International. Please write letters to the addresses within the Urgent Action document. We have created two sample letters – with addresses to help.

Details of the urgent action are here Hajras al-Qurey UA
Sample letter one Hajras al-Qurey justice minister
Sample letter two Hajras al-Qurey king

Christchurch Street Collection

First, just a quick thanks to everyone who turned out last Saturday and endured the heat in Christchurch. We raised a few pence short of £150. Ted and May also raised £30 at “Muscliffe Fun Day”. Whilst our main purpose isn’t fundraising, with international letters now costing £1 we need an inflow of money to keep up the work we do.

Below is the latest update from our South American coordinators. This month they are highlighting two issues on which they would particularly like us to take action. The first relates to yet another threat to the Peace Community of San José de Apartadó in Colombia. The second is a call to the President of Bolivia to take steps to put an end to impunity for human rights violations perpetrated during past military governments. They also draw our attention to another Urgent Action on Colombia and a report by another NGO about threats to human rights defenders in Peru.

They have started a new Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/amnestyinternationaluksouthamerica, but they have a long way to go to match our page! https://www.facebook.com/aipbc

Colombia

On 21 July a member of the Colombian armed forces told an inhabitant of San José, who has close links with the Peace Community of San José de Apartadó, that “the time has arrived for that son-of-a-bitch community, we are coordinating with the paramilitaries for the extermination of that son-of-a-bitch Peace Community”. On 19 July a local newspaper ran an article with statements from the new commander of the XVII Brigade (which has a grave human rights record) that the Brigade would do special work with the hamlets of San José de Apartadó to recuperate the space they had lost, alluding to the areas which make up the Peace Community. The Peace Community understands this as a further threat to exterminate them. Full details of the Urgent Action are here:
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