Welcome to the latest newsletter. Whilst its not clear when we can return to Moordown Community Centre, lets just say its looking more possible that we could be back in a few months. Meanwhile, we’ve decided to host a couple of online events over the next two months. We are arranging a speaker for April/May, but this month we are planning to have an online letter writing event:-. This will be Thursday 11th March at 7.30pm on ZoomThis will be similar to the December Write 4 Rights, but we will decide on a few cases nearer the time. Please let us know if interested and we will send you the link and further details.

Europe Newsletter The latest Europe newsletter from Ulrika Schmidt and her colleagues is now online. This goes into some depth on a variety of campaigns, with links to reports, petitions and email actions. There is an update on the plight of Elżbieta Podleśna and colleagues, with a verdict expected any day. They were ludicrously charged with “offending religious beliefs”. Outrageously Eren Keskin (above) a prominent human rights defender and lawyer in Turkey was sentenced to six years in jail for supposed “membership of an armed terrorist organisation”. Three colleagues got similar sentences. Eren’s case has been featured before in newsletters and you may have sent a card to her during Write 4 Rights back in 2016. She remains at liberty pending an appeal. There is also details (and registration link) of a International Women’s day event, introduced by Kate Allen, focusing on Women Human Rights Defenders in Poland  on 8th March at 6pm https://amnestyat50.co.uk/europe-newsletter-february-2021

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This Newsletter contains a very urgent action  https://www.amnesty.org.uk/urgent-actions/chechen-man-faces-deportation-russia   and the shocking news that Eren Keskin has been sentenced to 6 years in prison. Please find more information and suggested actions below.

The trial against Elzbieta, Joanna and Anna should come to a verdict on 2 March. Please continue highlighting the case on social media and post messages of solidarity. We are also continuing to campaign for the right to protest in France, see update.

Urgent appeal to all teachers and activists with connections to schools or Roma communities.  The deadline for settled status applications for EU migrants expires in June. Those who have not applied will loose access to public funds including medical care and face deportation to their countries of origin. Many Roma families have fled discrimination and racist persecution in their Central an d Eastern Europe and can not return. But language and literacy barriers as well as problems in supplying the right paperwork make the application very difficult for many. Please download the attached information provided by the Roma Support Group with detailed links on how to help with the application process and reach out to Roma families.

I am happy to share details about a great International Women’s day event introduced by Kate Allen focusing on Women Human Rights Defenders in Poland  on 8^th March at 6pm   Please check  facebook.com/AmnestyUKEurope, but register here:-

https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/5639934312677045772

We have some great news : We now have a country coordinator for Turkey again.  Welcome Chris Ramsey:-

“I have been a member of AI for over 40 years and am currently Chair of the Truro and District Group in Cornwall. From 2009-2019 I was the

Regional Representative for the South West and really enjoyed my time working with hundreds of enthusiastic activists on AI campaigns and cases we were all committed to. I am looking forward to being part of the Europe team as the Turkey Country Coordinator and meeting (if only virtually!) as many as possible of you working on cases in this region.”

Solidarity with Eren Keskin

​Eren Keskin was convicted in the Ozgur Gundem trial in which she was being prosecuted for ‘membership of an armed terrorist organisation’ since December 2016. This is the first time Eren was found guilty of membership. She received a sentence of six years and three months in prison.

Following the verdict (which is subject to appeal and Eren is NOT detained pending the appeals process), she tweeted this:

‘I am in the human rights movement for 30 years now. I’ve been prosecuted many times, imprisoned for my thoughts. This is the 1st time I have been considered to be a ‘member of an armed terrorist organisation’, and convicted. 6 years 3 months. I won’t go anywhere. I am here.’

We are asking sections to send her messages of solidarity – focusing on the message “We stand with Eren Keskin – we are not going anywhere either”, in line with the quote we issued yesterday.

https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2021/02/turkey-we-are-not-going-anywhere-either-activists-pledge-solidarity-with-prominent-human-rights-defender/

Please make messages of solidarity from activists public on social media tagging Eren (@KeskinEren1). Please use #ErenKeskininYanındayım (#IStandWithErenKeskin)​

In addition, section directors from around the world are particularly welcome to tweet a message of solidarity with Eren, tagging her in their messages and using the hashtag #ErenKeskininYanındayım

As always, please don’t hesitate to contact us should you have any queries.

For any questions please contact Chris Ramsey at  chris.ramsey@amnesty.org.uk 

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Welcome to the latest newsletter. We have not planned a meeting for February. Unfortunately the option of meeting at Moordown Community Centre, as we did last February, isn’t available. Whilst we have had some success with Zoom, it seems to work best when we have a specific purpose – such as letter writing  or a speaker.  Hopefully we’ll have some sort of meet-up next month. Time to Close Guantánamo You’ve probably been somewhat overwhelmed by news coming out of the United States of America recently. One thing you may have heard little about is the detention facility at the US naval base in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. This is now in its 20th year of operation, with 40 detainees who have been there for up to 17 years without trial. With a change in administration its a unique chance to push for the closure of Guantánamo once and for all. There is a new report Amnesty Report you can download from here. https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/amr51/3474/2021/en/ The Lewes Amnesty International group have a detailed blog post about this campaign and a variety of actions you can take. Please check it out here http://amnestylewes.org/index.php/2021-time-to-close-guantanamo/ South America Newsletter The February edition of the South America Regional Newsletter is now on the blog. The three volunteers do a huge amount of work, campaigning and coordinating the many human rights issues arising from this continent. This month there are updates from Colombia, Venezuela, Peru, Brazil, Argentina and Chile. They highlight again the awful plight (and high mortality) amongst human rights defenders in Columbia – we repeat the focus from last month below, which has a link to a petition – please take action. https://amnestyat50.co.uk/south-america-newsletter-february-2021 Protect Maria, Jani, Joel and Danelly Colombia is the second most mega-biodiverse country in the world and is home to the Amazon, which makes up almost 40% of its territory. At the same time, it is the most dangerous country for those who defend our environment. María, Jani, Joel, and Danelly are brave people who have been among the voices and protectors of our environment and natural resources in Colombia. In a country where the attacks that they suffer from usually go unpunished and authorities appear ambivalent about their safety, they are forced to risk their life on a daily basis to defend the water, oxygen, and food that we all depend on to live. The Colombian Congress has the power to monitor that human rights defenders have the guarantees necessary to continue protecting the environment. Take action and call on the Colombian Congress to guarantee their safety and protection. https://www.amnesty.org/en/get-involved/take-action/protege-a-quienes-nos-protegen/

 

This month we have news from Colombia, Venezuela, Peru, Brazil, Argentina and Chile. Human Rights Watch has published its annual report and we include sections on Colombia and Brazil. We ask you to respond to Urgent Actions on Venezuela, for the release of 5 members of an NGO, and Brazil, where the hospitals in Manaus have been overwhelmed by Covid-19. Please sign the petition on Colombia, to guarantee protection for human rights defenders

COLOMBIA

Amnesty International’s online petition asking Colombia’s congress to guarantee the safety of human rights defenders by setting up a commission is still open. The Commission would verify and guarantee their safety by monitoring the relevant authorities to ensure that they are fulfilling their responsibilities to protect defenders.

The Colombian NGO Programma Somos Defensores  (We Are Defenders Program) reports that 40 human rights defenders were killed in the June to September quarter of 2020. This is a big increase on 2019 and indigenous leaders have suffered disproportionally. Of the 17 known perpetrators, 9 were killed by FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) dissidents, 5 by former paramilitaries, 2 by the ELN (National Liberation Army) and one by the state’s armed forces.

According to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre, in the first week of January 44 people were forcibly displaced in Norte de Santander department. They were fleeing a conflict between former paramilitaries and the ELN guerrillas.

Human Rights Watch has published its annual report on Colombia. ‘Impunity for past abuses, barriers to land restitution for displaced people, limits on reproductive rights, and the extreme poverty and isolation of indigenous communities remain important human rights concerns in Colombia.’ HRW analyses the reasons behind the threats and mass killings of human rights defenders, journalists, indigenous and Afro-Colombian leaders, and other community activists

The British NGO AB Colombia and several other NGOs have submitted a complaint to the OECD requesting that they investigate 4 multinational companies over serious human rights abuses and shocking environmental pollution at the Cerrejón coal mine in Colombia. The complaints were filed simultaneously in Australia, Ireland, Switzerland and the UK. The 4 companies are BHP, Anglo American and Glencore (all with listings on the London Stock Exchange) and Ireland’s state-owned energy provider, the ESB.

The rural Peace Community of San Jose de Apartado describes the extortions, threats, violence  and recruitment they are suffering from paramilitaries, who continue to act openly within a few miles of an army base. [Read more…]

We hope you are doing well. This month, we update you on developments in Colombia, Brazil, Venezuela, Paraguay, Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Argentina, and Chile.

We have some good news to start 2021. Argentina legalised abortion. International pressure on the President and the Senators was crucial. Paraguayan authorities have opened an investigation into the attack on Bernarda Pesoa, leader of a Qom community, and they have provided her with protection. Bolivia’s civil registry has authorised for the first time a same-sex civil union following a two-year legal battle on what is the first step to future changes in marriage law.

 We ask you to sign Amnesty International’s petition to Colombia’s Congress to protect human rights defenders. Presently, 22 Army generals are being investigated for the extrajudicial killings of over 1,000 young men in Colombia. Amnesty International prepared a submission for the UN Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review of Paraguay in May 2021, outlining human rights violations of indigenous people. A report by the Office of Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court has concluded that there are reasonable bases to believe that crimes against humanity have taken place in Venezuela.

 COVID-19 Impact on South America.

As vaccinations are taking place around the world, confirmed coronavirus cases are rising in South America, having a negative impact on these countries’ economies. The lack of safety measures, miscommunication from governments and the decision to avoid future lockdowns present a challenging scenario for the region, in addition to the unequal distribution and access of the vaccine. As of January 2020, Brazil reports nearly 8 million deaths from Covid-19, Argentina 44,273 deaths, Peru 38,049 deaths, Chile 16,974 deaths, Ecuador 14,165 and Colombia 45,431 deaths.

COLOMBIA

 UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet condemned the heightened violence being carried out by non-state armed groups targeting peasants, indigenous and Afro-Colombian people, and called on State authorities to take concrete actions to effectively protect the population.

 So far in 2020, the UN Human Rights Office in Colombia has documented 66 massacres, in which 255 people have been killed. In addition, the Office has received information on the killing of 120 human rights defenders so far this year. The Nasa community has been one of the worse affected indigenous groups with 66 of its members in Northern Cauca department reported killed in 2020.

 Please sign Amnesty International’s petition to Colombia’s Congress to protect human rights defenders here.

 The Attorney General informed the International Criminal Court that 22 Colombian Army generals are being investigated for the extrajudicial killings of over 1,000 young men between 2004 and 2008. Known as ‘False Positives’, the Army kidnapped and killed innocent men, claiming that they were armed guerrillas. 544 soldiers from the Army’s First Division are in the process of being charged for such crimes.

The Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre reports that in December more than 900 indigenous people have been displaced in Bahia Solano, Chocó, following the assassination of the community leader. The 2016 peace agreement with the FARC ‘was a highly significant development and a prerequisite for achieving durable solutions for the country’s 5 million IDPs. However, obstacles remain including compensation, land and property restitution, and implementation of points agreed in the peace deal.’

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) found that the violence, intimidation, harassment and threats suffered by the Colombian Collective Lawyers Corporation (CAJAR) was linked to their activities in defence of human rights. And it ‘was encouraged by the State’s arbitrary intelligence work as well as stigmatizing pronouncements by high officials. This situation constitutes not only a serious breach of the duty to protect, but it was also actions that were openly contrary to that duty, with the necessary implications in attributing responsibility to the State for the acts of violence, threat and harassment against CAJAR.’

Human Rights Watch has submitted an opinion to the Constitutional Court in a case brought to decriminalise abortion in Colombia. ‘Access to abortion is legal in Colombia in cases of rape, incest, unwanted artificial insemination, severe fetal abnormality and to protect the person’s life or health. But even when they have a legal right to abortion, women face problems getting one.’ [Read more…]