Here is our latest Newsletter with updates and actions.

Türkiye

 

The United Nations acknowledged the state’s registration of its name as the Republic of Türkiye as of 26 May 2022. Accordingly, Amnesty International will adopt the new spelling of the country’s name in all its communications from now on.

The Saturday Mothers

On 24 June the group known as the Saturday Mothers who have been demonstrating for 27 years on behalf of people who “disappeared” during the 1980s and 90s attempted to hold their 900th vigil in Galatasary Square, Istanbul.

Riot police immediately moved in to prevent the  vigil by the human rights defenders, handcuffed and detained the head of the Human Rights Association, Öztürk Türkdoğan, prominent human rights lawyer, Eren Keskin, and several relatives of victims of enforced disappearances.

Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for Europe, Julia Hall said:

“For the past 27 years, the Saturday Mothers have tirelessly sought truth and justice for their loved ones who were forcibly disappeared in the 1980s and 1990s. Riot police arbitrarily detained people who were peacefully participating today’s landmark Saturday Mothers/People vigil. This is only the latest shameful example of the state authorities’ intolerance of lawful, peaceful dissent.

“Time and again, the Saturday Mothers/People have been met with brutal crackdowns and even prosecutions for taking part in peaceful vigils. Turkish authorities have never provided a valid justification for their spiteful, arbitrary and unlawful denial of the right to exercise freedom of expression and assembly.

“Turkish authorities must immediately and unconditionally release all those arbitrarily detained solely for exercising their right to peaceful expression and assembly. The four year-long unlawful, arbitrary ban on assemblies in Galatasaray Square must be lifted, Saturday Mothers/People and others who wish to exercise their right to peaceful protest in this iconic square must be allowed to do so.

Thankfully those detained as they attempted to commence the vigil were later released. The photograph above shows them celebrating their release at the Human Rights Association offices in Istanbul.

The Gezi 7 (including Osman Kavala)

As I reported in the May Newsletter, at the conclusion of the long running Gezi Park trial on 25 April Osman Kavala , was convicted for “attempting to overthrow the government” and sentenced to aggravated life in prison. His seven co-defendants each received a sentence of 18 years, allegedly for aiding him.

Human rights defender and philanthropist Osman Kavala has been held in Silivri high security prison No. 9 since 1 November 2017 and received an aggravated life sentence with no possibility of parole for ‘attempting to overthrow the government’ under article 312 of the Turkish Penal Code for his alleged role in financing and organising the mass 2013 Gezi Park protests. Architect Mücella Yapıcı; film producer Çiğdem Mater; documentary filmmaker Mine Özerden; lawyer Can Atalay; city planner Tayfun Kahraman; Director of Boğaziçi European School of Politics Hakan Altınay; and a founder of Istanbul Bilgi University Yiğit Ali Ekmekçi were each sentenced to 18 years in prison  for allegedly aiding Osman Kavala. The Istanbul Heavy Penal Court No. 13 also ruled that these six defendants who were previously on bail be immediately remanded in prison.

Mücella Yapıcı, Çiğdem Mater and Mine Özerden were taken to Bakırköy women’s prison.  Can Atalay, Tayfun Kahraman and Hakan Altınay were taken to Silivri high security prison where Osman Kaval has been held.

(A warrant has been issued for the arrest of an eight defendant Yiğit Ali Ekmekçi, who wasn’t in the courtroom the time of the verdict and is NOT part of  current campaigning by AI.)

Amnesty International has closely monitored both the first and second Gezi prosecutions. The prosecuting authorities have not provided evidence to support the charges levelled against the defendants, a fact that led to their acquittals in the first trial in February 2020. As demonstrated by the dissenting opinion of one of the judges in the second trial, there is no evidential basis for the conviction of the  defendants who AI considers to have been convicted in a politically motivated, unfair trial. [Read more…]

This month, we update you on developments in Colombia, Brazil, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Chile

In Colombia, a new government has been elected: Gustavo Petro will become the first radical left-wing President of Colombia in its history, and his Vice-President, Francia Marquez, the first black coloured woman in this office. Also, Amnesty International has issued a new Urgent Action for the human rights defender organization FEDEPESAN, and Colombia’s Truth Commission has published its final report. In Brazil, Amnesty International and 17 Brazilian NGOs have issued a petition to the state’ Public Prosecutors and the President of the National Council of Justice to hold the police responsible for violations of human rights for killings committed in 2021. Amnesty International has issued a new Urgent Action for Ecuador, calling on President Lasso to stop criminalizing peaceful protests. In Venezuela, Marino Alvarado and Alfredo Infante, the subjects of an Urgent Action last month, have reached a settlement with Carabobo State Governor, to drop his defamation lawsuit against them. A new constitution is getting ready for approval in Chile.

COLOMBIA

Gustavo Petro was voted in as the first radical left-wing President of Colombia in its history, while his Vice-Presidential running mate, Francia Márquez, is the first Black Colombian to hold this office. As his party won just 20 of 108 seats in the Senate and 28 of 169 seats in the Chamber of Representatives, he will have to negotiate with other parties to pass his government’s legislation.

Francia Márquez, human-rights and environmental activist and lawyer, has promised to give priority to the human rights of women, indigenous and ethnic minorities and environmental rights defenders.  They will take office on 7 August.

 Amnesty International has issued a new Urgent Action on behalf of the Colombian human rights defender organization FEDEPESAN. On May 31st, four environmental defenders from the Federation of Santander Fishers for Tourism and Environment (FEDEPESAN) were victims of an attack with firearms by unknown people while assessing possible environmental harm in the Magdalena Medio region. We urge the Ministry of the Interior to adopt immediate measures to guarantee the life and right to defend human rights of members of FEDEPESAN. You can take action here

 Colombia’s Truth Commission, part of the Peace Accord that ended the civil war with the FARC, has published its final report [pending English version], which has been well-received by President-elect Petro. The report calls for major changes to Colombia’s military and police forces. Military objectives should be re-evaluated, and all human rights violations committed by security forces should be tried by civilian courts. The report called on the nation’s government to regulate the drug trade so that its profits go to government agencies and not drug trafficking groups. It suggests that Colombia restart peace negotiations with the National Liberation Army (ELN), Colombia’s largest remaining rebel groups.  [Read more…]

Welcome to the latest newsletter. The next meeting  is on Thursday 7th July 2022 7.30pm  at Moordown Community Centre. But next Saturday 9th July we have a stall at….

BourneFree 2022

This is Bournemouth’s Gay Pride event; an annual celebration of all diversities that live in Bournemouth and surrounding areas. We had a stall at BourneFree for 5 consecutive years until lockdown ended all events in 2020. In many countries the LGBTI+ community are persecuted and, sadly, there are always cases we can feature. Unlike some events we do, its relatively easy to get cards signed and have conversations about Amnesty International and the work we do. Previous Pride events were in Bournemouth Gardens, and attendance was free. This year its held in Meyrick Park and there is a charge to enter. Hopefully it will be as successful as previous years. https://bournefree.co.uk/

[Read more…]

20th to 26th of June is dedicated to the Refugee Week, a week to celebrate the contributions Refugees make to enrich our communities and keep vital services like the NHS and social care functioning.

• The first vaccine against coronavirus was developed by a refugee in Germany. Refugee Week should also remind us that seeking asylum from persecution is a Human Right. But this right is under constant attack.
• In Italy Human Rights defenders from several NGO’s including ‘’Save the Children’’ , ‘’Jugend Rettet’’and ‘’Médecins sans Frontieres’’ are on a trial for saving lives in the Mediterranean sea. Italy and Frontex, the EU border agency are collaborating with the Libyan coastguard to intercept refugees at sea and return them to torture and abuse in the notorious Libyan detention camps.
• The war in Ukraine forced millions to flee and for once, the response from neighbouring countries and the EU was generous, compassionate and non-bureaucratic. Poland registered over a million refugees from Ukraine. But at the other border to Belarus there are still refugees fleeing war and violence from Yemen, Iraq and Afghanistan trapped in the forests without support or locked into overcrowded detention centres in some cases 20 -24 people had to share a room of 8 square metre.
• Denmark forces Syrian refugees to return to Syria despite the detailed Amnesty report: You are going to your death!
• According to Amnesty International’s research carried out between June 2018 and January 2019, migrants and refugees have been subject to systemic and deliberate pushbacks and collective expulsions by the Croatian border police.
• Find out more about Refugee week actions later in this newsletter

Italy, Iuventa case

On 21^st of May the preliminary hearing in the case against 21 human rights defenders accused of facilitating irregular migration for saving refugees and migrants at sea started at the court of Trapani, Sicily. The accused are 4 Iuventa crew members and 17 people involved in the rescue operations of Medicines sans Frontiers and Save the Children.

Amnesty applied to observe the hearing, together with other lawyers’ organisations (ECCHR, EDHL and Giuristi Democratici), we are hopeful we might be admitted to observe at future sessions of the preliminary hearing before the summer break. The preliminary hearing is expected to last for several months.

Amnesty and many other activists, went to Trapani to support the 4 Iuventa crew and the other defenders. The show of support and solidarity was much appreciated by the Iuventa crew, who said the collective participation to the day and the mobilisation outside the court, online and in other cities were just what they had hoped for.

Please join us online (20th of June) on Instagram, facebook and twitter in raising the level of attention to the case.

Mary Lawlor, UN Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders already tweeted that she is monitoring the case.

@amnestyukeurope facebook.com/AmnestyUKEurope [Read more…]