February, 25 2009, 11:39am EDT
For Immediate Release
Contact:
AIUSA media office,Email:,media@aiusa.org,Phone: 202-544-0200 x302
Pakistan Government Must Resolve Hundreds of Baluch "Disappearances," Says Amnesty International
The Pakistani government
must immediately act on its commitment to trace hundreds of Baluch victims
of enforced disappearances, Amnesty International said today.
The human rights organization also calls
on the United Nations to raise the issue of enforced disappearances in
Pakistan at the 10th session of the Human Rights Council (Geneva, March
2-27, 2009) to follow up on Pakistan's previous pledges to begin to resolve
the issue.
WASHINGTON
The Pakistani government
must immediately act on its commitment to trace hundreds of Baluch victims
of enforced disappearances, Amnesty International said today.
The human rights organization also calls
on the United Nations to raise the issue of enforced disappearances in
Pakistan at the 10th session of the Human Rights Council (Geneva, March
2-27, 2009) to follow up on Pakistan's previous pledges to begin to resolve
the issue.
Despite several pledges to resolve the country's
crisis of "disappearances," Pakistan's new civilian government
has not yet provided information about hundreds of cases of people believed
to be held secretly by the government as part of the so-called war on terror,
or in response to internal opposition, for instance in Baluchistan.
The Chief Minister of Baluchistan pledged
in April 2008 that resolving the cases of Baluch disappearances would be
a priority. In May 2008, Senator Babar Awan, the Secretary of the
ruling Pakistan People's Party Reconciliatory Committee on Baluchistan,
announced the creation of a committee headed by Nawabzada Haji Lashkri
to trace "disappeared" persons of Baluchistan as part of its
efforts to address Baluch grievances.
To date the government has not revealed the
findings of its investigations or any actions it has taken to resolve the
Baluch enforced disappearance cases.
According to press reports, on February 14,
Interior Ministry Adviser Rehman Malik stated that the Baluchistan Chief
Minister had given the government an "incomplete list of 800 'missing'
people," of which 200 names on the list had been verified.
A hitherto unknown separatist group, the
Baluchistan Liberation United Front (BLUF), on February 2, kidnapped John
Solecki, head of the office of the U.N. High Commissioner of Refugees in
Quetta.
The BLUF (not to be confused with the long
established Baluchistan Liberation Front) claims that 6,000 Baluch activists
have gone "missing." The BLUF also claims that 141 Baluch women
are among the "disappeared." The group demanded their release
in exchange for Solecki's return. The Pakistani government has denied the
allegations.
Amnesty International condemns the kidnapping
of John Solecki and calls for his immediate and unconditional release and
points out that hostage-taking is a crime under international law.
Acts of enforced disappearance violate several
provisions of Pakistan's Constitution, including freedom from arbitrary
detention, the right to judicial overview of detentions and to human dignity
and the prohibition of torture, as well as constituting criminal offences.
Pakistan has still not acted on its promise
made in May 2008 that it would accede to International Convention for the
Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance.
At the meeting of the Working Group on the
Universal Periodic Review of the U.N. Human Rights Council (UPR), on May
8, 2008, Pakistan's representatives declared that its security forces
trained in international humanitarian law and were fully accountable. In
a written statement in response to the UPR, the permanent representative
"vowed to investigate" disappearances.
On several occasions, Amnesty International
has called the government to account on this issue. In 2008, the
organization used official court records and affidavits of victims and
witnesses of enforced disappearances to show how government officials,
especially from the country's security and intelligences agencies, were
resorting to a variety of tactics to conceal enforced disappearance. These
include: denying detention takes place and denying all knowledge of the
fate and whereabouts of "disappeared" persons; refusing to obey
judicial orders; concealing the identity of the detaining authorities,
for example by transferring the "disappeared" to other secret
locations, threatening harm or re-disappearance and leveling spurious criminal
charges to conceal enforced disappearances
Amnesty International urges the Pakistani
government to immediately resolve all acts of enforced disappearance; to
ensure the immediate release of all persons held in secret detention unless
they are transferred to official places of detention, charged with a recognizably
criminal offence and remanded by an independent court; and to bring to
justice officials found responsible. Victims, including families of those
"disappeared," should be granted reparations in accordance with
international standards.
Background
Baluchistan has a history of insurgency with
local groups advocating greater autonomy. Four waves of violent unrest
took place in 1948, 1958-59, 1962-63 and 1973-77. In early 2005,
tensions in Baluchistan again increased, with numerous clashes reported
between security forces and Baluch tribesman. Local people in Baluchistan
are demanding a bigger share of the revenue generated by the province's
natural resources, principally natural gas, which they believe now benefit
other provinces. A number of Baluchi groups are seeking more rights for
the province. Some of these groups have resorted to violence, while others
are campaigning peacefully. The Pakistani national government has attempted
to suppress this opposition by increasing the military presence in the
region. Many people have died at the hands of the security forces in extrajudicial
executions and deaths in custody, and thousands of people are reported
to have "disappeared." The confrontation between Baluch nationalists
and the state is characterized by human rights abuses committed by all
sides.
Amnesty International is a Nobel Peace Prize-winning
grassroots activist organization with more than 2.2 million supporters,
activists and volunteers in more than 150 countries campaigning for human
rights worldwide. The organization investigates and exposes abuses, educates
and mobilizes the public, and works to protect people wherever justice,
freedom, truth and dignity are denied.
# # #
For more information, please see Amnesty's
report, Denying the Undeniable: Enforced Disappearances in Pakistan
at https://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/ASA33/018/2008/en.
Amnesty International is a global movement of millions of people demanding human rights for all people - no matter who they are or where they are. We are the world's largest grassroots human rights organization.
(212) 807-8400LATEST NEWS
57 House Dems Call On Biden to Prevent Israeli Assault on Rafah
"An offensive invasion into Rafah by Israel in the upcoming days is wholly unacceptable."
May 01, 2024
Dozens of U.S. House Democrats on Wednesday joined Congresswomen Pramila Jayapal and Madeleine Dean in pressuring President Joe Biden to prevent a full-scale Israeli assault on Rafah, a city in the southern Gaza Strip that's now full of over a million displaced Palestinians.
"We write with urgency to say: an offensive invasion into Rafah by Israel in the upcoming days is wholly unacceptable," states the letter from Jayapal (D-Wash.), Dean (D-Pa.), and 55 other members of Congress. "We welcome your administration's efforts to dissuade the Israeli government from this military operation, which would deepen both the humanitarian catastrophe for people in Gaza and the strategic challenges that regional and global stakeholders face in this conflict."
"We now urge you to enforce U.S. law and policy by withholding certain offensive weaponry or other military support that can be used for an assault on Rafah, including the offensive weaponry and aid already signed into law," the letter continues.
The Democrats highlighted how Israel's retaliation for the Hamas-led October 7 attack has impacted the city:
Rafah has become one of the most overcrowded places in the world. With shelters too full and insufficient, many families now live on the streets. The collapsed health infrastructure, in addition to sewage overflow and the scarcity of food, water, and medicine, has accelerated the onset of severe malnutrition and the spread of communicable diseases. Acute food insecurity is endemic in Rafah, even as the international community circulates credible reports that famine is setting in elsewhere in Gaza—all as a result of six months of military operations that you have described as "indiscriminate." In addition, we know in fact that Israeli strikes on Rafah have already occurred, including one on April 20th that killed 18 people, including 14 children.
Across the Gaza Strip, Israeli forces have killed 34,568 people and wounded another 77,765—mostly women and children—while leaving thousands more missing in the rubble of bombed buildings, including homes, hospitals, schools, and mosques.
Biden has resisted mounting global pressure to limit or fully cut off military aid to Israel, which the International Court of Justice in January concluded is "plausibly" committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. That case is ongoing.
"In addition to the catastrophic civilian toll—and risk to as many as 130 hostages, including as many as six or more Americans—an offensive in Rafah would ultimately undermine the Israeli and U.S. governments' strategic interests," the Democrats argued. "Israeli and U.S. military bases in the region have recently been the targets of repeated drone and missile attacks—a dangerous indication of how unstable the Middle East has become as a result of the Gaza war."
"An Israeli offensive in Rafah risks the start of yet another escalatory spiral, immediately putting the region back on the brink of a broader war that neither Israel nor the United States can afford," they warned. Along with calling on the president to withhold aid to Israel to protect civilians in Rafah, the lawmakers urged Biden to keep working "toward achieving a lasting cease-fire that will bring hostages home and build a path toward safety and security for all."
They also said that "it is of the utmost importance that both Hamas and Israel immediately come to the table with the international community for a mutually agreed ceasefire deal that can secure the safe return of hostages, full resumption of humanitarian aid, and the space for a negotiated, long-term peace in the region."
The letter comes a week after Biden signed a foreign aid package that included $26 billion for Israel and passed both chambers of Congress with bipartisan support. Jayapal and three dozen other Democrats opposed the Israel Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, which ultimately passed.
In a joint statement last month, the Washington Democrat and 18 of her colleagues said that "our votes against H.R. 8034 are votes against supplying more offensive weapons that could result in more killings of civilians in Rafah and elsewhere."
Israeli Prime Minister "Benjamin Netanyahu appears willing to sacrifice the hostages while inflicting extraordinary suffering on the people of Gaza. He is willing to expand this conflict to preserve his power at the expense of Israel's safety," they continued, noting concerns about an invasion of Rafah. "When faced with the question of whether to provide offensive aid to further this conflict, we believe there is a moral imperative to find another path."
Keep ReadingShow Less
Cutting Ties With Israel, 'One Colombia Shows Far More Courage Than the Other Columbia'
"The times of genocide and extermination of an entire people cannot return," said leftist Colombian President Gustavo Petro. "If Palestine dies, humanity dies."
May 01, 2024
In sharp contrast with Columbia University in New York City, Colombian President Gustavo Petro on Wednesday announced the imminent suspension of diplomatic relations with Israel over that country's assault on Gaza.
"The government of change informs that as of tomorrow diplomatic relations with Israel will be broken... for having a government, for having a president who is genocidal," Petro told a crowd in the capital Bogotá during an International Workers' Day event, referring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
"The world could be summed up in a single word that vindicates the necessity of life, rebellion, the raised flag, and resistance," the leftist leader added. "That word is called Gaza. It is called Palestine. It is called the children and babies who have died dismembered by the bombs."
"The times of genocide and extermination of an entire people cannot return. If Palestine dies, humanity dies," he added as the crowd started chanting, "Petro! Petro! Petro!"
Colombia joins at least nine other nations—including Bahrain, Belize, Bolivia, Chad, Chile, Honduras, Jordan, South Africa, and Turkey—that have either recalled their ambassadors from Israel or broken off relations in response to Israel's assault on Gaza, which has killed, maimed, or left missing more than 123,000 Palestinians and forcibly displaced around 90% of the besieged strip's 2.3 million people.
In late October, Colombia became one of the first countries to recall its ambassador from Israel, a move that came amid a diplomatic fracas between Bogotá and Tel Aviv sparked by Petro's comparison of Israeli leaders' dehumanizing and genocidal statements about Palestinians with "what the Nazis said about the Jews."
Petro also called Gaza—often described as the "world's largest open-air prison"—a "concentration camp."
After Israel accused Petro of "hostile and antisemitic statements" and "support for the horrific acts of Hamas terrorists," the Colombian president hit back, saying Israel's war on Gaza is "genocide."
Last month, Colombia asked the International Court of Justice to join the South African-led genocide case against Israel, which is supported by over 30 nations. In January, the ICJ issued a preliminary ruling that found Israel is "plausibly" committing genocide in Gaza and ordered its government to prevent genocidal acts.
Critics accuse Israel of ignoring the ICJ order. Last month the court cited "the worsening conditions of life faced by Palestinians in Gaza, in particular the spread of famine and starvation" as it issued another provisional order directing Israel to allow desperately needed humanitarian aid into the strip.
In a homophonic reference to protests on U.S. campuses including Columbia University—which has refused to divest from Israel and has twice sicced police on peaceful protesters—attorney Steven Donziger quipped, "One Colombia shows far more courage than the other Columbia."
Keep ReadingShow Less
GOP Farm Bill Blueprint 'Puts Big Ag's Profits Over Everyone Else'
"America's farmers and consumers need forward-looking policies that build a sustainable, resilient, and fair food system," said one campaigner.
May 01, 2024
As Democratic and Republican leaders on Wednesday unveiled competing visions for the next Farm Bill, green groups sounded the alarm about the GOP proposal that "slashes nutrition programs and climate-focused conservation funding in order to boost commodity crop production."
U.S. House Committee on Agriculture Chair Glenn "GT" Thompson (R-Pa.) put out a "title-by-title overview" of priorities and announced plans for a legislative markup on May 23 while Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee Chair Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) released the Rural Prosperity and Food Security Act, which includes over 100 bipartisan bills.
"The contrast between the House and Senate farm bill proposals could not be clearer," asserted Environmental Working Group senior vice president for government affairs Scott Faber. "The Senate framework would ensure that farmers are rewarded when they take steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and the House framework would not."
"At a time when farmer demand for climate-smart funding is growing, Congress should ensure that support for farmers offering to reduce nitrous oxide emissions from fertilizer, and methane emissions from animals and their waste, is the Department of Agriculture's top priority," Faber said. "Unless farmers are provided the tools to reduce nitrous oxide and methane emissions from agriculture, farming will soon be the nation's largest source of greenhouse gas emissions."
Friends of the Earth senior program manager Chloe Waterman declared that "House Republicans have proposed a dead-on-arrival Farm Bill framework that puts Big Ag's profits over everyone else: communities, family farmers, consumers, states and local rule, farmed animals, and the planet."
"Senate Democrats are off to a much better start than the House, but they have also fallen short by failing to shift subsidies and other support away from factory farming and pesticide-intensive commodities toward diversified, regenerative, and climate-friendly farming systems," she added. "We are particularly concerned that millions of dollars intended for climate mitigation will continue to be funneled to factory farms, including to support greenwashed factory farm gas."
Both Waterman's organization and Food and Water Watch spotlighted the Ending Agricultural Trade Suppression (EATS) Act, which aims to prevent state and local policies designed to protect animal welfare, farm workers, and food safety—like California's Proposition 12, which the U.S. Supreme Court upheld last year. The Republican bill is opposed by more than 200 members of Congress and over 150 advocacy groups.
"Despicable ploys to undermine critical consumer and animal welfare protections must be dead on arrival," Food & Water Watch senior food policy analyst Rebecca Wolf said in a Wednesday statement blasting the House GOP's priorities.
"America's farmers and consumers need forward-looking policies that build a sustainable, resilient, and fair food system," she stressed. "Instead, House leadership seems poised to take us backwards, trading state-level gains for a few more bucks in the pockets of corporate donors. Congress must move beyond partisan bickering, and get to work on a Farm Bill that cuts handouts to Big Ag and factory farms."
As green groups slammed the GOP's agricultural proposals for the Farm Bill, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) called out the Republican scheme to attack food stamps.
Stabenow's bill "would protect and strengthen the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), our nation's most important and effective anti-hunger program," noted Ty Jones Cox, CBPP's vice president for food assistance.
Meanwhile, Thompson's plan "would put a healthy diet out of reach in the future for millions of families with low incomes by cutting future benefits for all SNAP participants and eroding the adequacy of SNAP benefits over time," she warned.
As Jones Cox detailed:
Thompson's proposal would prevent SNAP benefits from keeping pace with the cost of a healthy, realistic diet over time, which the Congressional Budget Office estimates would result in a roughly $30 billion cut to SNAP over the next decade. The proposal would do this by freezing the cost of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Thrifty Food Plan (the basis for SNAP benefit levels) outside of inflation adjustments, even if nutrition guidelines or other factors change the cost of an adequate diet. The Thompson proposal's modest benefit improvements do not outweigh the harm to the tens of millions of SNAP participants—including children, older adults, and people with disabilities—who would receive less food assistance in the future because of this policy.
"Stabenow's proposal rejects the false premise that improvements in SNAP must come at the expense of food assistance for low-income families who count on SNAP to put food on the table," she concluded. "The Senate framework, which rejects harmful benefit cuts, should be the basis for farm bill negotiations moving forward."
Keep ReadingShow Less
Most Popular