November, 28 2018, 11:00pm EDT
Amnesty International Launches World's Biggest Human Rights Campaign
WASHINGTON
Women human rights defenders around the world are facing unprecedented levels of abuse, intimidation and violence, said Amnesty International as it launched its global Write for Rights campaign, in a bid to shine a spotlight on brave women who have been harassed, jailed, tortured or even killed for their human rights work.
Women continue to face multiple forms of discrimination, targeted because of their gender and other characteristics, as well as for their human rights work. However, women refuse to stay silent and have been at the forefront of the battle for human rights in 2018.
"Across the world, women are leading the resistance. We want to honour the role of women who challenge power, stand up for what is right and lead the charge for change," said Kumi Naidoo, Secretary General of Amnesty International.
"Their position as leaders in their communities stands in contrast to the huge challenges they have overcome to get there.
"This year, Write for Rights, Amnesty's global letter-writing campaign, champions women who are challenging bad laws, corrupt practices, violent policing and so much more. They're the leaders we need to see more of in a world moving ever further towards extremism. By joining them, you can help tip the balance towards equality, freedom and justice."
Write for Rights 2018 will see Amnesty International supporters stand in solidarity with women human rights defenders from Brazil, Egypt, India, Iran, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Morocco, South Africa, Ukraine and Venezuela.
Among the cases are calls for justice for Marielle Franco, a Brazilian human rights activist and elected councillor who was shot dead in her car eight months ago; Atena Daemi, an Iranian activist, who is serving a seven-year prison sentence for speaking out against the death penalty; and Nonhle Mbuthuma, from South Africa, who has faced deaths threats, for speaking out against a mining company which wants to mine titanium on her ancestral land.
"We want to support these women and their families to overcome the risks and challenges they face for defending human rights. We want to see a world in which all women can raise their voice and stand up against injustice without fear, and where they're no longer targeted for who they are," said Kumi Naidoo. "It's time to stand together, seek justice and show our support. Together we can make change happen."
Every year, supporters across the globe write millions of letters for those whose human rights are being attacked. As well as sending messages of solidarity, Amnesty International supporters can write letters to people in power, calling on them to protect women human rights defenders.
Amnesty International's first Write for Rights campaign took place 16 years ago. Since then, millions of actions have been taken by activists around the world. Every year, these actions lead to real change. People wrongfully imprisoned are released, torturers are brought to justice, and people in prison are treated more humanely.
Receiving a letter can also give people hope in the most desperate of times. Last year, messages to Shackelia Jackson in Jamaica made a huge difference. Shackelia continues to demand justice for her brother Nakiea, who was killed by police for no reason. This tragedy led her to become a leader in the battle against unlawful killings committed by the police inJamaica.
"Writing a letter to someone might seem like such a small and simple act of kindness. But its effect can be enormous," said Shackelia.
"The letters reminded me of the importance of my work and showed my family and community that we are not alone - it has made our personal struggle for justice a global struggle. And the sheer volume of letters received will also show our government that people from around the world are watching them, and that they are waiting for justice to be served.
Amnesty International is calling on people to show their support to people, groups and communities around the world who are claiming their rights. This year, those who Amnesty supporters will stand in solidarity with include:
Marielle Franco, Brazil
Marielle Franco fought fearlessly for a fairer Rio de Janeiro. She stood up for black women, LGBTI people and young people, and condemned unlawful killings by police. But then she was silenced, shot to death in her car. It's part of a pattern in Brazil, where at least 70 human rights defenders were killed in 2017.
Amal Fathy, Egypt
Amal posted a video online, speaking about her experience of sexual harassment and criticizing the Egyptian authorities for neglecting women's rights. Now she's been sentenced to two years in prison for "spreading false news" - and still faces further charges.
Pavitri Manjhi, India
Pavitri is part of an Adivasi Indigenous community who are being forced to sell their land to make way for two power plants. As a village leader, she helped people file nearly 100 formal complaints against the companies involved. Now she faces threats from local 'strongmen' in an attempt to force her to withdraw the complaints.
Sengwer Indigenous People, Kenya
The Sengwer people in Kenya have a deep, centuries-old bond with the Embobut Forest. But this Indigenous community of beekeepers and cattle herders is being violently evicted by the Kenyan government. Forest guards have burned homes and forced thousands off their ancestral land, but the Sengwer are determined to resist.
Atena Daemi, Iran
Atena dreamt of an end to the death penalty in Iran. She wrote Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram posts, handed out leaflets, and joined peaceful protests. These actions were used as "evidence" to sentence her to seven years in prison. Her trial took just 15 minutes and she's faced violence and degrading treatment behind bars.
Awad, Sudan
Awad is a Sudanese human rights defender facing harassment and threats for her work. She is a refugee who fled Sudan in 2012 and is currently seeking resettlement in the U.S. but is stuck in limbo for years as the Trump administration's bans and policies targeting refugees, especially from Muslim majority countries, hurts the U.S. refugee resettlement program.
Gulzar Duishenova, Kyrgyzstan
In 2002, Gulzar lost movement in her legs after a car accident. She made it her life's mission to ensure persons with disabilities can live with dignity and move around freely. But she faces daily discrimination in a society where women aren't meant to speak out and persons with disabilities are seen as "invalids".
Nawal Benaissa, Morocco
Nawal speaks out to improve the situation of people living in her region, where many feel forgotten by their government. She's been on peaceful protests and campaigned on social media for social justice and better social healthcare services. But she's been harassed by the Moroccan authorities and was given a 10-month suspended sentence for "inciting to commit an offence".
Nonhle Mbuthuma, South Africa
Nonhle is leading the fight for her community against a mining company which wants to mine titanium on their ancestral land. But she's being harassed and threatened, and has even survived an attempt to kill her. Someone is trying to silence her, but she won't back down: "When you take my land, you take my identity."
Vitalina Koval, Ukraine
Vitalina works hard to support local LGBTI people in her home city, Uzhgorod. But she was violently attacked after organizing a peaceful protest on International Women's Day 2018. The assault is just part of a wider surge in intimidation by anti-rights groups in Ukraine. Vitalina and other human rights defenders won't give in to fear, so let's stand with them.
Geraldine Chacon, Venezuela
Geraldine always dreamed of defending others. That's why she helps empower young people in her home city to stand up for their rights. But she's being hounded by the authorities just for trying to make her country a better place. They imprisoned her for four months and banned her from leaving the country simply for defending human rights. Her case still isn't closed so she could be arrested again at any moment, with no warning.
About Write For Rights:
Every year, Amnesty International runs Write for Rights, a campaign that encourages supporters around the world to write messages of solidarity to people whose rights have been violated just because they dared to stand up against injustice. Supporters are also invited to write letters to the authorities on behalf of these courageous individuals. To find out more or to write a letter, visit: https://write.amnestyusa.org/
This statement is available at: https://www.amnestyusa.org/press-releases/amnesty-international-launches-worlds-biggest-human-rights-campaign/
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.
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Wyden Says Spying Bill Would Force Americans to Become an 'Agent for Big Brother'
"If you have access to any communications, the government can force you to help it spy," said Sen. Ron Wyden.
Apr 17, 2024
Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden took to the floor of the U.S. Senate on Tuesday to speak out against a chilling mass surveillance bill that lawmakers are working to rush through the upper chamber and send to President Joe Biden's desk by the end of the week.
The measure in question would reauthorize Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) for two years and massively expand the federal government's warrantless surveillance power by requiring a wide range of businesses and individuals to cooperate with spying efforts.
"If you have access to any communications, the government can force you to help it spy," said Wyden (Ore.), referring to an amendment that was tacked on to the legislation by the U.S. House last week with bipartisan support. "That means anyone with access to a server, a wire, a cable box, a Wi-Fi router, a phone, or a computer. So think for a moment about the millions of Americans who work in buildings and offices in which communications are stored or pass through."
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Wyden's remarks came after the Senate narrowly approved a motion Tuesday to proceed to the FISA reauthorization bill ahead of Section 702's expiration at the end of the week. The Oregon senator, an outspoken privacy advocate, was among the seven members of the Democratic caucus who voted against the procedural motion.
Despite its grave implications for civil liberties, the bill has drawn relatively little vocal opposition in the Senate. A final vote could come as soon as Thursday.
Titled Reforming Intelligence and Securing America Act (RISAA), the legislation passed the Republican-controlled House last week after lawmakers voted down an amendment that would have added a search warrant requirement to Section 702.
The authority allows U.S. agencies to spy on non-citizens located outside of the country, but it has been abused extensively by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and National Security Agency to collect the communications of American lawmakers, activists, journalists, and others without a warrant.
Privacy advocates warn RISAA would dramatically expand the scope of Section 702 by broadening the kinds of individuals and businesses required to participate in government spying. A key provision of the bill would mandate cooperation from "electronic communications service providers" such as Google, Verizon, and AT&T as well as "any other service provider who has access to equipment that is being or may be used" to transmit or store electronic communications.
That would mean U.S. intelligence agencies could, without a warrant, compel gyms, grocery stores, barber shops, and other businesses to hand over communications data.
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Wyden said during his floor speech Tuesday that some of his colleagues "say they aren't worried about President Biden abusing these authorities."
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More than two dozen House Democrats on Tuesday challenged the Biden administration's claim that Israel is using U.S.-supplied weapons in compliance with domestic and international law—an assertion made amid an ongoing World Court probe of "plausibly" genocidal Israeli policies and practices in Gaza.
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"We write to express our deep concern regarding the U.S. Department of State's recent comments regarding assurances from the Israeli government, under National Security Memorandum (NSM) 20, that the Israeli government is using U.S.-origin weapons in full compliance with relevant U.S. and international law and is not restricting the delivery of humanitarian assistance," the lawmakers wrote in a letter to the Cabinet members.
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While the lawmakers didn't mention the International Court of Justice's January 26
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The lawmakers' letter came amid reports of fresh Israeli atrocities, including a drone strike on a playground in the Maghazi refugee camp in northern Gaza that killed at least 11 children. Eyewitnesses described a "horrific scene of children torn apart."
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According to Palestinian and international officials, more than 110,000 Palestinians have been killed or wounded by Israeli forces since October 7. Most of the dead are women and children. At least 7,000 Palestinians are also missing and presumed dead and buried beneath the rubble of hundreds of thousands of bombed-out homes and other buildings.
Around 90% of Gaza's 2.3 million people have been forcibly displaced in what many Palestinians are calling a second Nakba, a reference to the ethnic cleansing of over 750,000 Arabs from Palestine during the establishment of the modern state of Israel in 1948.
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"The diplomatic note does nothing to relieve our family's extreme distress about his future—his grim expectation of spending the rest of his life in isolation in U.S. prison for publishing award-winning journalism."
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The wife of jailed WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange sharply criticized "assurances" the U.S. government made as the U.K. High Court considers allowing the 52-year-old Australian's extradition to the United States, where he faces 175 years in prison.
The U.S. document states that if extradited, "Assange will have the ability to raise and seek to rely upon at trial (which includes any sentencing hearing) the rights and protections given under the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States," though it points out that "a decision as to the applicability of the First Amendment is exclusively within the purview of the U.S. courts."
"A sentence of death will neither be sought nor imposed on Assange," the document adds, noting that he has not been charged with any offense for which that is a possible punishment. It comes after the U.K. court ruled last month that the Biden administration had until Tuesday to confirm that he wouldn't face the death penalty and if it did not, he could continue appealing his extradition.
Responding on social media, his wife, Stella Assange—who is an attorney—blasted the U.S. assurances as "weasel words."
"The United States has issued a nonassurance in relation to the First Amendment, and a standard assurance in relation to the death penalty," she said. "It makes no undertaking to withdraw the prosecution's previous assertion that Julian has no First Amendment rights because he is not a U.S citizen."
"The Biden administration must drop this dangerous prosecution before it is too late."
"Instead, the U.S. has limited itself to blatant weasel words claiming that Julian can 'seek to raise' the First Amendment if extradited," she added. "The diplomatic note does nothing to relieve our family's extreme distress about his future—his grim expectation of spending the rest of his life in isolation in U.S. prison for publishing award-winning journalism. The Biden administration must drop this dangerous prosecution before it is too late."
The U.K. court's next hearing is scheduled for May 20. Last week, reporters asked U.S. President Joe Biden about requests from Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and members of the country's Parliament to drop the extradition effort and charges. He said that "we're considering it."
So far, the Biden administration has ignored significant pressure from Australian and U.S. politicians as well as human rights and press freedom groups, and continued to pursue the extradition of Julian Assange, who was charged under former President Donald Trump—the Republican expected to face the Democratic president in the November election.
Assange was charged under the Espionage Act and Computer Fraud and Abuse Act for publishing classified documents including the "Collateral Murder" video and the Afghan and Iraq war logs. Since British authorities dragged Assange out of the Ecuadorian Embassy in London—where he lived with political asylum for seven years—he has been jailed in the city's Belmarsh Prison.
The WikiLeaks founder's wife, with whom he has two children, was not alone in condemning the U.S. assurances on Tuesday.
"This 'assurance' should make journalists even more worried about how the Assange prosecution could impact press freedom in the U.S. and globally. The U.K. should grant Assange's appeal and refuse to extradite him," said the Freedom of the Press Foundation. "The U.S. doesn't disclaim the ability to argue that the First Amendment doesn't apply to Assange because of his nationality or other reasons, or for a court to rule against a First Amendment challenge to his prosecution."
Jameel Jaffer, director of the Knight First Amendment Institute, similarly said that "no one who cares about press freedom should take any comfort at all from the United States' assurance that Assange will be permitted to 'rely upon' the First Amendment."
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