Flame Issue 4 2012

WHAT ARE YOU GUILTY OF? TRIAL BY TIMELINE ISSUE 4 / 2012

IN THIS ISSUE > MALALA: SHOT FOR SPEAKING OUT > THE RIGHTS WAY OUT OF CHILD POVERTY > WRITE FOR RIGHTS 2012

GUEST EDITORIAL

"IT’S REALLY EXCITING TO BE ABLE TO SAY THAT AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL WILL BE ONCE AGAIN WORKING ON ISSUES IN THE PACIFIC." Kate Schuetze became Amnesty International’s Pacific Researcher in June 2012, after previously working in Fiji for a local human rights organisation.

CONTENTS 3

Write for Rights 2012

Living and working in Suva in 2008 was a challenging time – with human rights and the rule of law under pressure. But I worked with courageous human rights defenders who were, and continue to be, the motivation and inspiration for my work on human rights in the Pacific.

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Feature: The Rights Way out of Child Poverty

The Pacific is a place of such unique beauty and diversity and I feel lucky to be able to work in this area.

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Fighting Back – Azza Hilal Suleiman’s fight for justice

Yet we mustn’t forget that the Pacific faces real human rights challenges. While they may be different to those in regions like the Middle East – they are certainly no less important.

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Malala – Shot for speaking out

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Take Action – Write for Rights cases

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Good News

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Amnesty Briefs

In fact some Pacific Island countries have the highest rates of violence against women in the world, with two out of three women experiencing physical violence in their lifetime. Women have the right to feel safe at home; they have the right to feel safe at work and safe in their communities. These rights must be respected. And so, over the next few years Amnesty will focus on achieving greater gender equality throughout the region.

CONTACT DETAILS Amnesty International Aotearoa New Zealand 68 Grafton Road, Auckland, 1010 P O Box 5300, Wellesley St, Auckland, 1141 0800 AMNESTY (0800 266 378)

THIS IS YOUR FLAME Please let us know if you like it Send all your comments and suggestions to: EMAIL: theflame@amnesty. org.nz WWW.AMNESTY.ORG.NZ

CHAIRPERSON: Helen Shorthouse

EDITOR: Anita Harvey ART DIRECTION + DESIGN: We Love Inc www.weloveinc.com

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Quite often culture and religion are cited as a barrier to the recognition of human rights in the Pacific. However Amnesty International believes that this is incorrect. Human rights come with responsibilities and the recognition of individual rights can reinforce the rights of a community and bring people together.

This is so important and what is critical to promoting human rights in the Pacific is actually understanding cultural diversity.

I am well aware that the remoteness and geographical disparity of the Pacific will make it difficult to work on all countries in the region. But we can, by working strategically, have a human rights impact. It’s really exciting to be able to say that Amnesty International will be once again working on issues in the Pacific region, after an absence over the past 12 months, and I’m looking forward to being a part of it. Keep an eye out and expect to hear more from me in the near future.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Grant Bayldon

PASS IT ON When you’ve finished with your copy of Flame please pass it on to someone else so they can learn about Amnesty International and the vital work we do.

We are a global human rights organisation, and therefore it is important that Amnesty International is active in the Pacific. We will be prioritising several issues, including: sexual and gender based violence, freedom of expression and the rule of law, and also social and economic rights like the right to adequate housing.

PROTECT THE HUMAN

Kate Schuetze Pacific Researcher Amnesty International

WRITE FOR RIGHTS "We will be drawing pictures of hope to send to prisoners of conscience, to change a life."

Ange & Edith, mother and daughter

WHAT WILL YOU BE DOING TO CHANGE A LIFE IN DECEMBER? From 2-12 December people all over the world will be using words to change lives. Why not join them? Write a letter, tweet, send an email and use your words to help someone less fortunate than yourself. There are six cases to write on behalf of, from Russian punk band Pussy Riot, to Chinese human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng, as well as the Bodo community in Nigeria, the displaced people of Tawargha in Libya, Hussain Almerfedi in Guantanamo and Azza Hilal Ahmad Suleiman in Egypt. Read more on pages 6-9 and check out www.amnesty. org.nz/write4rights to get involved.

Murry and Jodi Sweetpants, Couple about town.

Annie, Teacher

"I will be picking up my pen and writing a letter to change a life" Andrew Thorburn, CEO of BNZ bank

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"We will be tweeting to change a life."

"I will be emailing a message of hope to change a life."

FEATURE

© Sanja Knezevic FLAME ISSUE 4 / 2012

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THE RIGHTS WAY OUT OF CHILD POVERTY NEW ZEALAND CHILDREN ARE LIVING IN POVERTY. CAMPAIGNER AMANDA BRYDON TELLS OF THE ROLE AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL HAS TO PLAY IN AN ISSUE RIFE IN OUR OWN BACKYARD.

It's a really hard nights sleep. It's normal, it's better than listening to my parents fighting and drinking all the time…I'm hungry, I'm cold and I don't want to go home. No use going home to no food in the cupboards.

I'm alright here!! - Mere, Paeroa

When I read the statements from New Zealand children about what it's like to live in poverty, the impact on me was profound.

The Office of the Children’s Commissioner spoke to 56 children, 32 young people and eight young adults living in low socio-economic communities throughout New Zealand, for their report ‘This is how I see it’, Children, Young people and young adults’ views and experiences of poverty.’

Not only were their statements a powerful snapshot of the harsh reality of poverty, they were stories happening here in our own backyard.

I’ve been working for Amnesty International for over two years now, and have followed their work for many more. During that time I have worked on and seen some intensely emotional campaigns and I’ve heard the stories of people suffering terrible, horrific human rights abuses.

We deal with these international human rights issues on a daily basis, but I never thought I’d have to call for greater protection of human rights here in New Zealand.

The shocking reality however, is that 270,000 New Zealand children are living in poverty. And as a result, children are missing out on access to basic human rights such as adequate housing, healthcare and education.

A figure matching the entire population of the Bay of Plenty region, living in poverty.

We have one of the highest rates of child poverty in the developed world, and that fact is just plain unacceptable. It is a human rights violation too big to ignore and it has caused Amnesty International to turn our focus to our own backyard.

The more I’ve delved into this issue and seen how the lives of countless New Zealand children are affected by poverty, the more I have been shocked at the barriers these children and their families face just to live their lives, not even close to the idyllic Kiwi dream.

It is heartbreaking to see our children, New Zealand’s future, living without access to adequate housing and healthcare, access to their basic human rights.

As a human rights organisation, Amnesty International sees poverty as a failure to protect basic human rights and we also campaign to put an end to the human rights abuses that keep people in poverty.

And that’s exactly what we want here in New Zealand.

Because at the moment, the rights of our children are not adequately protected by New Zealand law.

And that’s not ok. The New Zealand Government has an international obligation to ensure that the rights to healthcare, education and adequate housing are available to all New Zealand children.

And it’s been proven on the international stage that the best way to ensure this is to make these rights law.

We will be calling on the New Zealand Government to recognise these rights by incorporating them into the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act and to provide remedies for them when they are breached. It is time for us to call on the Government to step up and address this dark stain on New Zealand’s human rights record.

Because as Rebecca, one of the children interviewed by the Children’s Commissioner, said, “Poverty is your problem, it is everyone’s problem, not just those who are in poverty.”

Amnesty International will join many other organisations in New Zealand who are doing significant work to address child poverty. In consultations with many of these groups Amnesty International will look to add value to the debate. Amnesty will provide a human rights lens on the issue of child poverty by proposing solutions which refer to New Zealand’s international legal obligations to promote and protect the rights of children.

Poverty in New Zealand is often dismissed when compared to situations of poverty in other regions such as Africa. It must be acknowledged however, that poverty is relative. It is simply a denial of basic human rights and it is happening here.

We want New Zealand to be a place where no child has to grow up without the necessities of life.

We want to let Kiwi kids know that we are behind them, standing up for their rights.

Our kids rights, our responsibility, our law.

Keep an eye out in the coming months for more information on our child poverty campaign at www.amnesty.org.nz. We hope you’ll join us in our calls to make rights law and drive away child poverty in New Zealand.

The images above are taken by some of the children interviewed by the Office of the Children’s Commissioner giving their view of poverty. See more: http://www.occ.org.nz/home/childpoverty/

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We Demand Dignity for everyone worldwide. Part of the Demand Dignity campaign is to ensure that economic, social and cultural rights are protected by law and that those living in poverty have an avenue to seek redress when their rights are violated. To ensure rights are protected in law means that everyone can call for their right to access education, healthcare and adequate housing to be made a reality.

Anonymous teen parent, Wanganui

WRITE FOR RIGHTS Footage of Egyptian soldiers mercilessly beating a “red-hooded woman” during a protest went viral last year.

Today, AZZA HILAL SULEIMAN is suing the military. She told Amnesty International’s CLARE FERMONT her story.

FIGHTING BACK This graffiti on a Cairo street shows a woman saying “no to harassment”. © Amnesty International

Azza Hilal Suleiman became known internationally last year as the “redhooded woman”. Video footage showed her helping another woman whose underwear was exposed as Egyptian soldiers dragged and beat her during a demonstration. Then Azza too was attacked, so viciously that she almost lost her life.

I spoke to Azza at her home in Cairo about her life-changing experiences since the Egyptian uprising began.

This vibrant 49-year-old woman was brought up in a military family – her father, two uncles and two brothers are all army generals. She led a pretty conventional life until the ‘25 January Revolution’ turned her life upside-down.

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“I was so innocent,” she said. “I went to the Day of Anger demonstration on 28 January 2011 by bus. I saw the demonstration, so asked the driver to stop. As we walked, our numbers kept growing. I was very happy.”

She soon witnessed the security forces using unprecedented violence against

protesters, gunning people down and beating them. She was overwhelmed by the fog of tear gas.

“But we all had great courage,” she said.

“I kept pushing past the riot police, who seemed smaller than me. I tried to save a young boy carrying his shopping who had been grabbed by the riot police.”

The fearlessness and anger she felt that day has never left her.

She joined another protest on 17 December 2011, near Cairo’s Cabinet Offices. That’s when she saw troops assaulting the young woman, exposing her underwear. She threw herself over the woman to protect her. Then, she too was attacked by soldiers, and her ruthless beating was captured on video.

The next thing Azza remembers is waking up in hospital. She had a fractured skull and her swollen face left her barely recognizable. She had been in a coma for a week and doctors told her family to prepare for the worst.

“At the beginning, the pain was so bad that I would wake up screaming, and

I fainted a lot. But lots of friends and relatives helped me.”

One of those friends was a man who soon became her fiancé. “He really supported me, and we held the same views on the revolution and justice,” she smiled, “so I melted with love for him.”

On 2 May 2012 he was shot dead at a sit-in at the Ministry of Defence in Abbaseya, Cairo, by “thugs” she says the army used “to do its dirty work”.

“It was this that made me take up the battle for justice for the many crimes committed by the military,” she said, “much more than my own case”.

She submitted a complaint about her assault to the public prosecution, but nothing happened. She is determined to get justice, and vows to take her case before international bodies if necessary.

Like other women activists I interviewed in Cairo, Azza was far more interested in talking about getting justice for others, rather than for herself. She wants justice for the Coptic Christians killed in Maspero, Cairo, on 9 October 2011. And

16 DAYS OF ACTIVISM

Malala Yousufzai

© REUTERS

Azza Hilal Suleiman at home in Cairo, September 2012. © Amnesty International

MALALA: SHOT FOR SPEAKING OUT

The world watched in horror and reacted with anger at the news that 14-year-old Malala Yousufzai had been shot in the head on the way home from school.

It was a brutal attack – on a young child – and was no accident.

Since she was 11 years old Malala has bravely spoken out for the rights of girls. She’s spoken out simply because she wants to learn, to go to school. And because of that she’s had to fight for her life.

for all those killed and injured during the uprising – and since then.

Does she remain optimistic, I asked.

“Of course,” she said. “It was depressing before the revolution.

There was so much injustice and so many things imposed on you. I used to despair and think there was no escape.

Now I am full of hope.”

Her words still resonate: “Don’t give up on your rights. You only have rights if you fight for them. And the more we support each other, the stronger we are and the more we will achieve.”

TAKE ACTION Azza is one of the cases featured in this year’s Write for Rights Campaign. Please send an appeal on her behalf by visiting amnesty.org.nz/ write4rights

The Taliban have claimed responsibility for the shooting of Malala and according to media reports, Ehsanullah Ehsan, a Taliban spokesperson, stated that the group attacked Malala because she was “anti-Taliban” and “secular” and “promoting Western culture in Pashtun areas”, adding that she would not be spared if she survived the attack.

Both Malala and her family have received threats from the Taliban in the past as her father runs one of the last girls’ schools to defy a Taliban ban against female education in the Swat Valley.

Malala spent Tuesday 9 and Wednesday 10 October in intensive care at a hospital in Peshawar and was shifted to another hospital in Rawalpindi on Thursday 11 October. On Monday 15 October she was shifted to a hospital in Birmingham, United Kingdom for specialist treatment.

At the time of writing Flame, Malala was in a stable condition and doctors have said she could make a good recovery.

Sadly, this attack against Malala is but one in a long list of attacks in northwestern Pakistan, where female activists in particular live under constant threats from the Taliban and other militant groups. In the last twelve months alone at least two activists working on women’s education, Farida Afridi and Zarteef Afridi, were killed in a wave of targeted attacks by the Taliban and other groups in the region.

The Pakistani Taliban has systematically imposed severe restrictions on women’s and girls’ activities, their movement, education and employment outside the home in areas under their influence or control.

The climate of fear generated by these attacks further undermines the ability of thousands of children, particularly girls, to exercise their fundamental rights.

Attacks on schools and school facilities also violate international law, which provides special protection to buildings dedicated to education.

This year, Amnesty International supporters around the world will be campaigning to end these abuses during our 16 Days of Activism to end genderbased violence. The campaign runs from 25 November (International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women) until 10 December (International Human Rights Day).

TAKE ACTION Call on Pakistan’s leaders to protect Malala, her family and fellow activists and to bring the perpetrators of such attacks to justice – amnesty.org.nz/get-involved/ take-action-online Visit www.amnesty.org.nz/getinvolved/events for 16 Days of Activism events in your area.

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You can watch footage of the army’s attack on Azza here (please note that it shows graphic violence that may be disturbing): bit.ly/QJjW3i

Tuesday 9 October 2012 was like any other school day for Malala. But Malala is no ordinary teenager, and shortly after boarding the bus home things changed dramatically - she was gunned down by Taliban fighters who also injured two of her friends, Shazia Ramzan and Kainat Ahmed.

“I don’t mind if I have to sit on the floor at school. All I want is education.

And I’m afraid of no one.”

TAKE ACTION

WHO

#1

MARIA ALEKHINA AND NADEZHDA TOLOKONNIKOVA RUSSIA WHAT

IMPRISONED FOR SINGING A SONG WHAT CAN YOU DO

PLEASE WRITE BACKGROUND Three members of the Russian feminist punk band Pussy Riot were arrested after they performed a ‘punk prayer’ "Virgin Mary, redeem us of Putin" at Moscow's Christ the Saviour Cathedral on 21 February 2012.

On 17 August, the women were sentenced to two years in a prison colony for ‘hooliganism on grounds of religious hatred or enmity against a social group, planned by an organised group’.

The trial drew international condemnation as many fair trial procedures were violated.

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On appeal in October, one of the members Ekaterina Samutsevich was conditionally released but Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alekhina remain prisoners of conscience sentenced solely for the peaceful expression of their views.

Contact the Russian Prosecutor General and welcome the fact that Ekaterina Samutsevich was released, but express concern that it is only a conditional release. Express dismay that the others remain in jail, adding that all three members should not have been prosecuted in the first place. Ask that the women be released immediately and unconditionally as they are prisoners of conscience, detained solely for the peaceful expression of their views. Call for respect for the right to freedom of expression in the Russian Federation.

APPEAL TO THE PROSECUTOR GENERAL OF RUSSIA Yurii Yakovlevich Chaika Russian Prosecutor General Ul. Bolshaia Dmitrovka d 15a Moscow, GSP-3, 107048 Russian Federation Salutation: Dear Prosecutor General

TAKE ACTION

#2

#3 © Radio Taiwan International

WHO

GAO ZHISHENG

WHAT

IMPRISONED AND SUBJECTED TO TORTURE.

BACKGROUND Gao Zhisheng is one of China’s most respected human rights lawyers. He has been persecuted since 2006 for “inciting subversion” as a result of his human rights work. He has been kept under house arrest, tortured and humiliated, and has “disappeared” twice for long periods. In April 2010, he disappeared again; his family didn’t know he was alive until 20 months later. He is currently being held in Shaya prison in northwest China.

Private ©

WHO

WHAT

HUSSAIN SALEM IN GUANTÁNAMO MOHAMMED BAY, CUBA, SINCE ALMERFEDI 2003 BACKGROUND Almerfedi is from Yemen and was arrested in Iran in December 2001 and handed over to US authorities in Afghanistan. He has never been charged with any offence or brought to trial by the US authorities. In 2010, a federal judge in the US ordered his release, ruling that his detention was illegal. However, the Court of Appeals overturned this ruling and the US Supreme Court has refused to hear his case. He denies the allegations against him and says he left Yemen to seek a better life in Europe.

WHAT CAN YOU DO

WHAT CAN YOU DO

PLEASE WRITE

PLEASE WRITE

To the Premier of China and urge him to immediately release Gao Zhisheng. While he remains in prison, he must be protected from torture or other ill-treatment.

When you write, please use Chinese characters to spell Gao Zhisheng’s name: 高智晟

Write to the US President and express concern about the ongoing detention of Hussain Salem Mohammed Almerfedi, without charge or trial at Guantánamo. Also call for him and other detainees to be released immediately, unless they are charged with a recognisably criminal offence and given fair trials in independent courts, in full accordance with international standards and without recourse to the death penalty.

Appeal to the Premier of the People's Republic of China The State Council General Office 2 Fuyoujie Xichengqu Beijingshi 100017 China

The White House Office of the President 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington DC 20500 USA Fax: + 1 202 456 2461 Email: http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/ Salutation: Dear Mr President

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Fax: : +86 10 65961109 Salutation: Your Excellency

Write to the US President

GOOD NEWS Omar Khadr - Finally Home in Canada Former child soldier Omar Khadr was returned to Canada at the end of September – a full decade after he first arrived in Guantánamo as a 16 year old.

He is believed to be the only child soldier to ever be put on trial in modern history.

Omar’s journey home has been long one, often beset by frustrating delays and complications. In October 2010 he was sentenced to 40 years in prison after pleading guilty to five charges under the Military Commissions Act 2009, including “murder in violation of the law of war” of a US soldier in Afghanistan in 2002.

Held by the US military since his detention in Afghanistan at the age of 15 in 2002, Omar was subjected to torture and other ill-treatment, then prosecuted in Guantánamo’s military commissions system, a system that fails to meet international fair trial standards.

And at 15 years old, he should never have been on a battlefield in the first place, nor held in Guantánamo.

Following his repatriation, Amnesty International USA's Executive Director Suzanne Nossel, said, “Khadr's tragic story underscores why Guantánamo should close – not tomorrow, but today.”

She reminded President Obama of his promise to shut down the detention centre and called on him to acknowledge the human rights violations that the various detainees have been subjected to.

out a full and impartial investigation into Omar’s allegations of torture and other ill-treatment. We’re also calling on them to ensure he received appropriate rehabilitation in preparation for his eventual release.

Amnesty International is now calling on the Canadian authorities to carry

SINCE THE LAST ISSUE OF FLAME

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years in prison for SubLieutenant Raul Munoz for the rape and murder of 14 year old Jenni Torres as well as the murder of her young brothers, and the rape of another girl in Colombia

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3

ex army officers in Argentina given life sentences for the murder of rebel fighters in 1972

300th

person exonerated on death row in USA by new DNA evidence: Damon Thibadeaux

1518 New Zealanders have told the Government that the Mass Arrivals Bill does not represent them. Demand better here - http://bit.ly/ S1xJSm.

One member of the Russian punk band Pussy Riot, Ekaterina Samutsevich was released after her sentence was suspended.

The Sarayaku Indigenous People, of Ecuador and Amnesty International won a prestigious film award for a documentary on their fight to keep their land from being exploited for oil without their consent.

Thailand has abolished the death penalty for persons under the age of 18 In a historical moment for justice, two prison guards and a prison director have been given life in prison for torturing political activist Engin Çeber to death in a Turkish prison in October 2008.

AMNESTY BRIEFS

What's on:

What are you Guilty of?

TRIAL BY TIMELINE Amnesty staff members have been convicted over 10,000 times for more than 200 crimes. They’ve been sentenced to life in prison, beheaded, stoned, hung, tortured and beaten.

Their crimes? Some of them are women, they express their opinions, and they all have links to a human rights organisation.

Well this could have been their fate according to Amnesty’s Trial by Timeline, if they lived in other countries with severe restrictions on freedom of expression.

Amnesty International has launched an online tool, Trial by Timeline that scans your Facebook Timeline and looks at how the freedom of your lifestyle measures up globally, by pulling out likes, words and updates that could have you arrested, tortured, fined or even facing the death penalty in other parts of the world.

Amnesty International has long believed that if the world pays attention and lets human rights abusers know that they are being watched, then we can help stop atrocities from occurring, stop torture, and stop human rights abuses.

So sentence yourself, check out Trial by Timeline and share it….without the fear of being sent to prison, 406 times.

Find out how guilty you are at www.trialbytimeline.org.nz *Amnesty New Zealand worked on this project with Colenso BBDO and it is hosted by Xplain Hosting.

Give a feel-good gift this festive season!

Grab a unique gift from Amnesty International’s new Protect the Human range. Make sure your loved ones look good and support human rights at the same time with one of our funky charcoal grey Protect the Human tees. Colourful Christmas cards from our friends at

2-12 DECEMBER - Write for Rights. Check out amnesty.org.nz/ write4rights for events near you.

10 DECEMBER - Wellington Regional Team’s annual Human Rights Day Breakfast at D4 Cafe.

12 DECEMBER – Riot Free – Gig for Amnesty @ Kings Arms Tavern, Auckland, 7.30pm. Graham Panther, Great North, Sherpa, Bearcat. Tickets will be available through undertheradar.co.nz 6 FEBRUARY - Remuera Group hosting a Waitangi Day stall at Barry Curtis Park, Manukau.

9 FEBRUARY - Kapiti Coast group in action at the Medieval Fair, Levin.

Tofutree Design and mousemats make for great stocking-stuffers. The t-shirts come in two unique designs that capture the spirit of our campaign to stand up for the rights of people all over the world.

Order online at http://www.amnesty.org. nz/shop

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Buy a gift, help save the world!

Social media is a powerful tool. Living in a free and fair society like New Zealand, if we don’t like the Government’s position on something then we can blog, tweet and post on Facebook, criticisms at our leisure. We can express ourselves freely. But in other countries, oppressive regimes refuse to contend with criticism and online activism for social change.

25 NOVEMBER-10 DECEMBER 16 days of activism against gender violence. Check out amnesty.org.nz/get-involved/events for White Ribbon events in a centre near you.