Amnesty International ACTIVE Term 2 2014 by Amnesty International Aotearoa NZ

ACTIVE

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL AOTEAROA NZ’s Youth Magazine

GIVE A VOICE TO IN THIS ISSUE: > MISSION TO MANUS > FREEDOM CHALLENGE 2014 > HAKAMADA IWAO FINALLY RELEASED

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ASYLUM SEEKERS

UPDATES

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Time really does fly whe n you’re hav second copy ing fun. It’s of ACTIVE already time this year! for the To start off this term wit h some posit the top work ive vibes, I w you have be anted to tha en doing so young peop nk you for far this year. le are lazy, y We keep hea oung people people lack ring that don’t have a passion. Bu ny interests, t I don’t beli take one loo y o e ung v e k at the thin any of that; a d g a n s ll i y k I o n d u h o a w g v u e th y to do is s have done at it’s just n A ot true! I’ve in the past fe collecting h s w e e m n onths to groups orga undreds of s nising bake ignatures on and poems, sales and petitions, stu speaking the dents sendin ir minds abo is totally am g me letters ut iss azing. Just re ad some of th ues like the death pena you’ll see w lt e examples hat I’m talk in this ACTIV y. It ing about. E and Our Activism Support Ma nager, Marg some of you ie and I hav r schools an e also starte d have spok campaigns c d visiting e n to you abo oming up th u t the actions is year. It ha been sendin and s become cle g yo ar that we h your thirst fo u all nearly enough ma a ven’t terials to wo r activism. J rk with and ust rememb or materials quench e r if you’d like just get in to more inform uch with me statement in ation . Whether yo your local s u want to m treets or ins through a re a k p e ire a small g a big port or pres roup of your entation, we videos, facts peers always have heets, poste your back; if r, flyers then you need let us know. Good luck w ith the secon d term, I ca Send us you n’t wait to s r pictures, s ee what you tories and a in ACTIVE. get up to! ctions to po st on Faceb ook and sha re Once again if you need anything do intern@amn n’t forget to esty.org.nz o contact me r 0800 266 at youth. 378 Cheers Adinda

Front cover: Amnesty researcher’s impression of Manus Island detention centre. © Amnesty International Inside cover: Amnesty bake sale held by Hasting Girls’ High School group.

IN THE NEWS

IN THE NEWS YOU HELPED RELEASE HAKAMADA IWAO! HAKAMADA Iwao, who is in the Guinness World Records as the world’s longest-serving death row prisoner, was finally released from prison on 27 March after being granted a retrial. The frail 78-year-old walked out of Tokyo Detention Centre with his sister, Hideko, by his side, who has campaigned tirelessly for him. She passed on the following message to everyone who took action for his release - “With your help, Iwao has been returned. I cannot thank you enough. Thank you so much everyone.” After an unfair trial Hakamada was sentenced to death in 1968 for the murder of his boss, and his boss’s family. He “confessed” after 20 days of interrogation by police. During the trial, he retracted the confession and told the court that police had beaten and threatened him. According to his lawyers, recent forensic tests show no match between Hakamada’s DNA and samples taken from clothing the prosecution

MASS DEATH SENTENCE IN EGYPT IS GROTESQUE. YOU CAN STOP THIS INJUSTICE EGYPT shocked the world in March when a mass death penalty sentence was handed out to over 500 people at once. In a single hearing, the Minya Criminal Court sentenced 528 supporters of former President Mohamed Morsi to be executed for their alleged role in violence following his ousting last year.

Hakamada Iwao’s sister, Hakamada Hideko (left) and Hakamada Iwao before arrest (right)

alleges was worn by the murderer. Despite the strong possibility of his innocence, Hakamada has spent 45 years on death row, living in isolation and fear for his own life every day. Unfortunately the good news of his release was followed by a disappointing development on 31 March, when the prosecution filed an appeal against the decision to grant him a retrial. We will continue to campaign for Hakamada and will need your help to do so. Stay tuned.

WE ARE STANDING WITH SYRIA IN March we marked the third anniversary of the ongoing crisis in Syria, where 9.3 million people are still in desperate need of humanitarian assistance. Human rights defenders from all over the world showed their support for the people of Syria; holding candle-lit vigils, lighting up iconic buildings like the Eiffel Tower, and releasing Banksy inspired red balloons carrying messages of hope (see more at www.with-syria.org). In Auckland, Amnesty International NZ and Oxfam NZ joined forces to deliver their own #withsyria message.

The judge refused to allow defence lawyers to complete their cases, and some defendants were not even present. This ruling is grotesque. If the sentence is carried out it will be the biggest mass execution from a single case in history.

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By taking action you can stop this terrible injustice. Add your signature to our petition here - http://bit.ly/1nTnt0m - and then please ask all your family and friends to do the same.

FREEDOM CHALLENGE

It’s Time. Time to Stop Torture.

A perfromance artist assumes a stress position from one of the interrogation techniques used in the CIA’s detention and interrogation programme, which Amnesty believes amounts to torture.

We’ve set the date, we’ve got a cause and we want you to be part of it.

Freedom Challenge 2014. 11-15 August. STOP TORTURE. YOU’VE hung from the ceiling for hours. Your muscles scream. Electric shocks convulse your body. Water is forced into your mouth. You think you’re drowning. But they’ll do whatever it takes to break you. To make you submit. To sign a confession, or hand over information. Torture is one of the worst acts one human being can commit against another. And yet all over the world people are subjected to torture and ill treatment, often by their own governments. Amnesty International has been fighting to stop torture for over 50 years. But the fight isn’t over yet. So we’ve launched a new campaign. By insisting that lawyers are present during interrogations; by insisting independent doctors are on-hand to examine detainees; by insisting that those guilty of torture are brought to justice. But we need your help, we can’t do it alone, so get involved in Freedom Challenge 2014, and put yourself between the torturer and the tortured.

We’ll be putting the spotlight on several different countries where torture is a reality, including: The Philippines: Where torture is widespread and routine in police stations. Police cannot be allowed to torture and get away with it. The authorities must step in and hold torturers to account for their actions. Nigeria: Beaten with machetes and gun butts, shot in the leg and left to bleed, hung from the ceiling for hours and mock executions: these are just some of the treatments described by those held in military and police detention in Nigeria. People will be better protected from torture when all detention places are open to lawyers and human rights monitors. Mexico: Torture is routine for police and the military in Mexico. The Government is failing to take action. Effective investigations and medical examinations into torture and ill-treatment will be an important milestone for Mexico and have a big impact across the region.

Together we will make countries keep their promises not to torture. Together we will intervene wherever people are tortured.

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Together we will hold torturers to account. And torture survivors will know that they are not forgotten and alone. © Amnesty International / Harrison Mitchell

FREEDOM CHALLENGE

SEND A MESSAGE TO MOSES EASY STEPS TO GET YOU STARTED

Start planning now! 1. FIRST - Save the Date!! 11-15 August 2014 Put it in your calendars now! 2. NOW - get everybody in your group to read ACTIVE 3.THEN have a brainstorm session with your Amnesty group at the next meeting to see what ideas everyone can come up with. Be as creative as you like, new ideas are always great to capture people’s attention. Brainstorm actions your group can take. Check your ideas to see if there is a good media angle? - a local celebrity? a good photo opportunity or perhaps a Guinness World Record attempt. Think Big! 4. KEEP an eye out for Freedom Challenge Kits coming your way soon. 5. AND don’t forget to check www.amnesty.org.nz/ freedomchallenge for all the latest information or email Elley at freedomchallenge@amnesty.org.nz if you have any questions.

4’s 1 0 ATOR: 2 N T I E D E R M O O ENGE C L L A H C FREEDOM Hi guys,

Elley

I’m thrilled to be back at Amnesty International and on the Freedom Challenge team. Since last year’s Freedom Challenge I have been working with American students - teaching community development and leadership in Southeast Asia. I’ve also had a great time working as a zipline guide here in New Zealand...imagine travelling through amazing landscapes on a very long flying fox and you get the zipline!

“The pain of torture is unbearable. I never thought I would be alive till this day,” said Moses. Moses Akatugba had just finished his secondary school exams and was waiting for his results when he was arrested. Many of his classmates have since headed off to university or other higher education institutions. Moses told Amnesty International that he was planning to study medicine. Then in November 2013 his situation got worse, when he was sentenced to death by hanging. The sentence was based on his “confession”, extracted during torture. Because Moses was a child when he was arrested, he should never have been sentenced to death. It is illegal under international law. And any confession obtained after torture should not be allowed as evidence in court.

>> TAKE ACTION! We’ll be asking you to take action for Moses over the coming year but in the meantime he’s an isolated 24 year old. So send him a message of hope. On your own, or together with friends send him a New Zealand postcard or letter, a message of solidarity. Send your cards to: Human Rights, Social Development and Environmental Foundation (Moses Akatugba) P.O. Box 1800, Diobu Port Harcourt Rivers State Nigeria

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Elley

It was a crime he says he didn’t commit but “confessed” to after ©Private being tortured. Soldiers shot him in the hand, beat him on the head and back when they arrested him. Later at the police station he was beaten with machetes and batons. He was tied up and left hanging upside down from a ceiling fan for hours. They also pulled out his toes and finger nails with pliers.

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I really enjoyed last year’s Freedom Challenge on women’s rights in Egypt, “Chalk Like an Egyptian” and seeing all of your great photos, incredible art and a host of very creative ways of using toilet paper! I can’t wait to see what you come up with for this year’s campaign. If I haven’t met you yet then I look forward to seeing you soon at a workshop and hearing all your awesome ideas for Freedom Challenge 2014.

Moses was only 16 in 2005 when he was arrested under suspicion of armed robbery in Nigeria, thrown in police detention and severely tortured.

ASYLUM SEEKERS

OUR

MISSION

Amnesty’s researchers were not allowed to take cameras into the detention centre so these drawings are one our researcher’s impressions of Manus © Amnesty International

TO MANUS

THE SAD TRUTH ABOUT LIFE IN THE MANUS ISLAND DETENTION CENTRE... IN FEBRUARY, Amnesty International was distressed to hear that violence had broken out at Australia’s offshore processing centre on Manus Island, Papua New Guinea. One man, 23-year-old Reza Barati, was dead. 62 other asylum seekers were injured. These were people who had turned to Australia for help and the tragedy demonstrates the Australian government’s total inability to protect those in its care. The incident occurred just three months after Amnesty International visited the centre on Manus Island. What our researchers’ found there was grim. Asylum seekers are being held in a prison-like regime, in extremely cramped compounds in stifling heat, while being denied sufficient water and medical help.

Who is being detained on Manus?

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Refugees are people who have been forced to flee their country because of persecution, war or violence. Over 90 per cent of asylum seekers who arrive in Australia by boat are assessed to be genuine refugees.

At the time of Amnesty’s visit to Manus in November 2013, there were approximately 1,100 male asylum seekers in the facility. Most of the men are under 30, and some are as young as 18. Some are fathers, whose families are still in their home country waiting to be reunited. Many of the asylum seekers being held on Manus have fled well-known conflict areas including Afghanistan, Iraq, Sudan, Pakistan, Somalia and Syria. Others have fled situations of extreme discrimination and statelessness, including Rohingyas from Myanmar (Burma), and Bidun from the Middle East. These people have nowhere to return to, as their own countries don’t recognise them as citizens. So, asylum seekers have had little choice but to risk their lives to try and reach Australia by boat. Seeking asylum – no matter the method of arrival – is legal. What is illegal? Locking people up indefinitely for committing no crime.

What’s life like in a detention centre? Asylum seekers are divided into three compounds: Delta, Foxtrot and Oscar. Fences surround the compounds, and security guards patrol them. The compounds are cramped and provide little shade or shelter from the oppressive heat, humidity and rain. Detainees spend several hours a day queuing in the sun for their meals. Asylum seekers also said drinking water has been denied in Oscar compound. In blistering heat and humidity some are forced to survive on 10 per cent of the recommended five litres per day. That’s just 500ml of water a day! Amnesty International also saw cases where the care of asylum seekers has led to poor physical health. One man lost sight in an eye because he wasn’t given appropriate treatment. Most asylum seekers on Manus have limited or no use of the internet, so they do not know what has happened to their families in their countries of origin, or what the situation is like there.

There is little or no processing of asylum seeker claims at the detention centre. Asylum seekers are given no information about processing or the length of their detention, and are given no access to lawyers despite repeated requests.

ASYLUM SEEKERS

Why is the Australian government doing this?

Many detainees spoke about the lack of stimulation in their lives. One asylum seeker had made this pretend TV and games console. © Amnesty International

These appalling conditions seem to be a deliberate tactic to pressure asylum seekers to return to their country of origin, where they will likely be persecuted or potentially tortured. This is a serious breach of Australia’s obligations under international law. There are around 45.2 million people worldwide who have been forced to leave their homes because of war and human rights abuses. The Australian government cannot ignore this situation by sending asylum seekers to Pacific islands or back to their country of origin.

You CAN Make a Difference: >> TAKE ACTION! GIVE a voice to asylum seekers! The men locked up on Manus Island are not allowed to tell the world what is happening to them, but you can help them be heard. Use a webcam or a camera phone to record yourself reading a quote from an asylum seeker. Quotes to use: • “On Christmas Island, they said to me they would send me to PNG. I was very frightened. I said I’m coming to seek asylum. My life is in danger in Pakistan. The situation was so harsh there. But my life is in danger here, too.” • “All I was coming here for was to have a country. I thought if I went to Australia, I would find a country with respect for human rights. I was thinking to leave darkness for light, but what I find is that I left darkness for even more darkness.” • “I have serious coughing at night. Hair loss, a skin condition. I am losing my eyesight. And the mental pressures are having an effect on me as well. When I go to the doctors, all they tell us is to drink more water.” • “In Foxtrot, there is one place that is like a long corridor … There are 120 persons in that long room. The smell and the diseases and the illnesses in that place are shocking.” • “We have no supporter for our emotional problems. I’d like to have a boyfriend, to talk about the future with, to share my feelings with, but I’m too scared.” • “We ran away from Myanmar because they were killing us. If we could stay in Myanmar, we would, because we would want to stay with our families.” When you’ve recorded your quote, send the video file to Adinda at youth.intern@amnesty.org.nz

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**Don’t foget to get the consent form that’s inserted inside ACTIVE signed by your parent or guardian, and send it back with your video file.

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With our friends at Amnesty International in Australia we’ll put all the quotes into a short online film that will help the men on Manus have their voices heard.

TAKE ACTION

Ten years behind bars

for Bahrani teenagers the High Criminal Court in Manama issued its verdict on 4 April 2013 the two children were each handed the unthinkably cruel and unjust sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment in an adult jail. They were transferred to Jaw Prison for adults, where they remain today, held with offenders aged 20 and over.

ON 23 JULY 2012, when Jehad and Ebrahim (both aged 15) left their homes to attend an anti-government protest in their country’s capital city, they had no idea that day would spell the end of teenage life as they knew it. Caught in the middle of an escalating demonstration and masses of angry protesters in Bahrain, Jehad and Ebrahim were arrested amidst the chaos. It was then that the horror started. Ebrahim claims he was beaten immediately upon arrest, while Jehad says he was repeatedly bashed in the back of the head by a police officer’s gun during his ride to the station. Frightened and alone, the two boys were not even allowed to speak to their worried families for a full 48 hours after being taken. The two young teens were simultaneously accused of a range of different crimes - “intending to murder”, “burning a police car”, “illegal gathering and rioting”, “throwing Molotov cocktails”, and “attempting to steal a police car”. They were harshly interrogated without a lawyer or any family members present. Imagine being in Jehad and Ebrahim’s shoes - 15 years old, scared and at the mercy of authorities. You have already been beaten, have no adults to offer you advice and seemingly no way out. What would you do? Terrified, both Jehad and Ebrahim ended up signing forced confessions. Even though they were only 15 years old, the teens were formally charged as adults under the Bahrain Penal Code and the 2006 anti-terrorism law.

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If Jehad and Ebrahim are held for their full sentence, they will be in their late twenties when they are finally released from prison. They will have missed out on their teenage years and so many experiences that young people around the world take for granted; spending time with friends and family, playing sports and video games, going to school…all this will be taken from them without even a fair trial. If you think this is unfair, the good news is that you can use your freedom to take action on Jehad and Ebrahim’s behalf.

>> TAKE ACTION! PLEASE ask the Bahraini authorities to repeal the boys’ convictions, as they were tried as adults despite being aged under 18. Demand that they are protected from torture and other ill-treatment and are moved to a juvenile prison until they can be retried in a juvenile court. Please write immediately to: Minister of Justice and Islamic Affairs, Shaikh Khaled bin Ali Al Khalifa P.O. Box 450 al-Manama Bahrain Fax: +973 17531284/+973 17536343 Twitter: @Khaled_Bin_Ali Email: minister@justice.gov.bh Salutation: Your Excellency

During their courtroom trial, the boys recanted their forced “confessions”, but they weren’t given the opportunity to explain the ill-treatment and beatings they had suffered during their arrests. Witness testimonies were also full of inconsistencies.

* You’ll also find a petition enclosed within ACTIVE please hand it around, collect as many signatures as you can and send it back to us at the Amnesty office in Auckland - PO Box 5300, Wellesley Street, Auckland 1141 - by Friday 4 July.

Despite all these flaws in the trial proceedings, when

Or Take Action online - http://bit.ly/1k14MUV

Westlake girls speak out!

INSPIRATIONAL YOUTH

MEET Dayeon Lee and Amanda Wee of the Auckland’s Westlake Girls’ High School Amnesty International group!

How did you become interested in human rights and which issues are you most passionate about?

Dayeon: From a young age, I was always interested in humanitarian work. I was first exposed to Amnesty International in my first year of high school and I immediately knew the group was something I would love to be involved in. The issues I am most passionate about involve the conflict in Syria and global women’s rights, particularly in the Middle East.

Amanda: I remember being

interested in human rights in Intermediate when we learned about the Holocaust, I felt really sad about how the Jews were treated and ever since then I’ve been interested in human rights. I am very passionate about issues concerning women and girls because as a young woman with full rights, I believe that I have the responsibility to speak up for those who can’t. Can you explain why your group decided to work on the Afghanistan election action last month?

Amanda: As young women

ourselves, we felt that it was important that Westlake Amnesty members are aware of the lack of women’s and girls’ rights in Afghanistan.

Dayeon: We thought the girls

Amanda: I think that our

Amnesty group has been successful because the students at Westlake are very passionate about the topics we focus on. Some of the human rights abuses are quite shocking and it actually reminds you of how lucky you are. I think this is what encourages girls to join Amnesty and speak up for those who can’t.

Dayeon: The dedication of the

teacher leaders and student leaders definitely helps the organisation, functioning and all the behindthe-scenes operations of the group to run smoothly, too. I thoroughly believe that from passion stems leadership, and every single person involved in the functioning of this group is passionate about Amnesty International and human rights.

What advice do you have for other school students who are trying to run successful Amnesty groups?

Dayeon: Promote Amnesty

throughout the whole school. Try to use a range of communicative methods such as speaking at school assemblies, showing YouTube videos about it, or publicising it in school notices/newsletters. Choose up to date case studies that are of interest to your members. And remember that as well as raising awareness about the bad news and human rights abuses, it’s also important to keep members informed about the good news, happiness and triumphs too!

Amanda: I think that there

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should be a variety of actions to keep members interested and mix things up a little! Maybe have role play sessions, or a guest speaker or watch a movie. It can be fun when teachers get involved too, especially in the role play sessions!

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could connect to it better than other issues and could try to understand what some young women who we share this world with have to endure. Since the Afghanistan elections were due to take place in April, the issue was also very relevant.

Westlake Girls’ has the biggest Amnesty International school group in NZ, why do you think it’s been so successful?

YOUTH UPDATES

CRANES OF FREEDOM In the last ACTIVE we called for action on Dhondup Wangchen’s situation by sending paper birds to China. Massey High’s Amnesty group decided to take this action to the next level by raising awareness on Dhondup in a pretty cool way. “At the time of Dhondup’s arrest in 2008 we were between 7 and 12 years old and we are now between 12 and 17. This made us realise everything we’ve done and how much we’ve grown over the past six years and how horrible it must be to be kept in prison for so long in such horrible conditions,” said Shontel Hunter, Massey High School group leader. “With the bird pictures in ACTIVE symbolising hope, we decided fill a tree with origami cranes as our symbol of hope for Dhondup. Doing things like this allows our Amnesty group and our school a better understanding of what we’re trying to achieve.” Dhondup Wangchen is set to be released 5 June 2014, but to keep the Chinese government from doing him any harm in the meantime we have to show them he has not been forgotten.

SYRIA VIGIL GLENDOWIE COLLEGE l

choo

ssey

hS Hig

15 March 2014 marked the third anniversary of the crisis in Syria that has left thousands of children homeless, hungry, or without a family. The fantastic Amnesty International group at Glendowie College took part in the global vigil to stand #WithSyria. The group took their inspiration from the Banksy image specially created for the vigil, which depicts a young Syrian girl holding a heart-shaped balloon, and posed with red balloons to show their support of the people of Syria.

HASTINGS GIRLS’ HIGH SCHOOL BAKE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS The team from Hasting Girls’ High School wasted no time to get started up again this year and are already on fire! The girls held a bake sale to raise money for the My Body My Rights (MBMR) campaign with some delicious looking cakes and cookies.

Hast

ing G

irls’

High

Scho

“We wanted to do a relatively simple event to start out with, but still go out and interact with the school. Because we were set up in a very busy part of the school we got a lot of people coming to see us and ask questions about what we were doing. We raised a total of $202.60 and also gave out a lot of information about Amnesty International, so the day was a huge success,” said Amy Richardson, Hastings Girls’ Amnesty group leader.

Come and celebrate Human Rights Heroes with us! ACTIVE

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Celebrate human rights heroes past and present during our Annual Meeting and Skillshare, 24-25 May, in Auckland. Or nominate your own school group human rights hero for a Dove Award. Sunday workshops include sessions on Freedom Challenge and are free to attend, with refreshments provided. Find out more about our guests speakers, workshops, and how to register here www.amnesty. org.nz/annualmeeting

The Death Penalty.

DEATH PENALTY

It’s not a sentence, it’s a full stop. LAST year there were some disappointing developments in some countries when it came to the death penalty. In Amnesty’s annual death penalty report, released in March we found that at least 778 people were executed in 22 countries. Most executions took place in China, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, USA and Somalia – in that order. Read more here: http://bit.ly/PPH85Z

5 MYTHS ABOUT THE DEATH PENALTY DEBUNKED Myth

The death penalty deters violent crime and makes society safer. FACT There is no convincing evidence that the death penalty has a unique deterrent effect. A 35-year study compared murder rates between Hong Kong, where there is no death penalty, and Singapore, which has a similar size population and executed regularly. The death penalty had little impact on crime rates.

Myth

The threat of execution is an effective strategy in preventing terrorist attacks. FACT The prospect of execution is unlikely to act as a deterrent to people prepared to kill and injure for the sake of a political or other ideology. Indeed, some officials responsible for counterterrorism have repeatedly pointed out that those who are executed can be perceived as martyrs whose memory becomes a rallying point for their ideology or organisations.

Myth

The death penalty is fine as long as the majority of the public supports it.

All people who are executed have been proven guilty of serious crimes. FACT Around the world, hundreds of prisoners are executed after grossly unfair trials. This can include the use of “confessions” extracted under torture, the denial of access to lawyers and inadequate legal representation. No justice system is free from error and therefore the risk of executing the innocent can never be eliminated.

Myth

Relatives of murder victims demand capital punishment. FACT The worldwide anti-death penalty movement includes many who have lost their loved ones to, or have themselves been victims of, violent crime, but for ethical or religious reasons do not want the death penalty imposed “in their name.”

A NEW ZEALAND STUDENT WRITES... It’s been a whole year now A year to the day A year since They took you away You kicked and pleaded But that did not deter them They dragged you out the door And showed no mercy Yes you did something evil Yes you destroyed a family But now its our family’s turn Our family is being destroyed. You have the death sentence You’re on death row I’ll miss you dad But now its time to go But wait, If you executed someone And you get the death sentence What about the person That has to execute you? That would make them No better than you. Whats the point? Why would they do this? There is no point No point at all. What happened to human rights? Just because you’re a murderer That makes you not human? Where are your rights?

- Student, 14, Christchurch

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We need to make a change! --------------

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FACT History is littered with human rights violations that were supported by the majority, but which were subsequently looked upon with horror. Slavery, racial segregation and lynching all had support in the societies where they occurred but constituted gross violations of the people’s human rights.

Myth

GOOD NEWS

TUNISIA: PRISONER OF CONSCIENCE IS FREED

s w e N d o Go

28 YEAR old Jabeur Mejri, a Prisoner of Conscience who has been imprisoned in Tunisia for over a year, was finally released in March. This is fantastic news for Jabeur, his family, and all of you who campaigned on his behalf. Jabeur was arrested in 2012 simply for publishing blog posts and comments on Facebook which Tunisian authorities deemed offensive to Islam. Amnesty International supporters sent at least 145,000 messages to the Tunisian President on his behalf, and 3,965 letters of solidarity to Jabeur himself. This proves that when you Write for Rights you can make a real difference!

that you helped make!

RUSSIA: CHARGES AGAINST ELENA KLIMOVA DROPPED IN JANUARY this year, 25 year old Russian journalist Elena Klimova was charged under Russia’s new anti-‘gay propaganda’ © Private law for running Children 404, a website offering support to LGBTI (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex), teenagers. Over 5,000 Amnesty supporters sent messages to Russian authorities condemning the arrest of Elena. We are pleased to announce that in February a court ruled in her favour, the charges were dropped, and Elena was told she can continue Children 404. Her website offers information, advice from health professionals, and a closed forum for LGBTI teens to share their experiences (helping them cope with issues like bullying, rejection and suicidal thoughts).

NORTH KOREA: UN RESOLUTION THE UN Human Rights Council has passed a resolution condemning North Korea for gross human rights crimes and crimes against humanity. Hundreds of thousands of people (including children) are still being detained in political prison camps across the country. Nearly a million North Koreans have starved to death since the 1990s due to government restrictions.

The UN vote is a positive and significant step towards achieving justice and will send a clear message to the North Korean government that these atrocities will not be tolerated.

SRI LANKA: HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS TO BE INVESTIGATED IN MARCH this year the 25th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) was held in Geneva, and members finally voted to launch an official investigation into war crimes and crimes against humanity in Sri Lanka. This resolution brings new hope for justice following the country’s brutal conflict, which saw abuses and crimes committed by all sides, and tens of thousands killed and wounded. The launch of an official investigation is a significant victory for the people of Sri Lanka and all the Amnesty International supporters who’ve helped us with this long campaign.

UPDATE on Sri Lankan journalist Prageeth Eknaligoda:

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SEVERAL witnesses failed to turn up at the last court hearing for Prageeth in February, and so the hearing was postponed again. Sandya Eknaligoda, Prageeth’s wife, has expressed concern that whenever she organises a demonstration or a vigil for Prageeth, intelligence officers come to the event and surveil and videotape events so that activists don’t feel they have freedom of assembly. She continues to demonstrate in the south, but the intrusive nature of the security forces has frightened away other activists on the subject of the disappeared. You can still take action for Prageeth online here: http://bit.ly/1m0Wh22