Amnesty International Flame Issue 1 2014 by Amnesty International Aotearoa NZ

ISSUE 1 / 2014

SYRIA:

STARVATION AS A WEAPON OF WAR The brutal reality of life for those who cannot escape the devasting conflict in Syria.

Secret Policeman's Ball Join us for a night of side-splitting comedy at the 2014 New Zealand International Comedy Festival.

Woman NOT Witch

Photographer Vlad Sokhin exposes brutal violence against women in Papua New Guinea.

Take Action

Your words can save individuals around the world who are at risk of torture and imprisonment.

EDITORIAL

There’s more to

democracy than elections

CONTENTS 3

HUMAN RIGHTS IN THE NEWS

WOMAN NOT WITCH

PROTECTING PEOPLE IN A HUMAN RIGHTS CRISIS

SYRIA: STARVATION AS A WEAPON OF WAR

10 GOOD NEWS 11 AMNESTY BRIEFS 12 MAKE A COMMITMENT TO CHANGE CONTACTS Amnesty International Aotearoa New Zealand

The days of the military strongman are on the wane around the world— few people would be sad about that.

ut what’s on the rise is in some ways more sinister: authoritarian regimes that lay a thin veneer of elections over fundamentally undemocratic systems. Controlling the media and courts, and putting a stranglehold on dissent – these governments run elections that are mostly free on the day but are certainly not fair. President Putin operates probably the best example of this in Russia. Closer to home, it looks likely (despite a string of earlier broken promises) that Fiji really will hold an election this year. The New Zealand Government is doing its best to support the military-backed Fijian Government to prepare.

Prime Minister Bainimarama relinquished his military role recently to run an election campaign, but serious doubts remain about whether true democracy will be seen. Freedom of speech, an independent media, independent courts, a constitution that respects human rights – all remain under siege in Fiji. Without these basic human rights protections in place an election could be merely window dressing. So what will the legacy of the New Zealand Government’s support for the Fiji elections be? It will certainly lend legitimacy to the outcome, but to also move Fiji to true democracy, New Zealand must be strong on urgent and fundamental human rights reforms. Living in New Zealand it’s easy to take the human rights we enjoy for granted, and to forget how much more there is to democracy than holding elections.

GRANT BAYLDON Grant has been fighting the bad guys as Executive Director of Amnesty International NZ since 2012. @GrantBayldon 2

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grant.bayldon@amnesty.org.nz

PO Box 5300, Wellesley St, Auckland, 1141 0800 266 378 www.amnesty.org.nz Send all comments and suggestions to: theflame@amnesty.org.nz

CREDITS Chairperson: Helen Shorthouse Executive Director: Grant Bayldon Editor: Anita Harvey Art Direction + Design: transformer. www.transformerdesign.co.nz Cover Photo: Residents wait to receive food aid distributed by the U.N. Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) at the besieged al-Yarmouk camp, south of Damascus on January 31, 2014. © unrwa.org

NEWS

Death Penalty 2013

A sharp spike in the number of reported executions in 2013 is due to an increasingly isolated minority of countries, finds Amnesty International’s latest death penalty report released at the end of March. Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all cases because the death penalty violates the right to life and is the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment.

ANTI-HOMOSEXUALITY LAWS INTRODUCED IN UGANDA In February 2014 Ugandan President Museveni signed an Anti-Homosexuality Bill into law, which criminalises consensual sexual activity between adults of the same sex. Its passage into law signals a very grave episode in the nation’s history. Amnesty International will continue to campaign against attacks on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) rights and individuals at risk in Uganda.

Soldiers, believed to be Russian, ride on military armoured personnel carriers on a road near the Crimean port city of Sevastopol March 10, 2014. Increasing violence in Ukraine has led to deaths and disappearances. Amnesty International is calling for international human rights monitors to be deployed immediately across the region to prevent human rights abuses occurring and to document those that are taking place.

ASYLUM SEEKER TRAGEDY AT MANUS ISLAND 23 year old Iranian, Rezi Barati was killed and more than 75 others injured during a riot at an Australian-run detention centre on Manus Island in late February. There are currently more than 1,300 people detained indefinitely on Manus Island under harsh and humiliating conditions, and witnesses to the riots are at additional risk of retribution. This incident further supports Amnesty International’s longstanding demand to end the offshore detention and processing of asylum seekers arriving by boat to Australia.

"Currently more than 1,300 people are detained indefinitely on Manus Island under harsh and humiliating conditions."

DEBUNKING ASYLUM SEEKER MYTHS IT IS NOT ILLEGAL TO SEEK ASYLUM. IT’S A RIGHT PROTECTED UNDER INTERNATIONAL LAW NO MATTER THE MEANS OF ARRIVAL.

IN 2011, ONLY

337

PEOPLE SOUGHT ASYLUM IN NEW ZEALAND.

NEW ZEALAND’S PER CAPITA INTAKE OF REFUGEES IS ONLY 1/5TH OF AUSTRALIA’S.

DETENTION IS FAR MORE EXPENSIVE THAN COMMUNITYBASED PROCESSING FOR ASYLUM SEEKERS.

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PAPUA NEW GUINEA

WOMAN NOT WITCH

Vlad Sokhin, an award winning photographer, has visited Papua New Guinea (PNG) seven times to document human rights violations. We caught up with him recently to ask why he has decided to use his camera to tell the stories of issues like sorcery, domestic violence and police brutality in PNG.

hen I was a child, I read a book about a Russian explorer travelling in the 19th century. His name was Maclay. I was living in Russia when I read his work for the first time. The Soviet Union still ruled Russia and so the borders remained very much closed. I was under the spell of Maclay and his travels to Papua New Guinea for some time, and when I moved to Australia in 2011 it became easy for me to finally pay a visit. Unfortunately when I first visited the country I came across a report on violence against women and there was some seriously appalling stuff, things I would never have even imagined. I started to do some research and also visited some photo agencies to see if something had been done on that topic before. I couldn’t find anything. Violence against women in PNG was never photographically covered on a big scale, so I decided to go back over there and work on the issue. I went to hospitals, police stations and prison cells to talk with people about serious cases of domestic violence. My main project was violence against women, which also extended to children. I went to a refugee centre and met with

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the people working there. I also focused my work on sorceryrelated violence and talked to both survivors and perpetrators. I was also interested in the men’s side of the issue, why do they do this to women? There are many different aspects to the issue of violence against women in PNG. It can be cultural because it’s a male dominated society, but it can’t be only that because each place that we drove to had such different languages and customs. When kids are growing up their parents tell them sanguma (the witch) will come and get them, so many are afraid even as adults. These beliefs sometimes manifest as violent actions when they get drunk or stoned, and they attack vulnerable, marginalised people, like old women living alone. In PNG, if a husband hits his wife she may go to the police. However, because the island communities are small and close-knit, the police may personally know the man involved and this can make them reluctant to take action.

There was one picture taken of a woman being stripped naked, tied up and cut in public. Among the crowd you can see two policemen just watching. When I talked to the Minister of Justice, he was very embarrassed and he said those people should be punished for not helping, but the only difference between those policemen and the other people in the crowd is the uniform. They were also born in that village. Police in PNG are undertrained and lacking in resources, and they won't speak out because they can also be targeted. Sometimes a woman will make a complaint to the police, and in response the police will ask for money for petrol, claiming they do not have the funds to visit the perpetrator and investigate.

When Julie (pictured top right) was just nine months old, her father attacked her and chopped off her leg. When she went to the city of Lae to be fitted for a new prosthetic leg, she was raped by a local gang. She later found out she was pregnant. Julie is only 19. I am a visual guy, and for me when I looked at the reports on PNG I was shocked by the numbers, but it wasn’t personalised. Photography brings more visual elements and information. It not only gives information and voice to the people affected but also shows their image. When I held exhibitions in Port Moresby a lot of PNG people went to the exhibition. Some of them were shocked, while others already knew about the issue because similar things had happened in their own family or village. © Benjamin Chesterton

When you see all those pictures in the same place you realise how big the issue is. But I know that showing photographs can change somebody’s life. There’s a woman, Mama Rasta, (picture opposite page) who was attacked because she was presumed to be a witch, and a villager chopped off her arm. I showed this picture to everyone I could, talked to many doctors, and was ready to pay for the operation. Then I met the doctor who treated her when she lost her arm 10 years ago, and was told there is an American doctor who comes once a year and that he would be here next week, just 15 minutes drive from her village. So I told her to get ready to get a new arm. I called her every day in the lead up to it to remind her, and then on the actual day I tried to call her but her phone was off. I called the doctor and he said she was with him and had arrived the earliest, so she was the first patient to receive her prosthesis. Then she called me and told me she had a beautiful new arm. When I came back to her village she ran to me and cried, and she showed me what she could do with her new arm. I was very happy for her. Mama Rasta actually went back to the village where her arm was chopped off and saw her attackers. When they saw her new arm they approached her daughter to say sorry but never actually apologised directly to Mama Rasta because they were too ashamed. It’s a really sensitive topic and people are not always ready to talk about it openly. Read more: www.vladsokhin.com/projects/crying-meri

AMNESTY IN PNG: http://bit.ly/1g2bs7t

THANKS TO THE OVER 3,640 AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL MEMBERS ACROSS NEW ZEALAND WHO INCREASED THEIR SUPPORT LAST MONTH TO HELP END VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN IN PAPUA NEW GUINEA. This year, we’ll work directly with local partners to provide protection, training and support to human rights defenders to keep helping women whose lives are at risk. Because of your support, we are better equipped to send urgent actions when people are in danger. Together, we’ll push the government and police to enforce the new laws that protect women and girls from violence – and take bolder actions to bring perpetrators to justice. Thank you for joining with the strong men and women in Papua New Guinea to create lasting change.

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HUMAN RIGHTS CRISIS

PROTECTING PEOPLE IN A HUMAN RIGHTS CRISIS

Fati, an 11-year-old girl who was injured with deep machete wounds to her head and arm in an attack by antibalaka militia in Boali (north of Bangui) on 17 January 2014. Six other people were killed and some 20 others injured in the same attack. ÂŠ Amnesty International

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Amnesty International Senior Crisis Response Adviser, Joanne Mariner, gives a snapshot from her recent work in the Central African Republic.

riving south in a crowded 4x4, trying to reach the capital, Bangui, before the 6pm curfew, we ran across militia forces dressed for combat. They were a raggedy bunch, holding awkward, home-made firearms, old hunting rifles, knives, spears, and machetes. But their numbers made up for their poor equipment. And their unsophisticated weapons were still lethal. The Central African Republic (CAR), a desperately poor, badly governed country, is facing its worst human rights crisis ever. The men we met belong to one of its main players — a largely Christian group known as the anti-balaka. They sprang up against a viciously abusive, predominantly Muslim government. But the anti-balaka have targeted civilians as much — or more than — the better-armed government forces. Since the government fell on 10 January 2014, they have launched a full-scale attack on Muslim communities. Countless Muslims have fled. The former government forces did not step down quietly. Known as the ex-Seleka, they too have been roaming the country, killing and looting indiscriminately.

ourselves in a volatile and rapidly worsening crisis. It was captured in a nutshell by what we saw on the road to Bangui. The anti-balaka largely controlled the road: mounting checkpoints and stopping vehicles. They saw no reason to hide their objectives. Their faces were smeared with black paint and their bodies decorated with talismans — charms some believe make them invulnerable to bullets. They had just attacked a nearby Muslim village. Crisis work can be quite different from regular human rights investigation. Instead of doing research first and then using it as a springboard for advocacy and campaigning, we often spend significant time pressing hard for an immediate preventive response in the midst of our research. In this case, knowing that the anti-balaka forces would attack again, we alerted international peacekeeping troops in the country and the media. And as the crisis continues, we remain in daily contact with villages at risk, doing everything we can to document the situation, warn of pressing dangers, and keep people safe.

When my colleague Donatella Rovera and I came to the CAR to investigate and document these violations, we found

Militia fighters known as anti-balaka pose for a photograph in Mbakate village, Central African Republic November 25, 2013. © REUTERS/Joe Penney

A three-person Amnesty delegation visited Bangui, the capital of Central African Republic in early December 2013, to investigate ongoing human rights violations and abuses as well as intercommunal violence. They visited hospitals, Bangui's central morgue, and IDP camps. © Amnesty International

Burning/looting of Muslim property and a mosque in PK 26 area, north of the capital Bangui, Central African Republic, 23 January 2014. © Amnesty International

Follow Joanne on Twitter @jgmariner

TAKE ACTION HERE: http://bit.ly/1iXrkGU issue 1 2014 / flame

SYRIA

Starvation

as a weapon of war Syrian refugee Mahmoud, 15-years-old, poses for a photograph in an underground shelter where he lives with his family in El Akbiya, Lebanon, Friday, September 20, 2013. Photo: © UNHCR / S. Baldwin

“You died for the sake of bringing hibiscus leaves for your brothers and sisters.”

hese were the words spoken by a grieving Syrian father to the body of his own lifeless son at a hospital in the refugee camp of Yarmouk, 8km from the centre of Damascus. The 16 year old had been shot dead by a government sniper while foraging for leaves to feed his starving family. It is difficult to imagine the terror and uncertainty faced every day by the residents of Syria, trapped in the midst of a brutal conflict which has lasted over three years. It is harder still to comprehend the cruelty of death by forced starvation at the hands of one’s own government. In the last six months the situation in Yarmouk has reached crisis point. In July 2013 the Syrian Government cut off the entry of crucial food and medical supplies. Since then at least 128 people have reportedly starved to

death. The agonising nature of this fate and the trauma of watching loved ones suffer so much is almost inconceivable. “I eat anything that I can get my hands on. I eat on average one meal every 30 hours. Either we have to go to the small field areas overlooked by snipers, looking for herbs, or group together to buy a kilo of rice or lentils at 10,000 Syrian pounds and cook it, but we cannot afford to do this each day due to the cost,” said one Yarmouk resident. Others have described suffering food poisoning from consuming inedible plants, killing and eating cats and dogs to survive, or mixing water and spices in place of a meal. With an estimated 60% of Yarmouk’s civilian population currently malnourished, increasingly desperate measures are taken every day as those trapped within its borders attempt to cling to life.

THERE IS HOPE In February this year the UN Security Council voted unanimously to adopt a resolution addressing humanitarian aid and human rights abuses in Syria. While long overdue, this proves that the international community is finally waking up to the need for action. However without evidence that such atrocities are occurring, leaders can continue to disregard the scale and gravity of human rights abuses in Syria, which is why Amnesty International will keep researching and documenting the crisis. As we persistently reveal the brutal reality of life in Syria, it will become increasingly difficult for the world to ignore it.

HELP ENSURE THIS CRUCIAL WORK CONTINUES http://bit.ly/1ie82OC

SYRIA: NUMBER CRUNCHING 6.5 million

People displaced inside Syria.

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4.1 million

Syrian refugees who will need assistance by the end of 2014.

Over 90%

Of Syrian refugees are hosted by Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Iraq and Egypt.

30,000

UN goal for resettling the most vulnerable Syrian refugees by the end of 2014.

750

New Zealand’s annual refugee quota.

500

Places offered by Australia for Syrian refugees.

100

Places offered by New Zealand for Syrian refugees.

TAKE ACTION

Liu Xia

Jehad Sadeq Aziz Salman

Mohamed al-Qahtani

Ebrahim Ahmed Radi al-Moqdad TEENAGERS IN BAHRAIN SENTENCED TO 10 YEARS Jehad Sadeq Aziz Salman (pictured left) and Ebrahim Ahmed Radi al-Moqdad (right), both 15, were arrested during an antigovernment protest in Bahrain’s capital, Manama, on 23 July 2012. Both boys reported being beaten and forced to sign “confessions” without a lawyer or a family member present. The two teenagers were sentenced to 10 years in prison in April 2013. Read more http://bit.ly/1drlqdS

TAKE ACTION

Please ask the Bahraini authorities to quash 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

POET UNDER HOUSE ARREST IN CHINA Liu Xia has been under illegal house arrest since 8 October 2010. On the same day, her imprisoned husband Liu Xiaobo won the Nobel Peace Prize for his human rights work. In January 2014 Liu Xia had a heart attack. She received medical attention for her heart condition in February but doctors advised that her severe depression is contributed to by her enforced isolation. Liu Xia cannot go out and is not allowed visitors. Read more http://bit.ly/1fUzQbb

TAKE ACTION

Please call on the Chinese authorities to ensure that Liu Xia has immediate access to any medical treatment she requires and to lift all restrictions on her freedom of movement and expression. PLEASE WRITE IMMEDIATELY TO

13 YEARS WITHOUT TRIAL FOR GUANTANAMO TORTURE SURVIVOR Saudi Arabian national Mohamed al-Qahtani has been held in US military custody at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, without trial, since 13 February 2002. Arrested on suspicion of knowledge of the 9/11 attacks, he has been subjected to isolation, sleep deprivation, sexual humiliation, and forced nudity. Read more http://bit.ly/1lJu4tj

TAKE ACTION

Please call for Mohamed al-Qahtani to be released immediately, unless he is promptly charged and brought to fair trial in federal court. Also call for those responsible for torturing and otherwise ill-treating him to be brought to justice.

President Xi Jinping The State Council General Office 2 Fuyoujie Xichengqu Beijingshi 100017 People's Republic of China

SEND APPEALS TO

Salutation: Your Excellency

Salutation: Dear President Obama

President Barack Obama The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Washington, DC 20500 USA

Salutation: Your Excellency issue 1 2014 / flame

GOOD NEWS

Good News

Our message of hope really does reach the darkest places. This graffiti was unexpectedly found on the wall of Security Prison 21 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Photograph by Jiri Pasz, October 2013.

TOP TWEETS

“Thank you to Amnesty International supporters! Your campaign has been successful, as my release shows! But my case is not over yet. Please keep pushing the Cambodian government to end the case against me. And please keep supporting me, my community and others in Cambodia. We can achieve the most success when we all work together!” Yorm Bopha. BREAKING NEWS!

CAMBODIAN HOUSING RIGHTS ACTIVIST YORM BOPHA RELEASED In November, 30-year old mother Yorm Bopha was released from jail on bail. Yorm was arrested and imprisoned in September 2012 on accusations of planning an assault on two men, despite no evidence against her and inconsistent witness testimonies. Amnesty International considered her a Prisoner of Conscience, having determined that the real reason for her imprisonment was her human rights activism. She had been defending her community’s rights at the former Boeung Kak Lake in the capital Phnom Penh, where thousands of people have been forcibly evicted since 2007. She has not yet been granted an acquittal. Photo © Amnesty International

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The United Nations Human Rights Council has finally voted to launch an official investigation into war crimes and human rights violations in Sri Lanka, bringing new hope for justice following the country's brutal civil war. This is great news and a significant victory for all the Amnesty International supporters who have helped us with this long campaign.

WRITE FOR RIGHTS 2013 In December 2013 hundreds of thousands of people around the world participated in Amnesty International’s most successful ever ‘Write for Rights’ campaign. 4837 letters were written here in New Zealand. Worldwide more than 2.3 million appeals were sent, on behalf of individuals at risk. Messages pressuring authorities led to the release of two Prisoners of Conscience (PoC): Yorm (featured above) and Russian peaceful protester Vladimir Akimenkov. Other PoCs voiced their gratitude at the renewed sense of hope letters of support provided.

AMNESTY BRIEFS

Amnesty Briefs TE RADAR

Laughter is the best medicine If laughter is the best medicine then prepare yourself to be cured! The Secret Policeman’s Ball is back for one night of some of the best standup comedy from both national and international comics. The freedom to provoke and in some cases offend is essential to the art of comedy, so come celebrate the freedom of expression we enjoy here in New Zealand! This year’s line-up includes...

GUY WILLIAMS Guy Williams was ‘highly commended’ at the 2008 Raw Comedy Finals and has since gone on to win the coveted Billy T Award in 2012. Guy has worked on several TV shows including the popular Friday night comedy “Jono & Ben at Ten”.

IAN D MONTFORT Winner of the 2013 Best International Act at last years’ NZ International Comedy festival, Ian D Montfort is the psychic alter-ego of UK writer, actor and stand-up comic Tom Binns. Ian D Montfort is a psychic medium loved by believers and sceptics alike.

Te Radar is an award winning satirist, documentary maker, writer, stage and screen director, failed gardener and amateur historian. He has also been the presenter of various TVNZ series including Radar’s Patch, which won the 2010 Qantas Film & TV Award for Best Information/Lifestyle Programme. A seasoned performer of comedy both locally and internationally, he is a former Billy T Award recipient.

CORI GONZALEZ-MACUER Chilean born New Zealander, Cori has been doing stand-up for the last 10 years. His triumphant return home to Chile was filmed as a special for TV3's “Funny Roots”. Cori is currently starring in Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement’s new feature film. Whether it’s on the stage or screen, Cori’s reluctance to accept a career in entertainment is what has made him the performer he is today.

We said proudly that ‘Love is a Human Right’ Supporters of Amnesty International marched down Ponsonby Road for the Auckland Pride Parade on February 22, 2014. The atmosphere was festive and celebratory. Amnesty's colourful costumes and banners depicting our work on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex rights throughout time received a great reception, as we proudly promoted the message that love is a human right to be enjoyed by all. Photos © Rachel Banfield

BUY YOUR TICKETS NOW http://bit.ly/1qaVRnb

Be part of the Amnesty Annual Meeting 2014 Celebrate human rights heroes past and present at the 2014 Amnesty International Annual Meeting & Skillshare. Where: Auckland Venue: Cityside Baptist, 8 Mt Eden Road, Newton, Auckland When: 24 - 25 May 2014 Find out more: www.amnesty.org.nz/ annualmeeting

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LEAVE A LEGACY

MAKE A COMMITMENT TO CHANGE J

ohn Lyon is a retired Merchant Marine Captain and a grandfather to 14 grandchildren. He emigrated to NZ when he was 19 and has been a loyal supporter of Amnesty International for over 20 years. Born in London and having lived through World War II, John is well aware of the fragility of peace and recognises the importance of Amnesty International in making sure dictators and military juntas are exposed for what they are. “When I read about Aung San Suu Kyi’s house arrest after her party won the 1990 Burma elections, I was outraged and wanted to do something. I felt powerless and knew that as an individual I could never bring about change. Luckily I was able to have my voice heard through Amnesty International. "Amnesty International works very much like the principle of a ship’s rope; a single strand is not very strong, but combined with other strands it forms a unity that can be used to hold the biggest ships. "By leaving a bequest to Amnesty International I will continue to speak out against injustice – even when I am no longer around.” John Lyon – Amnesty International supporter

"Amnesty International works very much like the principle of a ship’s rope; a single strand is not very strong, but combined with other strands it forms a unity that can be used to hold the biggest ships."

LEARN MORE ABOUT LEAVING A BEQUEST TO AMNESTY http://bit.ly/1mvYhzh