September 5, 2006
US activist held in Vietnam
I've received this article from the daughter of Cong Thanh Do, a Californian pro-democracy activist in Vietnam. He was arrested on August 14th on charges of conspiring to attack the US consulate in Ho Chi Minh City. He's been held every since and is on a hunger strike. We will keep you updated as to his condition.
Please contact your congressional representatives as well as the Vietnamese embassy closest to you to express your concerns about his case.
A Vietnamese-born US citizen and pro-democracy activist has been arrested during a return visit to the country, his family, dissidents and a human rights group said yesterday.
Cong Thanh Do, a 47-year-old computer engineer from California, was detained on Aug. 14, accused of conspiring to launch a terrorist attack against the US consulate in Ho Chi Minh City, and has been held ever since, they said.
During a meeting with US consular officials on Friday, Do said he was a senior member of the banned People's Democratic Party of Vietnam and said he would start a hunger strike that day until his freedom or his death, the relatives said.
He "stated his opposition to the current political status of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and that his mission is to promote a multi-party democratic system strictly through non-violence," the family said in a statement. "He has denied all terrorist accusations, including any attempts to bomb the US Consulate in Ho Chi Minh City."
US diplomats and Vietnamese declined to comment on the case.
The Vietnamese dissident-run "Dialogue" Web site said Do, who had used the alias "Tran Nam," had been arrested along with two other key members of the banned party, Nguyen Hoang Long and Huynh Viet Lang.
A spokesman for the New York-based group Human Rights Watch said: "We are aware of Cong Thanh Do's arrest and are monitoring the case closely."
He said Do's alias "Tran Nam" had been mentioned in the indictment of prominent dissident Pham Hong Son.
Son was released last week after serving four-and-a-half years in prison on espionage charges, for communicating with overseas dissidents and publishing pro-democracy writings online.
AFP , HANOI
Monday, Sep 04, 2006,Page 5
September 3, 2006
UA: Human Rights Defender Disappeared in Colombia
The following is an Urgent Action concerning the disappearance of Walter Alvarez, a human rights defender in Colombia. He may still be alive which makes your action all the most important and urgent. Please read it and contact the suggested authorities and distribute the action through your networks. Thank You.
Walter Alvarez Ossa, a human rights activist and founder of the Permanent Committee for the Defense of Human Rights (Comité Permanente por la Defensa de los Derechos Humanos - CPDH) in the city of Buga, Colombia, has been disappeared. He was walking back to his house on August 16th, 2006, at 11:30 PM, but never arrived. There were intense searches made for him to no avail.
In February 2006, flyers were distributed in Buga threatening Mr. Alvarez' life. They were signed by the paramilitary group Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia (AUC), which has been responsible for killing and disappearing human rights activists. On August 2nd, the office of the CPDH was subjected to a warrantless search by police agents, who said it was “a suspicious building.” There are strong links between government forces and the paramilitary groups and they’ve been known to work together.
It is likely that Mr. Alvarez’ human rights activities are linked to his disappearance. It is also possible that he is being detained and he’s still alive, which makes your actions all the more important and urgent.
Please write to the authorities below and ask them to do everything they can to find Walter Alvarez and to guarantee his life and physical integrity. You can also ask that they take the necessary security measures to assure neither Mr. Alvarez' family nor other members of the CPDH suffer a similar fate.
Addresses:
-Carolina Barco, Ambassador to the United States, Embassy of Colombia 2118 Leroy Place, NW, Washington, DC 20008, Phone: (202) 387 8338. Fax: (202) 232 8643
- S.E. Álvaro Uribe Vélez, President of Colombia, Cra. 8 # 7-26, Palacio de Nariño, Santa Fe de Bogotá.Fax:+57.1.566.20.71 : auribe@presidencia.gov.co
- Sr. Francisco Santos, Vicepresident of Colombia, Phone. (+571) 334.45.07, (+573) 7720130, E-mail: fsantos@presidencia.gov.co ; buzon1@presidencia.gov.co
- Human Rights Program of the Vice President’s Office: ppdh@presidencia.gov.co
- Human Rights Observatory of the Vice President’s Office: obserdh@presidencia.gov.co
- Doctor Mario Hernán Iguarán Arana, Attorney General, Diagonal 22-B # 52-01, Bogotá. Fax: + 57.1.570.20.00 ; +57.1.414.90.00 Extensión 1113, E-mail: contacto@fiscalia.gov.co; denuncie@fiscalia.gov.co
Please also contact your congressional representatives and ask them to show their interest on this matter to the Colombian government.
Thank you.
If you receive any answers, please let us know.
August 10, 2006
Emergency Week of Action, Aug. 7-11
During the week of Aug. 7-11, Global Exchange, United for Peace and Justice, the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation and hundreds of other groups throughout the United States will take action to demand an end to support for Israel's human rights violations, an immediate cease-fire, a just peace, and the end of weapons deliveries to Israel.
You can join them by checking out
June 29, 2006
Travel Restriction of HR Defender
Derechos Human Rights sent a letter today to the Syrian Ambassador to the US regarding the violations of freedom of movement of Mr. Radwan Ziadeh, a human rights defender who was not allowed to leave the country in order to present a paper at a human rights conference in Jordan. Human rights defenders in Syria have often been the subject of restrictions and harassment.
Please write similar letters to the Syrian authorities.
June 29, 2006
DERECHOS HUMAN RIGHTS
46 Estabrook St.
San Leandro, CA 94577
USA
510-483-4005
Mr. Imad Moustapha
The Embassy of Syria
2215 Wyoming Ave., N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20008
syrembas@syrembassy.net
Dear Mr. Moustapha,
I am writing to express my organization's concern with the treatment of Radwan Ziadeh, Director of the Damascus Centre for Human Rights Studies. Mr. Ziadeh was prevented by security forces from leaving Syria on June 26, 2006. He was to attend the conference "Human rights within the framework of Criminal Justice: current challenges and needed strategies in the Arab World" in Amman, Jordan.
As you know, this restriction on Mr. Ziadeh's freedom of movement is a violation of the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders adopted by the UN General Assembly on December 9, 1998, which guarantees the right of human rights defenders to freely associate with others and to publish, disseminate and discuss information and views on human rights at the national and international level.
We request that the Syrian government put an end to all forms of harassment and restrictions against Mr. Ziadeh. We also request that the rights of all human rights defenders in Syria to research, analyze and report on issues of human rights and human rights abuses be respected. Finally, we request that the Syrian government respect and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms in Syria in accordance with international human rights standards.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Margarita Lacabe
Executive Director
Derechos Human Rights
Other authorities:
- M. Bashar al-ASAD, President of the Republic, Presidential Palace, Abu Rummaneh, Al-Rashid Street Damascus, Syrian Arab Republic. Tel/ Fax : + 963 11 33 23 410
- Gnral Basam ABD AL-MAJID, Ministry of the Interior, Merjeh Circle, Damascus, Syrian Arab Republic. Tel/Fax : +963 11 222 34 28; Email: admin@civilaffair-moi.gov.sy
- M. Muhammad al-GHAFRI, Ministry of Justice, Al Nasr street, Damascus, Syrian Arab Republic. Tel/Fax : +963 11 224 62 50
- M. Walid MUALLIM, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, al-Rashid Street, Damascus, Syrian Arab Republic. Fax: + 963 11 332 76 20
- His Excellence Ambassador Mr. Bashar JAAFARI, Permanent Mission of the Syrian Arab Republic to the United Nations in Geneva, Rue de Lausanne 72 (3rd floor), 1202 Geneva, Switzerland, Fax: +41 22 715 45 60, Email: mission.syria@ties.itu.int
- Ambassador Mr. Badi Khattab, Diplomatic Mission of the Syrian Arab Republic in Brussels, 1 avenue F.D. Roosevelt, 1050 Brussels, Belgium, Tel: + 32 2 554 19 22; Fax: + 32 2 648 14 85
May 16, 2006
Tell McDonald's and Chipotle to Support Fair Wages for Farm Workers
From The Working Families e-Activist Network, AFL-CIO:
Send a letter to McDonald's CEO Jim Skinner and Chipotle CEO Steve Ells demanding that they sign an agreement with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers to improve wages and conditions for farm workers.
Farm workers who pick tomatoes for McDonald's hamburgers and Chipotle's burritos earn about 45 cents for every 32-pound container of tomatoes they pick, working from dawn to dusk without the right to overtime pay. That means they have to pick more than 3,500 pounds of tomatoes to earn $50. The 45-cent piece rate has not changed in nearly 30 years. Annual income for farm workers is extremely low--averaging $7,500 to $10,000, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
The vast majority of these farm workers receive no benefits: no health insurance, no sick leave and no vacation pay. Some families live in 10-foot by 10-foot rooms and pay $160 a week in rent, while McDonald's earns huge profits--$2.28 billion last year.
Please take action today to help end these deplorable conditions. Tell McDonald's and Chipotle to support fair wages for farm workers and sign an agreement with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers.
Last year, Taco Bell signed an agreement with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers to pay an additional one cent per pound for tomatoes it purchases. But McDonald's and Chipotle (initially a subsidiary of McDonald's and now a publicly traded company in which McDonald's is the controlling shareholder) have refused to sign a similar agreement to raise wages in the fields.
Although Chipotle's manifesto, titled "Food With Integrity," takes a strongly activist stance for humane conditions in its supply chain for farm animals, the manifesto says nothing about the conditions under which people are laboring to harvest its produce.
The Coalition of Immokalee Workers is calling on Chipotle to expand its "Food With Integrity" mission to include "Work With Dignity" for farm workers who harvest its tomatoes by improving wages and allowing workers to participate in the protection and advancement of their own rights. Further, the coalition is calling on Chipotle to ask McDonald's to join Taco Bell in improving wages and human rights in the fields.
Send a letter to McDonald's CEO Jim Skinner and Chipotle CEO Steve Ells demanding that they sign the agreement with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers to improve wages and conditions for farm workers.
http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/farmworkers/
Thank you for all you do.
In solidarity,
The Working Families e-Activist Network, AFL-CIO
March 29, 2006
Wanted: Eye Witness Testimonty to Israeli War Crimes
This is a message I got forwarded:
WANTED EYE WITNESS TESTIMONY TO ISRAELI WAR CRIMES
In a continuing effort to obtain the arrest of
high-ranking Israeli officers, when they travel
outside of Israel, several legal organisations are
looking to receive testimonies from internationals who
witnessed war crimes, whilst in the West Bank or Gaza.
These organisations are aware that every international
who has travelled to Palestine will have witnessed the
crimes of the occupation, however lawyers are seeking
cases which are strong enough to be submitted to
court, based on evidence provided by actual witnesses
to crimes.
The crimes they are looking for are:
House Demolitions particularly where they were
extensive or carried out deliberately as a form of
punishment
Killings
Torture.
If you witnessed any of these, please write a short
email to the UK lawyer Daniel Machover at
dmachover@hickmanandrose.co.uk. You will need to
state:
1. Who was the victim
2. The date and time it happened
3. What happened preceding and after the event
4. Whether any Palestinians made a complaint at the time
and who has their testimony such as a local lawyer or
human rights organisation
5. What supporting evidence you have, such as photos or
video footage (please state whether this is unedited
or not.)
Cases are being prepared in several countries around
the world, so it doesnt matter which country you are
living in, your testimony could prove useful
somewhere.
You do not have to make a decision now as to whether
you want to be a witness in court. This is a long-term
legal project, with the possibility that your
testimony might never be used - the lawyers at this
point are gathering information in order to build
cases. Lawyers will not use your name without your
permission
We are also seeking information on which commanders
and which military units were operating in which areas
at which times (now and in the past.) If you can
provide any names, even if you were not a witness to a
crime, this could prove useful.
For more information about this, please read news
story at
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3221339,00.html
If English is not your first language, help will be
given with translation. Please also forward this
email to any Palestinian living abroad who witnessed
or was a victim of war crimes and would like to
participate.
March 9, 2006
Video on Torture and Displacement in Northern Uganda
From Witness:
Two decades of armed conflict between the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) and the Ugandan government in Northern Uganda have displaced nearly two million civilians from their homes. Ordered into so-called protected camps, Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) face heightened insecurity, appalling living conditions and lack the basic means of subsistence. Human Rights Focus (HURIFO) and WITNESS have co-produced "Between Two Fires: Torture and Displacement in Northern Uganda" to address the issue of torture committed against the IDP communities of Northern Uganda. Through the personal stories of torture survivors, the video advocates for official acknowledgement of these abuses, redress for torture victims, and strengthened national mechanisms against the use of torture.
Abuses against the IDP communities are rampant: the LRA has committed war crimes and gross violations of human rights including the abduction of over twenty thousand children, widespread maiming, rape and murder. These attacks have led to secondary displacement in which up to forty thousand children commute nightly from the camps to sleep in the relative safety of town centers.
While the LRA has committed these atrocities, the Ugandan People's Defense Forces (UPDF), the national army, has also committed human rights violations against civilians that include arbitrary detention, extrajudicial killing, torture and rape. The UPDF whose mandate is to protect civilians, has not only failed to prevent attacks and abductions by the LRA, but has also perpetrated grave abuses against civilians in a climate of impunity.
Please join us in this campaign to end torture against IDPs in Northern Uganda by taking action.
February 7, 2006
Amnesty asks Yahoo! to help free POC
The international human rights organization Amnesty International has issued an urgent action asking its supporters to write to Yahoo!'s chief yahoos asking for their help in assuring the release of journalist Shi Tao.
Shi Tao was arrested after Yahoo! provided the Chinese government account holder information on him. Tao was accused of illegally providing state secrets to foreign entities by using his Yahoo email account and sending an email summarizing an internal Communist Party directive to a foreign source. The Communist Party directive had warned Chinese journalists of possible social unrest during the anniversary of the June 4 Movement (in memory of the Tiananmen crackdown), and directed them not to fuel it via media reports.
Amnesty considers Shi Tao a prisoner of conscience.
The urgent action is available at http://web.amnesty.org/pages/chn-310106-action-eng
February 4, 2006
Defend Free Speech and Secularism Petition
Activist Maryam Namazie is asking for signatures on a petition to the international community in general to protect freedom of speech on religious matters. You can view and sign the petition here:
February 3, 2006
Help extradite Fujimori to Peru
Amnesty International Spain is collecting signatures on a petition to the Chilean government to extradite Fujimori to Chile. You can sign the petition by going to
Fujimori: Acta para que se haga justicia! - AI Espaa
The webpage is in Spanish but it asks you for your Name (Nombre), Last Names (Apellidos), Country (Pais), Province (if in Spain), e-mail and Phone Number (Telfono)
Alberto Fujimori was president of Peru during the 1990's. As such, he created death squads and was responsible for the death, disappearance and imprisonment of thousands of innocent Peruvian citizens. In 2000, as allegations of corruption were making his arrest likely, he went to Japan for a state visit and faxed his resignation as president. He's been living in that country since then.
Japan has been under strong international pressure to turn him over to Peru, where he is wanted on charges of corruption as well as human rights violations. In November of 2005, he quietly left Mexico and made his way to Chile, where he was arrested at the request of the Peruvian government.
Analysts speculate that Fujimori was counting that the political tension between the Chilean and Peruvian governments would make Chile reluctant to arrest him. He planned to run in Peru's next presidential elections, but the Peruvian election board ruled in January that a Congressional order barring Fujimori from public office until 2011 was valid.
See Fujimori's grand plan withers behind bars (from the Chicago Tribune)