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How we’re bringing #MyNewNeighbour to Maroochydore

Since the My New Neighbour campaign was launched in February activists have been working on getting councils to show local leadership and pass a motion in favour of community sponsorship. This month we have seen another 3 councils, Inner City and Canterbury Bankstown in NSW and Yarra City in Victoria, join the call for an expanded and improved community sponsorship program, taking the total to 13 councils to date.

Whilst these council wins are phenomenal and incredibly important, activists know that to really change the public perception of refugees and grow the spirit of welcome they need to encourage and build large scale community engagement and support.

The Maroochydore group have been doing just that. Here the group’s convener Ruth Creffield and campaign coordinators Nina Ashfield-Crook and Kathryn Allan share the work they have been doing to make this change a reality.

We devised a plan

A goal is indeed to get the council to pass a motion but we wanted to build significant public support from our local community first. We wanted to also get positive media stories out there to change perspectives on refugees and people seeking asylum as our area has a lot of negative views on this issue.

Our approach was to map our community and scope out other community groups working on refugee rights in our area as well as identify key local leaders and influencers to target. We continue to update our ‘community map’ as we progress.

We set about building relationships and partnerships

We decided that building relationships and partnerships was crucial to our success so we decided to create a coalition with the other refugee focused community groups. We communicate regularly via email and have monthly joint meetings. Many of the groups were already working on refugee welcome zones so we came up with a joint plan that supports and serves all of our goals.

We made a petition for the refugee welcome zone and asked the groups to also push the My New Neighbour petition. Each group is focused on working collecting actions on these petitions as well as asking local businesses and groups to sign the proposal.

In addition to these critical partnerships we have started to contact our identified key local influencers and have been asking them for their support. We recently had huge success in meeting with the Anglican Church Archbishop of the Sunshine Coast who agreed to join the campaign and is spreading awareness on the issue throughout his diocese (from North Brisbane to Bundaberg).

We got out in the community and engaged with new audiences

We recognised the need to be seen out in our community and to talk to as many people as possible. We also knew that we needed to be able to demonstrate the support we are building so collecting signatures on the petition is important to our plan. Our first community engagement was a market stall at a local festival – where we collected over 200 signatures as well as meeting key local contacts. Most of our group have My New Neighbour information and the petition printed, carefully placed in tea rooms, workplaces and their homes. We never miss a chance to have a quick chat with those around us and get them on board with the campaign.

We are really focused on the fact that every conversation has the power to make a difference, to challenge and change perceptions. Our group are fantastic at doing this at market stalls, attending community events to chat to people and as we go about our day-to-day lives.

We are currently working on an exciting event for August to hopefully expose the campaign to new audiences. The event is Paws Next Door – This is an event for dogs and their humans to join us in conversations about multiculturalism and community sponsorship. We will have a dog parade and are planning to offer puppy portraits for dog owners to get a photo with their dog and pledge their support for the ‘My New Neighbour’ campaign. We are hoping this will put a positive spin on what we’re trying to achieve with the campaign and further challenge the perspectives of our often conservative community.

We never miss an opportunity to give a story to the Media

We made sure media was part of our strategy from the start so of course we never miss a chance to send out a media release to our local papers. To date we have had 2 published media stories. One was about refugee welcome zones and contained stories of local people who have meaningful connections with local refugees. The other was an opinion piece about My New Neighbour. We have been invited to contribute further opinion pieces to the Sunshine Coast Daily.

Sadly our opinion piece online was misrepresented. Even though the piece about the My New Neighbour campaign was written carefully using the ‘words that work’ framework from the ASRC. The newspaper’s online team used our piece as click bait on their Facebook page by changing the headline to “opening the flood gates” and they did not allow free access to the actual article in the post. Therefore the piece received negative comments by people who did not even get to read the full article. But we see this simply as an opportunity because every challenge is a lesson, and a win just around the corner.

We are dedicated to and focused on our plan

We love to connect each event to our broader goals, so we make sure to make meaningful connections that help us to build relationships in our community with key stakeholders and leaders. Our community is very conservative and thus it is really important that we start to open their eyes to the wider issues and raise awareness on the struggles as well as successes of refugees.

Because of the conservative environment we can’t get the major wins we are after without the public support so it is really important that we keep expanding our networks and starting conversations with different communities. Our community is our home, it’s important that we support each other, new neighbours and old. Community is integral to the campaign and getting them on board from the onset is essential to us, it’ll make the next few years a lot easier (we hope)!

Camberwell Grammar School brings Australia closer to refugee solution

Victoria’s Camberwell Grammar School has marked a significant milestone in Australia’s response to the global refugee situation, with Headmaster Dr Paul Hicks encouraging the Federal Government to broaden the refugee community sponsorship program.

“Camberwell Grammar School, through their student-led Rotary Interact Club, is the first school in Australia to get behind expanding this neighbourhood-led solution to the global refugee crisis,” said Shankar Kasynathan, Refugee Campaigner at Amnesty International Australia.

Community sponsorship is a model where ordinary members or groups in the community sponsor visas for refugees from around the world, who wish to begin the process of rebuilding their lives in Australia.

The move from Camberwell Grammar School aligns with the School’s longstanding active support of student involvement in social justice initiatives.

“It is pleasing to see the enthusiasm of my fellow students in pitching in to help give everyone the resources necessary for a safe and prosperous life. We hope that we can help to resettle and provide support for those in need,” said Ryan Campbell, President of the School’s Rotary Interact Club.

Camberwell Grammar School and its community have offered resettlement support to students who have escaped from persecution. This includes personal contributions from staff and former students.

Rob French, the School’s Deputy Headmaster, regularly contributes to educational costs of students from refugee backgrounds in Victoria. Amnesty International’s own national campaigner, Shankar Kasynathan graduated from the School in 2002.

“Years after graduating, I still carry the School motto into my work today with Amnesty International: ‘by our deeds may we be known,” said Shankar Kasynathan.

Amnesty International’s Victorian Refugee Network convenor, Farid Asghari, was given a scholarship by the School after arriving in Australia as an unaccompanied minor from Afghanistan.

“We hope that other schools and universities around the country will add their voices to the call for a greater community sponsorship program.”

Dr Hicks, Headmaster at Camberwell Grammar School.

“We hope that other schools and universities around the country will add their voices to the call for a greater community sponsorship program,” said Dr Hicks, Headmaster at Camberwell Grammar School.

The community sponsorship model has worked successfully for almost 40 years in Canada, which has welcomed over 280,000 refugees through the program, in addition to its humanitarian intake.

“We can see from Camberwell Grammar School’s Rotary Interact Club example, that the kindness of neighbours can help people who have lost everything to start again. We hope people across Australia will see the success of this and say, ‘Let’s do our bit and help bring these vulnerable people to safety’,” said Shankar Kasynathan.

Israel/OPT: Ahed Tamimi release a bittersweet moment as other Palestinian children languish in Israeli jails

Israel/OPT: Ahed Tamimi release a bittersweet moment as other Palestinian children languish in Israeli jails

The release of a Palestinian child activist jailed by Israel’s military for shoving, slapping and kicking two heavily armed soldiers wearing protective gear is welcome news but serves as a reminder of Israel’s continued human rights violations against Palestinian children, Amnesty International said.

Seventeen-year-old Ahed Tamimi was set free today, 21 days short of completing an eight-month prison sentence following her wrongful imprisonment by Ofer military court in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

“This is a huge relief for Ahed Tamimi’s loved ones, but their joy will be tempered by the injustice of her imprisonment and the grim knowledge that many more Palestinian children still languish in Israeli jails, many despite not having committed any recognizable crime,” said Saleh Higazi, Head of Office in Jerusalem for Amnesty International.

“Ahed Tamimi’s release must not obscure the familiar and continuing story of the Israeli military using discriminatory policies to lock up Palestinian children. Her unjust imprisonment is a reminder of how the Israeli occupation uses the arbitrary military courts to punish those who challenge the occupation and illegal settlements expansion policies, without any regard to age.”

“Hundreds of Palestinian children continue to face the harsh conditions and abuse of the Israeli penitentiary system that flouts the principles of juvenile justice and standards for the treatment of prisoners,” Saleh Higazi said.

Ahed Tamimi was convicted of incitement, aggravated assault and obstructing Israeli soldiers after a video showing her shoving, slapping and kicking two Israeli soldiers in her home village of Nabi Saleh on 15 December 2017 went viral on Facebook.

She was arrested on 19 December 2017 after her mother Nariman Tamimi, also a prominent activist, posted the footage of her altercation with Israeli soldiers online. Nariman Tamimi was also released today, after being sentenced to eight months in prison on similar charges.

Ahed Tamimi’s father, Bassam Tamimi, told Amnesty International that despite his family’s joy in welcoming Ahed and Nariman home, he was still worried about his son, Wa’ed, who was arrested in May. The 22-year-old has been detained in Ofer military prison ever since facing charges related to his activism against the occupation.

“My son is still in Israeli prison for the duration of military court proceedings against him, which is a reminder that Israel’s occupation is always seeking to punish us because our existence contradicts the existence of the occupation. And so, I call on members of international community to uphold their responsibility towards our people and take concrete steps to end this perpetual injustice,” said Bassam Tamimi.

“This is a day of relief, which we hope will blossom into happiness once this brutal military occupation is out of our lives.”

The video taken by Nariman Tamimi shows that the soldiers, who were standing on the edge of the family’s walled front yard and armed with assault rifles, were able to lightly swat away Ahed Tamimi’s slaps and kicks.

“Ahed Tamimi has been released, but only after serving an unjust sentence based on the ridiculous premise that she posed a threat to armed and heavily protected soldiers,” said Saleh Higazi.

“The reality is that she was imprisoned in a blatant attempt by the Israeli authorities to intimidate those who dare to challenge the ongoing brutal repression by occupying forces.”

The Israeli army prosecutes hundreds of Palestinian children in military courts every year, often after arresting them in night raids and systematically subjecting them to ill-treatment, including blindfolding, threats, harsh interrogations without the presence of their lawyers or families, solitary confinement and in some cases physical violence.

Military courts prosecute Palestinians for violating military orders, many of which criminalize peaceful activities such as peaceful political expression or organizing and attending protests without prior permission from an Israeli military commander.

There are currently some 350 Palestinian children in Israeli prisons and detention centres, according to local human rights organizations.

“While Ahed’s freedom is welcome and long overdue, it must be followed by the release of the other children unlawfully imprisoned by Israeli military courts,” said Saleh Higazi.

Background

Ahed Tamimi confronted the soldiers amid a demonstration in the small village of Nabi Saleh against US President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

The incident took place on the same day that one of Ahed’s cousins, 15-year-old Mohammad Tamimi, sustained serious injuries after he was hit in the head at close range by a rubber bullet fired by an Israeli soldier.

Nabi Saleh, located north-west of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, has since 2009 been the scene of regular Friday protests against Israeli military occupation, the theft of its land and the loss of the community’s water source.

The Israeli army routinely uses excessive force against protesters and bystanders and has in many cases deliberately damaged private property. Since 2009, three Nabi Saleh residents have been killed by Israeli soldiers, and others have suffered injuries caused by live ammunition, rubber-coated metal bullets and tear gas.

US Coalition efforts to ensure accountability for civilian deaths are a welcome first step, but more clarity necessary

The US-led coalition, which includes Australia, overnight issued a press release accepting responsibility for all civilian deaths documented in Amnesty International’s June 5th report into the aerial bombardment of Raqqa.

Donatella Rovera, Amnesty International’s Senior Crisis Response Adviser, said:

“After weeks of obfuscation and denials, the US-led coalition has finally admitted responsibility for the deaths of hundreds of civilians in Raqqa. Raqqa’s residents have faced years of unimaginable suffering, first under the brutal rule of so-called Islamic State, and then under relentless bombardment from the coalition, whose operation to retake the city left it in ruins.”

Daphne Eviatar, Amnesty International USA’s Director of Security with Human Rights stated:

“The Coalition’s response points to the importance of site visits and in-person interviews as part of any credible investigation. We will be urging the Coalition to systematically do their own more meaningful investigations in the future, ensure full accountability for violations, and provide compensation and assistance to the victims who have suffered so tremendously from the assault on their city.”

For more information on Amnesty’s work in Raqqa, see: https://www.amnestyusa.org/reports/syria-raqqa-in-ruins-and-civilians-devastated-after-us-led-war-of-annihilation/

10 songs for social change

From the original protest songs of the civil rights movement to the charity singles raising money for those in need, for decades musicians have inspired change through their songs.

Here are our top 10 songs to inspire you to change the world for the better.

1. Blowin’ in the Wind – Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan’s classic instantly became a civil rights anthem when it was released in 1963. The song had a major influence on American singer-songwriter Sam Cooke, who was so moved by the song he began to perform it as part of his live set.

Released: August 1963
Record label: Columbia
Most poignant lyric: The answer my friend is blowin’ in wind
Interesting fact: Dylan claims he wrote “Blowin’ in the Wind” in 10 minutes

2. Fight The Power – Public Enemy

Arguably Public Enemy’s most famous song, “Fight the Power” was produced for Spike Lee’s 1989 film Do the Right Thing. Speaking to the social and psychological struggles being experienced by the American youth, the song decried racism and a lack of social progress, encouraging people to fight back.

Released: June 1989
Record label: Motown Records
Most poignant lyric: Our freedom of speech is freedom or death
Interesting fact: “Fight the Power” was used in another film, 2005’s US military movie Jarhead

3. Strange Fruit – Billie Holiday

One of the most tragic and disturbing songs ever recorded, Billie Holiday’s “Strange Fruit” is about the barbaric practice of lynching – when a group of people kill someone for an alleged offence, usually by hanging, without a legal trial – which was common at the time the song was released.

Released: 1939
Record label: Commodore
Most poignant lyric: Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze | Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees
Interesting fact: The song was originally written as a poem by American writer and teacher Abel Meeropol after he saw a photograph of a lynching in a civil rights magazine

4. From Little Things Big Things Grow – Paul Kelly and Kev Carmody

An Indigenous rights classic, “From Little Things Big Things Grow” is based on the story of the Gurindji Strike, a walk-off and strike by 200 Gurindji stockmen, house servants and their families in August 1966 at Wave Hill cattle station in Kalkarindji, Northern Territory. The strike took place mainly due to work and living conditions but ultimately became about the return of Gurindji peoples’ land.

Released: 1991
Record label: EMI, Festival
Most poignant lyric: Eight years went by, eight long years of waiting | Till one day a tall stranger appeared in the land | And he came with lawyers and he came with great ceremony | And through Vincent’s fingers poured a handful of sand
Interesting fact: Paul Kelly and Kev Carmody sang the song at Gough Whitlam’s memorial service in November 2014

5. A Change is Gonna Come – Sam Cooke

In 1963 Sam Cooke, along with his wife and band, was turned away from a “whites only” motel in Louisiana and arrested for disturbing the peace. A key song for the civil rights movement, some of the lyrics of “A Change is Gonna Come” were inspired by this incident – as well as by Bob Dylan’s 1963 hit “Blowin in the Wind”.

Released: December 1964
Record label: RCA Victor
Most poignant lyric: It’s been a long, a long time coming | But I know a change gonna come, oh yes it will
Interesting fact: The song was released on 22 December 1964, two weeks after Cooke was shot dead by motel employee in Los Angeles – he was 33 years old

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6. Imagine – John Lennon

Of course we couldn’t miss out the ultimate call for world peace, John Lennon’s “Imagine”. The song, written during the Vietnam War, asks listeners to imagine a world at peace, free from religious, class, or political boundaries. Jack Johnson recorded it for the 2007 compilation “Instant Karma: The Campaign to Save Darfur” by Amnesty International.

Released: October 1971
Record label: Apple
Most poignant lyric: You may say I’m a dreamer | But I’m not the only one | I hope someday you’ll join us | And the world will be as one
Interesting fact: Oasis used the piano intro on their 1996 song “Don’t Look Back In Anger”

7. Redemption Song – Bob Marley

Bob Marley’s final single before his death from cancer in May 1981, “Redemption Song” is about historic and modern day slavery and our struggle for physical and emotion freedom.

Released: October 1980
Record label: Island/Tuff Gong
Most poignant lyric: Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery | None but ourselves can free our minds
Interesting fact: This was the last song Marley performed, singing at a show in Pittsburgh on 23 September 1980

8. Man in the Mirror – Michael Jackson

Released in 1988, Michael Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror” is an inspirational song about personal redemption and making a positive impact on the world. The catchy song tells us that not only is it possible to change the world, it’s possible for us – as individuals – to do it.

Released: January 1988
Record label: Epic
Most poignant lyric: I’m Gonna Make A Change | For Once In My Life | It’s Gonna Feel Real Good | Gonna Make A Difference | Gonna Make It Right
Interesting fact: Following Jackson’s death in 2009 the song became the number one single on iTunes in both the US and the UK

9. One – U2

Released as a benefit single in 1992, with the proceeds going towards AIDS research, “One” is said to be partly inspired by the reunification of Germany after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. Others believe that the song represents a conversation of acceptance between an AIDS sufferer and his father.

Released: March 1992
Record label: Island
Most poignant lyric: We’re one, but we’re not the same | We get to Carry each other
Interesting fact: The song was written in Berlin because the band was hoping to find inspiration from the changes happening to the region

10. Joan Baez – We shall overcome

Originally written by American folk singer and activist Peter Seeger, “We Shall Overcome” is a hauntingly peaceful protest song that became an anthem of the civil rights movement in the US. The only artist to chart with the song was Joan Baez, whose soft and uplifting version is still as powerful today as it was during the turbulent sixties.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yId_ABmtw-w

Released: 1962
Record label: Vanguard
Most poignant lyric: Oh, deep in my heart | I do believe | We shall live in peace someday
Interesting fact: Peter Seeger performed the song for Martin Luther King in 1957 at the 25th anniversary of the Highlander Center in Tennessee. Rosa Parks was also in attendance

Want to listen again? Check out our human rights playlist on YouTube.

Article by Katie Young, Online Editor

Yarra City Council unanimously passes motion supporting community sponsorship for refugees

Yarra City Council today stepped up Australia’s response to the global refugee situation by unanimously passing a motion in support of expanding and improving the Australian Government’s current refugee community sponsorship program.

“The Amnesty Victoria Action Centre is based in the City of Yarra. Today we are delighted to see Yarra join the growing community of councils from all over Australia that support our My New Neighbour campaign calling for an affordable and accessible community-led solution to the crisis”

Mario Santos, Amnesty International, Victorian Branch President

“The Amnesty Victoria Action Centre is based in the City of Yarra. Today we are delighted to see Yarra join the growing community of councils from all over Australia that support our My New Neighbour campaign calling for an affordable and accessible community-led solution to the crisis” Mario Santos, Amnesty International, Victorian Branch President.

Community sponsorship is a model where ordinary members of the community are able to sponsor visas for refugees, who wish to begin the process of rebuilding their lives in safety in Australia.

The motion, proposed by Mike McEvoy, calls on the Federal Government to step up and ensure that the intake of refugees under community sponsorship is above and beyond any existing humanitarian or visa quotas, and to lower the program’s prohibitive visa fees.

Yarra City Council is one of almost 150 local councils across the country that have already declared themselves Refugee Welcome Zones.

“We all want to treat people the way we would like to be treated. An expanded and improved community sponsorship programme will enable individuals and groups in the community to do just that, help people who are in desperate need of assistance. We couldn’t be more delighted with Yarra’s decision to get behind this campaign,” said Mario Santos.

The community sponsorship model has worked successfully in Canada for almost 40 years, welcoming over 280,000 refugees through the program, in addition to its humanitarian intake.

In contrast, in Australia, the community sponsorship program is capped at only 1,000 places this year and for every privately sponsored refugee, the government takes a space away from the annual humanitarian intake of 13,500.

“We can see from Canada’s example that the kindness of neighbours can help people who have lost everything to start again. An expanded and improved community sponsorship program in Australia would allow more people seeking safety to rebuild their lives, and set up a home here where they can prosper and thrive as new arrivals,” said Mario Santos.

“We hope that other councils around the country will take their lead from Yarra City Council and take their commitment one step further by adding their voices to the call for a greater community sponsorship program.”

This is how human rights activism changes lives

It’s been a big year for human rights wins so far and we’re only in July! Here are just some of the epic achievements you’ve made happen this year…

You played a part in securing the release of so many people

Teodora hugs her mother after her release. Photo: AFP/Getty Images

In February, Teodora del Carmen Vasquez was finally freed from jail in El Salvador, when a court reduced her outrageous 30-year sentence. She had already spent a decade behind bars after having a stillbirth, which led to her being accused and convicted for having an abortion, which is illegal in El Salvador. From petitions to protests, we had been campaigning for Teodora to be freed since 2015 – Amnesty Norway even took over the airwaves to broadcast a distress signal to raise awareness of Teodora’s case. Amnesty International continues to campaign for decriminalization of abortion in El Salvador.

Sergio Sanchez. Photo: Amnesty International

In Mexico, Sergio Sánchez was released from prison after spending almost eight years jailed for murder based on false and inconsistent evidence and following his conviction in a flawed trial. His lawyers believe that the work of Amnesty supporters, who participated in marches and demonstrations, was fundamental to achieving his release.

We had some rare good news from Myanmar in April, when numerous prisoners of conscience were among 8,000 people released in a prisoner amnesty announced by the new President Win Myint. We had been campaigning for the release of Kachin pastors Dumdaw Nawng Lat and Langjaw Gam Sengand Lahpai Gam, who were among those released.

We saw the release of detained activists, journalists and bloggers in Ethiopia, including Amnesty International Prisoner of Conscience Eskinder Nega, who had been re-arrested in March 2018 just weeks after his release from more than seven years in prison. Amnesty supporters wrote numerous letters to Eskinder and it didn’t go unnoticed.

“I received letters of support from Amnesty International through my family. It helped keep my morale up, and it lifted the spirits of my family.”

Eskinder Nega

Artist Liu Xia was finally allowed to leave China for Germany in July, after almost eight years of illegal house arrest, where she’d been held ever since her husband Liu Xiaobo was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2010. During that time, she was closely monitored by state security agents and could only be reached by phone in limited circumstances. Earlier this year, Amnesty International and PEN launched a campaign calling for the release of Liu Xia, with a host of well-known writers reading excerpts from her poems.

You made governments take responsibility for their actions

The amazing result of the Irish referendum which overturned the constitutional ban on abortions marks a big victory for women’s rights . It was an outcome arising from years of dedicated work by activists, including Amnesty International. In 2015, we released the report, Ireland: She is not a criminal – The impact of Ireland’s abortion law, where we documented the barriers and stigmas associated with abortion through personal testimonies from women. In 2018, the importance of people power was highlighted yet again, as men and women travelled back to Ireland to vote and make their voices heard. It sends an important message, that progressive change is possible even in societies which have traditionally been very conservative on certain issues.

“This is a campaign about hope, this is about realising and prioritising women’s health and safety. That, in itself, is a fantastic turning point.”

Catriona graham, Irish women’s rights campaigner

In Iraq, we released a report about the collective punishment of Iraqi women and children with perceived ties to the armed group Islamic State (IS), gaining extensive media coverage. The next day, local media reported the Iraqi authorities as stating that the report had led them to seek information from their provincial offices about the cases.

On 8 February, the International Criminal Court announced it would open a preliminary examination into President Duterte’s so-called “war on drugs” in the Philippines. We have been pushing hard for justice and accountability on this issue, through research, campaigning and lobbying the prosecutor to open an investigation. This development offers a glimmer of hope to victims of the atrocities committed during government-led operations, mostly against people who come from poor and marginalized communities.

In Ukraine, the government approved a new curriculum for primary schools which for the first time includes a human rights component. Amnesty Ukraine’s tireless advocacy and participation in the working group tasked with curriculum development has contributed to this result. Moldova’s Ministry of Education also adopted a human rights education curriculum developed by Amnesty Moldova for primary and high schools. This success – a first in the region – follows a pilot initiative in the current academic year, in which close to 700 students from 22 schools participated.

Anwar Ibrahim and Salil Shetty. Credit: Private

It was great to see the release of opposition leader and prisoner of conscience Anwar Ibrahim after the surprising election result in Malaysia, which saw Najib Razak defeated by his political mentor Mahathir Mohamad. His release is a landmark moment for human rights in the country and offers a real hope of more reforms.

Following our report, “They betrayed us”: Women who survived Boko Haram raped, starved and detained in Nigeria, the Nigerian Senate adopted a motion which set up an ad-hoc committee to look into the report. In June, the National Human Rights Commission of Nigeria announced it was establishing a panel to investigate allegations of sexual abuse, discrimination, inhuman and degrading treatment against IDPs in North East Nigeria. The announcement referred extensively to the findings of our report.

You’ve taken more steps towards ending the death penalty

Amnesty International supporters campaign to end the death penalty. Photo: AFP/Getty Images

The death sentences of 14 prisoners in Benin were commuted after concerted advocacy efforts by Amnesty. We visited the men in prison, met with the Minister of Justice and President of the National Assembly calling for the commutation of the death sentences, and set up an online and offline petition. This came after positive developments in Gambia, where a moratorium on executions was announced, and Guinea, where the death penalty has been abolished for all crimes.

And at the end of May, Burkina Faso’s parliament adopted a new penal code that abolishes the death penalty in the penal code.

You stood up for those who need justice

Campaigners from Nepal raising awareness of the rights of migrant workers. Photo: Amnesty International

Our work on the exploitative recruitment of Nepalese migrant workers for Gulf labour markets is continuing to have an impact. At the end of February, the Supreme Court of Nepal called on the government to provide information in relation to an ongoing legal case against the government regarding its failure to regulate the employment agents who recruit workers. The local NGO who brought the case used our 2017 report, Turning People into Profits, as a key piece of evidence. If the court decides in favour of the applicants, it could lead to a positive impact for migrant worker protection, especially by giving police the authority to act against unscrupulous agents.

In early April, Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Constitutional Court ruled that victims of wartime rape and other civilian victims of war should not be required to pay court fees in cases when their reparation claims are rejected. Together with TRIAL International, we have long been advocating for the abolition of fees in such cases, and this move may encourage other survivors to seek justice and reparation

We saw the power of solidarity in Ukraine in March, after police pandered to groups who used threats and violence against demonstrations for women’s rights. They falsely accused one of the organizers, Olena Shevchenko, of breaching rules of public assembly for a “provocative” banner carried by some of the demonstrators. By the time she went to court on 15 March, Amnesty Ukraine had issued a social media call which reached thousands of people, and the courtroom was packed with journalists and supporters, as well as people from foreign embassies. The court ruled she had committed no offence and closed the case.

Queensland and Western Australia one step closer to outlawing LGBT+ ‘conversion therapy’

Amnesty International Australia welcomes the strong condemnation from both Western Australian Health Minister and Queensland Health Minister of so-called ‘conversion therapy’.

In a letter responding to Amnesty activists Hannah Wahlsten and Jasmine Ruscoe, WA Health Minister Roger Cook said that he is “strongly opposed to and [does] not support the use of sexual [re]orientation efforts of any kind”.

A representative of QLD Health Minister Steven Miles responded to Amnesty activist Nina Ashfield saying that:

“The Minister shares your concerns regarding gay conversion therapy and strongly opposes any suggestion that homosexuality is a disorder which requires treatment. Minister Miles has recently signed an online change.org petition calling for gay conversion therapy to be outlawed in Australia.”

Both Ministers said they will review current legislation in their respective states to determine whether reform is needed. Amnesty International Australia calls for the express prohibition of LGBT+ conversion therapy, as the Victorian Government did through the passage of the Health Complaints Act 2016.

Depending on techniques used, LGBT+ conversion therapy has been found by the United Nations to be unethical, unscientific, ineffective and, in some instances, tantamount to torture. The Australian Psychological Association and the Australian Medical Association have condemned conversion therapy as harmful and ineffective.

Interested in joining our LGBT+ monthly catch-up? Find out how to get involved.

Rethinking Governance update (July 2018)

The Board of Amnesty Australia is continuing our work to ensure our governance structures best enable us to meet human rights challenges now and into the future.

We are fast approaching a meeting on 28 and 29 July – bringing together our Annual General Meeting voting delegates, Branch Presidents, and Board members – where we will seek to establish broad agreement on how best to move forward. Agreements reached at this meeting will be put to our Annual General Meeting which will be held in October.

To facilitate this complex process we are fortunate that Rosslyn Noonan, former New Zealand Human Rights Commissioner and Vice-Chair of AI New Zealand, is facilitating this work. Rosslyn started this process by conducting three teleconferences with the participants in the July meeting.

Activists have participated in energetic and productive discussion via an online forum considering possible proposals and refinements are being considered and tested. Much of our focus has been on the “Voice of Membership” – how do we ensure Amnesty Australia is the best member-led movement we can be. How do we ensure members effectively participate in making decisions about activism, campaigning, our role in the international movement, and our participation in civil society?

The Board proposal is that this will be facilitated through the Regional Activism Committees and the National Activism and Membership Committee. Members are currently having in-depth conversations about how we make these processes robust.

Thank you to all of you who have been involved in considering the proposals now being considered and refined—through the Branch AGMs in 2017 and 2018, through the roadshows earlier this year, through the on-line survey, and through direct feedback to Branch Committees and the board.

For full details on the new proposed model and other background documents, please visit the Rethinking Governance site.

EU countries must not repeat human rights failures of cruel Australian refugee policy

In an open letter to European Council President Donald Tusk, written to coincide with the 5^th anniversary of Australia’s “Regional Resettlement Arrangement” on 19 July, Amnesty International has urged EU heads of state to heed the lessons of the illegal Australian policy, which has seen thousands of refugees and asylum seekers forcibly sent to camps in Nauru and Manus Island where they continue to face dire conditions.

It follows an agreement at a European Council meeting on 28-29 June to explore the idea of “regional disembarkation platforms” outside of Europe, where people rescued at sea would be offloaded, and suggestions by some European ministers that people rescued in the Mediterranean should be disembarked in Libya.

“Proposals currently being discussed in Europe have an eerily familiar ring to us here in Australia. Over the past five years, we’ve seen first-hand the devastating and traumatising impact on men, women and children of the Australian Government’s cruel and illegal policies.”

Claire Mallinson, National Director of Amnesty International Australia.

“Proposals currently being discussed in Europe have an eerily familiar ring to us here in Australia. Over the past five years, we’ve seen first-hand the devastating and traumatising impact on men, women and children of the Australian Government’s cruel and illegal policies,” said Claire Mallinson, National Director of Amnesty International Australia.

“The example set by Australia’s government provides an object lesson in the dangers of outsourcing responsibility for refugee policy to countries that have neither the will nor the capacity to properly settle refugees.

“Before proceeding with their own disembarkation policy, we urge EU member states to take a long, hard look at the appalling patterns of abusive treatment and intentional neglect by governments in Nauru and Manus Island since 2013. Australia’s policy has failed refugees and migrants on a grand-scale and must not be used as a template for others to follow.”

Open Letter

Dear President Tusk,

I’m writing to express my deep concern about the new refugee and migrant policies that were proposed and signed off by EU member states at the European Council meeting on 28-29 June.

While the plans contain a number of elements that pose a grave risk to refugee and migrants’ human rights – not least the idea of “controlled centres” in EU states – I refer specifically to the proposal for “regional disembarkation platforms”, whereby people rescued at sea would be offloaded outside of Europe in countries where protection of their human rights cannot be guaranteed.

It’s an idea that we feel well-placed to comment on here in Australia, and the timing could not be more apt.

The 19th July marks five years since the Australian government first instituted its very own version of this policy. Under the terms of an ‘offshore processing’ regime known as the “Regional Resettlement Arrangement”, our government sends any migrant or refugee intercepted while attempting to reach Australia by boat to either Nauru or Manus Island (Papua New Guinea) where they face indefinite detention in harsh conditions.

What we have seen in those intervening five years must serve as a cautionary tale to EU member states of the dangers of abdicating and outsourcing refugee and migration policy to countries that have neither the will nor the capacity to effectively assist the people disembarked there.

Since 2013, 3,172 refugees and migrants have been forcibly transferred by Australia to Nauru and Manus Island. This includes men, women and children, including unaccompanied children. The impact on many of these people has been devastating.

Along with other NGOs, Amnesty International has uncovered extraordinary levels of abuse on the islands. This includes assaults, sexual abuse, self-harm attempts and child abuse. The living conditions endured by asylum seekers and refugees there have been identified by Amnesty International as deliberately cruel and amounting to torture.

A total of twelve individuals have died, including two suicides which have taken place in the last three months. Others have died from diseases that could have been treated if timely medical transfers had occurred. The unwillingness of the Australian authorities to transfer critically ill refugees to Australia, despite the obvious and well documented failings of the health care on Nauru and Manus Island, continues to put lives at risk.

In the last six months, a total of eight children suffering from life-threatening psychological or physical illness have been transferred to Australia. These life-saving measures only took place after the children’s cases were brought before the Australian courts.

This is the human cost of policies devised to address migration simply by disembarking people out of sight. The Australian experience provides a warning to EU member states of the potential consequences that await should they continue to pursue them.

In light of these concerns, I urge you to:

Oppose any proposals for EU legislation and policies that would allow for the disembarkation of refugees and migrants rescued or intercepted at sea in third countries where human rights protection cannot be guaranteed.
Ensure that any new European laws, policies and practices related to refugees and migrants are consistent with international human rights laws and standards.
Call on the Australian government to end its cruel policies of ‘offshore processing’ and transfer asylum seekers and refugees remaining in Papua New Guinea and Nauru to Australia.

Your sincerely,

Claire Mallinson

National Director

Amnesty International Australia