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Campaign update: you made #ToxicTwitter trend

Back in March 2018 our global grassroots movement unleashed a powerful storm on Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey. We demanded he take action to stop the online abuse of women.

Our calls

Women cop unrelenting, misogynistic abuse online from Twitter trolls. Huge numbers of women log on to their social media accounts and find rape threats, death threats, racist slurs and homophobic insults littering their feeds.

Social media platforms should amplify women’s voices – not silence them.

Earlier this year our report #ToxicTwitter: Violence and abuse against women online revealed that Twitter was failing to respect the human rights of women. It also outlined what the company could do to become a safer place for women online.

The truth is, sexism, racism and misogyny are what so many women’s #Moments are made of. And while Twitter said it was trying to tackle the abuse, it just wasn’t doing enough.

Everyone should have “the power to create and share ideas and information instantly, without barriers”. Yet women were being harassed and bullied into silence on Twitter’s watch.

We asked for your support to:

call out and challenge abuse of women online
pressure social media companies like Twitter to prohibit all forms of violence against women on their platforms.

And you didn’t disappoint!

How you helped

People from 100+ countries, from Afghanistan to Venezuela, sent more than 34,000 tweets to @Jack. And here in Australia, you sent more than 11,200 emails to the Twitter CEO. You rallied in the streets and you spread the word with stalls on your campuses and in your local communities. You chipped in to reach more than 2.5 million people on social media, and you helped project our message onto buildings in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane.

Together, we were so loud, Twitter had to listen. Last month, Jack Dorsey announced that Twitter will now try to find fake accounts by looking at dodgy behaviour, such as how frequently people tweet about accounts that don’t follow them or whether they have confirmed their email address.

Take a moment to be proud. We did this!

Projection on a building that says Twitter: Stop online abuse of women — Projection on a building on George Street in Sydney

What next?

The campaign hasn’t been won entirely yet. We know that Twitter’s reporting system is broken. In fact, as things stand, Twitter is still failing to enforce its own policies on abuse.
What we still need is a robust reporting mechanism that protects women from online abuse and allows them to be heard in a space free from threats of rape or death. But the new changes announced by Twitter don’t go far enough to make this happen.

We know there is a growing tide of women around the world who are speaking out against abuse — both online and offline — and we need you to keep taking action to amplify those voices.

Please, take a moment to read Amal Fathy’s story. Amal has been imprisoned in Egypt simply for posting her #MeToo story on Facebook and criticising the government on its women’s rights record. Women should have the right to speak out and share their stories, without threats to their freedom. Take action to demand Amal’s immediate release.

Jordan: Syrian refugees must not be abandoned

Responding to the news that the Jordanian government has said it will not accept any more refugees fleeing a new offensive in southern Syria, Mouna Elkekhia, Amnesty International’s Advisor on Refugee and Migrant Rights, said:

“People fleeing war in Syria are in a desperate life-or-death situation, and the Jordanian government cannot simply abandon them.”

“People fleeing war in Syria are in a desperate life-or-death situation, and the Jordanian government cannot simply abandon them.

“Jordan has a duty to protect refugees from Syria fleeing conflict and persecution, and to allow them to enter the country. Closing the border to people in need of protection violates Jordan’s international obligations.

“In 2016, Jordan officially closed its border to people leaving Syria with dire consequences. Tens of thousands of people are still stranded at the border in deplorable conditions and left to suffer because the Jordanian authorities have effectively blocked access for aid, medical treatment and a meaningful humanitarian response.

“The Jordanian government must open its border to those fleeing Syria, and the international community must provide full and meaningful support to Jordan and other countries in the region that are hosting large numbers of refugees who have fled from Syria.”

Background

Last week, the Syrian government escalated air strike and artillery attacks on southern Daraa province, close to the border with Jordan, causing thousands to leave their homes.

Jordanian government spokeswoman Jumana Ghunaimat was quoted in The Jordan Times as saying that Jordan has already absorbed large numbers of Syrian refugees and that “we simply cannot receive more”.

Albury Council passes motion supporting community sponsorship for refugees

Albury Council today marked a significant milestone in Australia’s response to the global refugee situation by passing a motion in support of expanding and improving the Australian Government’s current refugee community sponsorship program.

“Albury is the first local council in NSW to get behind expanding this neighbourhood-led solution to the global refugee crisis,” said Shankar Kasynathan, Refugee Campaigner at Amnesty International Australia.

“Albury is the first local council in NSW to get behind expanding this neighbourhood-led solution to the global refugee crisis.”

Shankar Kasynathan, Refugee Campaigner at Amnesty International Australia.

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 Deputy Mayor of Albury Amanda Cohn, 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.

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

“Every day communities around Australia welcome new neighbours into their neighbourhoods. Sometimes those new neighbours are refugees and the role councils play in welcoming them so that they can rebuild their lives in safety is crucial, so it’s fantastic to see Albury Council step up with the passing of this motion,” said Shankar Kasynathan.

“Sometimes those new neighbours are refugees and the role councils play in welcoming them so that they can rebuild their lives in safety is crucial, so it’s fantastic to see Albury Council step up with the passing of this motion.”

Shankar Kasynathan.

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 Shankar Kasynathan.

“We know that Mayor of Albury Kevin Mack has been actively encouraging the Mayors of neighbouring councils to follow Albury’s lead. We hope that these councils in the region and councils around the country will take their commitment one step further by adding their voices to the call for a greater community sponsorship program.”

An open letter to Nikki Haley, US Ambassador to the UN

Dear Ambassador Haley,

We write in response to your letter of 20 June 2018, in which you suggest that NGOs are somehow responsible for your decision to withdraw from the Human Rights Council.

The decision to resign from the Council was that of the US administration alone. We had legitimate concerns that the US’s proposal to reopen the Council’s institutional framework at the General Assembly would do more harm than good. We see it as our responsibility to express those concerns and would do so again.

Although the Human Rights Council is not perfect, it does play an essential role. It makes a significant contribution to strengthening human rights standards, providing protection and justice to victims, and promoting accountability for perpetrators.

The Council and its mechanisms have played a key role in securing the freedom of detained human rights defenders, and investigating rights violations in Syria, Yemen, Burundi, Myanmar, South Sudan, Sri Lanka and North Korea, to name but a few.

It continues to address thematic issues of global concern including non-discrimination, freedom of expression online and offline, freedom of assembly, housing, migration, counterterrorism, and the protection of the rights of women, rights of LGBTI people, and rights of people with disabilities.

As you know, we are independent organizations that do not work on behalf of any government. We focus on building support for policies we believe will better the lives of those most affected by abuse – which does mean we are sometimes opposed to proposals laid out by certain governments, or the proposed means of pursuing them, especially when we believe such an initiative could be more harmful than not.

With regard to the Council, our goal continues to be strengthening and supporting reform efforts that are ongoing in Geneva to ensure that they are informed by the experience and expertise of national and regional level actors, including rights-holders, human rights defenders and other civil society actors, victims, survivors (and their representatives).

We are committed to the international system, including the Human Rights Council, and to ensuring the system is fit for the purpose of promoting and protecting human rights. We will continue to work towards those goals.

Signatories

1. Amnesty International

2. ARTICLE 19

3. Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (Forum-Asia)

4. Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC)

5. Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies

6. Centro de Estudios Legales y Sociales (CELS)

7. Child Rights Connect

8. Conectas Direitos Humanos

9. DefendDefenders (the East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project)

10. Human Rights Watch

11. International Commission of Jurists (ICJ)

12. International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH)

13. International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU)

14. International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA)

15. International Service for Human Rights (ISHR)

16. International Women’s Health Coalition

17. OutRight Action International

18. Urgent Action Fund for Women’s Human Rights

Saudi Arabia: Women now allowed to drive, but more reforms must follow

Saudi Arabia’s decision to allow women to drive is welcome but must now be followed by more reforms to women’s rights, Amnesty International said today.

This weekend (Sunday 24 June) women will be allowed to drive in the country as the controversial driving ban is lifted.

However, leading women’s rights activists and campaigners against the driving ban – including Loujain al-Hathloul, Iman al-Nafjan and Aziza al-Yousef – are among eight activists still being detained in Saudi Arabia for their peaceful human rights work. Some have been detained without charge for more than one month, and may face trial before the counter-terror court and up to 20 years in prison for their activism.

The women’s rights activists detained have campaigned for the right to drive and the end of the repressive male guardianship system in Saudi Arabia for many years.

Under Saudi Arabia’s repressive guardianship system, women and girls face systematic discrimination, both in law and in practice. Women are unable to travel, engage in paid work or higher education, or marry without the permission of a male guardian. In addition, Saudi Arabian women married to foreign nationals cannot pass on their nationality to their children, unlike Saudi Arabian men in a similar situation.

“The lifting of the ban is testament to the bravery and determination of the women’s rights activists who have been campaigning on the issue since the 1990s, and the activists following up their ground-breaking work in subsequent campaigns since 2011”, said Samah Hadid, Amnesty International’s Middle East Campaigns Director.

“While we welcome the fact that women can finally get behind the wheel, we should not forget that many people are still behind bars for their work in fighting for women’s rights in Saudi Arabia.

“The lifting of the ban is a long-overdue small step in the right direction, but must now be followed by reforms to end a whole range of discriminatory laws and practices. It is outrageous that women are still treated like second-class citizens in Saudi Arabia.

“If Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman truly believes himself to be a reformer, he should free the women’s rights activists, and include activists and civil society members in Saudi Arabia’s reform process.”

Amnesty International is calling for an end to all forms of discrimination against women, including the guardianship system.

Chilling effect of recent smear campaign

The latest crackdown on women’s rights activists comes despite Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman presenting himself as a ‘reformer’. His international public relations campaign contrasts sharply with an intensifying crackdown on dissenting voices, including those campaigning for equal rights for women.

On 19 May, the Saudi Arabian authorities and government-aligned media launched a public smear campaign to try to discredit five prominent detained women’s rights defenders as “traitors” following their arrest. Official statements in state media accused the activists and other individuals of forming a “cell” and posing a threat to state security for their “contact with foreign entities with the aim of undermining the country’s stability and social fabric”.

“The recent crackdown has had an unsettling effect on the already dire situation of freedom of expression, association and assembly in the country. Activists have reported that people are afraid to speak out”, said Samah Hadid.

“The smear campaign that targeted these activists is unprecedented, and proves that any views that do not align with the government’s reform agenda will not be publicly tolerated.

“Crown Prince bin Salman’s crackdown on women’s rights activists and the chilling smear campaign that continues against these women in Saudi Arabia media shows that he is preventing any activist or reformist voices from challenging the government narrative on reforms in the country.

“Saudi Arabia’s allies – in particular the USA, UK and France – must not stay silent in the face of gross and systematic violations of human rights and the repression of human rights activism. The international community must push Saudi Arabian authorities to end their targeted repression of human rights activists in the country.”

Amnesty International has been campaigning for the women’s rights activists detained in the recent crackdown to be freed.

The movement for the right to drive

Women in Saudi Arabia have publicly campaigned to lift the ban on them driving since 1990, when around 40 women drove their cars down a main street in Riyadh, the capital. They were stopped by police and a number of them were suspended from work.

Since then, these protests have been sustained. In 2007, campaigners sent a petition to the late King Abdullah, while the following year campaigner Wajeha al-Huwaider filmed herself driving and posted the video on YouTube to mark International Women’s Day. Saudi women again used YouTube to post videos of themselves behind the wheel to protest against the ban in 2011. Some were arrested and others were forced to sign pledges to desist from driving. At least one woman was tried and sentenced to 10 lashes.

In October 2013, women’s rights activists launched another initiative in an attempt to overturn the ban. Soon after the announcement, some of the activists received repeated threats from the authorities to pressure them to stop the campaign and the campaign’s website was hacked. Despite the intimidation, scores of women filmed themselves as they drove their cars and posted the videos online. Some were arrested, most of whom were released after a short period of time.

Following last year’s royal decree to lift the driving ban in September 2017, women who had campaigned against the ban reported receiving telephone calls warning them against publicly commenting on the news.

Women’s rights activists’ quotes

When she announced the launch of the campaign against the driving ban in October 2013, Loujain al-Hathloul said: “We are launching a new campaign for women’s right to drive. If you didn’t get the chance to participate in 1991 or 2011, there is a new campaign opportunity on 26 October 2013. It is unjust for men authorities to stop us, there are no laws or regulations that forbid women from driving.”

Writing for CNN in September 2017, Iman al-Nafjan said: “Now with the driving ban lifted, other issues seem conquerable. The biggest issue at the moment is the guardianship system.”

And in October 2016, Aziza al-Yousef said: “Our freedom of movement is one of our demands in the campaign to end male guardianship.”

Turkey: Elections come after two years of human rights crackdown

Ahead of Sunday’s parliamentary and presidential elections in Turkey, Amnesty International has published a media briefing documenting some of the most egregious human rights abuses that have followed the failed coup attempt in July 2016.

The briefing highlights the vast swathe of people impacted by the crackdown, including journalists, public sector workers, the LGBTI community as well as human rights defenders such as Amnesty Turkey’s Honorary Chair, Taner Kılıç.

On Thursday, a court in Istanbul failed to release Taner after more than a year of arbitrary prison detention. Taner’s next hearing on trumped up terrorism charges is scheduled for 7 November. If found guilty he could face up to 15 years in prison.

“The shockwaves of Turkey’s post-coup attempt crackdown continue to devastate the lives of a vast number of people including Taner Kılıç who has spent more than a year behind bars,” said Gauri Van Gulik, Amnesty International’s Europe Director.

PRE-ELECTION MEDIA BRIEFING FOR TURKEY

On 24 June parliamentary and presidential elections will take place in Turkey. Since a failed coup attempt in July 2016, the worsening human rights situation in Turkey has drastically deteriorated still further.

In a series of reports Amnesty International has highlighted serious human rights violations including:

Assault on civil society

“Under the cloak of the state of emergency, Turkish authorities have deliberately and methodically set about dismantling civil society, locking up human rights defenders, shutting down organizations and creating a suffocating climate of fear,” said Gauri Van Gulik, Amnesty International’s Europe Director.

More than 1,300 NGOs have been permanently closed down for unspecified links to “terrorist” organizations. They include a number of organizations that once carried out vital work supporting groups such as survivors of sexual and other gender-based violence, displaced people and children.

Amnesty Chair’s ordeal continues after more than a year of torment

Those caught up in this crackdown include Amnesty International’s own staff. Taner Kılıç, Amnesty Turkey’s Honorary Chair, has spent more than a year in prison on baseless charges of belonging to a terrorist organization.

“The evidence of Taner’s innocence is emphatic. His detention is a gross injustice that exposes Turkey’s flawed justice system and the government’s cold-blooded pursuit of people work to defend human rights,” said Salil Shetty, Amnesty International’s Secretary General.

In a cruel twist, the trial court ordered Taner’s release in January 2018, before reversing its own ruling hours later.

Taner’s daughter Gülnihal Kılıç described her family’s anguish:

“It is not something that becomes normal over time. On the contrary, my father’s imprisonment becomes more and more difficult for us to endure as each day passes.”

Following the fourth hearing in his case on 21 June 2018, Amnesty International released this statement: Turkey: Court defies logic as Amnesty Turkey Chair kept in jail

Crackdown on journalists

A stifling climate of fear has enveloped Turkey’s media landscape since the coup attempt. More than 150 journalists and other media workers are currently in prison and at least 180 media outlets have been shut down.

“In Turkey, what we are witnessing is an attempt to end all independent journalism. In the last three years, Turkey has become the world’s biggest jailer of journalists with some sentenced to life imprisonment simply for doing their jobs,” said Gauri Van Gulik.

250,000 demand release of jailed journalists

Purge of public sector workers

The arbitrary dismissal of more than 100,000 Turkish public sector workers has had a catastrophic impact on their lives and livelihoods. Tens of thousands of people including doctors, police officers, teachers, academics and soldiers, branded as ‘terrorists’ and banned from public service, are now struggling to make ends meet.

“Arbitrarily dismissing 100,000 people and branding them “terrorists” is akin to professional annihilation on a massive scale and is clearly part of the wider purge against real or perceived political opponents,” said Andrew Gardner, Amnesty International’s Turkey Strategy and Research Manager.

LGBTI Pride marches under threat

For the past three years Turkish authorities have banned LGBTI Pride marches in Istanbul. Since November 2017, all LGBTI events are subject to a blanket and indefinite ban in Turkey’s capital Ankara.

One activist told Amnesty International: “With the crackdown on freedom of expression, spaces for LGBTI people to be themselves are shrinking. They see no hope, no future. Many of us have either moved to other countries or are thinking of leaving.”

The next Istanbul Pride march is scheduled for 1 July.

Credible allegations of torture and other ill-treatment

Earlier this month 14 Boğaziçi University students who had been held in pre-trial detention in prison on allegations of ‘making propaganda for a terrorist organizations’ for protesting Turkey’s military operation in Afrin were released by an Istanbul court on 6 June. Their allegations of torture and other ill-treatment must be investigated.

Amnesty International is also calling on the Turkish authorities to initiate a prompt, impartial, independent and effective investigation into the allegations of excessive use of force, torture and other ill-treatment committed by police officers against a group of high school students and graduates, following a peaceful demonstration in Istanbul on 8 June 2018. High school students

Indonesia: Death sentence for IS cleric no solution to tackling terrorism

Responding to the sentencing to death of Jamaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD) leader Aman Abdurrahman for terrorism-related offences in the country, Amnesty International Indonesia’s Executive Director Usman Hamid said:

“Lethal attacks on people going about their daily lives are horrifying and Indonesia has every right to pursue perpetrators and prosecute them. At the same time, it has been proven time and again that the death penalty does not have a greater deterrent effect than a term of imprisonment. This is a fact that also applies to terror-related crimes.

“The death penalty violates the right to life and is the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment. It’s a tool that governments often resort to in times of real or perceived national crisis, to demonstrate their “strength” in dealing with threats.

“The criminal justice system in Indonesia remains critically flawed. Trials for defendants facing charges on crimes such as drugs, murder, terrorism where death sentences may be imposed are often grossly unfair. Suspects frequently suffer torture during interrogations and courts often admit torture-tainted “confessions” as evidence. Policymakers must not be driven by the strong reactions that understandably emerge in the aftermath of such horrendous violent attacks. They must take all steps within their power to consign the death penalty to history.”

Background

The panel of judges on Friday at the South Jakarta District Court found leader Aman Aman Abdurrahman, who leads the Jamaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD), believed to be associated with the armed group which calls itself the Islamic State, guilty of inciting at least five terrorist attacks in Indonesia, including the Thamrin shootings and bombings in Central Jakarta in early 2016 and the Kampung Melayu Bombing in East Jakarta in 2017. A total of 24 people were killed in these attacks, and 37 injured.

Aman Abdurrahman is the first defendant convicted of terrorism offences to be sentenced to death this year, which saw a total of 26 people received death sentences, mostly on drugs related crimes. In addition, a total of 47 people were sentenced to death in 2017, of which 33 were convicted of drugs related offences and 14 of murder. As of today, there is a total of 288 death row inmates in Indonesia.

Europe’s asylum system is broken and leaders must fix it

Member states need to reform asylum system at European Council meeting
Current system is tearing families apart and sowing discord amongst EU partners
Internal lack of solidarity pushing a dangerous agenda to dump refugees and asylum-seekers on countries outside Europe

There is an urgent need for a new asylum system that is fair, efficient and compassionate said Amnesty International ahead of a mini-Summit of European leaders this Sunday and the European Council meeting next week.

EU heads of state and government are expected to use the events to discuss measures to strengthen further control of the EU external borders and the reform of the Dublin Regulation.

“Instead of concentrating on striking an agreement on Dublin reform, some EU leaders have come up with a last-minute pitch of having docking platforms for refugees and asylum-seekers – a notion as irresponsible as it is dangerous,” said Iverna McGowan, Director of Amnesty International’s European Institutions Office.

“The challenges of our times demand more courageous leadership from the Council. The people of Europe and those seeking refuge deserve no less.”

Recently leaked draft Council Conclusions include measures like stepping up support for the Libyan Coast Guard and other Libyan entities. This approach has led to human rights violations and with people sent back to Libya suffering further abuses including torture, rape and other forms of violence.

“The logic of passing the responsibility for receiving asylum-seekers and refugees to neighbouring countries either inside or outside Europe, is deeply flawed and not sustainable. Member States must find solidarity-based solutions both amongst themselves and with the regions outside Europe,” said Iverna McGowan.

“By referring to the EU’s founding principles of respect for human rights and solidarity between member states, this generation of European leaders must deliver a sustainable solution to one of the most pressing issues of our time.”

Background

Amnesty International has made clear that it is essential that the agreed reform includes a mandatory distribution mechanism, where responsibility for asylum-seekers is shared among all member states. Aside from being fair, this would be efficient: with all member states involved and no bickering over who is in charge, asylum applications would be processed much quicker than they are at present. It would also be predictable and would thus avoid the tensions that now regularly appear between member states, including when ships rescuing refugees and migrants at sea request instructions on where to disembark them.

A reformed system should strengthen rules for the reunification of family members. Asylum-seekers should not be forced to travel irregularly within the EU to reunite with their families. Stringent rules should require member state administrations to proactively investigate family links, and facilitate family reunion through fast procedures.

Bafflingly, the definition of family in the current rules does not extend to siblings. This must be rectified. A new system should also consider wider family links as a relevant connecting factor. In many cases, relatives are as important to family life as the core nucleus, and, in a context of forced displacement, may provide crucial support to often traumatised and vulnerable asylum seekers.

Amnesty International and the Western Bulldogs join forces to be there for refugees

Amnesty International and the Western Bulldogs AFL team are today celebrating World Refugee Week by launching an ongoing partnership to stand up and be there for refugees in our communities.

Ahead of the team’s inaugural Harmony Game this Saturday evening, the Western Bulldogs have become the first major sporting team in Australia to join Amnesty International’s ‘My New Neighbour’ campaign, which calls to expand and improve the Australian Government’s current refugee community sponsorship program.

“Every day communities around Australia welcome new neighbours into their neighbourhoods. Sometimes those new neighbours are refugees and the role communities play in welcoming them so that they can rebuild their lives in safety is crucial,” said Shankar Kasynathan, Refugee Campaigner at Amnesty International Australia.

“The Western Bulldogs play such an important role in their own community in welcoming and providing support to refugees and Amnesty International is so grateful that they have joined with us to support ‘My New Neighbour’.”

Shankar Kasynathan, Refugee Campaigner at Amnesty International Australia.

“The Western Bulldogs play such an important role in their own community in welcoming and providing support to refugees and Amnesty International is so grateful that they have joined with us to support ‘My New Neighbour’.”

Ameet Bains, CEO at the Western Bulldogs said: “We are proud of the great work the Western Bulldogs Community Foundation does in settlement services through the western corridor of Melbourne and Victoria.”

“In particular, the Club’s social inclusion program Ready Settle Go and its sub programs have supported over 20,000 newly arrived migrants and refugees by introducing them to Australian culture and values and promoting wellbeing and social connectedness.”

“We are proud to be partnering with Amnesty International and excited about supporting its ‘My New Neighbour’ campaign, which aligns strongly with the aims of our social inclusion programs.”

Ameet Bains, CEO at the Western Bulldogs

“We are proud to be partnering with Amnesty International and excited about supporting its ‘My New Neighbour’ campaign, which aligns strongly with the aims of our social inclusion programs.”

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

“We can see from Canada’s example that the kindness of neighbours can help people who have lost everything to start again. We hope ordinary 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.

Court judgement rules to protect the right of people seeking asylum to retain access to their mobile phones

The National Justice Project and Amnesty International are welcoming the news that the Federal Court has today ruled in favour of protecting the right of people seeking asylum to retain access to their mobile phones.

The Federal Court found that government officials or their representatives could not mandatorily take property, including lifelines such as mobile phones, from people the government keeps trapped in the Government’s immigration detention centres without a valid legal power.

George Newhouse Principal Solicitor at the National Justice Project who brought and won the case said:

“Today Australia’s legal system acted as it should in stopping the overreach of Minister Peter Dutton and protected the rights of vulnerable people trapped indefinitely in his brutal system of immigration detention.”

“Today Australia’s legal system acted as it should in stopping the overreach of Minister Peter Dutton and protected the rights of vulnerable people trapped indefinitely in his brutal system of immigration detention.”

Tim O’Connor, Campaigns Manager at Amnesty International Australia said:

“Today Australia’s legal system has taken a crucial step in beginning to restore the rights of people who remain in our immigration detention system – by enshrining their rights to mobile phones. This is a lifeline for people to maintain crucial access to their family, friends and their lawyers.”

“Today Australia’s legal system has taken a crucial step in beginning to restore the rights of people who remain in our immigration detention system – by enshrining their rights to mobile phones. This is a lifeline for people to maintain crucial access to their family, friends and their lawyers.”

“We have seen recent Governments consistently and persistently erode the rights of vulnerable refugees and we call on fair and ethically minded members of our parliament to protect the rights of vulnerable people, including those seeking asylum, by refusing to pass newly proposed legislation which would affect this important legal precedent.”

Background

In February 2017, the National Justice Project obtained an urgent court order to stop the Minister for Immigration from implementing a blanket policy of confiscating the mobile phones from everyone in detention.

In February this year lawyers from the National Justice Project (NJP) returned to court for a fourth time to try to stop Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton from implementing his ban on mobile phones in immigration detention.

Today, the court released its final judgment on the case.