Australian involvement in West Mosul civilian deaths

In response to Australia’s announcement overnight that Australia was involved in civilian deaths in Iraq, Amnesty International Australia’s Campaign Coordinator Diana Sayed said:

“Months ago, Amnesty International released a report expressing grave concern about the horrifying scale of civilian casualties and other human rights violations during operations in West Mosul, including by the US-led coalition, of which Australia is a member.

“We have serious concern about the disregard for civilian lives by all parties to this conflict, and that protection of civilians in West Mosul has not been given utmost priority.

“It’s extremely disappointing it has taken the Australian Government until now to release information about Australia’s involvement in civilian casualties, including the possible killing of a child.”

“Peter Dutton’s comments are not only extremely irresponsible, they also show a complete lack of understanding of the refugee convention,” said Graham Thom, Refugee Coordinator at Amnesty International Australia.

The Immigration Minister made the incorrect comments on a Sydney radio station today in reference to the 52 people who have finally arrived in safety in the US after spending up to four years trapped in Australia’s offshore detention system.

“These men, women, and children fled the horrors of war in countries like Afghanistan, Iraq, and Somalia, or torture and repression in Iran, Pakistan, Myanmar and Sri Lanka,” said Graham Thom. 

“Instead of offering them safe refuge, Australia subjected them to another four years of suffering in its abusive offshore facilities. They were recognised as refugees under international law and Dutton’s outrageous allegations are demonstration of either ignorance or continued intent to harm them further.”

“They were recognised as refugees under international law and Dutton’s outrageous allegations are demonstration of either ignorance or continued intent to harm them further.”

Graham Thom. 

“The opportunity for safe resettlement in the US is the only thread of hope that has been offered to the vulnerable and traumatised people on Nauru and Manus Island, and it is absolutely despicable that Peter Dutton would risk that by downplaying the acute vulnerability of these refugees at a time when the US is looking to cut its humanitarian program to its lowest level in over a decade.

“What Peter Dutton failed to mention was the fact that eight people have died in Australia’s offshore detention, including most recently a young man named Hamed. Anyone who has seen the pictures of that young man’s body hanging from a tree would not be making comments about people out “enjoying themselves”.”

On 14 April this year the PNG military fired into the centre on Manus Island injuring 9 people. To date the Australian authorities have refused to release any photos from this attack.

“Amnesty International acknowledges the US for giving people a genuine chance at settling and restarting their lives in a safe place and for the sake of those still living in the harmful conditions on Nauru and Manus we are urging the US to take as many people off these islands as possible,” said Graham Thom.

“The fairest and quickest way to ensure safety for all those remaining is to bringing them to Australia immediately.”

• Authorities must not “push-back” Rohingya fleeing violence in Myanmar
• Refugees sent back to face certain persecution

• Thailand should provide refugees formal legal status and protection

• Australia has a crucial role to play in the region and must accept Rohingya refugees from Thailand

With the world’s fastest growing refugee crisis developing on its doorstep, Thailand must take concrete action to reverse its long-standing failure to offer protection to those most in need, Amnesty International said today as it launched a report revealing gaping holes in the country’s refugee policies.

Between a Rock and a Hard Place outlines a number of failures by the Thai government in policy and practice that have a devastating impact on refugees both within the country and seeking safety there. These include Thailand’s long-standing practice of using its navy to repel boats carrying thousands of desperate Rohingya refugees and Bangladeshis; as well as its forcible return of refugees and asylum-seekers to places where they risk torture and other serious human rights violations.

“With ethnic cleansing forcing hundreds of thousands of Rohingya out of Myanmar, Thailand urgently needs to set a regional example by adopting humane refugee policies. Instead of callously repelling people fleeing unimaginable horrors, the Thai government should ensure safe passage for those seeking international protection in Thailand.”

Audrey Gaughran, Amnesty International’s Director of Global Issues.

“With ethnic cleansing forcing hundreds of thousands of Rohingya out of Myanmar, Thailand urgently needs to set a regional example by adopting humane refugee policies. Instead of callously repelling people fleeing unimaginable horrors, the Thai government should ensure safe passage for those seeking international protection in Thailand,” said Audrey Gaughran, Amnesty International’s Director of Global Issues.   

“Thailand hosts one of the largest refugee populations in the region, but its myopic, ad hoc policies mean it fails to offer them proper protection. The authorities cannot continue to lurch from one refugee crisis to the next; and instead must set up the systems required to offer these men, women and children who are at risk the safety and security they need.”

Amnesty International is calling on the Australian Government as a key resettlement country to leverage its relationship with Thailand to ensure the fair treatment and greater rights for refugees. Australian must also include Rohingya refugees in its annual resettlement intake of refugees from Thailand.

Rohingya exodus

In 2015, at the height of the South East Asian “boat crisis”, the Thai navy refused entry to boats carrying thousands of desperate Rohingya refugees, continuing a long-standing “push-back” policy in place during previous Thai governments.

Those who were denied entry to Thailand were forced to continue dangerous sea journeys to Indonesia or Malaysia. UNHCR estimated that 370 perished at sea during the crisis, but Amnesty International has raised concerns that the number of deaths could have been much higher.

In the past month, the Rohingya situation has escalated to critical proportions as a vicious program of ethnic cleansing targeting the population in western Myanmar has caused more than 400,000 refugees to flee the country. 

In spite of this exodus, Thai authorities have sent mixed messages regarding their policy toward the Rohingya. A month ago, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha stated that authorities were “preparing to receive” Rohingya fleeing Myanmar. More recently, a Thai military officer indicated that the Thai navy would push out to sea boats carrying Rohingya refugees should they arrive in Thai waters.

Returning refugees by force to face persecution

In the past three years, the Thai government has acquiesced to pressure from foreign governments and forcibly returned people to countries where their lives and well-being are at serious risk.

Such returns violate the international legal principle of non-refoulement, an absolute ban on returning people to territories where they are at real risk of persecution or other serious human rights violations.

Amnesty International followed four cases of forcible returns involving more than one hundred people from China, Turkey and Bahrain. Many of these individuals have subsequently suffered arbitrary arrest, torture and other forms of ill-treatment. The status and conditions of some of the returnees is unknown.

The most recent case occurred in May 2017, when Thailand assisted in the extradition of the Turkish national Muhammet Furkan Sökmen from Myanmar to Turkey. Sökmen was detained by Thai immigration officials in a Bangkok airport for approximately 24 hours before being handed over to the Turkish authorities. Thai officials assisted in Sökmen’s extradition despite warnings from the UN that he was at serious risk of human rights violations in his home country, where authorities have launched a far-reaching crackdown in the wake of an attempted coup in July last year.

Sökmen was arrested and detained after arriving in Istanbul because of his alleged connection to opponents of the Turkish government. The current status of the criminal proceedings against him is unknown.

In a similar incident, Thailand drew widespread international condemnation in 2015 after it sent 109 asylum seekers from the Uighur minority back to China, where the group has faced severe persecution for decades.

“Thailand has paid lip service to improving protections for refugees, but this has not translated into real actions. Authorities continue to do foreign governments’ bidding and send refugees back to countries where they could face torture and other human rights violations. These callous actions fly in the face of Thailand’s international obligations and must be stopped immediately,” said Audrey Gaughran.

Refugees left in legal limbo

Gaping holes in Thailand’s legal framework leave refugees and asylum-seekers without legal status and therefore vulnerable to abuse. This is particularly true for more than 7,000 asylum seekers who currently live in urban areas.

Urban refugees and asylum-seekers, even those officially registered with the UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, can be arrested at any time under the 1979 Immigration Act that criminalizes irregular entry and stay in Thailand. Following arrest, most refugees and asylum-seekers are sent to immigration detention centres where they can be held indefinitely in appalling conditions described by refugee rights advocates as “worse than prison”. Former detainees described frequent abuse by guards and other detainees and cells so overcrowded that they had to sleep in shifts.

In constant fear of arrest and detention, refugees and asylum-seekers often live in miserable conditions, confined to their homes and cut off from social interactions. Many struggle to find employment, access medical care or even feed themselves and their families.

In what amounts to “constructive refoulement”, many choose to give up their asylum claims and return to their home countries rather than face the unbearable hardships of refugee life in Thailand.

“Joseph” is a Pakistani Christian human rights activist who fled to Thailand with his family after they were threatened because of their faith and Joseph’s work. They were joined in Thailand by Joseph’s sister-in-law, who escaped after being kidnapped, forced to convert to Islam, and forcibly married to a Muslim man.

In 2016, two years after arriving in Thailand, the family abandoned their asylum claim and returned to Pakistan because their life in Thailand had become untenable. Joseph told Amnesty International: “We were without money. We didn’t have anything to eat at that time…We were hungry and we were also trying to hide from the police. We didn’t have food continuously for four or five days.”

Joseph’s sister-in-law, who had been arrested in Bangkok six months earlier, also chose to return to Pakistan rather than remain in an immigration detention centre. After returning to his home country, Joseph’s home was burned down, killing his father. His sister-in-law was again abducted and returned to the household of the man she had previously been forced to marry.

Next steps

In recent years, Thailand’s military government has made important commitments to improve its treatment of refugees and asylum-seekers. Thai officials have reiterated their commitment to the principle of non-refoulement and stated that they will not return refugees and asylum-seekers to situations where they are at risk of serious human rights violations.

Thailand has also committed to developing a process for screening refugees and irregular migrants and to passing anti-torture legislation containing a non-refoulement provision. If implemented in line with international standards, these initiatives could represent significant steps towards protecting the rights of refugees and asylum-seekers in Thailand.

“While the Thai government should be commended for its role in hosting hundreds of thousands of refugees over a period spanning decades, its recent actions have too often manifested the utmost disregard for the rights of men, women and children desperately in need of protection,” said Audrey Gaughran.

“The Thai government needs to turn rhetoric into action. Instead of caving in to the demands of foreign governments to return those fleeing persecution and violence, authorities should work to ensure that refugees’ rights are firmly protected under Thai law.”

Amnesty International has today upped the ante on the Australian government and increased its calls for action on the crisis in Myanmar.

“Today, Amnesty International supporters around Australia will begin making direct calls on Foreign Minister Julie Bishop and Defence Minister Marise Payne to do everything in their power to end the violence and ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya people”

Diana Sayed, Crisis Campaigner at Amnesty International Australia.

“Today, Amnesty International supporters around Australia will begin making direct calls on Foreign Minister Julie Bishop and Defence Minister Marise Payne to do everything in their power to end the violence and ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya people,” said Diana Sayed, Crisis Campaigner at Amnesty International Australia.

“While a campaign of ethnic cleansing is being committed against the Rohingya people, as villages continue to burn and 430,000 men, women and children have had to flee for their lives into bordering Bangladesh, it is not a time to be cautious and complacent.”

Amnesty International supporters will be calling on the Australian Government to:

• immediately suspend the provision of military training and other military or security assistance.
• increase its humanitarian assistance for the crisis, in addition to the funds already pledged,
• agree to an emergency intake of refugees to Australia,
• use its influence to pressure the Myanmar authorities to end the violence and persecution against the Rohingya people and allow humanitarian agencies and independent investigators access to Rakhine state.

“The Australian Government has stepped up in times of crisis in the past, they should do it again now. This is not the time for diplomatic speak. This is the time for concrete action. Australia must take responsibility and show leadership. They have an important role to play in protecting the Rohingyan people,” said Diana Sayed.

Take action > Australia: Pressure Myanmar to end the Rohingya slaughter

Amnesty International today has the pleasure of announcing the finalists in the 2017 Media Awards, which celebrate excellence in human rights reporting.

“In this fourth year of the awards, we were thrilled to receive a record number of entries from commercial, public and community media outlets across Australia,” said Media Coordinator Anita Harvey.

“The 18 judges, all experienced practitioners in the Australian media industry, found it especially challenging this year to whittle down the shortlist. Amnesty thanks them for their expertise and commitment to selecting these finalists from such a brilliant field of entrants.”

Amnesty International is delighted to announce the following finalists:

Cartoon:

• ‘Long Way Round’: Andrew Dyson, The Age

• ‘Us and Them’: Glen Le Lievre, Crikey

• ‘Reforming Racial Discrimination Laws’: Andrew Weldon, The Big Issue

• ‘Low-cost Housing, London’: Cathy Wilcox, The Age & The Sydney Morning Herald

Indigenous Issues Reporting:

• ‘Death In Kalgoorlie’: Sarah Dingle and Wendy Carlisle, ABC Radio National, Background Briefing

• ‘Through American Eyes’: John Eligon, Suzanne Smith, Gregory Nelson, Diana Cave, Ron Foley, Alastair Harris, Vicky Biorac, Chelsea Bond, Damien Cave, Tim Leslie, ABC and New York Times

• ‘Aviation fuel sniffing in Arnhem Land sparks public health emergency’: Jano Gibson, ABC

• ‘The Ms Dhu Inquest’: Calla Wahlquist, The Guardian

Photography:

• ‘Mosul’: Kate Geraghty, Fairfax Media

• ‘Home[Less]’: Chris Hopkins, The Sunday Age

Print/Online/Multimedia:

• ‘Voice of Manus’: Behrouz Boochani, The Guardian & The Saturday Paper

• ‘In a time of plenty, she dies of hunger’: Sally Sara and Dingani Masuku, ABC News Online

• ‘The Nauru Files’: Guardian Australia’s Nauru Files reporting team, The Guardian

• ‘Migrant worker exploitation: the fruit pickers’: Nick McKenzie and Richard Baker, Fairfax Media

Radio:

• ‘Fallen Angels’: Heather Jarvis, Margaret Simons, Dave Tacon and Lyn Gallacher, ABC Radio National, Earshot

• ‘Exploitation of Vietnamese students rampant among Melbourne and Sydney businesses’: Trinh Nguyen and Olivia (Ngoc) Nguyen, SBS Radio – Vietnamese Program

• ‘Somaliland Children’: Sally Sara and Dingani Masuku, ABC radio, Correspondents Report

• ‘Death In Kalgoorlie’: Sarah Dingle and Wendy Carlisle, ABC Radio National, Background Briefing

Television:

• ‘From Miscarriage to Murder’: Evan Williams, Calliste Weitenberg, Lottie Gammon and Micah McGown, SBS, Dateline

• ‘Forced to Marry’: Elise Potaka, Tim Anastasi, Joel Stillone, “The Feed”, SBS Viceland

• ‘The Yazidi – People of the Peacock Angel’: Olivia Rousset, Ipek Tasli, Wendy Boynton and Danielle Akayan, ABC TV, Compass

• ‘Six Days in Somaliland’: Sally Sara and Dingani Masuku, ABC News
  
  

The winners will be announced on Wednesday 1 November at the Media Awards ceremony at Darlinghurst Theatre in Sydney.

Responding to the Saudi Arabian government’s announcement that women will be allowed to drive, Philip Luther, Amnesty International’s Research and Advocacy Director for the Middle East and North Africa, said:

“It is a testament to the bravery of women activists who have been campaigning for years that the government of Saudi Arabia has finally relented and decided to permit women to drive.

“This is a long overdue small step in the right direction and we welcome this move if it means all women in Saudi Arabia will finally be able to drive without any restrictions.

Right to drive is just one step

“If by June next year women in Saudi Arabia are driving the streets without fear of arrest, then this will be a cause for celebration. But it is just one step. We also need to see a whole range of discriminatory laws and practices swept away in Saudi Arabia, including the guardianship system where every woman has a male guardian, be it their father, brother, husband or son, having authority to make decisions on her behalf.

“Likewise, we mustn’t lose sight of the fact that Saudi Arabia has recently arrested a whole new set of human rights activists and peaceful critics. A crackdown is still in full swing in Saudi Arabia and one isolated step in the right direction isn’t going to fundamentally alter that.”

Background

The royal decree announces the set-up of a committee (composed of officials from the Ministries of Interior, Finance, Labour and Social Development) that will look into implementation mechanisms within 30 days.

However, the decree will not enter into force before 23 June 2018 and its text states that it will be implemented according to “established legal regulations”, without providing further clarification, raising questions about how exactly it will be translated into practice.

Responding to reports that President Trump will slash the number of refugee admissions to the United States to an all-time historical low number of 45,000 next year, Margaret Huang, executive director of Amnesty International USA said:

“If these reports are true, this is a devastating betrayal of an American tradition of helping people escape war and horrific violence. President Trump’s heartless decision puts thousands of people’s lives at risk of certain death.”

“If these reports are true, this is a devastating betrayal of an American tradition of helping people escape war and horrific violence. President Trump’s heartless decision puts thousands of people’s lives at risk of certain death.”

“Refugees are ordinary people who have lost everything. They deserve our compassion and concern as they rebuild their lives. Instead, President Trump is prioritizing a dangerous agenda of bigotry and hate. We cannot allow fear-mongering to block vulnerable people from gaining safety.”

The U.S. refugee program has long enjoyed bipartisan support, with former President George H.W. Bush admitting more than 100,000 refugees during every year of his presidency. In his last year, President Obama set the refugee ceiling at 110,000.  

“Trump’s drastic reduction in refugee slots represents the lowest refugee admissions ceiling since the 1980s, when the U.S. refugee admissions program was formally established. Amnesty International called for the U.S. to accept at least 75,000 refugees in 2018.”