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Thought 2016 wasn’t worth celebrating?

While 2016 had more than its fair share of setbacks, thanks to you, we’ve found a lot to be positive about. This year, you helped us free more than 650 people from unfair imprisonment. We helped change laws in 40 countries. We helped convict war criminals. We helped teens stay out of adult prisons and we saw positive steps towards the abolition of the death penalty. Here are 25 reasons to celebrate.

Your actions helped release more than 650 people this year, including:

1. Dolma Tso, China – Dolma, a 30-year-old Tibetan woman who was imprisoned in 2013 for helping a neighbour, has this month walked free. In 2015 Dolma was at risk of undergoing a forced medical procedure she didn’t need, but thanks to Amnesty supporters, she has left prison unharmed. Dolma’s brother, who lives in Australia, said: “Thank you for taking action on behalf of my sister Dolma Tso. Because of the actions taken by supporters, the Chinese government could not proceed with a medical surgery that they intended against my sister’s wishes.”

Bangladeshi student Dilip Roy — © Private

2. Dilip Roy, Bangladesh – In August, Dilip Roy, the General Secretary of his university’s peaceful student movement, was arrested for two Facebook posts criticising the Prime Minister’s support for a coal-fired power plant. He was facing up to 14 years in prison, but thanks to those of you who took action, Dilip has now been released on bail and will be resuming his studies.

3. Father Ly, Vietnam – After years of campaigning by Amnesty International activists and supporters, pro-democracy activist and Catholic priest Father Nguyen Van Ly was finally released from prison in May, months before the end of his sentence. He was facing charges for ‘conducting propaganda’ against the state. Here in Australia, we have been campaigning for Father Ly since 2003. Globally, countless Amnesty supporters took action for Father Ly – particularly when he was in need of urgent medical care.

4. Rosmit Mantilla, Venezuela – In November, Rosmit, an LGBTI activist and MP, was released after spending more than two years in pre-trial detention on charges linked to anti-government protests in 2014. Amnesty followed his situation closely and campaigned for both his release and for him to receive urgent medical treatment. Shortly before he was released, he received this medical treatment. Rosmit thanked Amnesty International activists for their ongoing support:

“Thank you so much, really. This is not over, it is just the beginning.”

Rosmit Mantilla

5. Albert Woodfox, USA – Albert was finally released this year, having spent over 43 years in solitary confinement in a Louisiana state prison. Hundreds of thousands of supporters worldwide called for his release as part of Write for Rights.

“I can’t emphasise enough how important getting letters from people around the world is. It gave me a sense of worth. It gave me strength – convinced me that what I was doing was right.”

albert woodfox

6. Mazen Mohamed Abdallah, Egypt – 14-year-old Mazen had been raped by security officers bent on extracting a confession. Amnesty was the first to break the story, sparking broad media coverage that prompted his release from detention. “There are no words that could be said to express my gratitude and thanks to Amnesty International for getting my son back to me,” said Mazen’s mother.

“There are no words that could be said to express my gratitude and thanks to Amnesty International for getting my son back to me.”

Mazen Mohamed’s mother

Family members welcome student protest leader Phyoe Phyoe Aung (R) as she arrives for a hearing at her trial in Tharrawaddy town, Bago Region in Myanmar on April 8, 2016. © YE AUNG THU/AFP/Getty Images — © YE AUNG THU/AFP/Getty Images

7. Phyoe Phyoe Aung, Myanmar – In April, Phyoe Phyoe Aung was released as part of a prisoner amnesty in Myanmar. Phyoe Phyoe Aung was detained in March 2015 after helping organise peaceful student protests against laws limiting academic freedom. In Australia, we contributed over 30,000 letters, emails, tweets, and petitions calling for her release.

“Thank you very much each and every one of you. Not just for campaigning for my release, but for helping to keep our hope and our beliefs alive.”

phyoe phyoe aung

8. Maria Teresa Rivera, El Salvador – 33-year-old Maria, who had been sentenced to 40 years in prison in 2011 for suffering a miscarriage, walked free in 2016. Thousands of Amnesty activists wrote letters urging El Salvador to stop criminalising abortion.

“I am very grateful to every man and woman who has been following my case, with that lighted candle, and who hoped that I would be free.”

maria teresa rivera

Yecenia Armenta, torture survivor — © BRITO

9. Yecenia Armenta, Mexico – Detained in 2012, Yacenia was beaten, near-asphyxiated and raped until she was forced to “confess” to involvement in her husband’s murder. During Write for Rights, over 300,000 actions were taken for Yecenia – letters, petitions and emails – of which 11,000 were from Australia.

“When I receive all these letters saying that I’m not alone, it makes me feel great. And I think: ‘Yes, it’s true, I’m not alone’.”

yecenia armenta

10. Belén, Argentina – Belen was from released pre-trial detention in August, one month after Amnesty International handed over more than 120,000 petitions to local authorities in Argentina, urging for Belén to be released. Australia contributed over 8,000 signatures. The 27-year-old had been sentenced to eight years in prison after having a miscarriage. A final decision on her sentence is still outstanding.

Artwork of Fred Bauma & Yves Makwamba — © Amnesty International

11. Fred Bauma & Yves Makwamba, DRC – Two youth activists, Fred and Yves from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) were released at the end of August after as amazing 170,000 people took action for them as part of Write for Rights 2015. In Australia we sent letters and petition signatures to the DRC authorities and over 100 solidarity messages, letting them know we were supporting them.

“I thank Amnesty International and all those who fought in one way or the other for my release. I look forward to seeing my family and friends to continue the fight for democracy and freedom in my country.”

fred, on his release

Your support helped us make groundbreaking exposés that transformed lives:

A rally for Indigenous rights on Invasion Day — © Amnesty Australia

12. Progress was made for Indigenous People’s rights – History was made following concerted campaigning and the release of our report on Indigenous youth justice in Queensland, Australia. After five decades of injustice, 17-year-olds will no longer be held in adult prison or tried as adults, in line with international law. This means that children, and particularly Indigenous children, who are 22 times more likely to be in detention, will have more chance at rehabilitation.

“Today, over five decades of injustice are coming to an end”

Roxanne Moore, Indigenous Rights Campaigner at Amnesty International Australia

13. Over 290 people freed from abusive detention in Iraq – In May, we gained rare assess to a makeshift holding centre in Iraq. There, we found some 700 people, some as young as 15, held without charge in horrendous conditions. We swiftly publicised our findings, gaining widespread media coverage. This – coupled with a vital meeting with the Prime Minister of Iraq – resulted in the release of 293 of those people.

14. 100 people removed from horrific conditions in Nigeria – In May, we exposed the deaths of more than 149 people – including 11 babies and children – in a Nigerian military holding facility. Their deaths were likely caused by starvation, dehydration and disease. Approximately 100 detainees were released from the barracks immediately following publication of our report.

Two men standing together, smiling and holding a young child under a rainbow flag. — © Flickr / Decidida

15. The Plebiscite is blocked in Australia – The Federal Government’s bid to hold a plebiscite on whether to legalise same-sex marriage was defeated in the Senate in 2016. Now that the plebiscite is off the agenda, we have an opportunity to achieve this reform without treating lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex Australians as though their right to equality is dependent on a majority vote.

16. The government announces the imminent closure of Manus Island detention centre – In August, Immigration Minister Peter Dutton announced that the Manus Island regional processing centre would close. In 2013 our team of investigators visited Manus Island where we documented patterns of deliberate abuse at the hands of the Australian Government. “While welcoming the news that the centre will close, Amnesty International urges the Australian Government to bring those currently held there to Australia,” said Anna Neistat, Amnesty International’s Senior Director for Research.

You helped us challenge sports governing bodies and bring war criminals to justice:

Construction workers on Khalifa International Stadium — © 2016 Getty Images

17. FIFA announces independent committee – In March we exposed the exploitation of migrant workers building a stadium for the 2022 World Cup football site in Qatar. Following our report, two companies returned passports to workers and one company was suspended for six months. FIFA said it would set up an independent committee to monitor conditions at 2022 World Cup venues.

18. Chad war criminal convicted – In a landmark ruling, former president Hissène Habré was sentenced to life for crimes against humanity, war crimes and torture committed in Chad between 1982 and 1990. Among other evidence, the prosecution relied on Amnesty reports as well as the expert testimony of a former Amnesty staff member.

You helped save lives:

19. Iranian teen spared execution – Alireza Tajiki was saved from the gallows thanks to a global outcry condemning his imminent execution. He was scheduled to hang on 15 May 2016, but with Amnesty staff lobbying hard and activists tweeting the authorities to #SaveAlireza, the execution was called off

Ghina Ahmad Wadi, a young girl lying in bed — Ghina Ahmad Wadi © Private

20. A 10-year-old Syrian girl gets life-saving surgery – Following international pressure from Amnesty supporters and others, a seriously wounded 10-year-old Syrian girl was successfully evacuated from the town of Madaya on 13 August for urgent surgery. Ghina Ahmad Wadi had been shot in the leg by sniper fire from a Syrian government forces checkpoint when going to buy medicine for her mother.

21. Burkina Faso tackles early and forced marriage – Thanks to your action, the government of Burkina Faso pledged in February to eradicate early and forced marriage. It committed to raising the legal age of marriage for girls to 18 years and to making sure that forced marriage is clearly defined in the law books. More than half a million of you signed our petition – a fact that did not go unnoticed by the authorities.

22. More countries abolish the death penalty – The global push towards the abolition of the death penalty continued to gather momentum with 141 countries now abolitionist in law or practise. Nauru abolish the death penalty for all crimes in May, and in October Guinea abolished for ordinary crimes. At home, the Australian government has continued its good work regionally and globally against the death penalty.

Jeremy Corre reading letters sent to him by Amnesty activists — © Amnesty International

23. Progress on curbing torture – Your campaigning efforts led to several countries taking progressive steps to ending torture worldwide: Guinea made torture a crime; Togo aligned its law with international standards and in a historic ruling on police torture in the Philippines, the first conviction under the 2009 anti-torture law was made. In this case, a police officer was convicted of torturing bus driver Jeremy Corre, who had spent more than four years in prison and suffered horrific torture. Amnesty International Australia worked for Jerryme as part of Write for Rights 2014, where almost 70,000 global actions called for those responsible to be brought to justice.

24. Cluster bombs on hold in Saudi Arabia – People around the world joined our campaign to highlight the devastating impact of UK, US and Brazil-made cluster munitions by the Saudi Arabia-led coalition in Yemen. The USA has since placed a hold on the transfer of cluster bombs to Saudi Arabia, while the UK government said it was seeking “fresh assurances” from the Saudi government.

25 Poland – women force U-turn on proposed abortion ban – Women and girls flooded the streets in unprecedented numbers in October to protest against a proposed ban on Poland’s already highly-restrictive abortion law. Women went on strike to show their collective fury at the proposals, and thousands of people, including Amnesty supporters, sent through messages of solidarity. Ultimately, the government backed down – a historic victory for women’s rights in the country.

In a year of so many uncertainties, we found one thing we could be certain about: change happens when we take action together.

And that’s a rap

Thanks to everyone who campaigned and collected letters in your community for Write for Rights 2016.

We have now closed off the offline component of the campaign and are busy collating the many thousand of letters you collected so we can deliver them to the right people.

If you haven’t already, please make sure to send any completed letters, case sheets or petitions to your local action centre ASAP so we can ensure they are included in the final count, and sent off to make a difference!

We’ll provide an update of the final action tally and any news we receive on the cases in the new year, but we already know that this looks likely to be the biggest Write for Rights ever, with over 2 million actions counted globally so far. A huge shout out to everyone who wrote a letter or encouraged someone else to get involved. Over 55 years of human rights activism show that your actions can change people’s lives:

I am so grateful to Amnesty and all of the people who participated in the campaign for my release. International movements like yours put pressure on governments for our physical freedom, but knowing we have your solidarity also supports us mentally.

– Myanmar student activist Phyoe Phyoe Aung, freed earlier this year following Amnesty’s Write for Rights 2015.

What’s next?

While we are no longer collecting hardcopy actions, you can continue to campaign online for each of the cases via our action page, as well as for other prisoners of conscience year-round via our Individuals at Risk hub.

Got a great pic?

This year activists hosted dozens of write-for-rights events across the country.

Writing letters for W4R16 at Manly action group's 30th anniversary celebrations — Manly action group ©Janet McKeown

Have any great photos? Make sure to send them through to you Community Organiser or attach them to an email to activism@amnesty.org.au so we can include them in our campaign wrap-up early next year.

A lasting impression

Let’s hope the new year brings good news. Here are some videos showcasing our campaign and the individual stories that make Write for Rights so powerful. Watch and feel good knowing that by simply picking up a pen, you have been part of massive movement taking a stand for human rights across the globe.

Canada:

Egypt:

China:

Malawi:

USA:

Watch this space…

‘I left Syria thinking that I would return in two weeks. That was four years ago’

On the morning that Zain Alabdin Ali, a young 23-year-old Syrian, left the makeshift house he shared with his parents and four brothers and sisters in a small town near his native Aleppo, he thought that the adventure would be nothing more than a temporary escape.

It was 2012, and only a few weeks earlier his parents had decided to move the family out of Aleppo, just before the once magnificent city would become synonymous with horror and destruction, forcing millions of people to flee in terror.

Zain said, “Before the war began I had a normal life: I would wake up, go to university where I studied medicine, go out with my friends. All of a sudden everything changed. We had to leave Aleppo and I had nothing to do in the new town, I couldn’t study and there wasn’t any work, and then it became dangerous there too, the bombs, the violence. It was really scary.”

His parents were worried about the idea of letting Zain travel alone, but when the time came for him to begin his military service, which is mandatory in Syria, they supported his decision to leave.

“Before the war began I had a normal life: I would wake up, go to university where I studied medicine, go out with my friends. All of a sudden everything changed.”

“Leaving Syria was very difficult but it wasn’t a decision, I didn’t have any choice but to leave,” he explains from an office in the centre of Mexico, where he has been living since May.

The young medical student packed three changes of clothes and crossed the border into neighbouring Lebanon.

“I didn’t take many things because I left thinking that it would be a short trip, a couple of weeks,” he says.

But those two weeks quickly turned into what seemed like never-ending months, then years.

A young boy walks through clouds of smoke as the Sheikh Shehzad camp — © UNHCR / A. Fazzina

Refugee crisis

In Lebanon, almost without expecting it, Zain began to work for a humanitarian organisation which provided help to those in the refugee camp in Shatila, in southern Beirut.

The camp was originally established in 1949 to house Palestinian refugees but is now home to a rising wave of Syrians who have become the face of the worst refugee crisis since the second World War.

“When I arrived there were around 600 families but after a year, after the bombing began in Damascus in 2013, that number had increased to 1,600 families. The people were desperate, they didn’t have anything. There were cement houses but not a lot of water, and garbage everywhere.”

“I wasn’t in Syria but working there I felt as though I was at least doing something to help Syrian people,” he explains.

“I think that the world and governments of the world should be doing much more to help refugees. There are so many people who need help”

One year later, Zain began to work as a volunteer in a school for Syrian children which had been set up in the refugee camp – an oasis in the midst of the desert of constant uncertainty which was now a way of life for so many.

It was there that destiny came calling for him.

One morning, the head of the school told him that they wanted to nominate him for Habesha, a new project run by a Mexican organization which was looking for young Syrians to offer them the chance to finish their university studies in the Latin American country, on the other side of the world.

Since the arrival of the first student, Essa Hassan, in 2015, the project has managed to support three others, including Zain. There are another 26 on the waiting list.

“The perfect chance”

“Muchas gracias,” he says, with almost a Mexico City accent.

Since his arrival in May, Zain has been taking Spanish classes, a compulsory step before beginning his studies in architecture, the career he chose to pursue in Mexico.

“I didn’t know much about Mexico. I had heard of El Chapo and things like that but I thought that was probably a kind of Hollywood version of the country, like how people think that the whole of the Middle East is a war zone. All I wanted was to be able to keep studying and this was the perfect chance,” he explains with a smile.

“I want to study architecture because I think that’s what my city needs. The war has destroyed over 60 per cent of Aleppo and when all this is over, we are going to need young people who want to rebuild it. I want to go back when the war is over,” he says, and his face lights up at the thought that a better future is possible.

The “other” refugees

Zain seems to be taking in his new reality with the curiosity of someone who has just opened the door to a new and unexpected adventure.

We talk about tacos, pollution, chili and of course about the “other” refugees.

The young student knows all about the shocking situation faced by hundreds of thousands of men, women and children from Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala who, despite living in some of the most violent places in the world, face huge obstacles when seeking asylum and safety.

He understands the stigma, the discrimination and the abuse that they suffer from because he has experienced it himself and had the chance to find out about some of their stories as part of a “social experiment” organised by Amnesty International in which eight members of the public spent four minutes sitting in silence face-to-face with eight refugees in Mexico, as a way to break down barriers and overcome prejudice.

“I think that the world and governments of the world should be doing much more to help refugees. There are so many people who need help. They have to understand that we didn’t leave our countries because we wanted to, there’s no other option for us if we want to live,” he says.

This story was originally published in Vice

Myanmar: Security forces target Rohingya

The Myanmar security forces are responsible for unlawful killings, multiple rapes and the burning down of houses and entire villages in a campaign of violence against Rohingya people that may amount to crimes against humanity, Amnesty International reveals in a new report.

Read the report

Based on extensive interviews with Rohingyas in both Myanmar and Bangladesh, as well as analysis of satellite imagery and photos and videos, the report also documents how dozens of people have been arbitrarily arrested during the military’s vicious and disproportionate security campaign in Rakhine State over the past two months.

“The Myanmar military has targeted Rohingya civilians in a callous and systematic campaign of violence. Men, women, children, whole families and entire villages have been attacked and abused, as a form of collective punishment,” said Rafendi Djamin, Amnesty International’s Director for Southeast Asia and the Pacific.

“The deplorable actions of the military could be part of a widespread and systematic attack on a civilian population and may amount to crimes against humanity. We are worried that the horrific tales of violations we have uncovered are just the tip of the iceberg.

“Men, women, children, whole families and entire villages have been attacked and abused, as a form of collective punishment.” Rafendi Djamin, Director for Southeast Asia and the Pacific

“While the military is directly responsible for the violations, Aung San Suu Kyi has failed to live up to both her political and moral responsibility to try to stop and condemn what is unfolding in Rakhine state.”

Random attacks and killings

The Myanmar security forces launched a large-scale security operation in northern Rakhine State following an attack on border police posts on 9 October. The attack was blamed on militants from the Rohingya minority, in which nine police officers were killed.

Amnesty International’s research reveals how the military campaign has gone far beyond what could be considered a proportional response to a security threat. Multiple eyewitnesses described how soldiers entered their villages, fired randomly at – and killed – villagers, women, men and children. In at least one instance, soldiers dragged people out of their houses and shot them dead. Amnesty International has not been able to determine the true death toll.

In one incident on 12 November, military deployed two helicopter gunships to a group of villages in northern Rakhine State after a skirmish with suspected militants. The helicopters fired randomly on villagers fleeing in panic, killing an unknown number. The next day troops set fire to hundreds of homes.

One 30-year-old man said: “We got scared when we heard the noise from the helicopter… The soldiers were shooting randomly. If they saw someone, the helicopter shot. They were shooting for a long time… We could not sleep that night. The next morning the military came and started shooting again.”

Rape and other sexual violence

Myanmar soldiers have raped and otherwise sexually assaulted women and girls during the security operations, usually as part of raids when the men of the village had fled.

Amnesty International has interviewed several Rohingya women who told us that they had been raped by soldiers, as well as other people who witnessed rapes. Aid workers in Bangladesh also confirmed that several rape survivors who had fled across the border were treated for their injuries.

“Three military officers raped me… I don’t remember what happened next because I fell unconscious.”

A 32-year-old Rohingya woman in Rakhine state

Fatimah, a 32-year-old Rohingya woman who has fled to Bangladesh, said that military entered her village and dragged her out to a paddy field where they raped her: “Three military officers raped me… I don’t remember what happened next because I fell unconscious… I woke up early the next morning. I could not get up so I crawled across the paddy field.”

Arbitrary arrest and detention

The military and border guard police have arrested hundreds of mainly Rohingya men, often targeting village elders, businessmen and community leaders. The report has documented at least 23 such cases, where Rohingyas have been taken away from their families by police with no information about their whereabouts or the charges against them.

Myanmar state media has reported that at least six people have died in custody since the military operation began, raising serious concern of torture in detention.

Security forces often beat Rohingya during the arrests. One woman described brutal tactics by the security forces when her two sons were picked up: “My two sons were tied up – the military tied their hands behind their backs -– they were beaten badly. The military kicked them in the chest. I saw it myself. I was crying so loudly.”

Scorched-earth

Through interviews with survivors and analysis of satellite imagery, Amnesty International has confirmed that the military has torched more than 1,200 Rohingya homes and buildings and sometimes burned down whole villages. Several eyewitnesses also described how soldiers used weapons, apparently rocket-propelled grenade launchers (RPGs), to destroy houses.

The destruction in villages where the military reportedly clashed with militants are particularly extensive, and indicates reprisal attacks by the armed forces.

Humanitarian catastrophe

Tens of thousands of lives are now at risk from a humanitarian crisis after the Myanmar authorities imposed a near blanket ban on aid in northern Rakhine State. Even before 9 October, malnutrition levels were critically high in the region where 150,000 people were dependent on food aid for their survival.

“Aid groups must be allowed unfettered access to the tens of thousands of people who have fled horrific abuse in Myanmar.” Champa Patel, South Asia Director

The suspension of health services is particularly worrying for the sick, as well as pregnant women and new mothers, many of whom now have no way of receiving medical treatment. At least 30,000 people forced to flee from their homes over the past months have essentially been left to fend for themselves as humanitarian groups have no access to them.

Political failure

The Myanmar authorities have issued blanket denials that troops have committed any human rights violations during the campaign, despite the mounting evidence to the contrary.

The extent to which Aung San Suu Kyi, the State Counsellor and de facto head of Myanmar’s civilian government, can influence events is questionable given that the military operates independently of civilian oversight, and retains control of significant parts of the government. However, she has failed to speak out against the atrocities, and appears either unwilling or unable to do so.

“The Myanmar authorities have been wilfully ignorant over of the violations committed by the military in Rakhine state. These completely indefensible violations must end immediately, and independent investigations must be held to ensure that those responsible are held to account,” said Rafendi Djamin.

Desperation across the border in Bangladesh

Tens of thousands of Rohingya have poured across the border to Bangladesh over the last two months in search of safety. The exact number of refugees is impossible to determine, but the UN estimates it to be at least 27,000.

In response to the influx, Bangladesh has strengthened its long-standing policy of sealing the border to Myanmar, and detained and pushed back thousands who have tried to flee. This is unlawful under international law as it violates the principle of non-refoulement – which absolutely prohibits forcibly returning people to a country or place where they would be at real risk of serious human rights violations.

The threat of arrest and deportation has meant that fleeing Rohingya have been forced into hiding in camps, villages and forests across south-eastern Bangladesh. They live in miserable conditions as the government has imposed severe limits on aid to avoid a “pull factor.”

“The Bangladeshi government must open its borders to asylum-seekers and stop treating Rohingya arriving in desperation as criminals. Aid groups must be allowed unfettered access to the tens of thousands of people who have fled horrific abuse in Myanmar,” said Champa Patel, Amnesty international’s South Asia Director.

Recommendations from decades ago would have saved Ms Dhu’s life

Following the release of the Western Australian State Coroner’s findings in the inquest into the death of Ms Dhu, an Aboriginal woman who died while in police custody in August 2014, Amnesty International Indigenous Rights Advisor Rodney Dillon said:

“Amnesty International pays respects to Ms Dhu’s family and acknowledges their pain, suffering and anguish since her passing.”

“Ms Dhu’s death was preventable. She was failed by the police, and she was failed by the health campus.”

“Ms Dhu’s death was preventable. She was failed by the police, and she was failed by the health campus.

“When a worker dies on a building site and their death was preventable, people are held to account, as they should be. Why, when an Aboriginal person dies in custody, are no individuals held to account? Someone must be held to account for Ms Dhu’s death.

“How many more recommendations do we need before we put an end to deaths in custody? Some of these recommendations were made 25 years years ago by the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody. If they had been followed, Ms Dhu would not have died. Instead, her family have had to grieve for more than two years while they waited for justice.

“It’s the right thing that State Coroner Fogliani agreed to release the video footage showing how she was treated. It’s what the family requested. But one thing nobody will see on that video is justice.

“The Western Australian Government and the opposition must commit to full implementation of the recommendations by Coroner Fogliani, including recommendations regarding a custody notification service, not locking people up for fine default and cross-cultural training.”

Philippines: Duterte’s claims encourage mass killings

Responding to claims made by Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte that he “personally” killed suspected criminals while serving as mayor of the city of Davao, Rafendi Djamin, Amnesty International’s Director for South East Asia and the Pacific, said:

“President Duterte’s claim that he has personally killed suspected criminals takes the meaning of ‘state-sanctioned’ violence to a whole new level. The climate of impunity in the Philippines has intensified even further since President Duterte began his brutal crackdown on suspected drug users and dealers in July, with a wave of unlawful killings claiming more than 5,000 lives across the country. By boasting about the blood on his own hands, President Duterte will further embolden police and vigilantes to blatantly violate laws and carry out more extrajudicial executions without fear of being held to account.

“By boasting about the blood on his own hands, President Duterte will further embolden police and vigilantes to blatantly violate laws and carry out more extrajudicial executions without fear of being held to account.”

“President Duterte should be fulfilling his obligations by ordering investigations into these killings and bringing those responsible to justice, not claiming a part in them. Statements like these continue to give everybody, including the police in the Philippines a licence to kill in the knowledge that they are protected by the president.

“We are urging President Duterte to put an immediate end to unlawful killings, and send a clear message that the unlawful use of force is not encouraged. The Philippines authorities must step off the bloody path they have set out on, and fulfil their duty to protect all people by ending incitement to violence.”

A tiny country town’s unlikely refugee success story

In the remote township of Nhill in western Victoria, Karen-Burmese refugees now make up 10 per cent per cent of the town’s population and 18 per cent of the workforce – boosting the town’s economy and receiving a warm welcome from the local residents.

The Karen people in Myanmar (Burma) make up seven per cent of its population and, after decades of insurgency fighting as the main ethnic minority against the ruling military junta, many now live in refugee camps scattered along the Thai-Burmese border.

Those who were resettled in Australia began to trickle into Nhill back in 2010, when five Karen workers and their families left Melbourne to work for the large Australian poultry company Luv-a-Duck. With Australia having one of the most urbanised populations in the world, finding workers is a perennial problem for companies based in the bush.

“Since the Karen settled here eight families, including me, have bought houses”

Kaw Doh

Located 400km north-west of Melbourne, Nhill’s isolation means that it struggles to retain workers (perhaps that’s why a moon crater came to be named after the town?). It would have been understandable if the early cohort of Karen workers had decided to return to the more familiar surrounds of Melbourne’s western suburbs. However they decided to stay and repay the warm welcome they had received in Nhill.

“It was a good experience, coming to live here [in Nhill]” says Kaw Doh, one of the first residents to settle in Nhill. “Melbourne was very expensive and here we had work. Since the Karen settled here eight families, including me, have bought houses.

“I miss my home. I miss the jungle and the rivers. But life here is good, I like living in Nhill and it’s a good place for my family.”

Business is booming

Six years on and 84 new jobs have been created in Nhill. 44 Karen people are employed directly by Luv-a-duck, 20 employed by grower farms and another 20 working for unrelated businesses.

One of these businesses, Halfway Motors, has reported an uptake in business after employing 27-year old Hal Loo as an apprentice mechanic.

“The Karen are bringing their cars in for services because Hal works here,” said business owner Kim Moyle. Hal Loo’s hard work was acknowledged recently when he received a special judges’ commendation in the Young Apprentice of the Year category of the Wimmera Development Association’s annual business awards.

Hal Loo at him mechanic shop — © Melissa Powell and Hindmarsh Shire Council

“Nhill is a good place for us Karen,” says Hal Loo. “Coming here gave me the opportunity to see my dream of working with cars and machines come true.”

Deloitte Access Economics and AMES have produced a report, Small Towns Big Returns, which calculated an economic benefit so far of $41.5 million to Nhill and the regional economy of Hindmarsh Shire.

The local IGA supermarket also reports increased weekly takings of $5000 a week following the increase in the population. This is a major boost for an outer regional area, which, like many other remote parts of Australia, has much higher levels of socio-economic disadvantage than larger regional towns.

“Coming here gave me the opportunity to see my dream of working with cars and machines come true”

Hal Loo

These statistics reflect an emerging narrative about the economic and social contributions of refugees. These have been key justifications by the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, for welcoming her country’s intake of 800,000 refugees. Morals aside, she sees a clear economic imperative in introducing an exuberant, young workforce to the economy.

That view was echoed in Sydney recently by economist Philippe Legrain, a former advisor to the President of the European Commission, whose research concludes that there is a 100 per cent return on investment within five years for every dollar invested in settling refugees.

“You put the economic analysis side-by-side with the tremendous social impact and then you’ve got an outstanding example for all small rural communities in Australia,” said Hindmarsh chief executive Tony Doyle.

“There wouldn’t be many small rural towns around Australia like Nhill that aren’t suffering population loss and here’s a great example of how that can be addressed.”

As the global refugee situation worsens, with millions seeking refuge from war and persecution – as the Nhill success story proves – sometimes the solutions to the world’s problems can come from the unlikeliest of places.

Ciarán McCormack is an Amnesty Blogging competition finalist. He writes, blogs, tweets and posts on social justice and sustainability. He is also Social Media Manager for Right Now Inc

EU: Asylum-seekers must be moved from appalling conditions

With the EU-Turkey deal faltering and more than 16,000 refugees languishing in appalling conditions on the Greek islands, Amnesty International is calling on EU Heads of State and Government to commit to concrete action to save lives and restore dignity as they meet in Brussels this week.

The organisation is proposing six concrete steps, beginning with asylum-seekers being moved from the Greek islands to the mainland where their asylum applications can be processed, with further relocation across mainland Europe.

“European leaders want to keep refugees and migrants on the Greek islands – out of sight, and therefore out of mind. But with the conditions getting worse as winter sets in, ignoring them risks people’s lives and dignity.”

Iverna McGowan, Director of Amnesty International’s European Institutions Office.

“European leaders want to keep refugees and migrants on the Greek islands – out of sight, and therefore out of mind. But with the conditions getting worse as winter sets in, ignoring them risks people’s lives and dignity,” said Iverna McGowan, Director of Amnesty International’s European Institutions Office.

“The steps to alleviate this suffering are straightforward, but what is lacking is the political will.”

Iverna McGowan

“The steps to alleviate this suffering are straightforward, but what is lacking is the political will. Unless our leaders change course, the abysmal approach to the manageable number of people arriving at Europe’s borders will go down in history as a stain on our collective conscience.”

Conditions on the islands are dangerous and have even proved fatal – recently a woman and child died after a gas explosion. Refugees and migrants, including children and vulnerable families, are sleeping in tents exposed to the cold and heavy rain, without adequate sanitation and hygiene, and in constant fear of racist attacks or other types of violence, including gender-based violence.

Some refugees have been on the islands for several months without having access to an asylum procedure. Others have chosen to return “voluntarily” so to escape the conditions in which they are held and the uncertainty over their fate. Amnesty International has also documented cases of refugees who were returned against their will, despite having expressed a wish to claim asylum.

Despite having a right to family reunification under EU law, some refugees are unable to reunite with family members in other EU countries. The European Commission is now suggesting they should be returned to Turkey and seek family reunification from there, in a move seemingly motivated by a desire to increase the numbers of people returned under the deal.

Amnesty International’s proposed six-step solution for European leaders involves:

Immediately transfer people to mainland Greece
Step up relocation and family reunification efforts with a view to moving people onto other European countries
Ensure speedy registration of asylum-seekers stranded on the islands
Establish safe and legal routes, including a large scale resettlement programme from Turkey
Support Turkey to develop its asylum system
End returns under the EU-Turkey deal

“The human cost of the EU-Turkey Deal should act as a warning against future deals with other countries. Yet leaders are signing more every week, with scant regard for cost to lives and for how Europe’s values are cheapened,” said Iverna McGowan.

“Moving asylum seekers outside Europe’s borders, outsourcing responsibilities simply does not work. It jeopardises their human rights and wilfully ignores the reasons why they left their homes in the first place.”

Iverna McGowan

“Moving asylum seekers outside Europe’s borders, outsourcing responsibilities simply does not work. It jeopardises their human rights and wilfully ignores the reasons why they left their homes in the first place.”

Background

Further details of Amnesty International’s six-step proposal for EU leaders.

Immediately transfer asylum-seekers, particularly those vulnerable, who are stuck in the Greek islands under the EU-Turkey deal to mainland Greece, and ensure they are provided with adequate reception and processed, including with a view to their relocation to other EU countries.

Step up relocation of asylum-seekers from Greece by increasing the number of pledged relocation places, and swiftly matching relocation requests; establish accessible, public and fast-tracked family reunification procedures to ensure the swift reunion of family members stranded in Greece with close relatives in other European countries; grant access through humanitarian visas for asylum-seekers in immediate need of special care.

Ensure the speedy registration of asylum-seekers stranded on the islands by increasing the resources for the Asylum Service.

Set up a large scale resettlement programme from Turkey and provide other safe and legal routes for refugees in Turkey to reach EU countries, such as humanitarian visas, family reunification, and student visas, as a way to protect people in need of international protection and manage migration in an orderly and predictable manner.
Support Turkey in the development of an asylum system and legal framework that fully complies with Turkey’s international obligations towards refugees, regardless of nationality. Provide significant, flexible and predictable financial assistance, as well as operational and technical support to Turkey to ensure refugees enjoy economic and social rights, and have access to health, education and the labour market.

Stop returns of asylum-seekers to Turkey under the EU-Turkey deal on the grounds that it is a “safe third country” or a “first country of asylum”, and examine asylum claims on the merits in a fair asylum process with all procedural and substantial safeguards.

Syria: Killings in Aleppo point to war crimes

Shocking reports from the UN that scores of civilians have been extrajudicially executed by advancing Syrian government forces in eastern Aleppo point to apparent war crimes, said Amnesty International. The organization is making an urgent plea for all parties to the conflict to protect the civilian population.

The UN human rights office said it had reliable evidence that up to 82 civilians were shot on the spot by government and allied forces who entered their homes, or at gunpoint in the streets, over the past few hours.

“The reports that civilians – including children – are being massacred in cold blood in their homes by Syrian government forces are deeply shocking but not unexpected, given their conduct to date. Such extrajudicial executions would amount to war crimes,” said Lynn Maalouf, Deputy Director for Research at the Beirut Regional office.

“The global inaction in the face of such inhumanity is shameful. The lack of accountability for war crimes and crimes against humanity has allowed the parties, particularly government forces, to commit such crimes on a mass scale.”

Lynn Maalouf, Deputy Director for Research

“Throughout the conflict, Syrian government forces, backed by Russia, have repeatedly displayed a callous disregard for international humanitarian law and utter disdain for the fate of civilians. In fact, they have regularly targeted civilians as a strategy, both during military operations and through the mass-scale use of arbitrary detention, disappearances and torture and other ill-treatment. As government forces gain full control of eastern Aleppo the risk that they will commit further atrocities raises grave fears for thousands of civilians still trapped.

“In recent months the world, including the UN Security Council, has watched from the side-lines as civilians have been slaughtered on a daily basis and eastern Aleppo has been flattened and transformed into a mass grave. The global inaction in the face of such inhumanity is shameful. The lack of accountability for war crimes and crimes against humanity has allowed the parties, particularly government forces, to commit such crimes on a mass scale. It is now crucial that independent monitors are deployed to ensure that the civilian population is protected and that humanitarian access is granted so that life-saving aid can reach all those in need.”

At present those injured cannot be evacuated and those trying to flee are risking their lives. Amnesty International is calling for all parties to the conflict to allow civilians wishing to flee the fighting to be granted safe passage to leave the area.

As government forces advanced in recent weeks, civilians in eastern Aleppo told Amnesty International they feared revenge attacks. Last week the UN reported that hundreds of men and boys went missing from government controlled areas.

“Amnesty International has previously highlighted the Syrian government’s widespread and systematic use of enforced disappearance to attack the civilian population in what has amounted to crimes against humanity. It is crucial that independent monitors are deployed to prevent further enforced disappearances, torture and other ill-treatment,” said Lynn Maalouf.

Egypt: Bring to justice those behind church attack

Those responsible for the reprehensible bombing at a Coptic Christian church on Sunday in Cairo should be brought to justice in fair trials without recourse to the death penalty.

At least 25 people were killed and many more injured in the bombing, which took place during Sunday worship at St Peter’s Coptic Orthodox Church, according to figures released by Egypt’s Health Ministry. The building is next to Saint Mark’s Cathedral in the district of Abbassia, the seat of the Coptic Christian Pope.

“This sectarian attack targeting Coptic Christians as they attended Sunday worship is reprehensible and deeply disturbing,” said Philip Luther, Research and Advocacy Director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International.

“The authorities should show zero tolerance for all sectarian violence and prosecute those responsible.”

Philip Luther, Research and Advocacy Director for the Middle East and North Africa

“The Egyptian authorities must do everything in their power to ensure that the investigation they have announced into today’s attack is effective, independent and impartial and brings to justice those responsible. They must send a message that attacks targeting religious minorities will not be tolerated.”

No group had claimed responsibility for the attack at time of writing.

It is the deadliest such attack since a church bombing in Alexandria on 1 January 2011 that killed 23 people.

This latest attack should be a wake-up call to the authorities that their actions to prevent attacks on Coptic Christians have long been inadequate, Amnesty International said.

For several years, the organization has called on Egypt to address systemic failures in the response to such violence, including after a wave of violence against Coptic Christians in 2013. Coptic Christians are Egypt’s largest religious minority.

The Egyptian authorities should immediately take all possible lawful measures, in full compliance with international human rights law, to prevent attacks on Coptic Christians and other minorities.

“The authorities should show zero tolerance for all sectarian violence and prosecute those responsible, instead of relying on customary ‘reconciliation meetings’ between communities,” said Philip Luther.