Amnesty International stands by its evidence that people, including children, are suffering insurmountable long-term damage and are attempting suicide while on Nauru.

Amnesty International’s report ‘Island of Despair’: Australia’s “processing” of refugees in Nauru provides evidence of mental health deterioration, evidence of the lack of appropriate medical care and evidence of the length to which the Australian Government has gone to to cover up what’s really going on in Nauru.

These horrific and unpalatable facts are what need to be addressed.

The Immigration Minister Peter Dutton and his Department have failed to provide any evidence contrary to what our report very clearly states.

While Amnesty International’s report highlighted the epidemic of self harm, depression and attempted suicides on the island, in a media interview yesterday with The Australian report author, Anna Neistat, Senior Director of Research at Amnesty International described in detail three cases and made it clear that three attempted suicides of children is three too many.

Anna Neistat described in detail the case of a nine-year old boy who tried to set himself on fire. A 13 year-old boy who attempted suicide several times, and whose father said that in the small room he has to hide any sharp objects or medication, and does not allow his son to go out, fearing for his life.

The third case involved a 13 year-old girl who, according to her sister, first tried to cut her veins and then overdosed on medication. Her family found her unconscious. The doctors managed to save her but at the time of the interview with the Amnesty International researcher, the girl was still recovering and did not eat, speak, and refused to interact, even with her family.

If even three children attempting to kill themselves is not enough for Minister Dutton to act, Amnesty International’s 7 million supporters would like to know, when will the Government act and change this cruel policy?

The fact remains that the Australian Government’s “processing” of refugees and asylum seekers on Nauru is a deliberate and systematic regime of neglect and cruelty, and amounts to torture under international law.

If the Australian Government has nothing to hide, as it claims, they should ensure full access to Nauru for independent media, lawyers, human rights organisations and researchers.

Evidence amounting to torture

Amnesty International was instrumental in setting up the Convention Against Torture (CAT).  In 1973 Amnesty launched the first ever global campaign to end torture.

We have 55 years of experience in identifying and eradicating torture and understand very well what is defined as torture under CAT.

Amnesty International does not use this term unless there is evidence that it meets the definition of torture. Torture is an extremely serious allegation and we do not make this claim lightly.

Department of Immigration and Border Protection claim 

In response to the Department of Immigration and Border Protection claim that we did not consult with them:

Ten days before the report launch, Amnesty International sent a summary of its overall findings to officials of the Department of Immigration seeking their input regarding the violations of international law documented in the report.

Amnesty International gave the Department the right to reply and explained that the organisation would publish their response alongside the report if they responded within the given time frame.

The Department has not yet provided a detailed response to Amnesty International’s findings and recommendations.

The UN General Assembly (UNGA) must step in to fill the void left by the UN Security Council members’ catastrophic failure to end relentless attacks targeting the civilian population in eastern Aleppo city, said Amnesty International ahead of a UNGA meeting later today.

The organization has released new satellite imagery illustrating the scale of destruction, as well as testimony from civilians trapped in the city, providing evidence that Syrian government forces, with Russian support, have callously attacked residential homes, medical facilities, schools, markets and mosques as part of a deliberate military strategy to empty the city of its inhabitants and seize control. In some cases there is evidence that Russian-made cluster munitions were used in attacks.

“The world’s inaction in the face of the continuing carnage and blatant violations in Aleppo city must end. The UN General Assembly must show it can act where the Security Council has so catastrophically failed – the credibility of the UN is at stake,” said Lynn Maalouf, Deputy Director for Research at Amnesty International’s Beirut regional office.

“The scale of the bloodshed and destruction wrought on eastern Aleppo city over the past month is harrowing. Syrian government forces, with the support of Russia, have launched relentless attacks that have flagrantly disregarded fundamental rules of international humanitarian law.

“The woefully inadequate eight-hour pause in bombing announced by Russia is no substitute for unimpeded access for impartial humanitarian relief and an end to unlawful attacks. Member states must use today’s meeting to demand a lifting of the siege, an end to unlawful attacks, and to push for concrete measures to bring those responsible for war crimes to justice.”

Many of Aleppo’s remaining civilians live in constant fear of daily attacks. Soha, a local activist, described to Amnesty International how she takes her seven-month-old baby with her everywhere she goes as she is terrified of losing him.

“Every time I see a woman or child injured, I think it could have been me and my son. Nowhere is safe in Aleppo city, every one of us is a target,” she said.

Siham, whose four-year-old daughter was killed in the recent bombardment, described the pain of her loss to Amnesty International. Her husband was detained by government forces in 2012 before their daughter was born.

“I have lived all my life in Aleppo city… I lost [my daughter] six days ago. A bomb fell in front of the building where she was playing. I can’t remember the last words she told me… I lost her just like that for nothing…absolutely nothing. I wish I had died with her.”

“Nowhere is safe in Aleppo city, every one of us is a target.”

The diplomatic deadlock has seen the UN Security Council paralysed as the civilian death toll in Aleppo rises by the day.

Russia, with support from China, has repeatedly wielded its veto power to block any action that would see the Syrian government held accountable for grave violations, including war crimes. Less than two weeks ago a French UN draft resolution calling for an end to attacks on civilians in Aleppo failed after a Russian veto.

Seventy countries called for today’s meeting sending a clear message that inaction at the Security Council must be addressed. Member states must support initiatives at the UNGA to bring an end to the cycle of war crimes in Syria. Imposing targeted sanctions on Syrian officials and a comprehensive arms embargo are two measures that could also help pressure the Syrian government to end violations of international humanitarian law.

Relentless attacks on civilians and civilian objects

Satellite imagery analyzed by Amnesty International reveals that in just one week, 90 locations were damaged or destroyed in an area roughly the size of Manhattan, New York City. Overall more than 110 locations were damaged between 18 September and 1 October 2016.

Amnesty International documented a series of attacks over the past three weeks which appear to be aimed at decimating civilian life in Aleppo city. Researchers from the organization spoke to residents, medical workers and activists who are trapped and who described a drastic deterioration in the humanitarian situation, amidst daily air strikes targeting civilian homes and infrastructure, including medical facilities, a market, a school, electricity and water company. The areas struck were all located away from military targets such as the battle frontline, military checkpoints or vehicles.

“Syrian government forces claim to be attacking non-state armed groups but the real objective is clear: to inflict severe suffering on the civilian population in order to drive them out. The world continues to stand by as this pattern is repeated over and over throughout Syria,” said Lynn Maalouf.

According to the Syrian American Medical Society, 14 medical facilities have been hit by air strikes since 21 September, putting many of them out of service. Doctors have been struggling to cope with an influx of large numbers of casualties in need of emergency medical treatment – at one point, 800 wounded patients needing care were recorded in one week.

“Syrian government forces claim to be attacking non-state armed groups but the real objective is clear: to inflict severe suffering on the civilian population in order to drive them out.”

Lynn Maalouf

One eyewitness described to Amnesty International an attack on al-Sakhour hospital on 3 October. A bomb fell at the hospital entrance leaving behind a large crater and partially destroying a nearby field hospital. It was the third attack on the hospital that day, he said:

“I arrived at al-Sakhour hospital three hours after the attack had happened… I saw 10 injured and four killed… The injured included two of the hospital’s medical staff…The closest frontline is around 300 meters away.”

A doctor in Aleppo city told Amnesty International that supplies, equipment and fuel were fast running out because of the siege.

“In Aleppo city, residents fear living or being in or around a hospital because we have become a target for the regime,” he said.

“Deliberate attacks on civilians and civilian objects are serious violations of international humanitarian law and amount to war crimes. The pattern of attacks targeting the civilian population, buildings and infrastructure of eastern Aleppo provides clear evidence that this is part of a calculated military strategy to make life unbearable for civilians and to empty the city by force,” said Lynn Maalouf

Alleged cluster munition attacks

Several residents also told Amnesty International that they had witnessed attacks using internationally banned cluster munitions, bombs that scatter scores of submunitions over a wide area posing a major threat to civilians.

Amnesty International reviewed images showing remnants of cluster bombs and submunitions in civilian areas of eastern Aleppo over the past three weeks and consulted independent weapons experts who identified these as Russian made AO-2.5RT submunitions or the very similar AO-2.5RTM, along with remnants of the RBK-500 cluster bomb from which they are dispensed.

Fadi, was getting into a car at a busy market in Zebdie district with his friend on 25 September when a warplane dropped two cluster bombs. He and his friend were both struck by shrapnel. “All I remember after that was the feeling of agonizing pain in my leg and hip. I kept hearing small explosions… People were lying on the ground. Some crawling and others not moving,” he said.

Majed, another survivor was at the same market in Zebdie which is around 500 metres away from the nearest front line when the attack took place. He recalls hearing the sound of small explosions before he woke up on the ground in shock covered in blood and surrounded by wounded people. Two pieces of shrapnel were lodged in his leg.

Osama also witnessed a cluster bomb attack on the same day as he was driving an injured friend from al-Mashhad neighbourhood to the hospital.

“I heard the sound of a warplane and then the [car’s] window pane shattered on top of us. I heard a series of small explosions that went on for almost a minute… More than 40 people were injured,” he said.

“The use of cluster munitions is banned under international law because they are inherently indiscriminate and, due to their high dud-rate, pose a long-lasting threat to civilians. Their apparent use in eastern Aleppo city is just further evidence of how determined Syrian government forces and their Russian allies are to create a hostile and deadly environment in the city, clearly aimed at driving civilians out at any cost,” said Lynn Maalouf.

The Malaysian authorities must immediately lift an arbitrary travel ban on cartoonist and political activist Zulkiflee Anwar Ulhaque (Zunar) that prevented him from leaving the country on 17 October 2016.

Zunar, an outspoken critic of the government, is facing nine sedition charges. This is in relation to tweets he made following a Federal court ruling on 10 February 2015, which upheld the conviction and five-year prison sentence of former opposition leader and prisoner of conscience Anwar Ibrahim for “sodomy”.

Arbitrary travel bans against government critics are a blatant violation of the right to freedom of movement and association.

On 17 October 2016, Zunar was travelling to Singapore to attend a private forum via Kuala Lumpur International Airport. At the immigration check at the airport he was stopped by the immigration officer who informed him that the police had instructed them to stop him from travelling. However, up to now, there has been no date set for Zunar’s trial and he has been previously allowed to travel freely, even after being charged. A valid, lawful reason must be provided by the Malaysian authorities for this ban to be in place. To date, there have been no explanation and no reasons provided for this action.

Arbitrary travel bans against government critics are a blatant violation of the right to freedom of movement and association. Such actions also stifle the right to freedom of expression, all enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Under international law, everyone has the right to freedom of movement without arbitrary interference, as well as to freely associate with others and to express him or herself peacefully. The right to freedom of movement is further provided for under Article 9 of the Federal Constitution of Malaysia.

Amnesty International views this travel ban on Zunar as the latest attempt by the Malaysian authorities to silence government critics. Since he was charged last year, Zunar has remained an outspoken critic of the Malaysian government, both at home and overseas, and has continued to use his cartoons to highlight/draw attention to allegations of corruption and the abuse of power in the country.

Other activists who have been barred from travelling overseas include Maria Chin Abdullah, chairperson ofBersih, the coalition for clean and fair elections, in May 2016 and Hishamuddin Rais, a lawyer and political activist, in December 2015.

Travel bans are a pernicious way to also hamper the work of human rights defenders and other government critics. To make the situation worse, even challenging these bans in Malaysian courts can be a tedious, cumbersome exercise that drains financial and other resources.

Amnesty International calls on the Malaysian authorities to respect and protect the right to freedom of expression, including by removing travel restrictions which violate internationally recognised human rights, are unconstitutional and have been imposed without due process.

The organization also reiterates its calls to the authorities to drop all charges against Zunar and others facing prosecution for their peaceful political activities, and take immediate steps to repeal restrictive laws such as the Sedition Act, Peaceful Assembly Act, Film Censorship Act and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 or amend these laws thoroughly so as to bring them into compliance with international human rights law and standards.

Background

Since 2009, Zunar’s cartoon books have often been confiscated or banned from sale, his office and printers raided and his assistants harassed.

In recent years, human rights defenders, opposition politicians, journalists and academics have been targeted by repressive laws used to stifle dissent in Malaysia. Dozens are facing prosecution for peacefully expressing their views or participating in peaceful protests.

The right to life and personal liberty is guaranteed by the Federal Constitution. According to Malaysian law, travel bans can only be imposed in exceptional circumstances, such as tax evasion, and if a person is bankrupt.

Paramilitary militias and government forces in Iraq have committed serious human rights violations, including war crimes, by torturing, arbitrarily detaining, forcibly disappearing and extrajudicially executing thousands of civilians who have escaped areas controlled by the armed group calling itself the Islamic State (IS).

Paramilitary militias and government forces in Iraq have committed serious human rights violations, including war crimes, by torturing, arbitrarily detaining, forcibly disappearing and extrajudicially executing thousands of civilians who have escaped areas controlled by the armed group calling itself the Islamic State (IS), said Amnesty International in a new report published today.

The report ‘Punished for Daesh’s crimes’: Displaced Iraqis abused by militias and government forces exposes the terrifying backlash against civilians fleeing IS-held territory, raising alarm about the risk of mass violations as the military operation to recapture the IS-held city of Mosul gets underway.

The report is based on interviews with more than 470 former detainees, witnesses and relatives of those killed, disappeared or detained, as well as officials, activists, humanitarian workers and others.

“After escaping the horrors of war and tyranny of IS, Sunni Arabs in Iraq are facing brutal revenge attacks at the hands of militias and government forces, and are being punished for crimes committed by the group.”

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

“After escaping the horrors of war and tyranny of IS, Sunni Arabs in Iraq are facing brutal revenge attacks at the hands of militias and government forces, and are being punished for crimes committed by the group,” said Philip Luther, Research and Advocacy Director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International.

Interactive map: The journey and plight of displaced Iraqis

“As the battle to retake Mosul begins, it is crucial that the Iraqi authorities take steps to ensure these appalling abuses do not happen again. States supporting military efforts to combat IS in Iraq must demonstrate they will not continue to turn a blind eye to violations.”

The report highlights widespread revenge attacks and discrimination faced by Sunni Arabs suspected of being complicit in IS crimes or supporting the group. Many were displaced during major military operations in 2016 across the country, including in Falluja and surrounding areas (in the governorate of Anbar), al-Sharqat (Salah al-Din governorate), Hawija (Kirkuk governorate) and around Mosul (Ninewa governorate).

The predominantly Shi’a militias involved in abuses, known as the Popular Mobilization Units, have long been backed by the Iraqi authorities, which have provided them with financial support and weapons. They were officially designated part of the Iraqi forces in February 2016.

The government’s responsibility for these violations cannot be ignored and states supporting or participating in the ongoing military effort to combat IS in Iraq should have rigorous checks in place to ensure that any support or equipment they provide does not contribute to abuses.

Mass abductions, killings and torture

Amnesty International’s research reveals that war crimes and other gross human rights violations were committed by predominantly Sh’ia militias, and possibly government forces, during operations to retake Falluja and surrounding areas from IS in May and June 2016.

In one shocking incident at least 12 men and four boys from the Jumaila tribe who fled al-Sijir, north of Falluja, were extrajudicially executed after they handed themselves in to men wearing military and federal police uniforms on 30 May. Men and older boys were separated from the women and younger children before being lined up and shot dead. At least 73 other men and older boys from the same tribe were seized a few days earlier and are still missing.

Militias also abducted, tortured and killed men and boys from the Mehemda tribe who fled Saqlawiya, another town north of Falluja. On 3 June, some 1,300 men and older boys were seized. Three days later, more than 600 of them were transferred to the custody of local Anbar officials bearing marks of torture on their bodies.

Survivors interviewed by Amnesty International said they were held at an abandoned farmhouse, beaten with various objects, including shovels, and denied food and water. One survivor said that 17 of his relatives were still missing, including his 17-year-old nephew. Another of his relatives had died, apparently as a result of torture.

“There was blood on the walls… They hit me and the others with anything they could lay their hands on, metal rods, shovels, pipes, cables… They walked on top of us with their boots. They insulted us, and said that this was payback for the Speicher massacre [in which some 1,700 captured Shi’a cadets were summarily killed by IS]… I saw two people die in front of my eyes,” he told Amnesty International.

A local investigative committee set up by the Governor of Anbar concluded that 49 people captured from Saqlawiya were killed – either shot dead or burned or tortured to death – and that 643 others remained missing. The government announced that investigations had been opened into the incident and arrests carried out, but has not disclosed any detailed information about findings or those detained.

The abductions and mass killings near Falluja are far from isolated incidents. Across the country, thousands of Sunni men and boys who fled IS-held territory have been forcibly disappeared by Iraqi security forces and militias. Most went missing either after handing themselves over to pro-government forces or were seized from their homes, camps for internally displaced people or at checkpoints or on the streets According to one local parliamentarian, since late 2014 members of the Hizbullah Brigades have abducted and forcibly disappeared up to 2,000 men and boys at the al-Razzaza checkpoint, which separates Anbar and Karbala governorates.

“Iraqi authorities, whose complicity and inaction in the face of widespread abuses have contributed to the current climate of impunity, must rein in militias and make clear that such serious violations will not be tolerated.”

“The Hashd [militias] took our men away saying this was payback [for IS abuses],” said “Salma” (name changed to protect her identity), whose husband was seized at the al-Razzaza checkpoint with his two cousins in January 2016 as they fled IS rule.

“Iraqi authorities, whose complicity and inaction in the face of widespread abuses have contributed to the current climate of impunity, must rein in militias and make clear that such serious violations will not be tolerated. They must impartially and independently investigate all allegations of torture, enforced disappearances and extrajudicial executions,” said Philip Luther.

“Failure to do so will allow a vicious cycle of abuse, repression and injustice to continue and raises serious fears about the safety of civilians still in Mosul.”

Torture and abuses in detention

All males fleeing areas under IS control considered of fighting age (between roughly 15 and 65) are subjected to security screening by Iraqi authorities and the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government to determine if they have links to IS. But the process is opaque and often deeply flawed. While some are released within days, others are transferred to security forces and detained for weeks or months in horrific conditions, without access to their families or the outside world, and without being referred to court.

The report reveals how security forces and militia members routinely torture or otherwise ill-treat detainees at screening facilities, unofficial militia detention sites, and facilities controlled by the Ministries of Defence and Interior in Anbar, Baghdad, Diyala and Salah al-Din governorates.

Detainees told Amnesty International they were suspended in stress positions for long periods, given electric shocks, beaten brutally or were taunted with threats that their female relatives would be raped. Many said they were tortured to “confess” or to provide information on IS and other armed groups.

Former detainees held by the Kurdish security forces (Asayish) in Dibis, Makhmur and Dohuk in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq also said they faced torture and other ill-treatment.

One man described being tortured at a facility controlled by Iraqi armed forces and intelligence near the village of Hajj Ali in June 2016 where more than 50 people were held in one room and subjected to repeated beatings:

“They beat me with a thick cable on the soles of my feet. I saw another detainee having a cigarette extinguished on his body. A boy of about 15 had hot wax poured on him. They wanted us to confess to being Daesh.”

Iraqi courts have a history of relying on coerced “confessions” to convict defendants of serious charges in flagrantly unfair trials – often sentencing them to death. So far in 2016, at least 88 executions have been carried out mainly on terrorism-related charges. Dozens of death sentences have been handed down and some 3,000 people remain on death row.

Background

The findings of this report were shared with the Iraqi and Kurdish authorities on 21 September. No response has been received from the Iraqi authorities. The Kurdish authorities responded largely denying Amnesty International’s findings.

Tens of thousands of Iraqis have been forcibly displaced by Iraqi government forces and the Peshmerga (Kurdish armed forces), as well as militias, since mid-2014. Many are barred from returning to their homes, purportedly on security grounds or face arbitrary and discriminatory restrictions on their freedom of movement. Often they are confined to camps with little prospect of gaining livelihoods or accessing essential services.

Mohamedou Ould Slahi, who has been held in the Guantanamo detention camp without charge or trial since 2002, has been transferred back to his home country of Mauritania.

After voluntarily submitting himself for questioning in his home country in 2001, he was detained in Jordan and the Bagram prison in Afghanistan before being sent to Guantanamo. He was subjected to torture throughout his 14 years in custody.

“Mr. Slahi’s 14 years of unlawful detention and torture are unconscionable, and his transfer is long overdue.”

Elizabeth Beavers, Amnesty International USA senior campaigner

In 2015, Slahi’s notes to his lawyers detailing his time in Guantánamo were published under the title Guantánamo Diary. Slahi was allegedly deprived of sleep for nearly 70 days straight, subjected to strobe lighting and continuous loud heavy metal music, threats against him and his family, intimidation by dog, cold temperatures, dousing with cold water, physical assaults, and food deprivation. He was never charged with a crime.

“Mr. Slahi’s 14 years of unlawful detention and torture are unconscionable, and his transfer is long overdue,” said Elizabeth Beavers, senior campaigner with Amnesty International USA. “His accounts of his treatment provided a chilling insight into the reality suffered by those unlawfully held for more than a decade without charge.

“There are now 60 men still held in Guantánamo. Each must be charged and tried through fair trial in federal court, or be released to a country that will protect their human rights.

“President Obama must close the prison at Guantánamo Bay during his term in office, and ensure accountability for the torture that many have suffered.”

Last week, Amnesty International USA launched a campaign asking President Obama to prioritize human rights during his last 100 days in office, including closing Guantánamo.

Indonesia’s authorities must immediately repeal provisions that allow sex offenders to be punished by forced chemical castration and even the death penalty.

“The sexual abuse of children is indescribably horrific. But subjecting offenders to chemical castration or executions is not justice, it is adding one cruelty to another,” said Papang Hidayat, Amnesty International’s Researcher on Indonesia.

“Forced chemical castration is a violation of the prohibition on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment under international law.”

Papang Hidayat, Amnesty International Researcher on Indonesia

Chemical castration is a drug or hormone treatment to suppress sex drive. Imposing it by law without informed consent as a punitive measure would be a cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment.

“Forced chemical castration is a violation of the prohibition on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment under international law,” said Papang Hidayat.

“The expansion of the scope of the death penalty is inconsistent with Indonesia’s international obligations which protects the right to life. Further given the serious flaws in Indonesia’s justice system the risk of executing the innocent can never be eliminated.”

The Indonesian Doctors Association (IDI) has said they will refuse to implement the castration punishment as it violates their medical ethics.

Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all circumstances, regardless of the method of execution or the crime for which it is imposed, and believes that there is no credible evidence that the death penalty has a unique deterrent effect.

Background

Government Regulation in Lieu of Law (Perppu) No.1/2016 which amended Law No. 23/2002 on the Protection of Children was ratified yesterday in the House of Representatives. The Government Regulation was issued in May by President Joko Widodo following several high-profile cases of rape of children and subsequent calls by politicians for harsher punishments for those who commit sexual offences against children.

Article 81 of the revised law imposes forced chemical castration as an additional punishment for “anyone who commits violence or threatens violence to force a child – person below 18 years – to have intercourse with him or with another person that causes: more than one victim, serious injury, mental disorder, infectious diseases, the loss or malfunction of the reproductive organs and/or death of the victim”.

According to the revised law chemical castration will be carried out against the offender for a period of up to two years after the convict has undergone his prison term. Offenders below the age of 18 are not subject to this punishment.

Forced chemical castration violates the international law prohibition on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment which is set out in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT), to which Indonesia is a state party.