The Campaign News
EHHR campaign to be highlighted at UN General Assembly
This last weekend, the Elders gathered a group greater than two hundred strong at La Maison Des Arts et Métiers in Paris to reflect on the last year of Every Human Has Rights. They stood alongside more than 30 award-winning human rights journalists, civil society leaders, and government and business leaders to amplify the voices of millions of people around the world; re-committing themselves to the goals of the Universal Declaration and calling on governments and individuals everywhere to renew their commitment to human rights.
On Wednesday, 10 December - the 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights - Mary Robinson will highlight messages from Paris and the individual pledges and group commitments made throughout the campaign in an address to world leaders at the UN General Assembly.
Zimbabwe call to action
 photo courtesy of frontlineblogger |
Every Human Has Rights campaign partners CIVICUS, GCAP, and Amnesty International have combined forces across Africa in a joint call to action for the people of Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwean's are living in troubled times. Days after Robert Mugabe was sworn in for a sixth term and while leaders throughout Africa are debating the fate of their relationships with the country's government, Zimbabwe's people continue to struggle under the burdens of political intimidation, violence, and instability.
In solidarity with the citizen's of Zimbabwe suffering under the widespread killings, torture and intimidation of the political opposition taking place: participants in the call to action plan to stand up for Zimbabwean's human rights to freedom from fear, and freedom of political participation.
- Appointment of an independent commission of inquiry to look into the recent human rights violations and abuses
- Posting of human rights monitors to report on the current situation
- Restoration of the independence of the judiciary and accountability of security forces and law enforcement agencies
- Organising vigils outside the Zimbabwean embassies
- Assembling outside government buildings or Houses of Parliament urging national governments to play a more active role on Zimbabwe
- Meetings with heads of state, parliamentarians or local governments to urge action on Zimbabwe
- Publishing articles or letters in the national or local press on violations of human and people’s rights in Zimbabwe
- Organising press conferences with civil society representatives, government representatives and other experts on Zimbabwe
- Issuing a press releases urging action on Zimbabwe
- Directing people to sign a petition or take an e-action
- Presenting memorandums or submissions to the African Union, Southern African Development Community and national governments
Pan-African Campaign of Solidarity for Zimbabwe
Launch: Saturday 12 July 2008
On Saturday 12 July 2008, following a call by CIVICUS: World Alliance For Citizen Participation, Amnesty International and the Global Call for Action Against Poverty (GCAP), citizens of Africa will unite to express their solidarity with the people of Zimbabwe who are suffering persistent violations of their rights. Saturday represents the launch of a Pan-African Campaign of Solidarity for Zimbabwe, and will be followed by events continent-wide.
The widespread killings, torture and intimidation of the political opposition that characterised the presidential election run-off on June 27 cannot be condoned under any circumstances. “By flagrantly and consistently violating the values upon which present day Africa is premised, Mr Mugabe has done great disservice to the people of Zimbabwe and the continent. We believe it is the responsibility of all Africans to urgently put a stop to Mr Mugabe’s anti-democratic activities” said Kumi Naidoo Honorary President of CIVICUS.
“The widespread killings, torture and assault of perceived opposition supporters must come to an end in Zimbabwe. Concrete action is long overdue and African leaders must end their silent acquiescence,” said Irene Khan, Secretary General of Amnesty International. In this hour of crisis, the people of Africa stand together with the people of Zimbabwe. “We urge African leaders to call for space to be opened up so that civil society can play a role in tackling Zimbabwe’s current crisis – we are needed now more than ever as millions of people face hunger through growing food insecurity brought on by mis-governance.” said Adelaide Sosseh, GCAP Co-chair based in The Gambia.
Saturday’s Pan-African events will express the concern of people continent-wide for the situation in Zimbabwe, and demonstrate the unity with which Africans stand against the violations committed against Zimbabwe’s people. It represents the beginning of an Africa- wide campaign at the grassroots level, allowing African voices to speak out about injustice in Zimbabwe.
For further information, please contact:
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For CIVICUS: Anupama Selvam anupama.selvam@civicus.org +27 11 833 5959 ext. 107 |
For GCAP: Joe Donlin joe.donlin@civicus.org |
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For media queries: Nastasya Tay nastasya.tay@civicus.org +27 73 266 0493 |
For Amnesty International: Chris Cymbalak christopher.cymbalak@amnesty.org |
Campaign Resources:
There are a growing number of African voices speaking out against the suffering in Zimbabwe and demanding action from the African Union, the Southern African Development Community and individual African governments. The types of action that they are calling for include:
There will be a range of activities taking place across the African continent on Saturday 12 July 2008, organised by local civil society organisations and concerned citizens. The expressions of solidarity that they will be making include:
CIVICUS statement on Zimbabwe:
www.civicus.org/new/media/CIVICUS-Zimbabwe-Statement.pdf
Amnesty International statement on Zimbabwe:
http://www.amnesty.org
GCAP statement on Zimbabwe:
www.whiteband.org/media/press-info/au-summit-egypt-the-chance-for-african-leaders-to-tackle-zimbabwe-crisis
Bitter Outcomes of Political Violence in Zimbabwe
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| Image from the New York Times showing men beating unidentified victims at a political rally |
It's June 2008. Almost 60 years after nations around the world signed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, committing to realizing the right for every person "to take part in the government of his country, directly or through freely chosen representatives", and over just the last twenty days: men, women, and children across Zimbabwe have suffered the bitter outcomes of political violence.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights offered a shared vision for the world. Article 21 of the Universal Declaration states "the will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government", and "[that] will shall be expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedure" Yet on July 23rd, the front page of the New York Times online showed a photograph of six men with sticks and iron bars beating unidentified victims at the site of a planned political rally. It was just one picture of thousands too many.
- In solidarity with Zimbabwe's suffering people, make your pledge to uphold the human rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration. Sign the pledge, and tell your friends. Help grow this community of people spanning organizations around the world who are calling for accountability and standing up for human rights.
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| Desmond Tutu speaking with BBC's Andrew Marr |
In a BBC Interview, The Elders Chair Archbishop Tutu offered strong words, calling for the prevention of Mr. Mugabe or any of "his cronies" from leaving the country and accessing out of country funds. After Friday's election, Tutu argued that African leaders should join in a unanimous voice saying to Mr. Mugabe, "You are unwelcome any longer. You are Illegitimate We will not recognize your administration in any way, shape or form."
Every Human Has Rights partner organisations, CIVICUS and GCAP released a joint statement calling for "...every Member State in the African Union to urgently put a stop to Mr Mugabe's anti-democratic activities and protect the people of Zimbabwe..." Amnesty International described the event, "being held against a backdrop of widespread killings, torture and assault of perceived opposition supporters", as deeply distrurbing, and urged the "AU and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to apply all necessary pressure on President Mugabe and his government to end the violence". All three organizations have called for a pan-African Day of Solidarity on July 12th. Civil society groups and concerned citizens are being encouraged to undertake solidarity actions on the day.
Organizations like the World YWCA are providing humanitarian assistance and continued support with shelter to survivors of violence. They're also doing robust psychosocial counselling and healing now and as the country recovers.
In addition to contributing your time and talent to efforts mentioned above, you can track what's happening on the ground through organizations like Sokwanele - Zvakwana, and Kubatana. To leave you with a glimmer of hope, here is a beautiful poem written by a human rights blogger in Harare, entitled: I am part of a vision.
Spotlight on torture
On June 26th, activists all over the world joined in an 'International Day in Support of Victims of Torture' by calling on governments to reaffirm their commitment to the consensus first affirmed after the Second World War - that torture and other ill-treatment are absolutely prohibited. Members of Amnesty International held events in Luxembourg, Portugal, Denmark, Ireland, Belgium, Australia, New Zealand and the United States as part of their Counter Terror with Justice campaign. You can read about the events in their campaign activism blog, or view images from the day of action on the 'Counter Terror with Justice' Flickr Photostream.
In commemoration of victims of torture all over the world, Amnesty International also released this video, titled 'Torture must Never be Justified', featuring interviews with The Elders Jimmy Carter and Mary Robinson.
- The Every Human Has Rights campaign partner is calling for members to take action by sending an email to President Nicolas Sarkozy, urging him to lead the EU Council in action to end rendition and secret detention; writing the Tunisian government to demand it takes steps to end torture and other ill-treatment; and to sign onto a call demanding that the US government ends illegal detentions.
Countering terror with justice in Europe and Africa
Living in fear is not just a condition of life in war torn countries like Sudan, Afghanistan, or Iraq. This week Amnesty International is taking a stand with five reports describing how Authorities around the world are using the "war on terror" to loosen or ignore laws that protect citizens' human rights.
Four of this week's reports from Amnesty focus on Tunisia. 'Tunisia: Torture, illegal detention and unfair trials' describes "Hundreds if not thousands of young people suspected of terrorism-related offences [that] have been arrested in Tunisia in the past five years. Many have been tortured and otherwise ill-treated, held incommunicado and subjected to enforced disappearance. Some have been sentenced after unfair trials before military and other courts to long prison terms or even death."
The fifth is a 76 page document outlining certain practices of US agencies in Europe and in their dealings with European nationals in the context of the “war on terror” - "ranging from allowing CIA flights headed for rendition circuits to use European airports and airspace to hosting secret detention centres, or “black sites” – and their failure to admit or investigate violations carried out by their nationals or on their territory."
The report tells the story of people like Abu Omar, an Egyptian refugee who was the victim of rendition in Italy and secret detention. According to the report:
Usama Mostafa Hassan Nasr, better known as Abu Omar, an Egyptian national with refugee status and Italian residency, was walking down a street in Milan on 17 February 2003. An Italian-speaking man approached him, identified himself as a policeman, and demanded to see his papers. The next thing Abu Omar knew he was being bundled into a white van.
US agents took Abu Omar to the NATO airbase at Aviano, northern Italy. At Aviano he was reportedly put on a Learjet LJ-35 (SPAR-92) and flown to Ramstein NATO airbase in Germany. In Ramstein, he was transferred to a CIA-chartered Gulfstream IV jet (N85VM) and flown to Cairo in Egypt, where he was detained in secret for the next 14 months.
Abu Omar says that on arrival in Cairo, he was taken by Egyptian security officers to a building he later discovered was the national intelligence headquarters. He said that he was tortured up to 12 hours a day for seven months. He described being “crucified” on a metal door and on a wooden apparatus which they called el-arousa (the bride), during which he was given electric shocks, kicked and beaten...
Read more campaign content on the 'Freedom from Fear, Preventing Torture'
