Human Rights Defenders

Security for Human Rights Defenders key to protecting and helping civilian victims in Gaza

Palestine

Front Line, the International Foundation for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, is gravely concerned for the safety of human rights defenders and humanitarian workers who are operating in the field in Gaza; monitoring and reporting on the horrific outcome of the continuous air raids by the Israeli armed forces and providing much needed help to victims. Human rights defenders include activists and workers in; human rights groups, press and media, health services and humanitarian aid workers. These defenders provide direct help and a voice for the victims of the severe human rights violations in Gaza where hundreds of civilians have been killed or wounded in indiscriminate attacks. They will also play a crucial role in documenting what is happening and it is to be hoped that the evidence that they collect can be used to bring those responsible to justice. The indiscriminate attacks on civilians and the collective punishment of the civilian population of Gaza by means of a blockade of essential services and supplies constitute war crimes under the Geneva Conventions.

Front Line calls upon the Israel authorities for an immediate end to

The Human Rights Society of Uzbekistan (HRSU) and Front Line presented a joint letter in Geneva

The Human Rights Society of Uzbekistan (HRSU) and Front Line presented a joint letter in Geneva on 15th December calling for the release of 14 imprisoned human rights defenders and 4 imprisoned family members. Abdujalil Boymatov, Deputy Chair of the HRSU presented the letter to the office of Margaret Sekaggya, the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders, and also met with representatives of six of the other special procedures. The visit coincided with the Human Rights Council discussing the Universal Periodic Review of Uzbekistan.

Read the joint letter to Margaret Sekaggya, the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders

News about Front Line

Algeria - Cherifa Kheddar wins International Service Human Rights Award for the Defence of the Human Rights of Women

We are delighted to announce that Ms. Cherifa Kheddar of Algeria was successfully nominated as the winner of the 2009 International Service Human Rights Award for the Defence of the Human Rights of Women. We are so pleased that her tireless and important work has been recognized and we hope that this international visibility helps in her current situation, where the local government is putting pressure upon her livelihood and residence. For background to the alerts issued regarding Cherifa please see here

Algeria

Kenya – Arbitrary detention of over 60 civil society activists and journalists

Update

Front Line is concerned by the reported arbitrary detention of over 60 civil society activists and journalists in Kenya who were taking part in a peaceful demonstration on the occasion of Kenya's Jamhuri Day celebrations on 12 December 2008. Activists who arrived outside the Nyayo National stadium in Nairobi wearing t-shirts condemning the failure of MPs to pay taxes were reportedly targeted for detention. The majority of those detained were released without charge.

Mr Mwalimu Mati, Chief Executive of Mars Group Kenya (marsgroupkenya.org), and his wife, Jane Mati, remained in detention for two nights. An investigation against them on the grounds of “incitement to violence” is currently pending. Mars Group Kenya describes itself as a leadership, governance, accountability and media watchdog organization whose "goal is to create awareness and to generate an effective demand, by Kenyans, for accountability from Kenya’s leadership and to encourage Kenyans to hold to account those who have committed improprieties."

Kenya

Cameroon - Violent repression and arrests of human rights defenders following a peaceful demonstration by the ACDIC

Front Line is deeply concerned by the arrest of Mr Bernard Njonga, Mr. Isaac Difakoué and two other members of the Association Citoyenne de Défense des Intérêts Collectifs - ACDIC (The Citizens Association for the Defence of Collective Interests) who were amongst nine protesters arrested during a peaceful protest on 10 December 2008 in Yaoundé. Two other ACDIC members, Mr Nono Theophile and Mr Mowha Franklin, were severely beaten by the police during the demonstration. Bernard Njonga is the National President of the ACDIC and Isaac Difakoué is the Vice-President of the same organisation. The ACDIC is a citizen´s movement which defends the rights of citizens in Cameroon.

Cameroon

Yemen – Release of human rights defender while others remain in detention

Update

Front Line welcomes the release of human rights defender, Khalid Abdul-Wahab El-Sharif from prison on Friday 19 December. He had been detained since 5 July 2008 in the Political Security Prison, San´a, where he had been denied legal consultation, regular visits and was never officially charged. Despite his release, Front Line remains deeply concerned about the ongoing detention without charge of human rights defenders, Mr Yasre Abdul-Wahab Al-Wazeer and Mr Mu’een Ibraheem Al-Mutawakel.

Yemen

China – Government crackdown on human rights defenders for commemorating the 60th anniversary of the UDHR

Front Line is seriously concerned following reports received of a widespread police crackdown, including a wave of arrests and incommunicado detentions of human rights defenders, in the context of their commemoration of the the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). This includes the dispersal by the police of a peaceful demonstration on 10 December in Beijing; the arrest On 8 December 2008 of Mr Zhang Zuhua and Mr Liu Xiaobo for their participation in the Charter 08 initiative, a declaration that outlines a vision for a constitutional democratic China and initiates a platform for citizens' action; The arrest, On 4 December, and incommunicado detention of five human rights defenders in Guizhou who had planned to organize the Fourth Guizhou Citizens' Forum on Human Rights on 10 December 2008.

China

Dublin: Launch of Defending Life With Life a joint campaign with The Body Shop

On Monday 8 December Front Line and The Body Shop launched their joint campaign, Defending Life with Life. The campaign will run from 8 December to 23 December in all branches of The Body Shop in Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and seven key branches of The Body Shop in the UK

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Western Sahara - Alnassiri Ahmed and Engiya Boukhars

Front Line is concerned by the harassment of human rights defenders Alnassiri Ahmed and Engiya Boukhars following meetings with Front Line representatives and a peaceful demonstration in Smara on 21 September 2008. Following a Front Line meeting with Mr Alnassiri Ahmed, Moroccan security services raided his home but did not find him there. He was subsequently dismissed from his job at Khraibka Municipality. Al Nassiri is the Secretary General of the Committee for Protection of Human Rights in Smara-Western Sahara and a member of the Moroccan Human Rights Society. Women’s human rights defender Engiya Boukhars Alshaikhi who also met with the Front Line delegation was physically assaulted during the demonstration on September 21, 2008 by security forces and has since had her salary frozen.

Western Sahara

Sudan: Front Line welcomes the release of Osman Hummaida from detention

Case Update

Front Line welcomes the release of Osman Hummaida from detention in the office of the National Security Service (NSS) in Northern Khartoum on 28 November 2008 at around 12.30 am. Abdelmoneim Aljak and Amir Mohamed Suliman, who were arrested with Osman Hummaida and redetained several times, have not been rearrested. Despite the release of the human rights defenders from detention, Front Line condemns the torture and ill-treatment that Osman Hummaida and Abdelmoneim Aljak were subjected to in the course of interrogation.

Sudan

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