Trace-Reference-Guide1.Pdf

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Trace-Reference-Guide1.Pdf Trace This artwork pays tribute to prisoners of conscience, human rights activists, and other people who have been detained or exiled because of their beliefs or affiliations. Ai Weiwei selected these individuals based on information provided by Amnesty International and other human rights organizations, as well as independent research by the artist’s studio and the FOR-SITE Foundation. Research was completed in June 2014; the status of the individuals represented may have changed since that time. More Online • Connect to free WiFi: Free @Large Alcatraz WiFi • Share your comments and photos on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram: #AiWeiweiAlcatraz • Access a digital version of the information in these pages: Trace.AiWeiweiAlcatraz.org • Get more information about prisoners of conscience: amnesty.org Visit Yours Truly , Ai Weiwei’s installation in the Dining Hall, to write postcards to detainees represented in Trace . The images in this guide are preliminary design renderings; details of the finished artwork may vary. Zone 1 Zone 2 Zone 3 TRACE | Zone Map Zone 4 Zone 5 Zone 6 TRACE | Zone Map TRACE | Zone 1 Chelsea Manning Ahmed Douma Woubshet Taye Sardar Alibeyli Shakir Hamoodi Gulgeldy Annaniyazov John Kiriakou Andualem Arage Natnael Mekonnen Hilal Mammadov Petros Solomon Martin Luther King, Jr. Shaker Aamer Reeyot Alemu Amadou Sanneh Eskinder Nega Alhagie Sambou Fatty Edward Snowden Ahmed Maher Uzeyir Mammadli Haile Woldetensae Iván Fernández Depestre Dieudonné Enoh Meyomesse Dashgin Melikov Agnes Uwimana Nkusi Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela Ales Bialiatski Meriam Ibrahim TRACE | Zone 1 TRACE | Zone 1 UNITED STATES Chelsea Manning Convicted of violations of the Espionage Act and other offenses. Manning (formerly Bradley Manning) is a US Army soldier who released the largest set of classified documents ever leaked to the public. Manning was sentenced in 2013 to 35 years confinement with the possibility of parole in eight years, and to be dishonorably discharged from the Army. EGYPT Ahmed Douma Convicted of participation in illegal protests. Douma is a prominent activist and blogger who has famously been arrested under each consecutive Egyptian government in recent years. He was arrested following a protest organized by the No Military Trials for Civilians campaign in defiance of a new restrictive protest law. In 2013 he was sentenced to three years in prison with hard labor. ETHIOPIA Woubshet Taye Convicted of terrorism. Taye was the deputy editor of the independent weekly The Awramba Times, a leading opposition media voice. He had reported on the Beka! (Enough!) movement in 2011 that called for peaceful protests. He was detained in 2011 and held incommunicado before being sentenced to 14 years in prison. TRACE | Zone 1 AZERBAIJAN Sardar Alibeyli Convicted of hooliganism. Alibeyli is the editor of the newspaper Nota Bene and its accompanying website PS Nota, which has published commentaries by exiled politicians and army officers who accuse the president of corruption, human rights abuses, and authoritarianism. In 2013 he was sentenced to four years in prison. UNITED STATES Shakir Hamoodi Pled guilty to engaging in a conspiracy to violate the International Economic Emergency Powers Act. Hamoodi is an Iraqi American nuclear engineer. He sent money to family and friends in Iraq for humanitarian purposes during US sanctions. In 2002 he criticized the Bush administration’s plan to attack Iraq. In 2012 he was sentenced to three years in prison and three years probation. His crime is no longer illegal. TURKMENISTAN Gulgeldy Annaniyazov Convicted of crossing the border without valid travel documents. Annaniyazov is a human rights activist and dissident. He was imprisoned for organizing a nonviolent antigovernment demonstration in 1995. The government released him after five years, and he fled with his family to Norway. He returned to Turkmenistan in 2008 and was arrested and sentenced to 11 years in prison. He is detained incommunicado. TRACE | Zone 1 UNITED STATES John Kiriakou Pled guilty to violating the Intelligence Identities Protection Act. Kiriakou is a former CIA officer and counterterrorism official who disclosed to a reporter the name of an agency officer who had been involved in the CIA’s program to hold and interrogate detainees. In 2007 he publicly discussed the use of the suffocation technique known as waterboarding. In 2013 he was sentenced to 30 months in prison. ETHIOPIA Andualem Arage Convicted of terrorism under the Anti- Terrorism Proclamation. Arage is vice chairman of the opposition party Unity for Democracy and Justice. He was arrested while promoting the amendment or abrogation of the proclamation and the release of political and religious leaders and journalists. He was accused of links to a pro-Eritrean group designated as a terrorist organization. In 2012 he was sentenced to life in prison. ETHIOPIA Natnael Mekonnen Convicted of terrorism under the Anti- Terrorism Proclamation. Mekonnen is a member of the opposition party Unity for Democracy and Justice. He publicly discussed whether Middle East–style uprisings could spread to Ethiopia, and was accused of links to a pro-Eritrean group designated as a terrorist organization. In 2012 he was sentenced to 18 years in prison. He has testified to being tortured. TRACE | Zone 1 AZERBAIJAN Hilal Mammadov Convicted of illegal drug possession, treason, and incitement to national, racial, or religious hatred. Mammadov is a journalist and human rights activist and the chief editor of the only Azerbaijani newspaper printed in the minority Talysh language; he is known as an activist on behalf of the Talysh people. In 2013 he was sentenced to five years in prison. ERITREA Petros Solomon Held without charge. Solomon was an Eritrean People’s Liberation Front commander during the Eritrean War of Independence, and served in several cabinet positions. He was also a member of a group that published an open letter to the government and President Isaias Afewerki calling for “democratic dialogue.” Since 2001 he has been held incommunicado in an undisclosed location. UNITED STATES Martin Luther King, Jr. Arrested 30 times, charged with calling for and participating in illegal gatherings. King was a clergyman, activist, humanitarian, and leader in the African American Civil Rights Movement; he is best known for his role in the advancement of civil rights using nonviolent civil disobedience. King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. He was assassinated in 1968. TRACE | Zone 1 UNITED STATES Shaker Aamer Held without trial or charge. A Saudi citizen and British legal resident, Aamer was originally suspected of leading anti-US forces in Afghanistan while being paid by Osama bin Laden. He has been detained since 2001. He was cleared for release by the Bush administration in 2007 and by the Obama administration in 2009, but remains in detention in Guantánamo. He says that he has been subject to torture. ETHIOPIA Reeyot Alemu Sentenced under the Anti-Terrorism Proclamation. Alemu is a journalist, founder of a publishing house, and editor of the magazine Feteh . Her articles covered social and political affairs as well as poverty and gender issues. In 2012 she received the Courage in Journalism Award from the International Women’s Media Foundation. She is serving a five-year prison sentence. GAMBIA Amadou Sanneh Charged with intent to bring hatred or contempt or to excite disaffection against the person of the president of the Republic of The Gambia. Sanneh is the treasurer of the opposition United Democratic Party (UDP). He had written a letter supporting the asylum application of UDP member Malang Fatty, claiming government persecution. In 2013 he was sentenced to five years in prison. He has testified to being tortured. TRACE | Zone 1 ETHIOPIA Eskinder Nega Convicted of treason, outrages against the Constitution, and incitement to armed conspiracy. Nega published an online column critical of the use of the terrorism law to silence dissent and calling for the Ethiopian government to respect freedom of expression and end torture in the country’s prisons. In 2012 he was sentenced to 18 years in prison. GAMBIA Alhagie Sambou Fatty Convicted of sedition. Fatty is a member of the opposition United Democratic Party (UDP) and the brother of Malang Fatty; he asked UDP Treasurer Amadou Sanneh to write a document supporting Malang’s application for asylum. In 2013 he was sentenced to five years in prison. He has testified to being tortured. UNITED STATES Edward Snowden Charged with espionage and theft of government property. Snowden is a computer specialist, former employee of the Central Intelligence Agency, and former contractor for the National Security Agency. He disclosed thousands of classified documents revealing details of global surveillance programs. He currently lives in an undisclosed location in Russia; he is considered a fugitive by American authorities. TRACE | Zone 1 EGYPT Ahmed Maher Sentenced for protesting a new Egyptian law banning all protests. Maher is a civil engineer, one of the cofounders of the April 6 Youth Movement, and a prominent participant in the anti-Mubarak demonstrations in Egypt in 2011. He has earned a Nobel Peace Prize nomination for his work toward democratic reform. In 2013 he was sentenced to three years in prison. AZERBAIJAN Uzeyir Mammadli Convicted of the illegal possession of firearms and explosives and planning to organize acts of public disorder. Mammadli is a member of NIDA, a youth opposition movement active on social media that is highly critical of the government. In 2014 he was sentenced to seven years in prison. ERITREA Haile Woldetensae Detained indefinitely. Woldetensae was the minister of finance and development and later minister of foreign affairs in Eritrea. He was a member of a group that published an open letter to the government and President Isaias Afewerki calling for “democratic dialogue.” Since 2001 he has been held incommunicado in an undisclosed location. TRACE | Zone 1 CUBA Iván Fernández Depestre Charged with dangerousness—the special proclivity of a person to commit crimes.
Recommended publications
  • Bahrain Imprisonment, Torture and Statelessness: the Darkening Reality of Human Rights Defenders in Bahrain International Mission Report
    BAHRAIN IMPRISONMENT, TORTURE AND STATELESSNESS: THE DARKENING REALITY OF HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS IN BAHRAIN International Mission Report June 2015 Cover photos: Photos of Hussain Jawad, Ghada Jamsheer, Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja, Sayed Ahmed Al-Wedaei, Ibrahim Al-Dimistani, Naji Fateel, Madhi Abu Deeb, Mohammed Al-Maskati, Zainab Al-Khawaja, Taïmoor Karimi and Nabeel Rajab. All rights reserved. Directors of publication: Karim Lahidji, Gerald Staberock Authors of the report: Safya Akorri Edition and coordination: Alexandra Pomeon O’Neill and Miguel Martín Zumalacárregui Design: CBT / Lay out: Stéphanie Geel Imprimerie de la FIDH Dépôt légal juillet 2015 FIDH (English ed.) ISSN 2225-1804 – Fichier informatique conforme à la loi du 6 janvier 1978 (Déclaration N° 330 675) 2 The Observatory IMPRISONMENT, TORTURE AND STATELESSNESS: THE DARKENING REALITY OF HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS IN BAHRAIN TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION .................................................................. 4 METHODOLOGY . 5 I. THE CONTEXT: A SHRUNKEN SPACE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS . 6 A. Political context ..............................................................6 B. Legal framework . 8 B.1. Restrictions to freedom of association .......................................8 B.2. Criminal provisions used to repress human rights defenders .....................9 II. CASES OF HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS SUBJECTED TO JUDICIAL HARASSMENT IN BAHRAIN 11 • Mr. Madhi Abu Deeb. .11 • Mr. Ibrahim Al-Dimistani. 13 • Mr. Naji Fateel. 15 • Ms. Ghada Jamsheer .........................................................17
    [Show full text]
  • Submission to Bahrain's UPR Third Cycle Human Rights Council UPR Working Group 27Th Session April-May 2017
    Submission to Bahrain's UPR Third Cycle Human Rights Council UPR Working Group 27th Session April-May 2017 1/5 75 Broad Street, 31st Floor, 805 15th Street, N.W., #900 1303 San Jacinto Street, 9th Floor New York, NY 10004 Washington, DC 20005 at South Texas College of Law, Houston, TX 77002 Tel: 212.845.5200 Tel: 202.547.5692 Tel: 713.955.1360 Fax: 212.845.5299 Fax: 202.543.5999 Fax: 713.955.1359 human rights f irst.org In this report, Human Rights First includes a follow up to the previous universal periodical review and makes recommendations for the following areas: Wrongful Imprisonment Several human rights defenders were in custody or in prison in late 2016 for reasons connected with their peaceful activities. These include anti-corruption and women's rights activist Ghada Jamsheer, and Nabeel Rajab. He was taken into detention, charged with what the government described as “insulting a statutory body” and “spreading rumors during wartime”. He was also charged with "undermining the prestige" of Bahrain for publishing an article in The New York Times. If convicted, Rajab could face up to 15 years in prison under Bahrain's penal code. Other HRDs remained in prison sentenced to long terms, including Abdulhadi Alkhawaja, the former president and co-founder of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights and the former Coordinator of Middle East and North Africa Protection at Front Line Defenders. He is serving a life sentence for his part in the 2011 protests. Naji Fateel from the NGO Bahrain Youth Society is serving a 15-year imprisonment sentence).
    [Show full text]
  • Belarus Country Report BTI 2014
    BTI 2014 | Belarus Country Report Status Index 1-10 4.31 # 101 of 129 Political Transformation 1-10 3.93 # 99 of 129 Economic Transformation 1-10 4.68 # 90 of 129 Management Index 1-10 2.80 # 119 of 129 scale score rank trend This report is part of the Bertelsmann Stiftung’s Transformation Index (BTI) 2014. It covers the period from 31 January 2011 to 31 January 2013. The BTI assesses the transformation toward democracy and a market economy as well as the quality of political management in 129 countries. More on the BTI at http://www.bti-project.org. Please cite as follows: Bertelsmann Stiftung, BTI 2014 — Belarus Country Report. Gütersloh: Bertelsmann Stiftung, 2014. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. BTI 2014 | Belarus 2 Key Indicators Population M 9.5 HDI 0.793 GDP p.c. $ 15592.3 Pop. growth1 % p.a. -0.1 HDI rank of 187 50 Gini Index 26.5 Life expectancy years 70.7 UN Education Index 0.866 Poverty3 % 0.1 Urban population % 75.4 Gender inequality2 - Aid per capita $ 8.8 Sources: The World Bank, World Development Indicators 2013 | UNDP, Human Development Report 2013. Footnotes: (1) Average annual growth rate. (2) Gender Inequality Index (GII). (3) Percentage of population living on less than $2 a day. Executive Summary Belarus faced one the greatest challenges of the Lukashenka presidency with the economic shocks that swept the country in 2011. The government’s own policies of politically motivated increases in state salaries and directed lending resulted in a balance of payments crisis, a massive decrease in central bank reserves, a currency crisis as queues formed at banks to change Belarusian rubles into dollars or euros, rampant hyperinflation, a devaluation of the national currency, and a significant drop in real incomes for Belarusian households.
    [Show full text]
  • Amnesty International
    amnesty international PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA No Improvement in Human Rights: The Imprisonment of dissidents in 1998 4 March 1999 AI Index: ASA 17/14/99 Despite the marking of the 50th anniversary of the adoption of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights in 1998 and despite the recent signing by China of the two United Nations Covenants on Human Rights there are still no guarantees for the Chinese people that they will not be detained or arrested for seeking the freedoms of association and expression enshrined in the UN Declaration. In the past twelve months, many scores of people throughout China have been detained, harassed and imprisoned solely for exercising these rights. The Chinese government’s signing of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) in October 1998, the visits to China of American President Bill Clinton, and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson were heralded as triumphs for diplomacy and human rights ‘dialogue’. International opinion began to suggest that the Chinese authorities were making improvements in human rights. However, as the prospect of international censure recedes and the international spotlight faded, the Chinese authorities once again began to crack down on dissidents and activists. During the last few weeks of 1998, over 29 dissidents were detained, four leading dissidents sentenced to lengthy terms of imprisonment and several other dissidents and labour activists have been sentenced to re-education through labour terms and lengthy terms of imprisonment. Since October 1998 when China signed the ICCPR it is estimated that over 80 dissidents have been detained and at least 15 high profile dissidents have been given heavy prison sentences or assigned to re-education through labour.
    [Show full text]
  • 28. Rights Defense and New Citizen's Movement
    JOBNAME: EE10 Biddulph PAGE: 1 SESS: 3 OUTPUT: Fri May 10 14:09:18 2019 28. Rights defense and new citizen’s movement Teng Biao 28.1 THE RISE OF THE RIGHTS DEFENSE MOVEMENT The ‘Rights Defense Movement’ (weiquan yundong) emerged in the early 2000s as a new focus of the Chinese democracy movement, succeeding the Xidan Democracy Wall movement of the late 1970s and the Tiananmen Democracy movement of 1989. It is a social movement ‘involving all social strata throughout the country and covering every aspect of human rights’ (Feng Chongyi 2009, p. 151), one in which Chinese citizens assert their constitutional and legal rights through lawful means and within the legal framework of the country. As Benney (2013, p. 12) notes, the term ‘weiquan’is used by different people to refer to different things in different contexts. Although Chinese rights defense lawyers have played a key role in defining and providing leadership to this emerging weiquan movement (Carnes 2006; Pils 2016), numerous non-lawyer activists and organizations are also involved in it. The discourse and activities of ‘rights defense’ (weiquan) originated in the 1990s, when some citizens began using the law to defend consumer rights. The 1990s also saw the early development of rural anti-tax movements, labor rights campaigns, women’s rights campaigns and an environmental movement. However, in a narrow sense as well as from a historical perspective, the term weiquan movement only refers to the rights campaigns that emerged after the Sun Zhigang incident in 2003 (Zhu Han 2016, pp. 55, 60). The Sun Zhigang incident not only marks the beginning of the rights defense movement; it also can be seen as one of its few successes.
    [Show full text]
  • Download Download
    ASEAS 11(1) 2018 Österreichische Zeitschrift für Südostasienwissenschaften Austrian Journal of South-East Asian Studies FOCUS THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF NEW AUTHORITARIANISM ASEAS Österreichische Zeitschrift für Südostasienwissenschaften Austrian Journal of South-East Asian Studies ASEAS Österreichische Zeitschrift für Südostasienwissenschaften Austrian Journal of South-East Asian Studies The Austrian Journal of South-East Asian Studies (ASEAS) is an international, interdisciplinary, and open access social sciences journal covering a variety of topics (culture, economics, geography, politics, society) from both historical and contemporary perspectives. Topics are related to Southeast Asia, but are not restricted to the geographical region, when spatial and political borders of Southeast Asia are crossed or transcended, e.g., in the case of linguistics, diaspora groups, or forms of socio-cultural transfer. ASEAS publishes two focus issues per year and we welcome out-of-focus submissions at any time. The journal invites both established as well as young scholars to present research results and theoretical and methodical discussions, to report about on-going research projects or field studies, to publish conference reports, to conduct interviews with experts in the field, and to review relevant books. Articles can be submitted in German or English. MEDIENINHABERIN & HERAUSGEBERIN / PUBLISHER SEAS – Gesellschaft für Südostasienwissenschaften / Society for South-East Asian Studies ZVR-Zahl 786121796, Kreitnergasse 44/31, 1160 Wien, Austria GEGENSTAND / PURPOSE Der Verein SEAS bezweckt unter anderem die Förderung der Südostasienwissenschaften und der Bildung des wissenschaftlichen Nachwuchses, sowie des Stellenwertes und der Auseinandersetzung mit der Region Südostasien in Österreich und darüber hinaus. OFFENLEGUNG / DISCLOSURE (§ 25MEDG) Der Verein SEAS ist zu 100 Prozent Eigentümer von ASEAS.
    [Show full text]
  • Capacity Building for Human Rights Defenders on Enforced Disappearance
    Capacity Building for Human Rights Defenders on Enforced Disappearance Odhikar angladesh returned to democracy following the fall of an auto- cratic regime through a popular upsurge in 1990. Since then, three Bcredible elections were held successfully. However the growth of constitutional liberties still faces some challenges. Democracy or free and fair elections alone are not enough to protect the rights of the disadvantaged and vulnerable groups. Continued occur- rences of election violence, arbitrary arrests, custodial death, and torture by state and non-state actors hamper the enjoyment of civil and political rights, often with ominous consequences. he need for an independent and objec- tive human rights organization in safeguarding basic human rights, particu- larly civil and political rights of the people of Bangladesh was strongly felt. In 1994, a group of human rights activists underscored in a meeting the need to uphold the civil and political rights of the people of Bangladesh along with social, cultural and economic rights. Eventually, a decision was arrived at to form an organization in order to advance such rights. On 10 October 1994, Odhikar (a Bangla word that means rights) came into being with the aim of creating a wide monitoring and awareness raising system on the abuse of civil and political rights. Odhikar adopted the following principal objectives: to raise the aware- ness of human rights and its various abuses, on the one hand, and to create a vibrant democratic system through election monitoring on the other. he organization also performs policy advocacy to address the current human rights situation. By not establishing ield or branch oices, Odhikar instead trained more than ive hundred people all over the country to become hu- man rights defenders, who are relied upon for information outside Dhaka.
    [Show full text]
  • Congressional-Executive Commission on China Annual
    CONGRESSIONAL-EXECUTIVE COMMISSION ON CHINA ANNUAL REPORT 2007 ONE HUNDRED TENTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION OCTOBER 10, 2007 Printed for the use of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China ( Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.cecc.gov VerDate 11-MAY-2000 01:22 Oct 11, 2007 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6011 Sfmt 5011 38026.TXT CHINA1 PsN: CHINA1 2007 ANNUAL REPORT VerDate 11-MAY-2000 01:22 Oct 11, 2007 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6019 Sfmt 6019 38026.TXT CHINA1 PsN: CHINA1 CONGRESSIONAL-EXECUTIVE COMMISSION ON CHINA ANNUAL REPORT 2007 ONE HUNDRED TENTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION OCTOBER 10, 2007 Printed for the use of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China ( Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.cecc.gov U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 38–026 PDF WASHINGTON : 2007 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free (866) 512–1800; DC area (202) 512–1800 Fax: (202) 512–2104 Mail: Stop IDCC, Washington, DC 20402–0001 VerDate 11-MAY-2000 01:22 Oct 11, 2007 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 5011 Sfmt 5011 38026.TXT CHINA1 PsN: CHINA1 VerDate 11-MAY-2000 01:22 Oct 11, 2007 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 5011 Sfmt 5011 38026.TXT CHINA1 PsN: CHINA1 CONGRESSIONAL-EXECUTIVE COMMISSION ON CHINA LEGISLATIVE BRANCH COMMISSIONERS House Senate SANDER M. LEVIN, Michigan, Chairman BYRON DORGAN, North Dakota, Co-Chairman MARCY KAPTUR, Ohio MAX BAUCUS, Montana TOM UDALL, New Mexico CARL LEVIN, Michigan MICHAEL M. HONDA, California DIANNE FEINSTEIN, California TIM WALZ, Minnesota SHERROD BROWN, Ohio CHRISTOPHER H.
    [Show full text]
  • Petition To: United Nations Working
    PETITION TO: UNITED NATIONS WORKING GROUP ON ARBITRARY DETENTION Mr Mads Andenas (Norway) Mr José Guevara (Mexico) Ms Shaheen Ali (Pakistan) Mr Sètondji Adjovi (Benin) Mr Vladimir Tochilovsky (Ukraine) HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY COPY TO: UNITED NATIONS SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR ON THE PROMOTION AND PROTECTION OF THE RIGHT TO FREEDOM OF OPINION AND EXPRESSION, MR DAVID KAYE; UNITED NATIONS SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR ON THE RIGHTS TO FREEDOM OF PEACEFUL ASSEMBLY AND OF ASSOCIATION, MR MAINA KIAI; UNITED NATIONS SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR ON THE SITUATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS, MR MICHEL FORST. in the matter of Alaa Abd El Fattah (the “Petitioner”) v. Egypt _______________________________________ Petition for Relief Pursuant to Commission on Human Rights Resolutions 1997/50, 2000/36, 2003/31, and Human Rights Council Resolutions 6/4 and 15/1 Submitted by: Media Legal Defence Initiative Electronic Frontier Foundation The Grayston Centre 815 Eddy Street 28 Charles Square San Francisco CA 94109 London N1 6HT BASIS FOR REQUEST The Petitioner is a citizen of the Arab Republic of Egypt (“Egypt”), which acceded to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (“ICCPR”) on 14 January 1982. 1 The Constitution of the Arab Republic of Egypt 2014 (the “Constitution”) states that Egypt shall be bound by the international human rights agreements, covenants and conventions it has ratified, which shall have the force of law after publication in accordance with the conditions set out in the Constitution. 2 Egypt is also bound by those principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (“UDHR”) that have acquired the status of customary international law.
    [Show full text]
  • 13 May 2021, Rome to His Majesty King Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa Of
    13 May 2021, Rome To His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa of Bahrain, We, Members of the Italian Parliament, are writing to you today to express our deep concerns over the fate of the prisoners of conscience and the human rights defenders currently held in the prisons of the Kingdom of Bahrain. We are aware that not only are these prisoners subjected to unjust punishment and ill-treatment, but that they are also experiencing a disproportionately high risk of illness, as they are deprived of medical attention and personal protective equipment necessary to protect against COVID-19. This situation is great cause for concern, since it violates the values of freedom, dignity, and respect that Italy and the rest of the international community hold dear. Moreover, it does not respect the many international treaties that the Kingdom of Bahrain has signed which aim to defend human freedom, dignity, and safety. These treaties further safeguard an individual’s right to freedom of expression and freedom of speech, and include the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), the Convention Against Torture (CAT), and the Arab Charter on Human Rights (ACHR). As you are certainly aware, on 11th March 2021, the EU Parliament passed a resolution that addresses the cases of the prisoners of conscience and human rights defenders who are currently serving their prison sentences. For example, Hassan Mushaima, the leader of the political opposition, the former Secretary-General of the al-Haq Movement for Liberty and Democracy, and co-Founder and former Vice President of al-Wefaq National Islamic Society, has been imprisoned since 2011 because of his political opposition.
    [Show full text]
  • Vice Chancellor Professor Saiful Islam, Professor Chaudry
    ORGANISATION FOR THE PROHIBITION OF CHEMICAL WEAPONS “The Chemical Weapons Convention: Science in Service of Peace” Speech to Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology Ahmet Üzümcü, Director-General OPCW Dhaka, Bangladesh 17 October 2016 SPEECH AS DELIVERED Vice- Vice Chancellor Professor Saiful Islam, Professor Chaudry, Distinguished faculty members, Dear students, Ladies and gentlemen, This is my first official visit to Bangladesh as Director-General of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, or OPCW. I consider it particularly important to visit centres of learning and to interact with those associated with such institutions. These are the places where ideas germinate and where the thought process is disciplined to make creative energies productive. The content and direction of progress in a country is largely determined by the quality of its educational institutions. Your university is renowned not only as one of the oldest and largest centres of higher learning in Bangladesh. It is noted for its high quality research and academic programmes in technology and engineering. It, therefore, gives me great pleasure to be with you here today. Later this week, Bangladesh will mark forty-five years of its independence. Over this time, your country has taken significant strides in advancing progress for its people. Bangladesh also has a worthy record as a responsible global citizen. It is one of the largest contributors to the United Nations peacekeeping operations. By subscribing to all major disarmament treaties, Bangladesh participates in the endeavour to make our world a place safe from weapons of mass destruction. Your country is an original signatory to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), a landmark international treaty that bans an entire class of weapons of mass destruction under international verification.
    [Show full text]
  • Conference on Disarmament Statement by Ambassador
    ORGANISATION FOR THE PROHIBITION OF CHEMICAL WEAPONS Please check against delivery CONFERENCE ON DISARMAMENT STATEMENT BY AMBASSADOR AHMET ÜZÜMCÜ DIRECTOR-GENERAL ORGANISATION FOR THE PROHIBITION OF CHEMICAL WEAPONS GENEVA 5 September 2017 Mr. President, Mr Secretary General, Please accept my felicitations on your assumption of the Presidency of the Conference on Disarmament. The Conference is assured of able leadership as you bring to this position a wealth of knowledge, experience and diplomatic skills. I wish you every success. I am delighted and indeed honoured to address the CD. This forum embodies the spirit of an era of resolve to banish war in favour of peace – peace based on a durable foundation of international cooperation, development and the rejection of the tools of war that are regarded as illegitimate. The twentieth century witnessed the trauma of two world wars within a span of a few decades that brought ruin on a scale never seen before in human history. Technology magnified the destructive power of weapons in ways not thought possible. These harrowing experiences united the entire world community in an aspiration to live together in harmony. A community of nations traumatised by extreme and pervasive violence found it possible to reignite the lost glow and warmth of shared values and norms as a basis for inter-state relations. Ironically, just as people were constructing a new beginning, the nuclear age was dawning. The destruction seen as a result of years of warfare could now happen in a matter of minutes. A well-thought out and systematic pursuit of disarmament eventually took shape of which the CD is a salient manifestation.
    [Show full text]