AMNESTY WEEKLY HEADLINES ON 30 SEPTEMBER - 6 OCTOBER 2023
9 October 2023
Amnesty International Thailand
Nobel Peace Prize Winner Narges Mohammadi must be released immediately and unconditionally
6 October 2023
Reacting to the news that unjustly imprisoned Iranian human rights defender Narges Mohammadi has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, Amnesty International’s Secretary General, Agnès Callamard, said:
“Narges Mohammadi receives this prize today from behind bars in Iran where she has been unjustly imprisoned since 2021 solely for her human rights activism. For years, she has worked tirelessly to bring attention to the dire human rights situation in Iran. Even from her prison cell, she condemned the authorities’ bloody crackdown on nationwide protests, called for the abolition of the death penalty and the prohibition of solitary confinement, and exposed sexual violence against women protesters in detention.
“In a cruel campaign exposing the inhumanity at the heart of the Iranian authorities’ tactics to repress critical voices, they have subjected her to years of human rights violations including torture, death threats, and denial of specialized medical care. They even prevented her from seeing her two children. Despite the enormous personal cost, the unrelenting attempts to silence her, and the prospect of a life behind bars, Narges Mohammadi defiantly continues to call for change not just for her, but for all women, men and children in Iran.
“Her recognition today by the Nobel Peace committee sends a clear message to the Iranian authorities that their crackdown on peaceful critics and human rights defenders will not go unchallenged. The international community must make renewed efforts to push for Narges Mohammadi’s immediate and unconditional release as well as that of all other women and men who have been unjustly imprisoned simply for peacefully exercising their human rights, including in the aftermath of the ‘Woman Life Freedom’ protests of 2022.”
Background
Narges Mohammadi is currently serving multiple sentences amounting to a total of 11 years and 11 months in prison, in addition to other cruel, inhuman, and degrading punishments including 154 lashes.
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China: Human rights lawyer at risk of torture after return from Laos
4 October 2023
Responding to the confirmation of the detention of Chinese human rights lawyer Lu Siwei, who was arrested in Laos in July, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for China, Sarah Brooks, said:
“Lu Siwei’s confirmed detention in China is a heartbreaking outcome for his family, with whom he had been attempting to reunite in the USA. Now, rather than being with his wife and young daughter, he is at grave risk of torture and other ill-treatment.
“Having been arrested in Laos after leaving China, it appears the Lao government has forcibly repatriated Lu in an egregious violation of its obligations under international law. This long-feared outcome is compounding the total lack of transparency that the Lao authorities displayed in this case.
“Lu’s reported reappearance in a Chinese detention centre is the latest chilling example of the Chinese government’s determination to pursue its critics even beyond China’s borders, and its ability to do so especially in countries that are receptive to Beijing’s pressure and influence.
“Lu has been targeted solely for his legitimate work defending human rights and must be released. Pending his release, the Chinese authorities should ensure he is granted unrestricted access to a lawyer of his choosing and allowed to communicate with relatives.”
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India: Arrests and raids at NewsClick signals attack on media critical of the government
4 October 2023
Responding to the arrests of NewsClick founder Prabir Purkayastha and HR head Amit Chakravarty under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) after a series of raids on the homes and offices of several journalists associated with the digital news media on Tuesday in Delhi and Mumbai, Aakar Patel, chair of board at Amnesty International India, said:
“Journalism is not a crime. The NewsClick raids and the arrest of Prabir Purkayastha and Amit Chakravarty are the latest attempts by the Indian government to decimate independent and critical media. Authorities must immediately release Prabir Purkayastha and Amit Chakravarty and allow them to carry out their work without any reprisals.
“The UAPA is repeatedly weaponized by Indian authorities to intimidate, harass journalists, human rights defenders and activists violating their rights of freedom of expression and association. Its overbroad and vague definitions of ‘terrorist acts’ and other provisions are weaponized to violate fair trial rights and other human rights with impunity.
“The Indian authorities must respect, protect, promote and fulfil the human rights of everyone including to freedom of expression and association. Authorities must stop targeting independent media and immediately release any journalists detained on trumped-up or politically motivated charges and solely for their critical reporting.
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Iran: Independent investigation into schoolgirl’s critical injuries needed amid mounting evidence of a cover up
4 October 2023
The international community must demand that the Iranian authorities allow the UN Fact-Finding Mission and other independent monitors to enter the country to investigate the circumstances leading to the hospitalization of 16-year-old Armita Garawand, who fell unconscious on a Tehran metro train after reports she was assaulted by an enforcer of Iran’s compulsory veiling laws, and has been in a coma since, said Amnesty International, amid mounting evidence of a cover up by the authorities.
In the days following her hospitalization, Iranian authorities arrested a journalist investigating the incident and circulated propaganda videos on state media featuring Armita Garawand’s visibly distressed parents and friends reluctantly reiterating the state narrative that she collapsed due to low blood pressure.
In an additional attempt to conceal the truth, the authorities also released edited CCTV footage. Analysis by Amnesty International’s Evidence Lab reveals the video frame rate was increased in four sections and detected a gap of three minutes and 16 seconds in the footage.
“Iranian authorities are waging a concerted campaign of denial and distortion to cover up the truth about the circumstances that led to Armita Garawand’s collapse, chillingly reminiscent of their bogus narratives and unplausible explanations of Mahsa/Zhina Amini’s hospitalization just over a year ago,” said Diana Eltahawy, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa.
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Global: ‘Predator Files’ investigation reveals catastrophic failure to regulate surveillance trade
5 October 2023
A new investigation into the global surveillance crisis by the European Investigative Collaborations (EIC) media network, with technical assistance from Amnesty International’s Security Lab, today begins to reveal the shocking truth about how far the industry’s tentacles have spread and how ineffective EU regulation has been in controlling it.
The ‘Predator Files’ focuses on the “Intellexa alliance” — a complex, morphing group of interconnected companies — and Predator, its highly invasive spyware. This spyware, and its rebranded variants, can access unchecked amounts of data on devices. It cannot, at present, be independently audited or limited in its functionality to only those functions that are necessary and proportionate to a specific use and target. Predator can infiltrate a device when the user simply clicks on a malicious link, but it can also be delivered through tactical attacks, which can silently infect nearby devices.
Intellexa alliance’s products have been found in at least 25 countries across Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Africa and have been used to undermine human rights, press freedom, and social movements across the globe.
“The ‘Predator Files’ investigation shows what we have long feared: that highly invasive surveillance products are being traded on a near industrial scale and are free to operate in the shadows without oversight or any genuine accountability. It proves, yet again, that European countries and institutions have failed to effectively regulate the sale and transfer of these products,” said Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General.
