Demanding justice in Sri Lanka

While hundreds rallied outside during our 2014 Get On The Bus action on Sri Lanka on April 11, four Amnesty International USA activists met at the Sri Lankan UN mission with Deputy Permanent Representative Ambassador Major General Shavendra Silva. We presented around 400 letters participants had signed demanding justice for the “Trinco Five”: Ragihar Manoharan and four other Tamil students who were gunned down by police in Trincomalee on January 2, 2006. (12 Special Task Force members were detained and later released without being charged.)

We demanded that the government: 

1. Conduct an effective, impartial investigation into the murders of Ragihar Manoharan and the “Trinco Five.” 
2. Publish the 2006 Presidential Commission of Inquiry report without further delay. 
3. Promptly transfer the case to a higher court. 
4. Prosecute those who are responsible for the murders, and bring them to justice in a manner consistent with international human rights standards.

 The families of these students deserve no less than this.

We also expressed concern about the arrest and detention under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) of Balendran Jeyakumari, an advocate for families of people “disappeared” in the military conflict in Sri Lanka, and her 13-year-old daughter Vibooshika. We called for them to be released, or else to be charged with a recognizable offense under ordinary criminal law, and to receive due process and private attorney visits. Ambassador Silva agreed to follow up with us about these cases. We will not give up until justice has been served, for the “Trinco Five” and for all who have been arbitrarily detained in Sri Lanka under the PTA.

Presenting letters to Sri Lankan Deputy UN Ambassador
Photo by Steve Latimer, AI 9/280

Inés and Valentia

The case of Inés and Valentina were featured in December's Global Write-a-thon and was slated to be a Get On The Bus 2012 action.

From Amnesty International:

Indigenous women Inés Fernández Ortega and Valentina Rosendo Cantú were raped by Mexican soldiers in 2002. Although they were brave enough to report the attacks to the authorities and to follow up their cases, no substantive investigation has taken place and no-one has been brought to justice. The stories of Inés Fernández and Valentina Rosendo represent the stories of several other Indigenous women who have suffered sexual violence at the hands of members of the Mexican military and whose cases remain in impunity. In August 2010 the Inter-American Court of Human Rights ordered the Mexican state to investigate the human rights violations against Inés Fernández and Valentina Rosendo, bring those responsible to account, provide adequate reparation and take steps to ensure that these violations will not be repeated in the future. The Court also ordered Mexico to end the application of military jurisdiction in cases of human rights violations committed by members of the military. 

Inés Fernández, Valentina Rosendo and their families have suffered acts of intimidation in an apparent attempt to stop the two women from publicising their case and demanding justice. In the most recent incident, on 28 August 2010, a daughter of Inés Fernández was accosted by two men in the nearby town of Ayutla de Los Libres. The two men threatened the Fernández family with death if they remained in Ayutla. The Inter-American Court had ordered the Mexican government to guarantee the safety of Inés Fernández and her family on 7 April 2009 but the protection measures have not been fully implemented.

On December 15 of last year, the Mexican government made a public acknowledgement of responsibility, a big step in the right direction. Stay tuned for updates on how this will affect the GOTB action.

Full story here (Spanish).

Case Update: Sri Lanka

From the Christian Science Monitor:

UN report faults Sri Lanka, Tamil Tigers over war conduct

A UN panel has found 'credible allegations' of war crimes committed by both sides as the long-running civil war drew to a close in May 2009.

April 19, 2011
Bangkok, Thailand

Sri Lanka’s civil war, which ended nearly two years ago with the battlefield defeat of the Tamil Tigers.
  The panel’s findings contradict many of Sri Lanka’s assertions about the conduct of its troops, who are accused of deliberately shelling civilians caught in the war zone. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), whose leadership was wiped out at the end of the war in May 2009, is also cited for violations such as child recruitment and using civilians as human shields. Tens of thousands of Tamil civilians trapped behind enemy lines may have died during the fighting.
  Sri Lanka’s government, which refused to cooperate with the panel, has already criticized its findings as “fundamentally flawed” and based on unverified claims. An executive summary of the report was leaked last week to a Sri Lankan newspaper after the UN sent a copy to the government.The panel’s findings contradict many of Sri Lanka’s assertions about the conduct of its troops, who are accused of deliberately shelling civilians caught in the war zone. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), whose leadership was wiped out at the end of the war in May 2009, is also cited for violations such as child recruitment and using civilians as human shields. Tens of thousands of Tamil civilians trapped behind enemy lines may have died during the fighting.

Read the rest of the story here.

Shine a light, Save a life

Less than 24 hours until Get on the Bus hits the streets of NYC. We're burning the midnight oil here in Somerville, MA. Tuesday night, 15 volunteers sorted and collated print materials. Danielle and Helen stayed until 10pm! Val worked overtime finalizing the bus passenger lists Wednesday. Patrick will be packing up the car with posters, event programs, and merch. I wonder if they're main lining caffine, like me?

It takes a huge effort of time and energy by a small group of volunteers to pull off an event of this size year after year. Did you know we plan for GOTB six months in advance, including selecting which cases to profile? This year, event planning was underway well before the wave of peaceful protests in North Africa and the Middle East and the subsequent news of repression of students in Iran and the torture of women in Egypt, among other human rights abuses reported.

In recent weeks, we also learned that Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) leaders Jenni Williams and Magodonga Mahlangu are currently being hunted by police. Both have been arbitrarily arrested on numerous occasions in the past following peaceful protests and have been detained for periods of up to 37 days. Let's be blunt -- they're being harrassed and intimidated by police.

Knowing the that the threat of arrest is always real and immediate, Jenni lives out of a suitcase and in safe houses, ready to move a moment's notice (starting at the 1:40 minute mark).

Video by [wide angle] via Amnesty International: Demonstrating Under Dictatorship

I was deeply moved by Jenni's speech at Amnesty International's Annual General Meeting in March. She's the type of leader who incites hope. It's individual stories of hope -- the human face of determination and survival -- that resonate most strongly with me.

Tom Stoppard -- who's probably my favorite playwrite of all time -- describes the work of Amnesty International in the UK Guardian:

What it does, he says, "is connect awareness to protest globally… And, of course, the very phrase 'a prisoner of conscience' is a very potent idea. Someone who's been locked up because of his conscience."

On this Friday and next, GOTB will embody the connection between awareness and protest. We'll draw attention to some of our human rights concerns, including prisoners of conscience like Dhondup Wangchen, filmmaker of the documentary Leaving Fear Behind and Filep Karma, a West Papuan activist. And we've tested the batteries to make sure we'll have working megaphones to amplify our voices so that diplomats and international leaders will know we are on their doorstep.

We need you to join us -- in person and virtually -- to make the greatest impact! Jam the fax lines. Flood inboxes with messages of hope. Pre-formatted letters are available for download on the GOTB website. Or just take a moment of action: shine a little bit of love and light on Jenni Williams and Magodonga Mahlangu by signing a letter online.

Revised Chad "asks"

The revised list of "asks" for the Get On The Bus 2011 Chad action as recommended by Amnesty International Chad country specialist Sarah Milburn:

• to provide greater protection to women and girls in refugee camps in eastern Chad, including refugees from Darfur and internally displaced persons from Chad, now that they have lost the protection that MINURCAT provided;
• to make every effort to prevent the recruiting of underage combatants in the refugee camps and other insecure areas of eastern Chad, either by the Chadian security services or by armed opposition forces, and to better facilitate the rehabilitation and reintegration of child soldiers;
• to ensure that Chadian soldiers and security personnel cease all violations of the human rights of refugees and other displaced persons in the camps; and
• to ensure that all who have committed such violations are brought to justice, whether they are in Chadian government forces or those of the opposition.