[romania_eu_list] raportul anual Amnesty International

[Razvan Martin]

a fost lansat raportul anual Amnesty International privind situatia drepturilor omului in lume. www.amnesty.org World's poor and disadvantaged pay price of war on terror (London) 2005 was a year of contradictions in which signs of hope for human rights were undermined through the deception and failed promises of powerful governments, said Amnesty International today as it published its annual report. Speaking at the launch of Amnesty International Report 2006, the organization’s Secretary General Irene Khan said that the security agenda of the powerful and privileged had hijacked the energy and attention of the world from serious human rights crises elsewhere. "Governments collectively and individually paralyzed international institutions and squandered public resources in pursuit of narrow security interests, sacrificed principles in the name of the "war on terror" and turned a blind eye to massive human rights violations. As a result, the world has paid a heavy price, in terms of erosion of fundamental principles and in the enormous damage done to the lives and livelihoods of ordinary people," said Ms Khan. "Intermittent attention and feeble action by the United Nations and the African Union fell pathetically short of what was needed in Darfur," said Ms Khan, referring to a conflict that claimed thousands of lives, displaced millions, and in which war crimes and crimes against humanity continue to be committed by all sides. Iraq sank into a vortex of sectarian violence in 2005. Ms Khan warned: "When the powerful are too arrogant to review and reassess their strategies, the heaviest price is paid by the poor and powerless -– in this case, ordinary Iraqi women, men and children." Israel and the Occupied Territories slipped off the international agenda in 2005, deepening the distress and despair of Palestinians and the fears of the Israeli population. The brutality and intensity of attacks by armed groups in 2005 reached new levels, taking a heavy toll on human lives. "Terrorism by armed groups is inexcusable and unacceptable. The perpetrators must be brought to justice -– but through fair trial, not torture or secret detention. Sadly, the increasing brutality of such incidents throughout the world last year is a further bitter reminder that the ‘war on terror’ is failing and will continue to fail until human rights and human security are given precedence over narrow national security interests," said Ms Khan. "But clear signs of hope wrestled with despair in 2005." The past year saw one of the greatest mobilizations of civil society in the fight against poverty and the struggle for economic and social rights. The UN Summit, which reviewed progress on implementation of the Millennium Development Goals, showed the dismal failure of governments to match performance to promise. For instance, governments paid lip service to women's human rights but failed to fulfill international targets for equal access to education by girls. In 2005, the call for justice scored another hit as the International Criminal Court issued its first indictments for crimes against humanity and war crimes in Uganda. The immunity of past Heads of State was dented in Latin America as Augusto Pinochet was placed under house arrest and an international arrest warrant was enforced against Alberto Fujimori. Powerful governments were called to account by their courts and public institutions. The highest court in the United Kingdom rejected the government’s plan to use evidence extracted under torture. The Council of Europe and the European Parliament opened investigations into European involvement in US-led ‘renditions’, or the unlawful transfer of prisoners to countries where they would be at risk of torture or other abuses. Revelation after revelation exposed the extent to which European governments have been partners in crime with the United States, defying the absolute ban on torture and ill-treatment and by outsourcing torture though the transfer of prisoners to states such as Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Saudi Arabia and Syria, which are known to practise torture. "Sadly, instead of accepting and welcoming the efforts of courts and legislatures to reinstate respect for fundamental human rights principles, some governments attempted to find new ways to dodge obligations," stated Ms Khan. The United Kingdom pursued "diplomatic assurances" -– or paper guarantees -– so as to be able to return people to countries where they could face torture. Legislation in the USA reaffirmed the ban on torture and other ill-treatment in the face of opposition from President Bush, but then went on to severely restrict the right of Guantánamo detainees to have their treatment reviewed in the federal courts. "Just as we must condemn terrorist attacks on civilians in the strongest possible terms, we must resist claims by governments that terror can be fought with torture. Such claims are misleading, dangerous and wrong -- you cannot extinguish a fire with petrol," said Ms Khan. "Double speak and double standards by powerful governments are dangerous because they weaken the ability of the international community to address human rights problems such as those in Darfur, Chechnya, Colombia, Afghanistan, Iran, Uzbekistan and North Korea. They allow perpetrators in these and other countries to operate with impunity. "When the UK government remains muted on arbitrary detention and ill-treatment in Guantánamo, when the United States ignores the absolute prohibition on torture, when European governments are mute about their record on renditions, racism or refugees, they undermine their own moral authority to champion human rights elsewhere in the world. "In a year in which the UN spent much time discussing reform and membership of its key institutions, it failed to give attention to the performance of two key members -- China and Russia -- who have consistently allowed their narrow political and economic interests to prevail over human rights concerns domestically or internationally. "Those who bear the greatest responsibility for safeguarding global security in the UN Security Council proved in 2005 to be the most willing to paralyze the Council and prevent it from taking effective action on human rights. "Powerful governments are playing a dangerous game with human rights. The score card of prolonged conflicts and mounting human rights abuses is there for all to see." The year 2005 saw the beginning of the change in public mood. "Pressure that is emerging must be used effectively to turn international irresponsibility into action," Ms Khan urged. Key demands of Amnesty International in 2006 are: • To the United Nations and African Union to address the conflict and end human rights abuses in Darfur; • To the United Nations to negotiate for an Arms Trade Treaty to govern the trade of small arms so that they cannot be used to commit human rights abuses; • To the US Administration to close Guantánamo Bay detention camp, and disclose the names and locations of all ‘war on terror’ prisoners elsewhere; • To the new UN Human Rights Council, to insist on equal standards of respect of human rights from all governments, whether in Darfur or Guantánamo, Chechnya or China. "The political and moral authority of governments will be increasingly judged on their stand on human rights at home and abroad. More than ever the world needs those countries with power and international influence -- the permanent members of the UN Security Council as well as those who aspire to such membership -- to behave with responsibility and respect for human rights. Governments must stop playing games with human rights," declared Ms Khan. Public Document   FACTS AND FIGURES Report 2006: The state of the world’s human rights NB: Figures as of 23 May 2006, unless otherwise indicated. HOPE Remarkable progress on the abolition of the death penalty showed the potential for public pressure to bring about change. DEATH PENALTY By 2005, 122 countries had abolished the death penalty in law or in practice In 1977, the year when the USA resumed the use of the death penalty and AI convened a groundbreaking International Conference on the Death Penalty, only 16 countries were abolitionist. 1 . Country known to AI that still executed juvenile offenders in 2005. HYPOCRISY In 2005, the US Administration acknowledged the use of "renditions". Rendition is the practice of transporting persons forcibly and without due process from one country to another where they risk being interrogated under torture or ill-treatment. Renditions are illegal under international treaties to which all European governments are party. 2005... year in which evidence was made public of involvement of European governments in US-led renditions. 1000... approximate number of secret flights directly linked to the CIA that used European airspace between 2001 and 2005, some of which may have carried prisoners. 100s... estimated number of persons who may have been subject to renditions around the world. 6... number of European countries implicated in the rendition of 14 individuals to countries where they were tortured. 1... number of European countries that has issued arrest warrants for CIA agents suspected of kidnapping prisoners for rendition. DUPLICITY Governments championed human rights on the one hand, and undermined them on the other. TORTURE 141 countries party to the UN Convention against torture and other ill-treatment. 104 countries out of the 150 countries in AI’s 2006 report that have tortured or ill-treated people. PARALYSIS OF THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY The conflict in Darfur has been described as staggering in scale and harrowing in nature. Urgent action is needed by the United Nations and the African Union to protect civilians in Darfur. ARMED CONFLICT 2.2 million number of refugees and people displaced by the conflict. 285,000 estimated number of deaths from starvation, disease and killings in Darfur since 2003. 7,000 number of African Union monitors deployed in Darfur. 13 number of UN Security Council resolutions adopted on Darfur. Zero number of United Nations peacekeepers deployed in Darfur. FAILED PROMISES At the Millennium Summit in 2000, the world’s leaders set clear targets to solve some of the most vexing global social problems. But, they failed to turn their promises into performance. Governments promised to achieve universal primary education by 2015. 100 million+ number of children who remain out of school. 300,000 estimated number of child soldiers. 46% number of girls in the world’s poorest countries with no access to primary education. TORTURE & TERROR Thousands of people have been detained without charge or trial, tortured and ill-treated in the name of counter-terrorism. 1592 number of days since the USA opened the Guantánamo Bay prison camp for ‘war on terror’ suspects on 11 January 2002. 759 total number of people who have been detained at Guantánamo Bay. 13 age of Mohammed Ismail Agha when taken into US custody in Afghanistan in late 2002 before later being transferred to Guantanamo. 0 the number of detainees at Guantánamo Bay who have been convicted of a criminal offence. VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN From birth to death, in times of peace as well as war, women face discrimination and violence at the hands of the state, the community and the family. 2 million girls at risk of female genital mutilation each year. Only 9 countries have specific legislation outlawing female genital mutilation. 25 % of women experience sexual abuse by an intimate partner in their lifetime. 79 countries have no legislation against domestic violence. 5.3 % of rapes reported in England and Wales in 2003 resulted in a conviction. Unknown: the total number of women raped in conflict. Rape is commonly used as a weapon of war. Establishing exact figures is difficult due to insecurity, logistics, fear of stigmatisation and risk of reprisal against women who report rape. CONTROL ARMS The proliferation of small arms is fuelling conflict, poverty and human rights abuses worldwide. 2 bullets for every person on the planet and one gun for every ten. 1000 average number of people killed every day by small arms. 1 to 10 for every $1 spent on development assistance $10 is spent on military budgets. 88% reported conventional arms exports are from the 5 permanent members of the UN Security Council: China, France, Russia, UK and USA. ROMANIA Discrimination and attacks against Roma continued. The situation in mental health institutions remained unsatisfactory. Deaths of individuals in psychiatric institutions were not investigated effectively and impartially. Members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community experienced discrimination and intolerance. Background The European Commission noted in October that Romania had made progress towards greater respect for human rights in an attempt to meet the criteria for membership of the European Union, accession to which is scheduled for 2007. The Commission said that steps had been taken to ensure the independence of the judiciary, guarantee greater media freedom and promote the rights of the child. It said further efforts were needed to combat ill-treatment in police custody, prevent trafficking in human beings and ensure the effective integration of the Roma minority with regard to their economic and social rights. Roma and racism Discrimination against Roma continued despite Romania’s commitment to the Decade of Roma Inclusion, a campaign to eliminate marginalization of Roma that started in 2005. According to the Open Society Foundation, which works to promote human rights, 75 per cent of Romanians do not want to live near Roma. In July, the European Court of Human Rights ruled on the Hädäreni case, an incident in 1993 when three Roma were killed and more than 170 others were forced to abandon their homes in the town of Hädäreni and flee after a night of racial violence. Following a row between three Roma men and another villager, in which one ethnic Romanian was killed, a crowd of Romanians and ethnic Hungarians had vandalized 14 Romani houses beyond repair. Following the attack, the concerned Roma families were forced to live in degrading conditions as the government failed to provide them with adequate remedies. The European Court of Human Rights found Romania in violation of numerous provisions of the European Convention on Human Rights, including the right to a fair hearing, the right to respect for family and private life, and the right not to be discriminated against. The Court obliged Romania to pay compensation to the Roma affected by the 1993 attacks. In August a court in Romania moved to comply with the ruling, ordering the seizure of property from perpetrators of the Hädäreni attacks to finance compensation for the victims. After police arrived in Hädäreni to execute the court ruling, there was an outpouring of racist speech directed at Roma by the media and politicians. There was an increase in racist remarks in the Romanian media. The Mayor of the southern city of Craiova was fined twice by the National Council for Combating Discrimination for expressing racist views in public. Although he was made to resign as vice-president of the Social Democrats, a national political party, he remained the Mayor of Craiova. The procedural rules for the government’s National Council for Combating Discrimination, did not allow for a speedy, independent investigation of complaints that would provide effective and proportionate remedies for victims of discrimination. Public debate to change the rules to make the work of the Council more effective was ongoing. A draft law on national minorities adopted by the government in May was rejected by parliament in October. The law aimed to prevent discrimination against all minorities in Romania, and guarantee the right to cultural autonomy, religious freedom, freedom of _expression_, and the right to use minority languages. The law was supported by the Hungarian and Romani minorities in Romania. Concerns about mental health care Following the tragedy in Poiana Mare psychiatric hospital in 2004 when 17 patients died of malnutrition and hypothermia, the prosecutor initiated criminal investigations into the events. Having found “no causal link” between the deaths and the involvement of staff, the prosecutor closed the investigations in February 2005. After campaigning by local and international human rights organizations, the investigation was reportedly reopened in August. In November the Minister of Health announced a plan to close down Poiana Mare hospital and transfer its patients to more appropriate and centrally located institutions. In February the UN Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health released a report on Romania. He stressed that “the enjoyment of the right to mental health care remains more of an aspiration rather than a reality for many people with mental disabilities in Romania.” The Rapporteur recommended that an independent mental health commissioner be established urgently. Inadequate investigations of ill-treatment of minors Several cases involving ill-treatment of minors were not properly investigated or the results of investigations were not made public. They included the cases of I.G., who was beaten by the police in 2003; I.M., who was ill-treated by police in 2003; F.F., who was beaten by a policeman in 2004; C.B., who was ill-treated by police in 2004; and D.N., who was beaten by a policeman with a rubber truncheon in 2004. In many cases the authorities said that the children either inflicted the injuries on themselves or had the injuries prior to their arrest. Such claims contradicted the victims’ statements. LGBT community under attack Although homosexuality was decriminalized in 2001, reportedly more than 40 per cent of the population continued to believe that homosexuals should be removed from the country. The GayFest parade on 28 May was opposed by the Orthodox Church and the local authorities. The municipal authorities of Bucharest, who initially agreed to provide logistical support for the march, later withdrew this offer. They said they could not provide enough cover to keep people safe and that the time of the parade was inappropriate. Authorization for the parade was finally granted after the President of Romania intervened in an emergency meeting with the Mayor of Bucharest. The parade subsequently passed without incident. In February the non-governmental organizations (NGOs) Accept and the Centre for Legal Resources won a case against the state-owned airline TAROM which illegally excluded a homosexual couple from a Valentine’s Day sale. The National Council for Combating Discrimination declared that TAROM had been “restricting the free access, under equal conditions, to public services and places” and ordered TAROM to pay a US$180 fine, which it did without delay. Following the decision, the NGOs filed an administrative complaint against the fine, which they believed was nominal and not sufficient to have a dissuasive effect against further such actions. Having lost the administrative appeal, the NGOs were preparing a court appeal at the end of the year. *** sustineti [romania_eu_list] prin 2% din impozitul pe 2005 - detalii la http://www.doilasuta.ro *** SPONSORED LINKS Dvd region free American politics Region free dvd player YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS  Visit your group "romania_eu_list" on the web.    To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:  [EMAIL PROTECTED]    Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.