The editors of the Human Rights Now blog include members of the Amnesty International USA Web Team including Kyra Stoddart, Jennifer Gmerek, and Chip Hossfeld.
By Amnesty International delegates on mission in Haiti
It might be one of the most common dishes in Haiti but for the 5,000 persons camped on a football pitch in Jacmel, white rice and beans has been their only daily meal since the earthquake, complaints about the quality or lack of nutrients are rife. Despite the crunching feeling of an empty stomach, many decided not to queue under scorching sun for the three-spoons dished up in a bowl, a jug, even a plastic bag. However, the 34 vats of food were emptied in less than an hour. The distribution of meals attracted camp neighbours, mostly children.
Dozens of women and men were involved in the camp cooking site. The food items were delivered to the camp by the World Food Programme. One of the camp committees decided that instead of distributing food rations to every family, they would cook it and share it amongst everyone.
Some pregnant women we met said they would not eat camp food because they feared being sick due to the poor quality water used for cooking. Taking vitamin pills they received from international doctors operating a basic clinic in the camp on week days caused them stomach aches without any food. Signs of malnutrition were apparent among them.
Scarcity and shortages of potable water are a big concern and all the persons we interviewed pointed out that “water is health, health is life”.
When we visited the camp, the two water bladders provided by one international aid agency were totally flat. The water had run out four days earlier and since then, the delivery truck did not come. A UNPOL officer present during the distribution of meals told us that one of the few trucks delivering water in Jacmel had broken down and it was most probably the same truck that normally delivered water to this camp. Until the water supply is re-established, the camp inhabitants will have to walk a long distance to fetch non-potable water. This was a task traditionally carried out by women and children but given the needs of the camp population, men got involved and agreed that it demanded a strenuous effort.
Not even rice and beans
For others eating rice and beans would be something.
Like many other communities not affected by the earthquake, the village of Las Cahobas, located 70km from Port-au-Prince in the Plateau Central, has welcomed hundreds of displaced people. Most of them live with host families; those who have no family links in the village are reassembled in makeshifts camps and depend on the generosity of local residents. In both cases, they feel forgotten by the State and the international community. Humanitarian aid almost never reaches Las Cahobas.
Women prepare food in the Embera Katío community in Aguasal, Chocó Department, Colombia
The indigenous community of Colombia is in serious danger of extinction if their human rights continue to be ignored and violated. Amnesty International’s new report details a startling increase in attacks against indigenous peoples across the country leaving many communities struggling for survival.
According to the National Indigenous Organization of America, 114 men, women and indigenous children were killed and thousands were forcibly displaced in 2009. Among other violations against indigenous peoples are forced disappearances, threats, physical abuse of women, the recruitment of child soldiers, and the persecution of indigenous leaders.
These injustices threaten the very existence of such communities and it is imperative that the Colombian government respond. The Minister of Colombia, Valencia Cossio, recently stated, “The report [of Amnesty International] erroneously assumed that ‘internal armed conflict’ and ‘paramilitaries’ are to blame for the violence, and they do not face the fact that indigenous communities have been displaced and killed by the FARC and emerging criminal groups. ”
However, Human Rights Watch has continued to document great tolerance by the military for paramilitary atrocities. According to Human Rights Watch, the phrase “sixth division” is a common phrase in Colombia when referring to paramilitary groups in the country. At its most wrenching, there is collaboration between the military and paramilitaries of Colombia that according to Human Rights Watch includes:
By Gerardo Ducos, Amnesty International delegate on mission in Port-au-Prince Haiti
Two months after the earthquake, thousands in Port-au-Prince and elsewhere still await a first glimpse of humanitarian aid. In the four makeshift camps we visited during our first days in Haiti, life is a daily struggle and conditions are dire to say the least. People are without water, food, sanitation or shelter. Resilience and solidarity with each other are the only things these camp-dwellers can rely on.
A canal clogged with garbage in the Cité Soleil camp
There are camps everywhere. Every single open space, on public or private land, is occupied by hundreds or thousands of people. They are sheltered mostly under sheets and towels, in tents, under tarpaulins or, for the most industrious, in structures of recycled wood and tin.
In the camps we visited in Cité Soleil, Delmas and Champ-de-Mars, local committees have been created, improvising and taking charge of basic camp management tasks: coordination, security during the night, registration of families, activities for children, digging latrines or demarcation of common space. However, women’s participation and representation in the committees is limited.
That said, most women are out and about in the streets of Port-au-Prince selling goods and trying to earn what they can to feed their families. At some distribution points, other women are patiently forming orderly queues to receive rice or other items from humanitarian organizations under the watchful eye of the heavily armed US soldiers or UN blue helmets.
The destruction in the city is vast and most of the government institutions have collapsed or are damaged beyond use. The authorities, like thousands of other Haitians, are literally camping and working off the road.
The Port-au-Prince police station is located a few hundred meters from what was the Presidential Palace and overlooks Champ-de-Mars, one of the city’s open spaces – now occupied by more than 12,000 people.
This police station hosts one of the few units set up to respond to violence against women. It so now reduced to a dusty table on the pavement and is manned during the day only. Since the earthquake, several pages of a log book have been filled with complaints of sexual abuse and violence from women and girls, while in the camp on Champ-de-Mars, just across the road.
The day we visited the police station, a male officer on duty at the table unwillingly counted for us the number of cases registered in the log book: 52 cases of physical and sexual violence since the earthquake.
He said that many victims were minors, aged between 11 and 16, and that most of the assaults took place at night. Although he knew where to refer victims for medical attention after a sexual assault, he was unable to explain why, on the previous night, a mother seeking police assistance in the attempted rape of her 17-year-old daughter by four young men, was told that the police could not do anything and that the security in the camps was the responsibility of the President of the Republic. Quite a blow for the population’s confidence in the police…
Life begins among the rubble
Wilson, a baby boy, was born the night before our second visit to Cité Soleil, a makeshift camp of 272 families. The mother gave birth in the most unsanitary conditions imaginable: on the dirt, a few metres away from a canal of stagnant and putrid water, clogged with garbage and covered with flies and mosquitoes.
Another woman from the camp assisted Wilson’s mother in what was described to us as a difficult delivery, without clean water, towels or sterile tools to cut the cord.
The one-day-old Wilson rested calmly in his mother’s arms, unperturbed by our presence and the swarm of mosquitoes that invaded the space under bedsheets tied up with strings. That’s the home where he was born. This improvised shelter provided little more than some shade, with no protection at all against other hazards. It leaves three children and their widowed mother exposed to the rain and the recurrent flooding in Cité Soleil and vulnerable to infectious diseases.
The rainy season looms and all the people we talked to fear the worst. Shelter is what they need and what they ask for. That is their priority.
While the Republicans cynically stall efforts on health reform to gain political advantage and the Democrats wrangle over special deals, too many people continue to die in this country because they lack access to care. A report released today from Amnesty International highlights the scandalous fact that every day in the richest country in the world 2 to 3 women die in pregnancy and childbirth.
As Deadly Delivery: THE MATERNAL HEALTH CARE CRISIS IN THE USA notes, the U.S. “spends more than any other country on health care, and more on maternal health than any other type of hospital care. Despite this, women in the USA have a higher risk of dying of pregnancy-related complications than those in 40 other countries. “ For example, the likelihood of a woman dying in childbirth in the U.S. is five times greater than in Greece.
Perhaps even more scandalous, “African-American women are nearly four times more likely to die of pregnancy-related complications than white women. These rates and disparities have not improved in more than 20 years.”
Amnesty’s report rightly asserts that this is not just a public health scandal; it reflects widespread violations of women’s human rights, including the right to life, the right to freedom from discrimination, and the right to the highest attainable standard of health. Patterns of marginalization and exclusion in this society are exacerbated by a discriminatory and dysfunctional health system.
Throughout the health care reform debates, there has been scarcely a mention of health care being a fundamental human right. But the fact is that the U.S. is the only industrialized nation in the world that does not recognize a legal entitlement to health care.
My son, New York Police Department cadet Mohammad Salman Hamdani, was one of the brave souls who died on Sept. 11 trying to rescue people in the World Trade Center.
My life, like countless others, will never be the same.
One thing that has kept me going is the hope that justice will be served. Unfortunately, after more than eight years of repeated delay, it looks like that process could get derailed before it even begins.
Along with many other victims’ family members, I was encouraged in November when Attorney General Eric Holder announced that the 9-11 trials would happen in federal court in New York instead of in the military commissions system. But then, much to my dismay, I watched as some New Yorkers cowered in fear of unsubstantiated threats to their safety, businesses near the courthouse complained they might lose money and local officials fretted about the cost of providing security for the trials.
And while some — though not all — of these concerns are understandable, I cannot tell you what it’s like to hear people say that bringing terrorists to justice is just too scary, too expensive, too inconvenient and not worth some sacrifice.
Is this New York? Is it America?
In the face of these objections, reports indicate that the Obama administration might not only move the trials to another location, but might actually move them back to the military commissions. This would be a monumental error. I’ve been to those commissions, and I can say first-hand that they are an unqualified and chaotic disaster where the rules get made up as they go along.
At one of the early 9-11 hearings, the military judge actually referred to the process as a “learning experience.” Now, years later, despite a missed deadline, new rules needed for the latest version of the law authorizing the commissions have not even been issued. Even when they are, they will not answer basic questions like whether a defendant can plead guilty to a death penalty charge.
The most important cases in U.S. history should not be a lab experiment.
In addition to their lack of clarity, the commissions have constitutional problems that could result in questionable verdicts, leading to years more delay due to legal challenges which, ironically, would probably end up in the federal courts, anyway.
For instance, some kinds of hearsay remain admissible, making it possible that statements of an individual pointing a finger at the defendant could come into trial even if that individual is not in court, denying the accused the opportunity to confront his accuser. The accusatory statement could even be used against the defendant if it was made under coercion. It doesn’t take a legal scholar to know this smells wrong and I, for one — after all this time — don’t want to be faced with a guilty verdict obtained by cutting corners and shrouded in a cloud of doubt.
Another minefield that could sink the entire commission system is that it can only be used to prosecute “aliens.” This sets up two systems of justice — one for Americans and one for others. I already had a personal experience with such thinking right after the 9-11 attacks. While my son was still missing, law enforcement authorities — joined by the media — initially decided he was a suspect in the attacks largely because of our last name. Because of this, they actually delayed informing me that Mohammad’s remains were found. It wasn’t until months later that he was recognized as a hero.
Some are saying that using military commissions is the “tougher” way to proceed against accused terrorists. But the facts say otherwise. Compared to the over 300 terrorism-related convictions in federal courts, the military commissions, in eight years, have produced only three for individuals who are already free after serving relatively short sentences.
The commissions are simply not prepared or experienced enough to handle complex international terrorism cases. Part of the problem is that while many military judges are competent, hard-working and honorable, military criminal cases typically involve prosecutions of U.S. soldiers and sailors for ordinary crimes. There are relatively few murder cases, fewer death penalty cases and almost no conspiracy cases, much less international terrorism trials. This is a problem no new law can fix.
Others worry that federal trials will give the accused a soapbox to spew their hateful agendas. In fact, federal judges are known for preventing such outbursts, as was the case in the Zacharias Moussaoui trial. It was in the Guantánamo commissions that the 9-11 defendants were allowed to give five-minute tirades.
This argument always seemed weak to me: can you imagine not putting Timothy McVeigh on trial because he might make hateful statements? Or any serial killer, for that matter?
The last eight and a half years have been tough. On top of dealing with my personal loss, my faith in our government has been repeatedly challenged as I’ve seen principle discarded in the name of politics and fear. The Obama administration’s November decision to choose principle when it came to the 9-11 trials was a breath of fresh air.
If the administration reverses itself now, it would almost be worse than had it made the wrong decision to begin with. Not only will our hopes have been raised only to be dashed, but it would send the message that our principled decisions become expendable when the going gets tough. That is not the legacy I wish for my son.
Talat Hamdani is the mother of Mohammad Salman Hamdani, an NYPD Cadet who died on September 11 attempting to rescue people at the World Trade Center.
The purpose of these visits is to educate members of Congress about the shocking rates of pregnancy-related deaths among women in the United States. The awful truth behind these appalling numbers is that half of these deaths can be prevented. Women are dying because they simplycan’t afford to access proper maternal care.
These groups, or delegations, that will help raise awareness about this tragedy, play an essential role in keeping human rights central to the health care debate. Right now we are looking for people who can help us coordinate these meetings locally. There are a few things you should know first before you consider going head-to-head with your Senator or Representative:
1) Senators and Representatives aren’t as mean as they look on TV. Now don’t get us wrong, they aren’t angels either, but for the most part, we find that elected officials enjoy sitting down face-to-face with their constituents. They are public servants and can only represent you if they know where you stand on the issues. After meeting with our delegations, we’ve seen members of Congress change their tune on our issues – signing on to letters of support or even voting in favor of human rights!
2) There is power in numbers. Even though your delegations are made up of a few people, you’re not just at the Congressional office as a small group; you’re representing a movement of millions. As a representative of Amnesty International, your reputation precedes you. When you stand up for human rights, you never stand alone.
3) Preparation is key. We won’t let you go in there unprepared. In fact, our government relations experts are on-hand to answer all your questions about how to organize an effective meeting and present the issue clearly. We’ve put together step-by-step guides and other instructional materials to ensure that you feel prepared before you meet with your elected officials.
I hope you’ll consider joining our fight to prevent pregnancy-related deaths. We will not back down until a woman’s right to a safe childbirth is fully protected!
On Human Rights Day, His Holiness the Dalai Lama shared his insights into the importance of NGOs in fighting human rights abuses worldwide, specifically expressing thanks to Amnesty International. We thank His Holiness for his kind words and continued commitment to human rights! Watch his speech here:
By Laura Moye, Amnesty International USA Death Penalty Abolition Campaign Director
Imagine President Obama competing with other nations for world leadership on human rights by putting forward a goal to end the death penalty globally in just five years. Well, that’s exactly what Spain’s Prime Minister Zapatero did last Wednesday. He addressed the Fourth World Congress against the Death Penalty in Geneva saying that his country, which now holds the European Union presidency, was very committed to seeing a world without the death penalty by 2015.
Leaders meet in Geneva at the World Congress Against the Death Penalty
The World Congress against the Death Penalty was kicked off at the United Nations’ historic Palais des Nations. Preceding Mr. Zapatero’s remarks was a string of high level government and UN officials who put forward their commitment to global abolition. Robert Badinter also spoke. Badinter was the French justice minister responsible for the abolition of France’s death penalty at a time when French public opinion was more in favor of the death penalty than not. Today, the European Union is unified on the issue of the death penalty. Abolition has become a major plank in their human rights platform.
In 1977, 16 nations were abolitionist. Today, 139 are. China, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the US are noted outliers in this global trend. And there is a growing global movement working hard to continue the trend toward global abolition.
Abolition of the death penalty everywhere is possible. Abolition of the death penalty in the United States will happen in my lifetime!
There is a global community of human rights activists and governments that stand with us in our struggle to end the death penalty.
Today we are deeply saddened by the news of historian and political activist Howard Zinn’s death.
William Cordery, Senior Development Officer of Amnesty International’s Southern Region, shares a few words about Howard Zinn:
“Larry [Cox] and I had the great privilege of having dinner with Howard Zinn just over a year ago before an event in Atlanta to screen early clips of his 2009 film, The People Speak–inspired by Howard Zinn’s book A People’s History of the United States.
Even though Howard is famous for documenting stories and histories of peoples in the struggle that often go untold, his own history is quite rich. Here’s an article that shares some of that history, as well as reflections by Noam Chomsky.
He touched millions of lives and was truly a gift to the movement.”
Another January 11th Guantanamo anniversary has come and gone, and still 198 men are detained at the facility (and hundreds more at Bagram). Over the last year there has been some progress, but not with the kind of momentum that we had hoped for last January. Tomorrow marks the first anniversary of the Executive Order that President Obama drafted to have the Guantanamo Detention Facility closed within a year, but unfortunately, the detention facility is still open. The military commissions process continues. And some in the Obama Administration seem to be flirting with the idea of indefinite detention (just in a US-based facility vs. Gitmo). The failed Bush-era policies on torture and indefinite and illegal detention sadly continue to linger on. And thus the need for our important human rights work continues!
Last week on January 11th, we launched 10,000 Against Torture, a project to demonstrate to the White House and Congress, that Americans want both security AND respect for the rule of law. Over the next weeks, we’ll be doing weekly actions calling for the closure of Gitmo (in a way that respects human rights!) and accountability for these failed policies on torture and indefinite detention.
Join us by taking action online today, January 21 and tomorrow, January 22:
Tweet messages with the “#closegitmo” hashtag (if you follow the Amnesty USA, you can re-tweet messages that we will be posting)
Spread the word! Our goal is to make #closegitmo a top trending topic, and our success depends on reaching many people in a short amount of time to jump-start the conversation. Help us deliver this important message by asking others to join us (especially those with large followings online!)
Written by Njambi Good, Director of Counter Terror with Justice (CTWJ) campaign for Amnesty International USA
Amnesty International works to protect human rights worldwide. We have more than 2.2 million supporters, activists and volunteers in over 150 countries, and are completely independent from government, corporate or national interests.
Learn more about us at AmnestyUSA.org »
Daphne Jayasinghe is Advocacy Director for Women's Human Rights. Daphne works on Women's Human Rights issues including AIUSA's advocacy on the International Violence Against Women Act. See all »
While the Republicans cynically stall efforts on health reform to gain political advantage and the Democrats wrangle over special deals, too many people continue to die in this country because they lack access to care. A report released today from Amnesty International highlights the scandalous fact that every day in the richest country in the world 2 to 3 women die in pregnancy and childbirth.
From March 29-April 9th, 
Another January 11th Guantanamo anniversary has come and gone, and still 198 men are detained at the facility (and hundreds more at Bagram). Over the last year there has been some progress, but not with the kind of momentum that we had hoped for last January. Tomorrow marks the first anniversary of the Executive Order that President Obama drafted to have the Guantanamo Detention Facility closed within a year, but unfortunately, the detention facility is still open. The military commissions process continues. And some in the Obama Administration seem to be flirting with the idea of indefinite detention (just in a US-based facility vs. Gitmo). The failed Bush-era policies on torture and indefinite and illegal detention sadly continue to linger on. And thus the need for our important human rights work continues!
