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IN JANUARY 2019, PROTECTDEFENDERS.EU REPORTED 30 NEW ATTACKS AGAINST HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS

 
   
 
 
 

WAVE OF KILLINGS OF HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS IN COLOMBIA

ProtectDefenders.eu partners are deeply concerned about the wave of killings of human rights defenders in Colombia, which witnessed more killings of defenders than any other country worldwide in 2018, according to Front Line Defenders. The epidemic has already reached extremely worrying heights during the first weeks of 2019, and at least six human rights defenders were killed in violent attacks:

  • Maritza Quiroz Leiva, woman human rights defender, and the leader of a group of Afro-Colombian women who have been victims of enforced displacement in rural areas was killed by unidentified armed men who broke into her rural property in San Isidro, Santa Marta. She advocated for the rights of all victims of the Colombian conflict, especially regarding situations of enforced displacement.

  • Wilson Pérez Ascanio, a human rights defender, social leader, and member of the Movement for the Popular Constituent (Movimiento por la Constituyente Popular, MCP), was shot by unidentified armed men on a motorcycle in Hacarí, Norte de Santander.

  • José Rafael Solano, a human rights defender, president of the Community Action Board (Junta de Acción Comunal) and social leader, was shot dead by unidentified armed men in front of his house in Bajo Cauca, Antioquia.

  • Wilmer Antonio Miranda, a human rights defender and member of the Cajibio Peasant Workers Association, of the National Asociation of Peasant Reserves, the National Coordination of Coca, Amapola and Marijuana Cultivators, and the Social and Political Coordination Patriotic March in the Cauca region, was shot by four unidentified men, dressed as civilians, and died immediately.

  • Jesús Adier Perafán, a social leader and citizen inspector of the Caicedonia municipality, as well as the founder of the Courage Caicedonia (Coraje Caicedonia) of the Valle del Cauca neighbourhood, was shot repeatedly while he was at the grocery store by unidentified armed men, who subsequently escaped on motorcycles.
  • Gilberto Valencia, a human rights defender, social leader, peace-builder and cultural manager of the Suárez municipality in Cauca, who worked to disseminate the terms of the Colombian Peace Agreement through music, was shot dead during a New Year’s Eve celebration. A lone gunman, believed to have been known to Gilberto Valencia in the context of his social work, is understood to have carried out the attack with an altered firearm.

As demonstrated in a mission report published under ProtectDefenders.eu in May 2018, it is of serious concern that the number of killings of human rights defenders has increased at an alarming rate, making Colombia the deadliest country in the world for human rights defenders. The report analyses this trend in the context of the Peace Process with the FARC-EP in Colombia, which has led to an historic decline in the number of murders in general, but not for HRDs.Two years on, the State has failed to implement most of its obligations, including establishing an integrated presence in rural regions. This has led to a number of illegal armed groups fighting for control of the areas previously occupied by FARC-EP, which puts human rights defenders at an increased risk.

Moreover, Colombia is ranked 130th in the RSF Index and continues to be one of the western hemisphere’s most dangerous countries for the media. Death threats, physical attacks, abductions, and murders are common. Actions by armed groups such as the ELN with the aim of silencing the alternative or community media that try to cover their activities lead to the creation of information “black holes,” especially in rural areas. 

In Colombia, ProtectDefenders.eu has deployed a very comprehensive support programme, through a combination of all its different components. Notably, the EU HRD mechanism has allocated 12 emergency grants to defenders at risk, has temporarily relocated 11 defenders and has funded at least 10 local human rights and human rights defenders groups. Moreover, it has delivered at least 51 pieces of training benefiting Colombian defenders, 70 advocacy and monitoring actions, and two outreach missions to remote or most isolated activists.

 

 
   
 
 
 

ongoing crackdown on human rights defenders IN sudan

ProtectDefenders.eu partners are alerting on the recent wave of arrests targeting human rights defenders in Sudan, in reprisal for the continuing protests. Over the last month, dozens of human rights defenders including women human rights defenders, lawyers, journalists, and academics have been arbitrarily arrested:

  • On 31 January 2019, Sudanese security forces detained Nazim Siraj, a doctor, and human rights defender who has been active in different youth groups and who has been the coordinator for “Accidents Street”, an initiative providing free medical treatment and rehabilitation to Sudanese citizens, including to victims of human rights abuses.

  • On 30 January 2019, writer and human rights lawyer Kamal Al Jazouli was arrested from his office. On 28 January 2019, security forces detained human rights defender and economist Sedgi Kabalo at his house and took him to an unknown place. Journalist and member of the Sudanese Journalist’s Network, Adel Ibrahim, remains in detention in an unknown location since his arrest on 15 January.

  • Many of the women human rights defenders who were involved in leading the peaceful protests have been also detained in the last two weeks. They include leading members of the Sudanese Women’s Union (SWU), among them Dr. Ihsan Faqiri, Dr. Amal Jabr, and Adeela Al-Zaibaq. Lawyers Hanan Nour, Hanadi Fadl, Samia Arqawi, and Amani Othman. Prominent journalists and women human rights defenders, Somia Ishaq and Amani Idriss, also continue to be detained.

  • On 13 January 2019, doctor and woman human rights defender Heba Omar Ibrahim was arrested and pressured by police officers to reveal the names of other human rights defenders working in the health sector.

  • On 5 January 2019, human rights defender Yasir Elsir Ali, a blogger and human rights defender, who has used social media to denounce State-led human rights violations, was taken by the Sudanese National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS). According to his family, the men - who arrived in an unmarked truck - showed no warrant before forcibly detaining Yasir Elsir Ali. The men also threatened his family to prevent them from speaking out or from filming his detention.

Among the general crackdown against civil society in the country, human rights lawyers are particularly targeted both for their direct involvement in the protests and because of the crucial legal support they provide to other human rights defenders victim of arbitrary arrest and detention. As analysed in a joint report published under ProtectDefenders.eu in October 2018, between January and April 2018, 23 human rights lawyers have been the victim of arbitrary detention, often incommunicado, ill-treatment, torture, sexual harassment, and threats. The report also analyses how the lack of judicial scrutiny over detention, and the broad powers of the NISS, contribute to a climate of impunity over these human rights violations.

Ranked 174th in the RSF Index and under the leadership of Omar al-Bashir, who has been indicted by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity, Sudan’s regime is exceptionally hostile to press freedom. In response to the censorship, the print media have turned to social networks to circulate and publish their stories.

Since the launch of the EU HRD mechanism, ProtectDefenders.eu has provided emergency support to 20 HRDs at high risk, has temporarily relocated 13 defenders, and has funded one local human rights organisation. Moreover, it has delivered four training programmes for Sudanese defenders and conducts an ongoing monitoring work of the human rights defenders situation in the country.

 
   
 
 
 

ARBITRARY DETENTION AND JUDICIAL HARASSMENT OF HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS IN CHINA

Recent information received by ProtectDefenders.eu partners from China attests to the repression and judicial harassment faced by human rights activists in the country. In January 2019 alone:

Wang Quanzhang, a prominent human rights lawyer with Fengrui Law Firm in Beijing, known to take on sensitive human rights cases, including land rights cases, and represent Falung Gong members, was found guilty of “subversion of State power” and sentenced to four and a half years in prison, and to five years of deprivation of political rights. Since Mr. Wang Quanzhang’s arrest by the police in August 2015, Chinese authorities have repeatedly prevented his wife and his lawyers from having access to him. During his incommunicado detention, he was reportedly tortured and suffered ill-treatment.

Liu Feiyue, founder and Director of the website Civil Rights & Livelihood Watch, which published information on human rights violations, especially abuses against activists and dissidents in psychiatric detention facilities, was also found guilty of “inciting subversion of State power” and sentenced to five years in prison with deprivation of political rights for three years, along with a 1,010,000 RMB (approx. 150,000 USD) fine. Mr. Liu was indicted on charges of “inciting subversion". Authorities also accused Mr. Liu of accepting funding from overseas.

Li Ming-che, Programme Manager at Wen-Shan Community College in Taiwan and a volunteer with the Taiwan-based NGO Covenants Watch, remains currently under arbitrary detention by Chinese authorities and his prisoner’s rights being violated. Li Ming-che has been arbitrarily detained since March 19, 2017. On November 28, 2017, he was sentenced to five years in prison on charges of “subverting State power”. Mr. Li Ming-che is suffering a number of other violations of his rights, including practices that may amount to torture or ill-treatment.

Huang Qi, founder and Director of the “64 Tianwang Human Rights Center”, which documents and publishes reports on human rights violations - including enforced disappearances and trafficking, and complaints against government officials, was secretly put on charges of “illegally providing State secrets to foreign entities” and “intentionally leaking State secrets”. According to the information received, Mr. Huang’s right to a fair trial is not being observed: court proceedings were held behind closed doors, no information about the trial was made public and one of Mr. Huang’s lawyers, Mr. Liu Zhengqing, was never informed about the hearing.

According to RSF Index, China (ranked 176th) is one of the world’s most oppressive countries for media. By relying on the massive use of new technology, President Xi Jinping has succeeded in imposing a social model in China based on control of news and information and online surveillance of its citizens. At the same time, he has been trying to export this oppressive model by promoting a “new international media order” under China’s influence. China’s state and privately-owned media are now under the Communist Party’s close control while foreign reporters trying to work in China are encountering more and more obstacles in the field. More than 50 journalists and bloggers are currently detained in conditions that pose a threat to their lives.

Since the launch of ProtectDefenders.eu, at least 41 emergency grants have been allocated, two HRDs have been temporarily relocated, and three local human rights organisations have accessed funding to consolidate or expand their capacities. Moreover, the EU HRD has delivered two pieces of training benefiting Chinese defenders and developed a constant work of advocacy and mobilisation on the situation of human rights and human rights defence in the country.

 
   
 
 
 

in JANUARY 2019, protectdefenders.eu has allocated 24 EMERGENCY GRANTS TO HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS AT RISK

COUNTRIES OF ORIGIN
 

  • Nicaragua 11

  • Ecuador 1

  • Ukraine 1

  • Iran 1

  • Cambodia 1

  • Sudan 1

  • Georgia 1

  • Mauritania 1

  • Cameroon 2

  • Honduras 3

  • Argentina 1


FIELD OF WORK
 

  • Civil and political rights 10

  • Women's Rights 4

  • LGBTI Rights 3

  • Freedom of Expression 3

  • Religious Rights 1

  • Indigenous People's Rights 1

  • Minorities Rights 1

  • Good governance / Corruption 1


TYPE OF MEASURE
 

  • Urgent relocation 15
  • Legal support 1

  • Medical support 4

  • Individual security 1

  • Psychosocial support 1

  • Solidarity 1

  • General protection 1

 
 
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