Mauritania's security forces guilty of routine torture

Mauritania's security forces guilty of routine torture

3 December 2008

The Mauritanian government is guilty of routine and systematic torture, according to a new Amnesty International report.

Mauritania: torture at the heart of the state says that the country's security forces have adopted torture as the preferred method of investigation and repression.

The report details the methods of torture and lists the exact locations of some torture centres.
It also exposes the involvement of Moroccan agents.

Numerous statements from victims of torture give precise information about the people who tortured them. None of the acts have been investigated or their perpetrators brought to justice.

The report is the result of two Amnesty International research missions in February/March 2008 and July 2008. Members of the missions interviewed many prisoners and detainees in the prisons of Dar Naïm in Nouakchott (the capital) and Nouadhibou (in the north-west of the country) and former detainees.

"Torture is used against all categories of prisoners in Mauritania – whether they are suspected Islamists, soldiers accused of involvement in a coup, or those detained for simple ordinary crimes," said Gaëtan Mootoo, Amnesty International's Mauritania researcher who conducted the investigations and who just came back from the country.

Acts of torture are repeated successively until detainees "confess". They are normally conducted at night and accompanied by a "ritual". Methods of torture include cigarette burns, electric shocks, sexual violence, the pulling out of hair and "Jaguar" – where the detainee's hands and feet are tied together and the person is suspended from an iron bar while being hit and tortured.

The perpetrators of these acts of torture and ill-treatment include police officers, military personnel and prison officers. Moroccan security officers have sometimes participated in interrogations and torture, especially in investigations into acts of terrorism.

Places where torture has been carried out include: the first police brigade (opposite the World Health Organization building), the police school in Nouakchott, gendarmerie barracks, the headquarters of the Army Chief of Staff, and Navy premises.

The presence of Moroccan agents in Mauritania was also questioned by the report. Amnesty International has been unable to ascertain the legal basis for their presence. One prisoner told the organization that the Moroccans were more violent than their Mauritanian colleagues.

Prison conditions themselves also often amount to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment.

Amnesty International representatives visiting the Dar Naïm prison earlier this year were greeted with the unbelievable spectacle of dozens of men pressed up against each other in one cell in the stifling heat. They are unable to leave their cells or breathe fresh air, often for months or even years at a time.

"In some prisons, we could not even get into the cells due to the excessive number of inmates," said Gaëtan Mootoo. "The stench of these cells, which were infested with vermin and ridden with fleas, was indescribable."

Threats were made to prisoners prior to one Amnesty International visit. One prisoner said: "When they told us about Amnesty International's visit, the guards threatened us. They said that we could say whatever we liked, but that we would regret it, because the Amnesty people would be leaving, but we prisoners would be staying there with them."

Police, prosecutors, judges – nearly always regard evidence extracted under torture as perfectly admissible and use these "confessions" to convict defendants – often without having any other material proof.

"Torturers can carry out their abuse safe in the knowledge that the judicial system will turn a blind eye," said Gaëtan Mootoo. "It is an abomination of justice."

The systematic use of torture is the heritage of decades of authoritarianism in Mauritania. The country has suffered two military coups since 2005. The most recent one, in August 2008, resulted in the detention of the democratically elected president and the prime minister. The president remains under house arrest while the prime minister has been transferred to a prison near Nouakchott.

The new military government said it would organize free and transparent elections "within the shortest time possible". Elections have yet to be scheduled.

The African Union has suspended Mauritania's membership and a number of states, including France and the US, have frozen their non-humanitarian aid to the country.

Several peaceful demonstrations have taken place in Mauritania demanding the release of the president and a restoration of constitutional order. Several were forcibly broken up in October 2008. The repression followed the 30 September decision by the governor of Nouakchott to suspend "all demonstrations of a political nature in public places, until further notice."

Don’t turn your back on girls - Sexual violence in Haiti

Don’t turn your back on girls - Sexual violence in Haiti

27 November 2008

Sexual violence against girls in Haiti is widespread and pervasive and, although already at shocking levels, is said to be on the increase. While information on the true levels remains scarce, there is much evidence of sexual violence both in the family and within the wider community, particularly by armed gangs.

Public security and the legacy of sexual violence
Against a backdrop of kidnappings, criminal violence and gang warfare, violence against women and girls in the community has soared. One trend is the prevalence of rapes involving groups of armed men.

For the three years that followed the military coup in 1991 when President Jean-Bertrand Aristide was ousted, rape was used as a political weapon to instil fear and punish those who were believed to have supported the democratic government. During this time, there were widespread reports of armed men raping women.

Since the fall of the military regime, this has become a common practice among criminal gangs. In run up to Haiti’s annual carnival in February last year, 50 cases of rape were reported in just three days in the capital against women and girls in the capital Port-au-Prince.

Violence in the family is also prevalent and often hidden. Children often lack the resources and support they need to report violence in which family members participate or collude. The result of the failure to acknowledge and address this problem is a social climate in which violence in the family is seen as normal and inevitable.

Poverty in Haiti is extreme and plays a major role in putting girls at greater risk of sexual violence. Girls are bribed to remain silent by perpetrators, who are able to give them money to pay their schools or accommodation fees. Others who go in search of a public place with lighting by which to do their homework because their home has no electricity are attacked by groups of men.

Girls who become pregnant as a result of sexual violence find themselves at risk due to the lack of adequate healthcare. Only one in every four births in Haiti is assisted by qualified health personnel and large numbers of women and girls are dying as a result of pregnancy related complications.

The consequences of sexual violence on girls are profound and lasting. In addition to immediate physical injuries, survivors may have to face unwanted pregnancy; sexually transmitted diseases; and mental health problems such as post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and depression.

These consequences can have particularly series long term effects on girls, who are at higher risk of dying during childbirth or pregnancy and may also find their education disrupted, or find themselves excluded from school due to pregnancy.

One girl who raped when she was eight years old said: “I was going to school, but I left after I came here [to a shelter] because my father raped me. I was in the first year. I loved copying the lessons, writing. When I grow up I would like to be a doctor.”

Barriers to justice
Girls are often unwilling to report cases of rape, largely due to shame, fear, and social attitudes that tolerate male violence. Another major disincentive to reporting is the lack of confidence that girls will experience a positive and supportive response from law enforcement officials.

In some rural areas, the sole representative of the justice system is the justice of the peace. It is not uncommon for the justice of the peace to encourage girls who have faced violence accept an "amicable settlement" with the family of the perpetrator.

The justice system in Haiti is weak and ineffectual. The Police unit in charge of protecting minors is woefully under-staffed. In March 2008, the unit had 12 officers to cover the entire country and not a single vehicle. It is not surprising that so many of those who attack girls are never brought to justice, and so many girls feel there is no purpose in reporting crimes of sexual violence.

The authorities in Haiti have taken steps in recent years to address the problem of violence against women and girls. The Ministry of Women’s Affairs was established in 1994 and has been involved in important initiatives to address the problem.

In 1995, a National Plan of Action to Combat Violence Against Women was adopted. If implemented, this could bring about significant improvements in prevention and punishment.

The Haitian authorities face major challenges posed by the ongoing public security crisis, a succession of humanitarian disasters, and high levels of poverty and marginalization. These important concerns cannot be allowed to drown out the needs of Haitian girls.

Amnesty International is calling on the Haitian authorities to take immediate action to safeguard the rights of girls:

* Collect comprehensive data on the nature and extent of violence against women and girls. The lack of data currently stands in the way of devising effective solutions;
* Investigate and prosecute all complaints of sexual violence;
* Ensure that police provide a safe environment for girls to report sexual violence, and ensure that all complaints are promptly and effectively investigated.

Croatian journalists under attack

Croatian journalists under attack

1 December 2008

Journalists in Croatia are being violently targeted for trying to expose the truth about war crimes and corruption, while the country's leaders fail to protect them.

Several reporters have faced intimidation and beatings and in October, Ivo Pukanic, owner of the Croatian weekly Nacional, was killed by a car bomb in Zagreb following his newspaper's investigations into organized crime in the former Yugoslavia.

Amnesty International has called on the Croatian authorities to address threats against journalists. The demand comes as Drago Hedl, one of the top journalists in the country, received new threats to his life following his investigation pointing to the involvement of a high level Croatian politician in the killing of Croatian Serbs in the town of Osijek during the 1991-1995 war.

"The threats against Drago Hedl are a clear attempt to discourage him and other journalists who have been playing a crucial role in exposing human rights violations from making their findings public," says Nicola Duckworth, Director of Amnesty International's Europe team. "The Croatian authorities need to lead by example and investigate these threats and bring the perpetrators to justice."

Drago Hedl has received at least four death threats in relation to investigative articles he has written about war crimes committed in Osijek. On Thursday, he received new threats in the form of text messages sent to his mobile phone. Drago Hedl was granted police protection after the incident.
Drago Hedl is one of Croatia's most prominent journalists. He has won many international awards for his investigative work, reporting on war crimes committed during the 1991-1995 war in Croatia. He extensively covers war crimes committed in the Osijek area.

Journalists in Croatia have been targeted throughout 2008. In June, Dušan Miljuš, a journalist for the Croatian daily Jutarnji List, was severely beaten by unknown individuals in front of his house in Zagreb following his reports on links between politics and illegal business activities.

In November, a fake car bomb was planted under Hrvoje Appelt’s car. This is believed to be related to his investigation of oil smuggling, which reportedly involved organized crime structures from other South-East European countries.

To Amnesty International’s knowledge, no investigation has been concluded into these attacks, and none of those responsible has been brought to justice.

"We urge the Croatian authorities to conduct a prompt, impartial and effective investigation to ensure that those responsible for such threats are brought to justice. We are also calling on the authorities to take effective measures to address the increasing intimidation and sometimes fatal attacks," says Nicola Duckworth.

Nearly 180 killed in Mumbai attacks

Nearly 180 killed in Mumbai attacks

1 December 2008
The death toll following 60 hours of siege in Mumbai has officially been put at nearly 180 in various attacks. The last part of the siege to end was that at the Taj hotel, which was retaken by Indian authorities on Saturday morning.

The Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee has said preliminary information suggested that "some elements" in Pakistan were responsible for the strikes on the two hotels, the Nariman Centre and the railway stations in Mumbai. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has taken up the issue with Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari.

Investigators, including some from the US FBI who are coordinating investigations in Mumbai, are working on the leads that all the attackers came from Pakistan. They are thought to have captured an Indian fishing vessel, killed five men and used it to get close to Mumbai and used inflatable dinghies to arrive.

So far, details of the nationalities of people who lost their lives in the attacks are not clear. The identities of 15 people – three Germans, three Israelis, two Canadians, one each from the US, Britain, Japan, Australia, Italy, China and Thailand – have been confirmed. All other casualties are thought to be Indian.

Twenty-two bodies were recovered from the Taj Hotel after the end of the siege. The total number of people rescued from the two hotels and the Jewish centre at Nariman House run to nearly 1,000 during the 60 hours.

A total of 295 people were injured in all the attacks so far, many of them remain in critical condition.

At least 11 attackers have been killed so far. Fifteen security forces and police personnel, including the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism chief and a major of the National Security Guard, were among those killed while fighting the attacks.

One of the attackers has been captured and it has been disclosed that he is a Pakistani national from Multan.

Both Indian and Pakistani authorities initially stated that the head of Pakistan's military intelligence, the ISI, Ahmed Shujaa Pasha, would visit India to share information on the attacks. It was later clarified by the Pakistani authorities that a representative of the ISI will visit India. The earlier information was ascribed to a miscommunication.

The Indian Home Minister, Shivraj Patil, resigned on Sunday and has been replaced by P Chidambaram, who was Finance Minister. The Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh and Home Minister R. R. Patil have also tendered their resignations.

South Africa pledges to make HIV and AIDS a priority

South Africa pledges to make HIV and AIDS a priority

1 December 2008
To mark World AIDS Day on Monday, 1 December 2008, Amnesty International has welcomed signs of the South African government's change of direction in response to the country’s HIV epidemic.

South Africa has the highest number of people who are HIV-infected in the world. The lack of political leadership has been one of the main barriers to achieving the right to non-discriminatory access to health services for people living with HIV and AIDS.

However, the newly appointed South African Minister of Health, Ms Barbara Hogan, has affirmed her determination to strengthen the health care system’s response to the epidemic.

In October, she declared: "With all our partners in the South African National AIDS Council… the country is committed to implement the National Strategic Plan for HIV and AIDS."

She said this would include reducing the rate of new infections by half over the next three years but warned: "We must become organised and demonstrate urgency."

A series of events have been organised in South Africa on World AIDS Day to launch a united campaign to tackle new HIV infections and deaths relating to HIV and TB.

This collaboration, led by the South African National AIDS Council and involving government leaders as well as representatives in business, unions, churches and a whole range of civil society organizations, illustrates a renewed commitment to move forward in the fight against HIV and AIDS.

Amnesty International has recently submitted its recommendations to the Minister of Health for addressing some of the urgent needs confronting a particularly vulnerable group in South Africa – rural women living with HIV and experiencing violations of their internationally recognized human rights.

These recommendations form part of a report that Amnesty International published in March this year, entitled "I am at the lowest end of all’ – Rural women living with HIV face human rights abuses in South Africa."

The report presents documentation on the impact of gender-based discrimination, including violence and economic marginalization on the lives of rural women who are living with HIV. It explores how these factors act as barriers to the women’s ability to realize their right to the highest attainable standard of health.

The report also acknowledges the extensive work of civil society organizations and health professionals in promoting and protecting the human rights of those affected by HIV and AIDS in South Africa.

Amnesty International has said that the organization hopes renewed efforts by the Government of South Africa will lead to the realization of the rights to health, life and dignity for all those affected by the epidemic.