Disputes rise among European nations over refugee crisis

By: Sara Adams
Impunity Watch News Reporter, Europe

Migrants line up for food in a migrant camp in Rome, Italy. Image courtesy of Reuters.

EUROPE – The European Union has begun legal action on June 13 against three member countries for not taking in their fair share of refugees. The action will be brought in the European Court of Justice.

The Czech Republic, Poland, and Hungary are the countries that may face fines for ignoring EU plans to resettle asylum seekers in the region. This proposal, formed in 2015, was to relocate 160,000 refugees across the European mainland.

In March, Austrian Chancellor Christian Kern suggested cutting EU funds to nations that refuse to comply with the measures.

Hungary has taken hardline measures in its asylum policy. They passed a law that would detain asylum seekers into border camps for them to wait for their cases to be handled.

Under the EU plan, each country is assigned to take a certain number of refugees or migrants from the vast number of those coming in. Poland has not accepted any. The Czech Republic has taken 12 of their 2,000 allotment.

Further south, the populist mayor of Rome, Virginia Raggi, has asked the national government not to send any more migrants into the city. Italy has had an influx of refugees and migrant workers coming in from North Africa for the past three years.

In March, when the Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban passed the bill allowing detainment of migrants before asylum, he reinforced his hardline stance on immigration. He claimed that immigration is the “Trojan horse of terrorism,” and argued that this was necessary to “defend [Hungary’s] borders…[So] no one will try to come to Hungary illegally.”

The rising fears among Europe regarding refugees are often based on security concerns. With the recent terror attacks in the United Kingdom, member nations of the EU remain on guard. Anti-immigrant sentiment is by and large in the continent and is an especially popular topic of discussion in local elections.

Immigration advocates push against the rhetoric pushed by anti-refugee leaders around the world. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has called Hungary’s law an act “[promoting] toxic notions of ethic purity”.

Human rights group Amnesty International has also been outspoken against the anti-immigration sentiment of the three countries involved in the EU legal action. The European office director of the group, Iverna McGowan, said that the EU’s action shows that “countries will not be allowed to get away with dragging their feet to avoid accepting refugees.”

She continues, “Solidarity is the key to a fair and humane response to refugees in Europe.”

For more information, please see:

BBC News – Don’t send more migrants, Rome mayor tells Italy’s government – 13 June 2017

BBC News – EU targets Poland, Hungary, and Czechs for not taking refugees – 13 June 2017

New York Times – E.U. Move Against 3 Countries That Don’t Take Refugees – 13 June 2017

ABC News – EU warns 3 countries of legal action over refugee plan – 13 June 2017

Reuters – Rome’s 5-Star mayor calls to half migrants’ flow into city – 13 June 2017

The Guardian – Austria threatens EU funding cuts over Hungary’s hard line on refugees – 8 March 2017

BBC News – Hungary to detain all asylum seekers in border camps – 7 March 2017

 

 

New South Korean President Raises Concerns On ‘Comfort Women’ Deal

By: Brian Kim
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia 

SEOUL, South Korea – President Moon Jae-in of South Korea raised concerns on a landmark agreement made with Japan in December 2015 dealing with wartime sex slaves. The new South Korean president stated that the agreement is unfair.

South Koreans protesting outside the Japanese Embassy in Seoul. Photo courtesy of NPR.

According to the deal, the Japanese government agreed to provide $8.3 million to help “comfort women” and for Shinzo Abe, Japanese Prime Minister, to offer his “most sincere apologies and remorse.” It was also agreed that both countries will not criticize each other on this issue in the international society.

The issue of “comfort women” has been an ongoing controversy between these two countries. Although the exact numbers are unknown, the authorities believe that around 200,000 women were forced to serve as sex slaves when Japan took control of Korea in 1910.

Lee Ok-seon, now age 90, spoke about the time when she was captured by the Japanese military. In 1942, at the age 15, Lee was grabbed by men in uniform and was forced to work in a brothel in a Japanese-occupied area in China. As the survivors age and die, Lee remains as one of the last “comfort women.”

Former “comfort women” and many of their supporters have been protesting outside the Japanese embassy in Seoul. In 2011, a group erected a bronze statue of a seated woman outside the Japanese embassy. Back in January of 2017, the Japanese government withdrew diplomats from South Korea after the same statue was erected in the city of Busan arguing that such action violated the 2015 agreement.

The victims believe that the apology made by the Japanese Prime Minister does not go far enough. Moreover, the polls show that the majority of Koreans believe the 2015 agreement to be unfair.

South Korean president, Moon Jae-in spoke with Shinzo Abe, Japanese Prime Minister, and discussed the common threat posed by North Korea. Although President Moon stated that the people of South Korea “cannot emotionally accept the comfort women agreement,” he was clear that the issue should not affect the relationship in finding ways to respond to North Korea.

On June 7, Kang Kyung-wha, President Moon’s pick for foreign minister said during her confirmation hearing that she seeks to renew discussions over the 2015 agreement with Japan.

For more information, please see: 

NPR – Not All South Koreans Satisfied With Japan’s Apology To ‘Comfort Women’ – 30 May, 2017

CNN – South Korea’s New President Questions Japan ‘Comfort Women’ Deal – 5 June, 2017

Nikkei Asian Review -South Korea Foreign Minister Pick Vows ‘Comfort Women’ Talks – 8 June, 2017

Chile Convicts 106 in One of the Country’s Largest Mass Prosecutions, Declines to Investigate Unlawful Detention of Indigenous Peoples Activist

By: Max Cohen
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

SANTIAGO, Chile – 106 former intelligence agents were sentenced by Judge Hernan Cristoso, in one of the largest mass prosecutions for human rights abuses. The agents were sentenced for their roles in the disappearances of 16 leftist militants during the Augusto Pinochet dictatorship, which lasted from 1973-1990. 13 additional agents who had been charged were absolved from sentencing by the Chilean Judiciary. The sentences range from just over a year and a half to 20 years.

Dictator Augusto Pinochet, who controlled Chile from 1973-1990, and was responsible for the torture and deaths of thousands of people. Photo courtesy of AFP.

The abducted militants were reportedly sent to various torture and detention centers in Santiago between June 1974 and January 1975, and were never seen alive again. Their deaths were then covered up by the Chilean secret police by planting stories in foreign newspapers to imply that they had been killed fighting abroad as a way of absolving the government. Approximately 3,000 people disappeared and 30,000 were tortured during Pinochet’s rule. The disappearances were a part of Operation Condor, conducted by Chile in league with other South American countries such as Argentina and Brazil, which resulted in tens of thousands of activist deaths across the region. It was also motivated by the freshly established Pinochet government to consolidate its power.

Many of the agents who were convicted were already serving sentences for the human rights abuses they had committed. Also among those convicted were two former generals, Cesar Manriquez Bravo and Raul Iturriaga Neumann.

In addition to the criminal penalties for those involved, the current Chilean government was also ordered to pay 5 million Chilean pesos, equivalent to 7.5 million dollars, to the families of the victims as compensation.

Chile has also been criticized recently by Amnesty International for the decision by its Temuco Public Prosecutors Office to close an investigation into the unlawful detention of Victor Queipul Hueiquil, an activist for the rights of indigenous peoples in the country. Victor was reportedly detained for an entire day when police carried out an operation on the land of the Autonomous Community of Temucuicui. During the time of his detention he was allegedly blindfolded, tied up, and beaten while being interrogated.

For more information, please see:

Amnesty International – Chile: Closure of investigation into crimes against Mapuche leader puts indigenous people at risk – 17 May, 2017

BBC – Chilean judge sends 106 former secret agents to prison – 2 June, 2017

CNN – Chile convicts 106 former intelligence agents – 3 June, 2017

teleSUR – Chile Judge Jails 106 Ex-Agents of Pinochet Dictatorship – 3 June, 2017

UPI – Chile judge sentences 106 intelligence agents for kidnappings – 3 June, 2017

Syria Deeply: Civilians under fire in Raqqa, a polio outbreak in Deir Ezzor and barrel bombs in Daraa

 

 

Jun. 16th, 2017

 

 

 

 

 

Welcome to our weekly summary of Syria Deeply’s top coverage of crisis in Syria.

Civilians under fire in Raqqa: A United Nations war crimes investigation found that at least 300 civilians were killed in coalition airstrikes in Raqqa since March. At least 200 of these civilian deaths happened in one village, al-Mansoura, according to Karen Abuzayd, an American commissioner on the U.N. Commission of Inquiry.

In its new report “Key Concerns for Raqqa Battle,” Human Rights Watch emphasized that all sides fighting in the battle for Raqqa should not just be focused on “defeating ISIS, but also about protecting and assisting the civilians who have suffered under ISIS rule for three and a half years,” said Lama Fakih, HRW’s deputy Middle East director. Areas of particular concern for civilian protection are minimizing civilian casualties, respecting detainee rights and safe passage and support for displaced people, according to HRW.

The U.N. estimates that roughly 400,000 civilians remain in the province of Raqqa, and about half are in Raqqa city. Nearly 3,500 people have been displaced from Raqqa since the start of this month, according to the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees.

The U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces advanced further into Raqqa city this week, reportedly reaching the walls of the Old City.

Polio outbreak in Idlib: The World Health Organization confirmed and is monitoring an outbreak of polio in the province of Deir Ezzor.

The outbreak began after the virus was detected in two children – in March and May – who have been paralyzed as a result. A third child tested positive for the strain, but has not been paralyzed. These are the first cases of polio in Syria since 2014.

A vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 was detected in the affected children, which can result from underimmunization of a community.

In order to eradicate the virus, close to 80 percent of children in a community must be vaccinated. However “access for vaccination is compromised due to prevailing insecurity” in ISIS-controlled Deir Ezzor, according to WHO.

Southern Syria: The Syrian government and its allies stepped up their offensive in the southern province of Daraa.

Early in the week, rebel groups and Syrian pro-government forces were locked in fierce fighting around the city’s Palestinian refugee camp.

Syrian army helicopters dropped at least 36 barrel bombs on various towns in the southern province on Thursday, and at least 50 on Daraa city the previous day, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

 

Read our Daily Executive Summaries

 

 

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Understanding What Syrian Refugees Want

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Community Insight

 

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Medical Workers Seek Accountability for Syrian Healthcare Attacks

Hashem Osseiran,  Deputy Managing Editor of Syria Deeply

 

Medical workers are monitoring attacks on healthcare facilities in Syria. Their aim is to provide data that can be used by international agencies to enforce legal protections and hold the perpetrators accountable for breaches of international law.

 

ARTS & CULTURE

New Documentary Traces the Rise of ISIS

Kim Bode,  Community Editor of Syria Deeply and Refugees Deeply

 

In his new documentary, “Hell on Earth: The Fall of Syria and the Rise of ISIS,” filmmaker Nick Quested traces the geopolitical decisions that unwittingly contributed to the Syrian conflict and the rise of the so-called Islamic State.

 

 

FIRST LOOK

Upcoming coverage

We are always looking for new writers, experts and journalists who are covering the crisis in Syria and are interested in writing about a variety of topics. Please send us your ideas, story pitches and any other thoughts about our coverage via email, Twitter or Facebook.

 

 

 

 

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New Tactics in Human Rights: Worried About the Future of Rights in America?

Newsletter | June 2017

 

Worried About the Future of Rights in America?

We can help you take action.

Since its founding in 1999, New Tactics in Human Rights has focused its training and resources on supporting human rights activists in other countries. Today, the changing political climate in the U.S. is inspiring new advocacy efforts to protect and promote civil rights. In response, New Tactics is now offering US-focused training workshops; modularized courses to build strategic and tactical capacity for domestic activists, based on our Strategic Effectiveness Method.

Refined over sixteen years of international advocacy experience, our method helps organizations that want to protect and promote rights to do their work more effectively by providing a framework and tools through which to be more strategic, focused and flexible.

Our method has already been used by groups in the U.S. to successfully protect and promote a wide range of rights. U.S. human rights and civil liberties organizations used the method to form powerful coalitions to fight the U.S. use of torture and cruelty in post-9/11 counterterrorism operations.

The value of our new US-focused training workshops is in gathering the members of your organization together to work through our methodology. Many minds and thoughts add value to the process, resulting in a campaign that is better and stronger. The trainings are conducted in-person by highly experienced New Tactics trainers, and are customized to your organization and its specific issue, helping to move your work forward in an effective and strategic manner.

All workshops are designed for one trainer and a small group of participants for maximum participation and effective interactions. Details on our workshops can be found below or on our website at www.newtactics.org/training/workshops. For further information including costs for larger groups or to schedule a workshop, please contact Emily Hutchinson at NTWorkshops@cvt.org.

At New Tactics, we inspire and equip activists to change the world. We hope you will join us by participating in and sharing these exciting new training offerings.

 

 

HALF-DAY WORKSHOP

 

INTRODUCTION TO THE METHOD
This workshop is most appropriate for organizations that want to gain an overview of the Strategic Effectiveness Method and learn how to use the New Tactics Tactical Mapping tool. As a result, participants will gain a basic understanding of the Strategic Effectiveness Method steps and will use the Tactical Mapping Tool to explore new ways of approaching their issue. This workshop covers all five steps of the Strategic Effectiveness Method and has no limit on the number of participants.

 

 

ONE-DAY WORKSHOPS

 

THE POWER OF HUMAN RIGHTS-BASED ADVOCACY
This workshop is most appropriate for organizations seeking to ground their advocacy work within a human rights-based approach and focus on clear and specific human-rights framed issues as the basis for effective action.

As a result, participants will complete the training with a human rights-based problem statement ready for advocacy application. This workshop covers Step 1—“Identify the Problem”— and has a limit of twenty participants. [Note: this module does include developing a human rights-based vision statement – see Two-Day Workshop below]

 

COALITION BUILDING: EXPLORE YOUR HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS
This workshop is most appropriate for organizations that want to explore new opportunities for coalition building and already have a clear human rights-based problem and vision framework. As a result, participants will acquire valuable tools to identify relevant and often surprising actors and relationships that can be leveraged to expand the range of potential allies and opportunities for collaborations. This workshop covers Step 3—“Map the Terrain”—and has a limit of twenty participants.

 

TACTICAL INNOVATION: THE SOURCE OF FLEXIBILITY & SURPRISE
This workshop is most appropriate for organizations that want to learn how to identify and select tactics that are flexible, innovative, engaging, and surprising to opponents. As a result, participants will explore, learn, and exchange a variety of tactics and will leave with an expanded range of ideas to try in their own advocacy efforts. This workshop covers Step 5—“Take Action”—and has a limit of twenty participants.

 

 

TWO-DAY WORKSHOPS

 

SKILL BUILDING IN HUMAN RIGHTS-BASED ADVOCACY
This workshop is most appropriate for organizations that want to advance their advocacy efforts based on clearly defined human rights-based problem and vision statements. As a result, participants will understand and develop a clear and specific human-rights framed problem statement as the basis for their advocacy action. In addition, participants will develop and refine a unifying human rights-based vision statement to enable inspirational advocacy messaging. This workshop covers Step 1 and Step 2—“Identify the Problem” and “Create your Vision”— and has a limit of twenty participants.

 

STRATEGIC ADVOCACY: PLANNING YOUR CAMPAIGN
This workshop is most appropriate for organizations that already use a human rights-based problem and vision framework and want to strategically plan a specific advocacy campaign. As a result, participants will develop goals and identify specific tactical targets that are grounded in their problem and vision framework. Participants will also identify concrete outcomes for their advocacy plan which will help them to monitor their progress. This workshop covers Steps 3, 4, and 5, and has a limit of twenty participants.

 

 

THREE-DAY WORKSHOP

 

STRATEGIC EFFECTIVENESS METHOD – FAST TRACK
This workshop is most appropriate for one organization (or an organization along with their identified network members) that has already identified a specific issue and wants to develop a human rights-based strategic advocacy plan. As a result, participants use the hands-on skill building 5 Steps to Strategic Effectiveness Method to develop a concrete action plan which can be utilized to guide and monitor their progress. This workshop covers all five steps of the Strategic Effectiveness Method and has a limit of twenty participants. (See components listed under the “Five Day Workshop – Strategic Effectiveness Method”).

 

 

FIVE-DAY WORKSHOP

 

STRATEGIC EFFECTIVENESS METHOD
This workshop is most appropriate for grant-making organizations that want to provide their network of grantees with strategic thinking and tactical innovation skills. The workshop provides organizations with the 5 Steps to Strategic Effectiveness Method – a hands-on, skill building method for developing human rights-based strategic advocacy action plans. As a result, participants will define human rights-based problem and vision statements, explore, learn, and exchange tactic ideas, and use the Strategic Effectiveness Method to develop a “journey of change” including specific advocacy goals and action plan. This workshop covers all five steps of the Strategic Effectiveness Method and has a limit of twenty participants.

 

 

FIVE-DAY WORKSHOP + MENTORING

 

STRATEGIC EFFECTIVENESS METHOD FACILITATOR TRAINING
This workshop is most appropriate for organizations that are committed to integrating the Strategic Effectiveness Method into their advocacy efforts on a long-term basis and have one or more trainers on staff with the commitment to learn and implement the method. The organization must complete an application process prior to inclusion in the workshop. As a result, trainees will develop and practice skills in facilitating the 5 Steps to Strategic Effectiveness Method, including peer-to-peer practice. They will then receive direct and virtual feedback and mentoring for 3 months as they train, facilitate and apply the method with a selected organization or group. This workshop covers all five steps of the Strategic Effectiveness Method and has a limit of twenty participants.

Further information about the Strategic Effectiveness Method exists on the New Tactics website, including materials for each step that may be downloaded for free.

Copyright © 2017 New Tactics in Human Rights, All rights reserved.
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