By Connie Hong
Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

MINSK, Belarus – A Swedish advertising company, Studio Total, flew a small plane across the Belarusian border and dropped hundreds of teddy bears to draw attention to violations of freedom of expression in Belarus on the country’s Independence Day, July 4. Photographer and journalism student, Anton Suryapin, now faces up to seven years in prison after posting pictures of the incident on his website.

Swedish teddy bears supporting freedom of expression in Belarus. (Photo Courtesy of Amnesty International) Continue Reading

By Pearl Rimon,
Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

BRUSSELS, Belgium — The Council of Europe appointed Stavros Labrinidis as the EU Special Representative for Human Rights. Labrinidis’ new role puts him in charge of enhancing the effectiveness and visibility of the EU human rights policy. He will work with the European External Action Service. He begins his official role on September 1^st, which runs until June 2014.

Labrinidis is the former minister of foreign affairs of Greece and a Vice President of the European Parliament. His appointment is a result of the EU’s Strategic Framework and Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy that was adopted on June 25.

EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton announced the appointment in Brussels today. “Human rights are one of my top priorities and a silver thread that runs through everything that we do in external relations,” she said. “With his talent and huge experience, Mr. Lambrinidis will be a tremendous asset to us. I look forward to working with him in putting the protection and promotion of human rights and democracy at the heart of EU external action, and enhancing the coherence, effectiveness and visibility of our work in this field.”

Labrinidis was chosen ahead of French human rights ambassador François Zimeray  and Astrid Thors of Finland, a former European affairs minister.  The Council of Europe said the role had been created to “enhance the effectiveness and visibility of EU human rights policy.”

Lambrinidis’ past experience includes being deputy chairman of Parliament’s civil liberties, justice and home affairs committee. He was also the chairman of the committee for human rights in the Washington DC Bar Association.

Dany Cohn-Bendit, co-president of the Greens/European Free Alliance Grup in the Parliament, said “The creation of this new post is an important signal of the priority the EU gives to the promotion of and respect for human rights, democracy and the rule of law.”

Labrinidis’ role requires him to be the voice for those who suffer from human rights violations. Barbara Lochibler, chair of the Council of Europe’s human rights subcommittee describes the appointment described Labrinidis; new role, “The Special Representative must be a reliable voice for the people who suffer human rights violations. He should keep an eye on the bilateral and multilateral relations of the EU and monitor the implementation of human rights with international partners: in foreign and economic policy as well as in development cooperation. Last but not least, there must be coherence between the EU’s internal and external policies as regards human rights.”

For further information, please see:

New Europe — EU Appoints Human Rights Chief – 26 July 2012

European Parliament — MEPs congratulate new EU human rights envoy, Stavros Lambrinidis – 25 July 2012

Public Service Europe — Labrinidis Appointed EU’s First Human Rights Envoy – 25 July 2012

By Connie Hong
Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

MOSCOW, Russia– Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a bill that labels all non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that engage in political activity as “foreign agents.” Opposition groups believe that the new law is yet another method for Putin to silence political dissent.

The bill was quickly pushed through the lower and upper houses of parliament before their summer breaks; the State Duma lower house approved the bill on July 13, and the upper house Federation Council approved of it on July 18. Putin signed the bill into law just four days later on July 21.

This new law requires NGOs that receive funding from abroad to register with the authorities as foreign agents. They are further required to publish a biannual report on their activities and carry out an annual financial audit in order to regularly inform the public on their sources of income and their management. They are also required to comply with official checks of their income, accounting, and management structures. Failure to abide by the new legislation could result in four-year jail sentences and/or fines of up to 300,000 rubles ($9,200).

The new law applies broadly to NGOs engaging in political activity, but exempts religious groups and organizations associated with the state or state companies.

Activists are concerned that the law will be used to stigmatize critical NGOs, specifically the ones that report on human rights abuses committed under Putin’s rule. The new law has also been criticized as another attempt to curb free speech and limit information available to the public.

The legislation has gained international attention as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay recently expressed concern about “a worrying shift in the legislative environment governing the enjoyment of the freedoms of assembly, association, speech, and information.” U.S. Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, has also expressed mirroring concerns regarding how the law will impact free speech.

Moscow has responded by rebuking the U.S. State Department for its “gross interference.”

While the label of “foreign agent” under the new law does not directly charge the NGO with espionage, it does carry with it negative implications of unpatriotic behavior. Such implications has led the leader of the Moscow Helsinki Group, Lyudmila Alexeyeva, to turn down foreign grants in order to avoid having to register the group as a “foreign agent.” The Moscow Helsinki Group is one of Russia’s oldest human rights organizations.

Alexeyeva, who turned 85 pm Friday, asked supporters not to give her any gifts but to offer financial assistance to her organization to make up for the funding cut.

 

For further information, please see:

Chicago Tribune — Russia’s Putin signs NGO “foreign agents” law — 22 July 2012

The News — Putin signs law branding NGOs ‘foreign agents’ — 22 July 2012

France 24 — Putin signs law branding NGOs ‘foreign agents’ — 21 July 2012

Jurist — Putin signs law labeling NGOs as ‘foreign agents’ — 21 July 2012

Ria Novosti — Putin Signs Foreign Agent NGO Law — 21 July 2012

 

By Pearl Rimon
Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

VALLETA, Malta – Human Rights Watch (HRW) is calling for the government of Malta to stop their practice of detaining unaccompanied migrant children.

Malta has a policy of mandatory detention for migrants who arrive by sea, resulting in prolonged detention of unaccompanied children and other abuses of migrants’ rights.

“Malta’s automatic, indiscriminate, and blanket detention of migrants – including unaccompanied migrant children – is inhumane and unnecessary,” said Alice Farmer, researcher in the Children’s Rights Division at HRW. “It doesn’t deter migrants from coming to Malta and it violates international law.”

Asylum seekers can be detained for up to 12 months and migrants not seeking asylum can be detained for 18 months. Malta has a policy of mandatory detention for any “prohibited immigrant,” including anyone arriving without “right of entry.”

Malta routinely detains unaccompanied migrant children who are often fleeing violence in their home countries, like Somalia and Eritrea. The children undergo an age determination process, a lengthy procedure that often takes months. They are detained as long as they look older than 12 or 14, and are held until they determine their age.

The children are assessed and if they are deemed to be under 18 they are released into group homes. While children who arrive with their families are automatically moved to group homes.

HRW interviewed 88 migrant and asylum seekers between February and May of this year. The average detention time for age determination was 3.4 months. The Maltese government has detained children as young as 12 in adult facilities, according to the HRW report.

“Malta should treat migrants who claim to be under age 18 as children until proven otherwise, and never detain them,” said Alice Farmer. “The fact that unaccompanied children, who have made long and dangerous trips without their parents or other caregivers, are locked up until they can prove they are children, demonstrates the brutality of the detention policy.”

HRW urges the Maltese government to treat those who claim to be children as such pending the outcome of age determination proceedings, and not detain them while their ages are assessed, bring their detention policies in line with the standards of the Council of Europe, and to limit detention of migrants to exceptional circumstances.

The Maltese government maintains that detention protects migrants from abuse, exploitation and getting lost in the country.

For further information, please see:

DI-VE — Beyond Burden Sharing on Irregular Migrants – 19 July 2012

The Epoch Times — Malta: An Accidental Destination For Many Migrants – 19 July 2012

The Malta Independent– Human Rights Watch – ‘Stop detaining children’ –19 July 2012

By Connie Hong
Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

MOSCOW, Russia –  Last year, Human Rights Watch joined other rights groups in demanding an investigation into the murder of rights activist Natalia Estemirova.  Little has been done in the past year and the group, once again, urged Russian authorities to conduct a thorough investigation, including an inquiry into possible official involvement, of her death.

Estemirova reported on human rights abuses committed by the Chechen government, such as extrajudicial killings, torture, and enforced disappearances.  On July 15, 2009, Estemirova was kidnapped outside her home in Grozny.  Her body was later discovered in Ingushetia, covered with multiple gunshot wounds.

Although three years have passed since her murder, those responsible for her death have yet to be identified.  Russian authorities stated that investigations are still ongoing, but believed that Estemirova’s death was likely caused by Chechen insurgents as a result of her exposing some of their crimes.

Their preliminary conclusion left both leading Russian human rights activists and Human Rights Watch unconvinced.  Human Rights Watch criticized the authorities for failing to conduct an in-depth investigation that considered more plausible theories, including one that involved government officials.  The group also pointed to the number of discrepancies in the evidence that the authorities have provided in order to bolster their belief that Estemirova was murdered by insurgents.

The group called the authorities to reveal and make public all the steps that were taken to examine the possibility of official involvement in the killing.

The situation for human right defenders in the region continues to worsen after Estemirova’s death.  Aside from Estemirova, Maksharip Aushev, Zarema Sadulayeva, Alik Dzhabrailov, Andrei Kulagin, and Stanislav Markelov have also been slain.

In its recent statement, Humans Rights Watch expressed concern regarding the safety of other Russian rights activists and groups.  It noted that the Chechen authorities have repeatedly harassed rights groups providing legal aid and assistance to victims of law enforcement abuses in Chechnya.

One rights group being targeted is the Joint Mobile Group, which sends rotating teams of human rights lawyers to Chechnya to provide legal assistance.  The group was founded in response to the death of Estemoriva.  Igor Kaliapin, one of the co-founders of the Joint Mobile Group, have been threatened with criminal proceedings for allegedly disclosing confidential information in his blog, articles, and interviews about cases of human rights abuses.

Human Rights Watch have called on the authorities to cease all criminal inquiry against Kaliapin, and instead, focus their investigations on the attacks and murders of other activists in the region.

 

For further information, please see:

Amnesty International — Russia must deliver justice for Natalia Estemirova and other murdered activists — 14 July 2012

Human Rights Watch — Russia: Bring Natalia Estemirova’s Murderers to Justice — 13 July 2012

Jurist — HRW: Russia authorities must investigate rights activist’s murder — 13 July 2012