Human Rights First

Investigate Killing of Russian Human Rights Defender

On July 15, Natalya Estemirova, a well-known Russian human rights activist, was found dead in the North Caucasus republic of Ingushetia. Earlier that day, armed men abducted Estemirova in neighboring Chechnya.

Estemirova worked as a teacher and journalist in the Chechen capital, Grozny. Since 1999, when the second Chechen war began, she devoted herself to human rights advocacy, joining the staff of the Memorial human rights center, one of Russia's largest and most respected rights groups.

Estemirova's abduction and murder sheds light on the dire situation of Russian human rights defenders, including lawyers, journalists, and other activists, who face increasing violence, threats, and baseless prosecution. Impunity for prior attacks contributes to the deterioration of their situation. Join Human Rights First in demanding that Russian authorities conduct a prompt, thorough, and impartial investigation into this murder, identify those responsible, and bring them to justice.

Urge G8 Leaders to Call for Release of All Detained Activists in Iran

Hundreds of people have been detained in Iran since the June 12th announcement of the disputed presidential election results. The detainees include prominent political leaders who opposed President Ahmadinejad during the campaign, student leaders, journalists, human rights lawyers and women's rights activists.

Many of these detainees have now been held for weeks without charge or trial and with little or no access to the outside world. They have neither access to legal counsel nor contact with their family members. Reportedly, some of the detainees are being tortured to prompt confessions of instigating and organizing the mass protests that followed the June 12th announcement.

Leaders of the Group of Eight (G8) will meet in Italy later this week. Human Rights First is calling on the G8 leaders to issue a collective statement expressing serious concern regarding the widespread violations of human rights that have occurred in Iran since June 12. Additionally, this collective statement should call for the immediate and unconditional release of all of those detained in Iran for the non-violent exercise of their basic rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly.

Join Human Rights First in urging world leaders to speak up for detained activists in Iran.

Tell President Obama to Stand Up for Human Rights in Colombia

This coming Monday, June 29, 2009, President Barack Obama will meet in Washington D.C. with Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, their first official private meeting since President Obama took office. Urge President Obama to place human rights at the top of his agenda with Colombian President Uribe.

While the pending Free Trade Agreement with Colombia is likely to attract most attention, it is vital that President Obama tells President Uribe that respect for human rights in Colombia is essential.

A new scandal in Colombia reveals the precarious situation of human rights defenders and indicates the poor state of human rights there generally. Colombia's national intelligence agency (DAS) has apparently engaged in widespread illegal wiretaps and surveillance of human rights defenders, and in one case, sent a defender a death threat in the form of a bloody doll, instead of providing protection. Soraya Gutierrez from the Jose Alvear Restrepo Lawyers Collective received the doll with a note, "You have a pretty daughter. Don't sacrifice her."

Demand that President Obama stand up for human rights defenders in Colombia and recognize the importance of the human rights they promote. Take action now to send President Obama an email with five key human rights messages he should raise with President Uribe.

Alert Date: June 23, 2009

End Government Harassment of Pakistani Champion of Women's Rights

In 2002, Mukhtar Mai was gang-raped on orders of a traditional village council as punishment for acts allegedly committed by her younger brother. Instead of suffering in silence, Ms. Mai fought back and testified in a rape case against her attackers and is now a leading Pakistani women's rights activist.

For her activism, she has faced constant harassment, including from government officials, who have strongly discouraged her from proceeding with her case. In the latest incident, on June 11, 2009, a power company raided her human rights organization, falsely accusing it of stealing electricity. The company proceeded to disconnect all of the electricity, also affecting hundreds of families in the surrounding area. According to witnesses to the raid, power company officials claimed that a member of the Pakistani government ordered the raid.

This raid is only the most recent incident of harassment against Ms. Mai and has significantly hindered her organization's ability to carry out its important human rights work. Demand that government officials immediately cease these harassing tactics.

Alert Date: June 19, 2009

Release Ill Cuban Activist from Isolation Cell

Tony Diaz, an instrumental organizer of a civic initiative known as the Varela Project in Cuba, was thrown in jail for his human rights activities in the spring of 2003. The Varela Project collected petition signatures for a constitutional referendum on democratic reforms and respect for basic freedoms. Now, more than six years later, Diaz suffers from serious intestinal problems. This week, Diaz was transferred to a prison isolation cell, seriously endangering his health.

For the past eight months, Diaz has been receiving treatment for his illness at the Carlos J. Finlay Military Hospital in Havana. During his stay, State Security agents repeatedly offered to transfer Diaz to a prison close to his home if he agreed to fully cooperate with them and wear a certain uniform. Upon his refusal, he was transferred this past week to an isolation cell in Canaleta prison in Ciego de Avila province, more than 500 km away from his home in Havana. His detention consists of a dark and humid cell with no outside communication. Demand that he be released from the isolation cell and receive the medical care that he needs.

Alert Issued: June 8, 2009

Drop Charges against Russian Art Curators

In Moscow, Yury Samodurov, a human rights activist, and Andrey Erofeev, a museum curator, are facing criminal prosecution for organizing an exhibition entitled "Forbidden Art 2006" at the Andrei Sakharov Museum. In June 2007, an ultranationalist religious organization, Narodnyj Sobor, submitted a formal complaint about the exhibition to the public prosecutor's office, which brought charges against Samodurov and Erofeev for inciting religious and ethnic hatred under article 282 of the Penal Code. The two men could be sentenced to up to five years imprisonment. The Tagansky District Court in Moscow is scheduled to resume hearing the case behind closed doors on June 5, 2009.

Human Rights First has documented a disturbing pattern of threats and assaults against human rights activists in Russia over the past few years. The Russian authorities have also increased bureaucratic and legal harassment of human rights organizations, launching investigations and prosecutions, disrupting public events, and carrying out raids and searches on dubious grounds. Several human rights defenders and supporters of opposition groups in Russia have faced criminal charges for expressing dissenting opinions or criticizing government authorities.

The charges brought against Samodurov and Erofeev represent the latest attempt to curtail freedom of expression in Russia. Antiextremist legislation-and in particular Article 282 dealing with incitement to hatred-has been misused to target human rights activists and other non-violent activists who are critical of the government. Take action now to demand that the charges against Yury Samodurov and Andrey Erofeev are dropped and the case closed.

Alert Date: June 3, 2009

Stop Attacks on Colombian Human Rights Defenders

Two incidents in recent weeks show the range of threats Colombian human rights defenders face all across the country, from trumped-up evidence to outright acts of violence.

On April 22, 2009, two unknown men assaulted Mauricio Meza Blanco as he left his home and tried to force him into a nearby van. Meza is a well-known human rights activist in Bucaramanga, in northern Colombia, who has been working to publicize the grave environmental effects of large agricultural and energy projects.

In a separate incident in Caqueta, in southern Colombia, a secret intelligence report emerged listing 97 people as members of the Amazon Front of the FARC rebel group. The report stated that those listed, including several notable human rights leaders, would be prosecuted. Many of the activists on the list planned to participate in a Truth Hearing in Caqueta just a few days after the report came to light. The hearing was designed to air testimony about extrajudicial killings and other human rights violations allegedly committed by the army.

In a recent report, Human Rights First documented the widespread use of uncorroborated intelligence reports to falsely prosecute Colombian defenders as terrorists. You can see a brief video about the problem here.

We fear that the above incidents may be attempts to silence activists who have the courage to expose human rights violations. Take action now to demand that the government promptly investigate both cases to establish whether the law was broken and, if so, to bring the perpetrators to justice.

Alert Date: May 12, 2009

Join the Ladies in White in Calling for Human Rights in Cuba

It has now been six years since 75 human rights defenders were imprisoned in Cuba for nothing more than peacefully demanding fundamental rights.

In March 2003, activists throughout the country were arrested by the Cuban government and summarily tried and sentenced to as many as 28 years in prison. Today, 54 of them remain in jail, many with severe illnesses they've developed from poor prison conditions.

Their wives, sisters, daughters, and loved ones have formed the Damas de Blanco, or Ladies in White, who march every Sunday through the streets of Havana to demand the release of their family members and to promote human rights in the face of constant harassment. This year, they held six days of religious services, peaceful marches, and assemblies in front of government offices to mark the anniversary. Their events were repeatedly broken up by government-organized mobs. On March 8, their commemoration of International Women's Day was also interrupted. On both occasions, members of the organization who live outside Havana were reportedly prevented from traveling to attend the events, a violation of their rights to movement and peaceful assembly.

In a recent report to the UN Human Rights Council, the Cuban government claimed that all Cubans "fully and universally enjoy all human rights." The unjust jailing of 75 human rights defenders, and the continued harassment of peaceful activists such as the Ladies in White, undermines such a claim and violates fundamental human rights.

Please call on the Cuban government to end the imprisonment of the 54 human rights activists jailed six years ago, and to respect the efforts of the Ladies in White to promote human rights.

For more information, read Human Rights First's submission to the UN Human Rights Council on Cuban defenders here.

Alert Issued: March 26, 2009

Ask Producers of '24' to Stop Promoting Torture

The hit television series "24" is notorious for how its hero Jack Bauer gets the job done: he tortures suspects, gets what he wants, and always saves the day.

Of course, that's rarely how things work in real life. But disturbingly, Human Rights First – working with military educators – has learned that young soldiers have often copied Jack Bauer's actions in the field or even view him as a model of how to conduct interrogations.

The writers and producers of '24' have the freedom to create what they think will appeal to viewers. But we also think they should be aware of the show's impact.

Watch our video and please add your name to the letter below: