“The quest for equality is ongoing for millions of Americans,” said Human Rights First’s Paul LeGendre. “At the same time, protection from violence remains a pressing need for LGBTI persons around the world, particularly those living in the some 76 countries that criminalize same-sex relations or in nations that are undoing years of progress and seeking to limit the fundamental rights of their citizens.”

In December 2012, Human Rights First outlined its recommendations for protecting vulnerable groups in a Blueprint for the Obama Administration. The document addressed various aspects of U.S. Government’s strategy for using its levers to advance equality for LGBTI persons, focusing on the continuous need for President Obama and Secretary of State Kerry to speak out and raise instances of abuse and discrimination. Among the key recommendation contained in that blueprint is a call for the Obama Administration to operationalize and institutionalize the provisions White House-issued Memorandum on International Initiatives to Advance the Human Rights of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Persons.

The White House  memorandum set forth a clear policy framework for combating serious rights violations against LGBTI persons, policy tools that Human Rights First further explored in its blueprint that recommended the following:

STRENGTHEN  PROTECTION BY STATES

• Challenge laws that criminalize same-sex relations
• Address impunity for violent acts

PROTECT LGBTI PEOPLE FROM IMMEDIATE RISKS OF HARM

• Support increased capacity for civil society and other local actors to assist LGBTI people with emergency protection needs.
• Provide direct assistance to LGBTI people facing immediate risks of violence.
• Assist individuals who cannot be protected within the country.

COORDINATING AND MAINSTREAMING ACTION ACROSS AGENCIES

• Operationalize the “standing group” mandated by the memorandum to be fully functional, meeting regularly, and taking action to protect against violence targeting LGBTI persons.
• Task a senior-level official in each of the agencies referenced in the memorandum to lead implementation.
• Mainstream the protection of LGBTI people into related U.S. government initiatives.
• Leverage successful U.S. development programs.

“U.S. officials and foreign diplomats must continue to raise in bi-lateral and multi-lateral settings the concerns of LGBTI persons targeted for violence and discrimination,” concluded LeGendre. “The U.S. government’s various agencies must coordinate effectively to ensure they are using all available avenues of outreach and are attune to the concerns raised by civil society groups.”

For more information about Human Rights First’s blueprint, please contact Brenda Bowser Soder at bowsersoderb@humanrightsfirst.org or 202-370-3323.

Massimino’s call comes just days after Human Rights First released a private letter from the Army Supply Bureau of the High Command of the Syrian Arab Republic (SAR) to the Russian arms dealer Rosoboronexport. The letter appears to show new orders for rifles, machine guns, grenade launchers, mortor rounds, ammunition and other goods the Syrian Army needs to carry out its ongoing operations against civilians. It also comes amidst news reports that Russia has sent advanced antiship cruise missiles to Syria.

“If verified, this letter contradicts Rosoboronexport’s earlier assertions that its sales to the Assad regime were for defensive purposes,” wrote Massimino in her letter to Secretary Kerry.  “It also confirms that the Syrian Army is purchasing not just major systems, as previously stated, but also a multitude of the kinds of small arms that are used to target the civilian population.  It appears that Assad plans on sustaining military operations and using Russia as a major supplier of military resources.  … I hope you will judge Russia’s intentions by its actions on Syria, such as arms sales, and insist from Mr. Lavrov that Rosoboronexport end its relationships with the Assad regime prior to any planned peace talks.”

In her letter, Massimino also stated that the United States should end its own ties to Rosoboronexport. She notes, “As you know, the U.S. Department of Defense has an ongoing contract worth nearly $1 billion to buy helicopters and parts from Rosoboronexport for the Afghan military.   The sales were banned by Congress last year for FY13 funds, but the relationship continues as DOD used FY12 funding to circumvent the ban.   DOD’s relationship with Rosoboronexport is at cross purposes with U.S. national security interests in preventing mass atrocities interests in Syria and your efforts to negotiate an end to the violence.”

For more information, read Human Rights First’s recently released report The Enablers of the Syrian Conflict: How Targeting Third Parties Can Slow the Atrocities in Syria or visit it accompanying interactive website. To speak with Massimino, please contact Brenda Bowser Soder at bowsersoderb@humanrightsfirst.org or 202-370-3323.

Many members of the committee appeared to echo the sentiments of Ranking Member Senator Jim Inhofe (R-OK), who observed, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” In addition, a joint statement for the record submitted by the Department of Defense added that there is no need for a new AUMF and that “existing authorities are adequate for this armed conflict.”

Human Rights First’s Dixon Osburn said, “Today the military confirmed that it can handle existing threats without a new AUMF and the administration is not seeking expanded authorities. That’s the bottom line here. Congress has every right to be concerned about taking steps to authorize permanent, global war against terrorist groups wherever they may reside. The American people don’t want that.”

Human Rights First notes that during the ongoing debate about whether a new AUMF is needed, the administration should make clear that a group labeling itself as Al Qaeda does not necessarily make it an organization that actually has the ability or intent to attack the United States or its vital national security interests. And, as the Department of Defense confirmed today, “Should a new group threaten us…we would consult with Congress to determine whether additional tools are necessary or appropriate.”

For more information about today’s hearing or to speak with Osburn, please contact Brenda Bowser Soder at bowsersoderb@humanrightsfirst.org or 202-370-3323.

“Nabeel’s wife, Sumaya, told us that he called her from prison on May 14 at around 11 a.m. On that same day around 7 p.m., Sumaya heard via another prisoner’s family that Nabeel had been taken from his cell and subjected to some form of harassment, though the details are not clear about why he was targeted. Sumaya fears Nabeel could be put in solitary confinement,” said Human Rights First’s Human Rights First.

Earlier this week, Said Yousif of BCHR told Human Rights First that he had received a call from Nabeel Rajab on May 12 and that the jailed defender told him he had witnessed the torture of eight youths in Jaw Prison.

Dooley notes that there are also concerns about human rights defender Naji Fateel, who was arrested earlier this month on May 2. Fateel is a board member of the Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR) and, according to reports, was arrested without warrant by security men in civilian clothes at his home in the village of Bani-Jamra. On May 7, the BYSHR reported that it had heard reports that Fateel had been tortured in custody, including that he was electrocuted, beaten and suspended from the ceiling.

Today, News Agency France 24 reported that another six people have been today to a year in prison for “insulting the King” on Twitter. According to the news agency, they were charged with “misusing the right of free expression” and of “undermining the values and traditions of Bahrain’s society towards the king on Twitter.”

Human Rights First calls for an immediate investigation into these allegations. “U.N. Special Rapporteur on Torture Juan Mendez should have been in Bahrain this week, but was denied entry by the government. Reports of torture keep coming and the authorities need to respond with transparent investigations and not evade scrutiny,” noted Dooley. “Accounts of torture in custody and increased targeting of peaceful expression demonstrate this is a government intent on repression, not reform,”

For more information, please contact Brenda Bowser Soder at bowsersoderb@humanrightsfirst.org or 202-370-3323.

Washington, D.C. – Human Rights First today released a private letter from the Army Supply Bureau of the High Command of the Syrian Arab Republic (SAR) to the Russian arms dealer Rosoboronexport. The letter appears to show new orders for rifles, machine guns, grenade launchers, mortor rounds, ammunition and other goods the Syrian Army needs to carry out its ongoing operations against civilians.

The organization notes that this newly disclosed letter fuels ongoing concerns about Russia’s continuing role in enabling the Assad regime’s atrocities, despite repeated assertions by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov that Russia is merely filling commitments from previous contracts for defensive weapons only.  The relationship between the SAR and Rosoboronexport also raises concerns about the United States’ own relationship with Rosoboronexport.  When Secretary of State John Kerry sees Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Stockholm tomorrow, Human Rights First calls on him to raise the meaning of this order.

“Russia can’t have it both ways.  It can either be a broker for the peace process or it can enable Assad to continue his murderous attacks on civilians and stock up for a longer war,” said Human Rights First’s Sadia Hameed.

According to Human Rights First, the types of weapons and supplies requested in the letter from the Syrian Army to Rosoboronexport are consistent with supplies needed to carry on a sustained military effort and replenish military equipment caches. These types of transfers from Russia to Syria were examined in Human Rights First’s recently released report The Enablers of the Syrian Conflict: How Targeting Third Parties Can Slow the Atrocities in Syria and its accompanying interactive website.

The United States has also drawn criticism for its own dealings with Rosoboronexport.  Last year, Congress passed an amendment (section 1277) to the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013 (FY13 NDAA) that expressly prohibited the use of U.S. funds to enter into any contracts or agreements with Rosoboronexport. The FY13 NDAA was enacted in January.  In spite of the intent of the law, the U.S. Army has invoked a waiver authority and has notified Congress that it intends to enter into a new contract with Rosoboronexport to procure 20 additional helicopters for the Afghan military.

“It is a challenge to track the entities that supply weapons and other material resources needed to sustain atrocities, but our research has shown that Russia is a known enabler of the Assad regime. This request to Rosoboronexport would be in line with the types of support Rosoboronexport is suspected of providing,” concluded Hameed.

For more information or to speak with Hameed, please contact Brenda Bowser Soder at bowsersoderb@humanrightsfirst.org or 202-370-3323.

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“This latest arrest is part of an emerging pattern of targeting those who were active in the revolution. There has been an alarming surge in the judicial harassment of leading dissidents and the new Egyptian government is beginning to look increasingly like a close relative of the Mubarak regime,” said Human Rights First’s Brian Dooley, who is currently in Cairo.

Maher was a founder of the April 6 Youth Movement, one of the leaders of the mass protests that succeeded in overthrowing the presidency of Hosni Mubarak in February 2011.

For more information, see Human Rights First’s report, Egypt’s Human Rights Crisis Deepens.To speak with Dooley, contact Brenda Bowser Soder at BowserSoderB@humanrightsfirst.org or 202-370-3323.

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“The time has come for the White House to appoint a high-ranking official oversee these transfers. Though President Obama has reaffirmed his commitment to closing the detention facility, his administration has been reluctant to use all of the tools available to relocate the detainees who have been cleared for transfer. Senator Levin’s request to the president is a step in the right direction in moving forward to close Guantanamo.”

At his last press conference, President Obama stated that he is actively seeking to close Guantanamo, and will work with lawmakers to overcome challenges from Congress. Appointing a high-ranking official to oversee this process would be a clear sign that the administration plans to rededicate itself to the effort.

To speak with Eviatar please contact Brenda Bowser Soder at bowsersoderb@humanrightsfirst.org. For more information about how the administration should proceed as it works to close the facility, see Human Rights First’s resources:

Fact Sheet: Guantánamo by the Numbers
Fact Sheet: Closing Guantánamo
Blueprint: How to Close Guantanamo
Fact Sheet: Myth v. Fact: Trying Terrorism Suspects in Federal Court
Fact Sheet: The Role of the FBI in Keeping America Safe from Terrorism
Fact Sheet: Federal Courts Continue to Take Lead in Counterterrorism Prosecutions
Infographic: Terrorism Convictions Have Been Secured in Federal Court Across the United States

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“Whether and how blasphemy and other speech deemed offensive to religion or religious symbols is regulated in Tunisian law is a contentious issue in the transition process,” noted Human Rights First’s Neil Hicks. “Rights and freedoms would be threatened by any broadening or strengthening of laws criminalizing allegedly blasphemous or offensive speech, and several such proposals have been made since the revolution that ousted former President Ben Ali.”

Violence inspired by blasphemy allegations is a highly destabilizing global problem. Human Rights First notes that blasphemy laws empower elements of society to restrict debate and dissent on religion, provide a pretext for governments to silence their opponents, and fuel violence by empowering extremists. Tunisia suffered from such violence in September 2012, when two people were killed and 29 others wounded outside the U.S. Embassy during a protest against the video, “The Innocence of Muslims.” Today’s report calls attention to several disturbing incidents of blasphemy related violence, most notably the attack on the American Embassy and the destruction of the American School on September 14, 2012, which led to the evacuation of all non-essential staff from the embassy.  Political violence is seen as the biggest threat to Tunisia’s transition by many of the civil society activists and political leaders with whom Human Rights First met in Tunisia. These shocking events inflicted great damage on Tunisia’s transition and should serve as a reminder of the unique potential of allegations of blasphemy to trigger conflict and instability.

Human Rights First notes that in recent months, the Tunisian National Constituent Assembly has made the welcome decision to remove from the draft constitution proposals that would have criminalized “attacks on that which is sacred.” Despite this positive development, risks remain that existing laws, or newly introduced legislation could be used to increase the use of accusations of blasphemy to stifle peaceful dissent and to polarize Tunisia society along a secular versus religious axis. The report urges the Tunisian government to take steps to strengthen legal protections for freedom of expression and to hold accountable those who engage in violence to protest alleged insults against religion.

Today’s report also faults the U.S. government for a lack of urgency in its support for the  promising and important political developments underway in Tunisia.  It calls on the U.S. government to renew and reinvigorate its commitment to promoting peaceful democratic transition in Tunisia, and to stress the need for the Tunisian authorities to implement strong safeguards for freedom of expression to improve prospects for the transition to succeed. Human Rights First recommends that the United States government:

• Renew and reinvigorate its commitment to promoting and supporting a peaceful democratic transition in Tunisia by restoring the embassy to full strength and implementing programs that support human rights and democracy.
• Make clear the importance it attaches to securing clear legal protections for basic freedoms in Tunisia’s new constitution and revised laws.
• Update Embassy materials to display higher priority of promoting and protecting basic rights and freedoms, in order to more directly address the anxieties of Tunisians.
• Visibly make the case to the Tunisian government that improving legal safeguards for basic rights and freedoms will improve Tunisia’s prospects for achieving a successful transition.

For more information or to speak with Neil Hicks, contact Brenda Bowser Soder at BowserSoderB@humanrightsfirst.org or 202-370-3323.

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“We now know that the CIA edited Hollywood’s account of the Osama bin Laden operation. The Senate Intelligence Committee’s torture report tells the real story about how that operation was conducted and what methods were used to gain the intelligence that led to its success. Americans need to know that story. And the CIA should engage constructively with the committee to get it out.”

For more information or to speak with Wala, please contact Brenda Bowser Soder at bowsersoderb@humanrightsfirst.org or 202-370-3323.

“People who support a law to ban blasphemy claim to feel offended by anyone who criticizes Islam,” said Human Rights First’s Joelle Fiss. “They seek for greater tolerance and respect of religion. But violent actions are in complete contradiction to the very values of acceptance and respect.”

The demonstrations had been instigated by Allama Shah Ahmad Shafi, the leader of Hefajat-e-Islam. According to press reports, activists from Hefajat-e-Islam marched along chanting, “Atheists must be hanged.” Police claimed the number of protesters reached around 200,000.

Human Rights First notes that blasphemy laws are frequently used to stifle debate and dissent, harass rivals, and settle petty disputes among neighbors, business partners and political adversaries. Increasingly, these laws also trigger violence. It has become commonplace for mobs to gather in and around courtrooms where blasphemy cases are tried. In many cases, vigilantes are often called to arms over the loudspeakers of local mosques and stand prepared to take the law into their own hands if the court does not hand down a guilty verdict.

“You can’t instigate violence and incite to murder, all in the name of ‘tolerance for religion.’ It’s the height of hypocrisy,” observed Fiss.

For more information, or to speak with Fiss, contact Brenda Bowser Soder at BowserSoderB@humanrightsfirst.org or 202-370-3323.

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