Sri Lanka: Justice For Ragihar Manoharan and the Trinco FiveRagihar Manoharan, a Sri Lankan Tamil student, and four fellow students had gathered for a chat near the seafront in the town of Trincomalee in northeastern Sri Lanka at about 7:00 p.m. on January 2, 2006, when a grenade was thrown at them from a passing auto rickshaw. The students ran, but at least three of them were injured in the explosion. A short while later, a group of 10 to 15 officers in uniform, believed to be police from the elite Special Task Force, arrived. They reportedly put the injured students into their jeep and beat them with rifle butts, and then pushed them out onto the road. According to a witness, the security forces personnel then shot the five students dead.
Despite subsequent court hearings and an investigation by a presidential commission of inquiry, no one has been convicted for these murders. Ragihar’s father gave evidence at the proceedings and then received death threats. Ultimately, Ragihar’s family was forced to flee Sri Lanka. Justice for Ragihar and the rest of the Trinco Five has been one of the GOTB actions for several years. In July 2013, due to the mounting international pressure, the Sri Lankan government arrested 12 Police Special Task Force members in connection with the murders. All 12 were out on bail while the case was pending. In July 2019, the court acquitted all of the defendants due to lack of sufficient evidence. The Sri Lankan Attorney General later ordered the police to re-open investigations into the killings. We are continuing to call on the Sri Lankan government to effectively investigate and prosecute those who murdered Ragihar Manoharan and the rest of the “Trinco Five." The 2021 report on Sri Lanka by the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights said that the High Commissioner’s office had been tracking the investigation and prosecution by the Sri Lankan government of several emblematic cases, including the Trinco Five students, as a key measure of Sri Lanka’s commitment to ending impunity. The report noted that none of these cases has been brought to a successful conclusion or conviction. Take Action Now: Join the South Asia Regional Action Network Sign up for monthly actions by email on Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Nepal, India, Pakistan, Bhutan, the Maldives and Bangladesh. Email jmcdonald@aiusacs.org and write "SARAN sign-up" in the subject line. |
Online Resources
|
Iran: Free Vahid AfkariVahid Afkari:
Vahid Afkari was arbitrarily arrested for his peaceful participation in protests in his hometown of Shiraz, Iran in 2017 and 2018. Slogans chanted at these protests expressed a mix of grievances about inequality and political repression. Iranian authorities held him in solitary confinement, tortured him, and forced him to “confess” to crimes he repeatedly said he did not commit. Vahid Afkari was convicted following grossly unfair trials of a baseless accusation involving murder and sentenced to 33 years and nine months’ imprisonment and 74 lashes. The authorities are holding him in solitary confinement, denying him adequate medical care and ignoring a large body of evidence proving his innocence. Two of Vahid Afkari’s brothers – Navid Afkari and Habib Afkari – also were arbitrarily arrested in connection with their peaceful participation in the protests. On September 12, 2020, the Iranian authorities executed Navid Afkari in secret. His execution ignited outrage in Iran and throughout the world and led to escalated campaigning for his brothers. Habib Afkari was released from prison in March 2022. Toomaj Salehi: Well-known Iranian rapper and hip-hop artist Toomaj Salehi was arrested in October 2022 in connection with his music and posts on social media in support of peaceful protests in Iran and for denouncing the unjust practices of the Iranian government. Salehi was a very vocal supporter of the protests that broke out in Iran after the death in custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in September 2022. Through his music he has called for freedom and an end to repression. He has been reportedly tortured and kept in prolonged solitary confinement. According to his Twitter account, he was severely beaten despite fears that he could lose his eyesight. He has reported suffering several broken bones and not receiving proper medical care in detention. In July 2023 he was convicted of "corruption on earth" and sentenced to more than six years in prison. A ban on his music has been put on him for an additional two years. He was released from prison on bail in November 2023 after a vocal campaign by Amnesty International and other organizations; unfortunately he was re-arrested just two weeks later after publicizing information about his torture while in custody, and was accused of spreading lies and propaganda against the government, just for telling the truth about his mistreatment. |
We are calling on the Iranian authorities to:
|
China/TibetMore information to come.
These action call for the end of mass detentions and the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners being held by the Chinese government. Focal points: The Tibetan people being held as prisoners such as Rinchen Tsultrim, a Tibetan monk, and A-Nya Sengdra, a Tibetan activist for environmental rights. Detentions in Xinjiang with a specific focus on Ekpar Asat, a Uyghur Media founder, tech entrepreneur, and philanthropist. It is suspected that his detention and trial were prompted by his work and his travel abroad. |
United Nations: Stop Enabling Corporations Engaged in Human Rights HarmsThe United Nations has established "the human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment” and, regarding climate change, has declared that "the world has never seen a threat to human rights of this scope." UN investigators have indicated businesses that are still facilitating new fossil fuel projects are acting "contrary to the goals, obligations and commitments under the Paris Agreement on climate change...contributing to climate change-related human rights impacts, contrary to their own human rights responsibilities.” With new fossil fuel projects removing realistic pathways to the goals of net zero and limiting warming to 1.5°C, UN Secretary-General, António Guterres declared that "fossil fuel producers and their enablers are still racing to expand production, knowing full well that their business model is inconsistent with human survival."
Despite this rhetoric and the unfolding human rights crisis being driven by fossil fuel expansion, the United Nations is also maintaining an array of voluntary corporate initiatives that are helping to shield some of the worst climate criminals from accountability and justice. These initiatives have little to no oversight, are not transparent about their non-binding nature, and in some cases are being guided by the same corporations that are fueling the climate crisis. UN Global Compact: The UNGC centers on human rights, labor, and the environment. It notes that businesses "have minimum responsibilities to meet to respect human rights. They must act with due diligence to avoid infringing the rights of others, which includes addressing any negative human rights impacts related to their business." Yet one study provided a list of various human rights violations perpetrated by MNEs from 2002 to 2017, verifying 273 violations by 160 MNCs mostly from developed countries. More than 90% of sample firms are signatories to the UNGC. Another study concluded that UNGC LEAD members actually demonstrate a low propensity to disclose information about significant negative events in their sustainability reports, as the disclosure of information on negative events could jeopardize LEAD companies' best-in-class image. |
UN Race to Zero:
This initiative is concerned with corporate members establishing credible alignment with global net zero and Paris-based warming goals. The Race to Zero pledge requires members, by June 2023, to have restricted the “facilitation of new fossil fuel assets” in line with “appropriate scenarios…created by the IPCC or IEA,” which clearly state the need for “no new oil and gas fields.” Despite this, there are many members still engaging in this activity with no repercussions for their deceptions or climate-based human rights harms. The Union of Concerned Scientists has noted that the science publishing company Elsevier (RELX), a Race to Zero member, "continues to publish significant content that maps 'promising' and 'potential hydrocarbon reservoir areas' of 'high-quality' for continued 'oil and gas exploration.'" (Elsevier/RELX is also a LEAD member of the UNGC) UN Net Zero Banking Alliance: Part of the Race to Zero program, the NZBA indicates members must act in ways "consistent with a maximum temperature rise of 1.5°C." Yet the NZBA includes member banks that the UN has elsewhere declared, due to continued investment in fossil fuel expansion, to be "contributing to climate change-related human rights impacts, contrary to their own human rights responsibilities.” The NZBA Steering Group includes Bank of America, Citi, HSBC, and Morgan Stanley, some of the banks most heavily invested in financing and underwriting new fossil fuel projects. This pledge misrepresents both the science and institutions that are a threat to the planet and human rights. |
Egypt: Release Aisha el-Shater More information to come.
On the 5th of March, an emergency court sentenced Aisha el-Shater and her husband lawyer Mohamed Abo Horeira to 10 and 15 years in prison, respectively. They were convicted on bogus charges stemming from their family links and peaceful exercise of their human rights following a grossly unfair trial. The Egyptian authorities have been subjecting Aisha el-Shater to torture by holding her in prolonged solitary confinement and denying her access to adequate healthcare for her serious health condition. The couple have also been banned from any family visits for over 4 years. Concerns over Mohamed Abo Horeira’s wellbeing have also been heightened amid alarming reports of torture and other ill-treatment in Badr 3 prison where he is being held. |