INTERNATIONAL POLITICS EGYPT - USA:

EGYPTIAN POLICE TEAR GAS "MADE IN THE USA":

The following story and appeal is from the US based organization Human Rights First. They are calling for the United States government to cease its support of the Egyptian dictatorship and not just in words. Here's the story...

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“Made in the USA” Tear Gas Thrown at Protesters in Egypt
The United States has given billions of dollars in military aid to Egypt over the decades. The State Department approved the sale of tear gas to its police, despite its known history of brutality.

As everyday life begins to resume in Egypt, there are lingering questions about what happened, how it happened, and what's next.

The House Foreign Affairs Committee is tackling some of these questions. We have our own questions we would like answers to.

Help us get our questions asked—and add your own!—by sending a letter to the chairs and members of the committee.

Given the U.S. relationship with Egypt, President Obama and U.S. policymakers can make a difference in what happens in Egypt—let's make sure they keep the interest of Egyptian citizens in mind.

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THE PETITION

Please go to this link to sign the following petition to the American Administration.

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I’d like to hear members of the Obama Administration answer the following questions:

1. Why did the State Department approve the sale of tear gas to Egyptian police despite its well-documented history of brutality?
2. Can you describe what steps the administration is taking to ensure that the transition process now underway in Egypt leads to more respect for human rights and a more representative and responsive system of government?
3. How can we ensure that the State of Emergency is lifted, that political prisoners are released and that necessary constitutional amendments and other safeguards are implemented to permit free elections to take place in the coming months?
4. Given that discrimination against Egypt’s minority Christian community has been a constant feature of Mubarak's policy -- and the marked increase in violence against Copts -- can you discuss what the U.S. Government is prepared to do to help support religious freedom in Egypt?
5. Considering the U.S. commitment to Internet freedom as a basic aspect of freedom of expression, what is the U.S. Government doing to protect the role—and the private services—of tech companies in places such as Egypt, where the rule of law is not respected?
6. The Egyptian military has been a longtime partner of the U.S., receiving billions of dollars of aid and training. What is the administration doing to persuade the military to become a force for stability and respect in Egyptian society?

Thank you for considering these questions.

INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS:

CLOSING GUANTANAMO PRISON CAMP:

It's coming close to the anniversary of the election of the great white hope (pun intended) Obama in the USA, and his promise to close the Guantanamo prison camp is still unfulfilled. Not that I find this surprising. Politticians do, after all, routinely renege on their promises, and so-called leftist politicians are no different. As we speak the kangaroo court for Omar Khadr is going on down on the US imperial outpost in Cuba. Not that I feel any great sympathy for Khadr or for his scumbag family. If they were to have their way we would be enduring a regime that would make our present governance look all sweetness and light. Still, to prevent our own regime from getting worse, certain rules have to observed. One of those might be that when you invade a foreign country without a declaration of war then you cannot charge people in a home with "war crimes" when armed soldiers break into said home trying (and mostly succeeding) to kill the inhabitants and one of the inhabitants survives. This is bizarre beyond measure.

That is the simple be all and end all of the Khadr case. Whether he threw a grenade or not is irrelevant. How many of the other people in the room survived when foreign invaders attacked with intent to kill them all ? Is this a "war crime" or is an invasion without a declaration of war a "war crime" ? You be the judge.

In any case the American Human Rights First group is campaigning to have the issue of the continued existence of the American prison camp at Guantanamo be an issue in American politics. Here is their statement >>>>

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Hitting the Campaign Trail to Close Guantánamo
This week marks a new low at Guantánamo, as the United States begins the trial of Omar Khadr, who was picked up in Afghanistan at age 15 and has spent more than a quarter of his life at Guantánamo. International law prohibits the use of children under 18 in armed conflict and requires states to rehabilitate child soldiers by assisting with their physical and psychological recovery and social reintegration. The United States has failed to abide by these obligations; instead it began jury selection in Khadr's trial, undermining a fundamental norm and setting a dangerous precedent for children forced into armed conflict around the world.

This development underscores what we know from our years of observing military commissions at Guantánamo: setting up a trial system that depends on coerced confessions, redefining the laws of war, and violating fundamental human rights standards is not only wrong, it's counter-productive. And in terms of convicting those who have committed terrorist acts, military commissions are a poor substitute for our federal courts. Not only have they failed to guarantee due process, they have only managed to convict four people, while the federal courts have convicted more than 400 terrorism suspects since 9/11.

As the election season gets underway, we're sharing the facts about military commissions with congressional candidates. Next week we will be in Illinois with retired military leaders who continue to speak out against torture and Guantánamo. They will make the case to candidates from both parties that closing Guantánamo and relying on our time-tested federal courts for terrorism trials will make our nation stronger and more secure.

You can join us in Illinois next week by signing our petition which we'll deliver personally to the candidates.

Watch the retired military leaders making the case for federal courts in our video-and join them in Illinois by signing the petition!

Sincerely,

Elisa Massimino
President and CEO
Human Rights First

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THE PETITION:

Please go to this link from Human Rights First to call for the byelection candidates in Illinois to come out for closing the Guantanamo prison camp. You don't have to be an Illinois resident to sign this petition. No matter how absurd this may seem to those of us outside of the USA we should still add our voices to this even if some Americans believe that they can invade a foreign country without a declaration of war, attack a home, kill almost everyone in the home and yet still charge someone who may or may not have thrown a grenade with "war crimes". Others would call it "failed self defence" against an illegal invader. Obviously if Khadr was dead he would not have been charged. As to his "international terrorist importance" that is an absurd joke. Note that his sick family continues to stay in Canada for the money despite their silly religious beliefs. Economics trumps ideology every time.

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Dear Candidates,

I am writing to ask that you support closing Guantánamo and using our civilian courts to try terrorism suspects.

Congress should preserve the Administration’s ability to bring terrorist suspects to justice in the United States, resettle them abroad, or repatriate them as appropriate. Should you win the seat you are running for, I ask that you support efforts to close the prison at Guantánamo Bay and end military commissions.

Our federal courts have convicted 400 terrorists since 9/11. Military commissions have only convicted four, two of whom have already been released.

Please stand strong against the fear-mongering, listen to national security experts who support the decision to close Guantánamo, and use our tried and true system of federal courts to see justice served.

Guantánamo has been a stain on America’s reputation. It has undermined our values, undercut our counterterrorism efforts and squandered an opportunity to demonstrate the strength of the American justice system. If you win your office, please help us fix this and bring the perpetrators of the 9/11 attacks to justice.

Thank you.

INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS-COLOMBIA:

FREE CARMELO AGAMEZ:

The South American country of Colombia is one of the most dangerous places on Earth to be either a trade unionist or a human rights activist. While the US government is on record as tying further aid to an improvement in human rights the Colombian government continues to use bogus charges as a political weapon against its opponents. One of these opponents is Carmelo Agamez. The Human Rights First group is campaigning for his release and the end of US aid until the Colombian government cases its frame-ups. Here's the story and petition.

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Stand Up for Colombian Human Rights Activists:

Urge the State Department to Enforce Conditions in U.S. Aid to Colombia
Colombian human rights activists are routinely targeted by prosecutors using trumped-up charges to stigmatize and silence them. Read more about defenders in Colombia.

Human Rights First documented these abuses in a report last year--and we've seen progress: dozens of activists have been released and Congress passed an appropriations law that put a condition on U.S. aid requiring the Colombian government not to persecute human rights defenders.

Colombia is not holding up on its end of the bargain.

Sign our petition to the State Department asking that it enforce U.S. conditions to aid–-and protect human rights activists unjustly detained or harassed.
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THE PETITION:

Please go to this link to send the following petition to the US State Department.

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We are concerned about the Colombian government’s treatment of human rights activists--particularly the unjust detention of Carmelo Agamez--which violates the new condition on U.S. foreign aid to Colombia that requires the Colombian government to respect the rights of activists. We urge you to encourage the Colombian Prosecutor General to close the baseless prosecution of Agamez.

Agamez has spent over one year in jail in Sincelejo, based on the testimony of witnesses he helped put in jail. He has still not faced trial. He is being detained on charges of conspiring with paramilitaries--charges which are implausible given that he has spent his career exposing links between paramilitary leaders and corrupt local politicians. In 2006 he was even included in a paramilitary "death list" and received numerous death threats. Prosecutors in the case will not even say when Agamez supposedly met with paramilitaries, denying him the ability to provide an alibi and infringing on his due process rights.

Colombian officials agree that his prosecution is problematic. Last year, the Superior Tribunal of Sucre found that the prosecutor violated Agamez's rights by failing to inform him promptly of the charges against him. The Attorney General also issued a resolution in which he ordered a criminal investigation of the prosecutor, Rodolfo Martinez Mendoza, for alleged corruption in connection with his baseless prosecution of Agamez. Mendoza is currently in prison. Despite high level governmental recognition of numerous violations of his rights, to date Agamez remains in prison without any scheduled trial. His case is one of the many examples of a state policy of harassment designed to silence the voices of Colombian civil society.

Agamez's treatment by the Colombian state breaches the condition contained in section 7046(b)(1)(B)(iv) the 2010 Foreign Operations Appropriations Law, which requires the Colombian government to respect the rights of human rights defenders. According to the law, a proportion of US aid to Colombia shall be released only if:

“The Government of Colombia is respecting the rights of human rights defenders, journalists, trade unionists, political opposition and religious leaders, and indigenous and Afro-Colombian communities, and the Colombian Armed Forces are implementing procedures to distinguish between civilians, including displaced persons, and combatants in their operations.”

Through its foreign assistance laws, the U.S. should encourage the Colombian government to end its judicial persecution of human rights defenders. The baseless prosecution and unjust detention of Carmelo Agamez is clear evidence that the Colombian government is not respecting the rights of defenders and demonstrates that section 7046(b)(1)(B)(iv) is being violated.

Until the government of Colombia takes concrete action to end the baseless prosecution of human rights defenders, I urge you not to certify that Colombia is meeting the human rights standards required by U.S. appropriations law. I also urge you to encourage the Colombian Prosecutor General to grant Agamez’s request to close the criminal investigation against him.

Thank you for your attention in this urgent matter.

INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS-COLOMBIA:

SUPPORT PRINCIPE GABRIEL GONZALEZ:

The following appeal is from the Human Rights First group. Molly last reported on the case of Principe Gonzalez last October when the US government was threatening to deny him a visit to come and speak in the USA. He did, in fact, get the visa, but now the Colombian government is continuing its campaign to silence him via trumped up charges of being a member of the FARC. Here's the story of what is happening now.

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Help Colombian Activist Threatened with Jail:‏
Human rights activist Gabriel Gonzalez is facing prison for bogus charges.

You can help.

Fighting to free political prisoners was Principe Gabriel Gonzalez' life's work - until he became one.

The Colombian government brought trumped-up charges against him to intimidate him and to send a message to other human rights leaders like him. Human Rights First, with your support, worked to free Gabriel from prison so he could continue his vital human rights advocacy in Colombia.

But Gabriel again faces 7 more years in prison, and he needs our help to advocate on his behalf. Stand up for him!

Human Rights First awarded Gabriel our annual Human Rights Award last October - and we brought him to Washington to testify before Congress and to meet with government officials we are now urging to act on his behalf. Help show that public support is behind him.

We have pledged to stand by Gabriel in his struggle to advance human rights in the face of threats and intimidation. Now is the time to deliver on that promise.
On behalf of Gabriel, thank you.
Sincerely,
Sharon Kelly Communications Director
P.S.: Check out his story covered in an LA Times editorial last week.

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THE LETTER:

Please go to this link to read more background information about this case and to send the following letter to United states officials asking that they intervene on behalf of Principe Gonzalez.

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I write to express my concern about the baseless prosecution of Colombian activist Gabriel Gonzalez .

I am aware that members of your department also met with Gabriel and I wanted to draw your attention to a recent Los Angeles Times editorial about his case. Gabriel has been the victim of a baseless criminal prosecution alleging his membership in the FARC guerrilla forces.

When he testified before the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission (convened by Chair McGovern) and met with your office in October 2009 he had already been detained for 15 months, acquitted and then convicted again on the same specious charges.

Now the Colombian Supreme Court has denied the admissibility of Gabriel’s final request for an extraordinary remedy. Gabriel faces the prospect of serving another 7 years of unjust detention.

I am alarmed that the Colombian Inspector-General’s office (procuraduria) has spearheaded the campaign to put Gabriel back in prison. USAID administers approximately $3 million of annual aid to this institution. I believe that the U.S. government should be levering this aid to ensure much better performance and to ensure that the Inspector General intervenes consistently to recommend the closure of specious cases rather than appealing baseless convictions.

I urge you to express your concern about Gabriel’s case to the Colombian Inspector-General’s office and the Prosecutor-General’s office (fiscalia) (as expressed in the 2007 State department human rights report) . Gabriel’s case number is 68001-3104-008-2006-00179-01 (NI 061138) (Casacion No 32,145). I understand that Gabriel will file another appeal before the Colombian courts shortly and once filed I hope that you will contact these two institutions to urge them to acquiesce to Gabriel’s legal motions and put an end to the legal proceedings.

Gabriel’s case is just the tip of the iceberg – as Human Rights First documented in its February 2009 report the use of specious criminal investigations to silence activists is widespread in Colombia. Gabriel’s case demonstrates the need for systemic reform.

I urge you to make sure that U.S. aid to the Colombia prosecutor general’s office is used to ensure that a unit in Bogotá, such as the humanitarian affairs unit, coordinates the review of all investigations against human rights defenders. (The human rights unit plays a similar role in relation to forced disappearance investigations). Such a review would close specious investigations promptly and would deter regional prosecutors from bringing trumped-up charges in the first place. U.S. assistance should be used to guarantee due process rights for human rights activists.

Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter. I will continue to monitor this case closely.

INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS-USA:

GRANT PRINCIPE GABRIEL GONZALES A VISA:

The following appeal is from the American human rights group Human Rights First. It's about the refusal of the US government to grant Principe Gabriel Gonzalez, a Colombian human rights activist, a visa to visit the USA.

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U.S. Government Leaves Award-Winning Colombian Activist in Visa Limbo:‏

Principe Gabriel Gonzalez, like many human rights activists in Colombia, has been harassed by his own government. Baseless criminal charges, imprisonment, stigmatization as a "terrorist"-these are unfortunately an all-too-common experience for human rights defenders in Colombia.

Principe Gabriel Gonzalez has suffered false charges and imprisonment for defending human rights in Colombia.

Now, Human Rights First is honoring him for his courageous work-but the U.S. government has so far failed to grant him a visa to accept the award in person.
Sign our petition today to urge them to allow Gonzalez to visit the U.S.

Gonzalez has endured these challenges to continue his critical work fighting for justice for victims of the conflict in Colombia - and this is why Human Rights First has chosen him as the recipient of our annual human rights award. But Gonzalez may not be able to come to New York this month to accept the award - not because the Colombian government will not let him leave Colombia, but because the U.S. government has not granted him a visa to enter the United States.

We are asking for your help to remove Gonzalez from the bureaucratic limbo he has been in for the last four months. Sign our petition today to urge U.S. government officials to grant Gonzalez a visa.

Gonzalez's case illustrates the predicament activists face when they are falsely accused of being terrorists as a result of their work in support of human rights. In an ironic and sad twist of fate, his advocacy fighting for the rights of prisoners landed him in jail in Colombia and now threatens to bar him from entry to the United States. His visa is being held up apparently because of the false charges lodged against him by the Colombian authorities-despite U.S. agreement that those charges amount to nothing.

In a report earlier this year, Human Rights First exposed how Colombian prosecutors routinely use trumped-up charges to stigmatize and silence human rights activists. Fortunately, we have achieved real progress in a number of the cases we documented, including the release of over a dozen activists who were unjustly detained and the opening of an investigation into a prosecutor involved in one of the cases.

By honoring Gonzalez with this prestigious award, we are recognizing his courage and dedication to the pursuit of justice as well as the broader movement to advance human rights in Colombia. Join Human Rights First in standing up for Gonzalez and for the scores of human rights defenders who face baseless criminal charges in Colombia!

Sincerely,
Andrew Hudson
Manager, Human Rights Defenders program

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The Petition

Please go to THIS LINK to sign the following petition to the US authorities.

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We urge you to approve the visa application for Colombian activist Principe Gabriel Gonzalez so that he can accept Human Rights First’s award in New York on October 22, 2009.

It has been over four months since he first applied for his visa and he has received no explanation for the unreasonable delay. I understand that the U.S. government may have concerns about the criminal investigation against him. However, the State Department and numerous United Nations bodies have agreed that those charges are specious. The State Department has supported Gonzalez’s fight against the trumped-up criminal charges that may now prevent him from entering the United States. In addition to receiving Human Rights First’s award he would meet with policymakers in Washington to better inform U.S. policy vis-à-vis Colombia.

Gonzalez’s case is just one example of a larger problem in Colombia where activists are subjected to baseless charges intended to stigmatize and silence them. Earlier this year, Human Rights First released a report In the Dock and Under the Gun: Baseless Prosecutions of Human Rights Defenders in Colombia, that documented the widespread and systemic nature of the problem. Last month, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders led an extensive visit to Colombia, meeting with Gonzalez and decrying the problem of unfounded criminal proceedings against Colombian activists.

Refusing a visa to Gonzalez sends the wrong message to the Colombian authorities and undercuts U.S. policy to support Colombian human rights defenders who are under attack.
Please grant Gonzalez a visa. He deserves the recognition the award would afford him and granting the visa would demonstrate that the United States is standing by its policy of supporting human rights and the rule of law in Colombia.

AMERICAN POLITICS:

CIA TORTURE REPORT-DEEPER INVESTIGATION NEEDED:

The long awaited- and I do mean long awaited; it was written in 2004 under the Bush Administration and kept under wraps- CIA Inspector General's report on US interrogation techniques (aka torture) was released today. You can read more about this report and the American government's co-announcement of appointing a special prosecutor to investigate HERE at the BBC and HERE at the English news section of Al Jazeera. Many are already criticizing both the report and the US Administration's actions as being insufficient. Amongst these is the Human Rights First organization. Here is their story and appeal.

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New evidence on torture: call for an investigation:‏
From:
Devon Chaffee,

Human Rights First

(Communications@HumanRightsFirst.org )
New report on torture: there are still unanswered questions.
Sign our petition supporting an independent inquiry to get the full truth.
The wheels of justice...are creaking.

Today the Obama Administration released new excerpts from a report that expose more evidence of torture. How many more reports do we need before we make one clean, thorough, and independent investigation that gets to the bottom of not just what happened – but how it happened, and who is responsible?
Join our efforts to demand answers. Sign our petition.

The 2004 CIA Inspector General’s report released today details harsh interrogation techniques used from September 2001 to October 2003. This document underlines the need to conduct both a criminal investigation – as part of the preliminary review announced today by Attorney General Eric Holder – and an independent review of how torture and abuse were authorized and implemented.

The release of these documents is good news, but it leaves many questions unanswered. We need those questions answered.

Sign our petition supporting an independent commission empowered to get to the bottom of how torture happened.
Sincerely,

Devon Chaffee

Advocacy Counsel

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THE PETITION:

Please go to THIS LINK to sign the following petition.

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We call on the President of the United States to establish an independent, non-partisan commission to examine and report publicly on torture and cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment of detainees in the period since September 11, 2001. The commission, comparable in stature to the 9/11 Commission, should look into the facts and circumstances of such abuses, report on lessons learned, and recommend measures that would prevent any future abuses. We believe that the commission is necessary to reaffirm America's commitment to the Constitution, international treaty obligations, and human rights. The report issued by the commission will strengthen U.S. national security and help to re-establish America's standing in the world.

AMERICAN POLITICS/INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS:

DON'T LET TORTURE BE JUSTIFIED:

In the last few days ex-Vice President Dick Cheney has been on the circuit, trying to claim that the past use of torture by US government agencies was fully justified. Here is a statement from the Human Rights First group questioning this assertion, and asking that the use of torture be fully investigated and totally repudiated.

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The torture testimony that Cheney is trying to drown out:‏

The debate on torture must not be led by Former Vice President Cheney’s press tour
Fight back: Demand the truth about torture, not more spin.
Urge President Obama to set up a nonpartisan inquiry on torture today!:
In the wake of several investigations into the Bush administration's use of torture, and despite expert evidence to the contrary, Former Vice President Cheney has been all over the press saying that torture actually worked.

Why is he suddenly making such a loud case for torture? His side of the debate is trying to drown out new evidence that torture actually weakened American security.

The scary thing is, even today, as we heard new testimony from seasoned FBI interrogator Ali Soufan showing why torture does not work and how the Bush administration's insistence on using these techniques actually hurt our intelligence gathering – much of the public is only hearing Cheney's side of the debate.

So today we need your help to push back. Urge President Obama to set up a nonpartisan inquiry on torture to evaluate the full cost of abuses, look at how we got there, and come up with safeguards so we don't repeat the same mistakes.

Your action isn't just critical to making sure we inform the public – even some Senators aren't listening to the evidence of experts. In a Senate hearing today, FBI interrogator Ali Soufan clearly laid out in his testimony that "harsh interrogation methods are harmful, shameful, slower, unreliable, ineffective, and play directly into the enemy's handbook."

Senator Lindsey Graham — who has zero interrogation experience or expertise — actually responded, "One of the reasons these techniques have survived for about 500 years is apparently they work." (Torture is only 500 years old ??????. I think the good senator refers to "dunking", but I am not too sure. Maybe it is to throwing so-called witches into water to see if they float.-Molly)

Wrong, wrong, wrong. Even before today's testimony, Human Rights First has worked with dozens of experienced interrogators and retired generals and admirals who firmly stand against torture, as an inhumane – and ineffective – technique.

The reality is that there is no debate, and this false back and forth about torture's effectiveness is keeping us from moving forward. Help us increase the pressure – support a nonpartisan inquiry to get to the truth and make sure we never make the same mistake again!
Sincerely,
Sharon Kelly

Human Rights First

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THE PETITION:

Plrase go to THIS LINK to send the following petition to the Obama Administration.

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We call on the President of the United States to establish an independent, non-partisan commission to examine and report publicly on torture and cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment of detainees in the period since September 11, 2001. The commission, comparable in stature to the 9/11 Commission, should look into the facts and circumstances of such abuses, report on lessons learned, and recommend measures that would prevent any future abuses. We believe that the commission is necessary to reaffirm America's commitment to the Constitution, international treaty obligations, and human rights. The report issued by the commission will strengthen U.S. national security and help to re-establish America's standing in the world.
Signed by:

[Your name]

[Your address]

AMERICAN POLITICS/HUMAN RIGHTS:

THE LAND OF THE FREE ???:

The following appeal is from the Human Rights First organization. It's about how the US government treats asylum seekers. The irony can hardly escape you. People flee to the country that, in the whole world, imprisons the highest percentage of its own population. It is little wonder that they meet the "welcome" that they do. Hope springs eternal I guess, and the United States has a mythology surrounding it that continues on from generation to generation. The reality is quite different. Here's the appeal....

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Put in prisons for seeking protection in the U.S.‏ :
Right now, thousands of men and women are being held in prisons without basic legal safeguards – jailed while they are seeking asylum in the United States.

The new leadership of the Department of Homeland Security has an opportunity to make things right – Urge them to improve the treatment of asylum seekers today!

Over 48,000 men and women since 2003.

They arrived in America and were greeted with handcuffs, given prison uniforms, sent to prison facilities and detained there for months – sometimes even years - often without any judge reviewing the need for their detention.

If that were not bad enough, what if you found out these people were detained while seeking asylum in the United States?

Each year the United States detains thousands of asylum seekers who have requested refuge from political, religious or other persecution abroad, jailing them in prisons and prison-like facilities – and in the last years it has gotten much worse. Since 2005, the Department of Homeland Security has increased immigration detention beds by 78%.

That's why I'm writing you now. Just last week, Human Rights First released a report – U.S. Detention of Asylum Seekers: Seeking Protection, Finding Prison – that exposes the human and financial costs of detaining asylum seekers. In response to this report, we've received assurances that the new leadership at the Department of Homeland Security will review these practices, but we need your help to ensure that they make reforms that are real and lasting.

Your letter could make all the difference: Write the Department of Homeland Security today to urge immediate improvement in the treatment of asylum seekers.

Each year Human Rights First helps hundreds of asylum seekers by providing pro bono legal representation and other assistance. The stories we hear are heartbreaking: men and women who have fled political, religious and other persecution in places like Burma, Colombia, Guinea, Haiti and Tibet are brought in handcuffs to jails, made to wear prison uniforms, guarded by officers in prison attire and only allowed to visit with family and friends through glass barriers. Some detention facilities even neglect to use interpreters to communicate with detainees during medical exams, in some cases leading to dangerous misdiagnoses.

This widespread detention of asylum seekers is not only contrary to our nation's founding principles – it costs significantly more than other safe and successful alternatives to detention.
It is time for this country to stop treating asylum seekers like prisoners, but we need your help to make it happen: please, write the Department of Homeland Security today.
Eleanor Acer

Human Rights First

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THE PETITION:

Please go to THIS LINK to sign the following petition to the (shudder) US Department of Homeland Security.

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Dear Secretary Napolitano,

I am writing to you at the Department of Homeland Security because I am concerned about the way the United States treats asylum seekers. Each year the United States detains thousands of asylum seekers, in prisons or prison-like facilities, and many are not even given the chance to have an immigration court review the need for their continued detention.

A new report released by Human Rights First - U.S. Detention of Asylum Seekers: Seeking Protection, Finding Prison - exposes the human and financial costs of that detention. Human Rights First calculated that U.S. immigration authorities have spent over $300 million to detain asylum seekers since 2003.

You have offered assurances that under your leadership DHS will review its detention practices. Let's take this opportunity to make things right. Namely, by:

* Providing all asylum seekers with review of their detention by an immigration judge, a safeguard afforded other immigration detainees. DHS should work with the Department of Justice to revise regulations to provide arriving asylum seekers with this basic due process protection.

* Stopping detention of asylum seekers in jails and jail-like detention facilities. Instead, asylum seekers should be released on parole, bond, or to a community-based supervised release program. When they are detained, asylum seekers should be allowed to wear their own clothing, have contact visits with family and friends, and have freedom of movement within the facility. They should not be handcuffed and shackled.

I believe that this country should not continue to jail asylum seekers who meet fair release criteria and present no risk to the community. I urge you to ensure that your Department implements significant and lasting reforms.

Thank you for your actions in support of human rights and refugee rights.

INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS-IRAN:

SOLIDARITY WITH IRANIAN WOMEN'S RIGHTS ACTIVISTS:

It seems like it's Iran Week here at Molly's Blog. Here's another appeal, this time from the Human Rights First organization. It concerns three Iranian women who were arrested for campaigning against gender discrimination in Iranian laws. As you can see from the article below one has already been released, but others still remain in detention. Help pressure the Iranian authorities to release them.

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Urge Iranian Authorities to Release Women Human Rights Defenders:
UPDATE: On February 5, Nafiseh Azad was released on bail after being detained for six days.

On Friday, January 30, three members of the One Million Signatures Campaign, a grassroots campaign to reform gender discrimination in Iranian laws, were arrested while collecting signatures in northern Tehran.




The three activists, Nafiseh Azad, Bigard Ebrahimi, and a third person wishing to remain anonymous, were held for several hours at the local police station before being transferred to other detention centers. Of the three, Azad remains in detention and is being charged with "acting against national security."





The next day, on January 31, security agents came to the home of women's rights activist Alieh Eghdamdoost and escorted her to the Revolutionary Courts. She faces the imminent enforcement of a three-year prison sentence for participating in a women's rights demonstration in June 2006. While a number of activists were sentenced for joining that protest, none have been imprisoned to date. Eghdamdoost's imprisonment will mark a further escalation of repression of human rights defenders.





Join us in protesting these repressive actions against women human rights defenders in Iran:
Call for the immediate and unconditional release of Nafiseh Azad; and urge the authorities to suspend implementation of Alieh Eghdamdoost's sentence and release her from custody.
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THE LETTER:
Please go to THIS LINK to send the following letter to Iranian authorities in support of these women.
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I am specifically writing about the case of Nafiseh Azad, who, with two
other persons, was arrested on January 30, 2009, for peacefully collecting
signatures for a petition to reform discriminatory laws. Although the two
other individuals arrested with Ms. Azad have been released on bail, I
understand Ms. Azad remains in detention and is being charged with acting
against national security.





I am also writing to convey my deep concern about Alieh Eghdamdoost, a women's rights activist whose home was visited by security agents on January 31, 2009, who escorted her to the Revolutionary Court so that the authorities could begin implementing a three-year sentence for participating in a women's rights demonstration in June 2006. That demonstration, organized as a peaceful demonstration in support of women's rights, was violently broken up by the authorities and resulted in dozens of arrests. I understand that Ms. Eghdamdoost is the first person arrested on that day whose sentence is now being implemented by the authorities. Her imprisonment marks an increase in the repression of
peaceful rights advocates, and I urge your office to stay the sentence and
release her from custody.





The rights to peaceful assembly and freedom of association are enshrined in the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was endorsed by all U.N. member states, as well as the International Covenant for Civil and Political Rights, to which Iran is a signatory and which is binding on the Iranian government.





These arrests indicate that the recent closure of Nobel Laureate Shirin Ebadi's Center for the Defense of Human Rights is just the most visible indication of a broader campaign to repress and intimidate human rights defenders over the last few years. I ask that the government of Iran end this crackdown immediately and comply with its obligations to protect citizens exercising their fundamental rights to freedom of association and assembly.





I urge you to release Nafiseh Azad, and stay the sentence of Alieh Eghdamdoost and release her from custody.





Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter

.

AMERICAN POLITICS/INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS:

IS OBAMA WAFFLING ON HUMAN RIGHTS ?:

Are the cracks finally starting to show in the gilded Obama icon ? The following from the Human Rights First group suggests so. Seems the Obama Administration has a different idea of government secrecy-continuing the policies of the Bush Administration- than members of Congress do. here's the lowdown and what you can do to help.

..........................

IS OBAMA BACKING BUSH'S SECRET POLICIES ?:
NO More Government Secrets About Detainees

Please, ask Congress and the Obama administration to amend the "state secrets" doctrine.
For many of us, how the U.S. treats victims of government abuse is among the most important symbols of our respect for human rights.

Human Rights First had hoped that the new administration would reverse one of the Bush administration's most egregious practices in this area – abuse of the "state secrets" doctrine. They've done the opposite, and we are deeply concerned. Please, join us in asking Congress and President Obama to stop secret government practices now.

Some background: last week the Obama administration adopted a dangerous legal position aimed at blocking certain torture claims in court. This position – invoking the "state secrets" doctrine to block civilian lawsuits – was used by the Bush Administration to shield policies of official cruelty, torture, and secret prisons for seven years.

The House and Senate reacted quickly with legislation that would check excessive government secrecy. The proposed bill, called the State Secret Protection Act, provides for a more transparent process that involves judicial review of victims' torture claims but still protects sensitive national security information.

We need to bring back the balance of powers. Help Human Rights First make sure the Obama Administration doesn't commit the same errors we saw in Bush's War on Terror by urging your members of Congress to support this bill. Victims have a right to know the truth about what was done to them and to seek remedies for government abuses in court.

Human Rights First has worked for years to end policies of secrecy and official cruelty. After years of advocacy, our coalition of military leaders stood behind President Obama as he signed the executive orders to end torture and close Guantánamo, and we celebrated that moment. But last week was a disturbing setback. Please, join us in urging Congress and the Obama administration to get back on track.

Thank you.
Sincerely,
Deborah Colson

Acting Director,

Law & Security Program

.........................

THE LETTER:

This one, I'm afraid, is only for our American readers. Please go to THIS LINK to send the following letter to your Representative or Senator.

........................

I write to urge you to co-sponsor the State Secret Protection Act of
2009, versions of which were introduced last week with bi-partisan support in
both the Senate (S. 417) and the House (H.R. 984). If enacted, this
legislation would encourage independent and meaningful judicial review of
government actions while protecting against the disclosure of sensitive national
security information. It would also encourage greater transparency and a
more appropriate balance of powers on national security matters.





Since September 11, 2001, the government
has invoked the state secrets privilege in cases challenging extraordinary
rendition, torture and warrantless domestic surveillance, seeking dismissals of
lawsuits at the pleadings stage before any evidence is requested or
produced. Many courts have accepted the government's claims of risk to
national security without independently reviewing the information itself in
order to assess whether the information could be disclosed without undue risk,
or whether lawsuits may proceed without it. This practice has perpetuated
a culture of unchecked power, a complete lack of transparency and has also
undermined the right of individuals to seek and obtain remedies for human rights
violations.





The State Secret Protection Act would
balance the need to protect sensitive national security information while
facilitating the role of the courts as a meaningful check on executive
power. The legislation would require courts to independently examine the
information for which the government asserts a privilege and decide whether
disclosure of the information would pose an unreasonable risk to national
security. If a court decides the government has validly asserted the state
secrets privilege, then the court would be required to determine whether it is
possible to craft a non-privileged substitute for the evidence and to resolve
the issue in favor of the plaintiffs if the government refuses.





Legislative reform of the state secrets
privilege is also necessary in order to help bring the United States back toward
compliance with international law. The United States has an obligation to
provide access to effective remedies for human rights violations under the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Convention against
Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.





I strongly support legislative reform of
the state secret privilege, and I urge you to co-sponsor the State Secret
Protection Act.