Group 48 Newsletter - December 2009

Newsletter Amnesty International USA Group 48

12.09

In This Issue . . .

© Maude Dorr 2002

1 High Levels of Toxic

Chemicals Still Found in Bhopal Drinking Water

3 CHAD: Violence against refugee women 5 CHINA: Prisoner of Conscience / Risk of Torture 7 More Troops in Afghanistan Must Not Harm Civilians, Warns Amnesty International 8 Switzerland Votes Against Religious Freedom

AIUSA-Group 48 http://aipdx.org 503-227-1878 Next Meeting: Friday December 11th First Unitarian Church 1011 SW 12th Ave 7:00pm informal gathering 7:30pm meeting starts

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The Union Carbide pesticide plant in Bhopal photographed in 2002

High Levels of Toxic Chemicals Still Found in Bhopal Drinking Water - 25th Anniversary of Disaster Prompts Actions Around the World Students for Bhopal Press Release

A new report was released today by

the Bhopal Medical Appeal (BMA) and the Sambhavna Trust Clinic, proving that there are still high levels of toxic chemicals in the drinking water supply in 15 communities near the former Union Carbide pesticide factory. This release comes just two days before the 25th Anniversary of the Bhopal chemical disaster, when twenty-seven tons of lethal gases leaked from the factory, immediately killing 8,000 people and poisoning thousands of others.  The area was never cleaned up, and over 150,000 people, including children of survivors, are suffering tremendously as a result.

The full report: “Analysis of Chemical Contaminants in Groundwater of Communities Surrounding UCIL Plant Site in Bhopal” can be found at www. bhopal.org and www.studentsforbhopal.org. This analysis, which includes testing results from as recently as June 2009, demonstrates that the water in and around Bhopal still contains unsafe levels of carbon tetrachloride and other persistent organic pollutants, solvents, nickel and other heavy metals. Not surprisingly, the populations in the areas surveyed have high rates of birth defects, rapidly rising cancer rates, neurological damage, chaotic menstrual cycles and mental illness. »

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The report was sponsored by the Bhopal Medical Appeal, a UK-based nonprofit; and the Sambhavna Trust Clinic in Bhopal, the only site that offers free treatment to those suffering from both the 1984 chemical gas disaster and the present day water poisoning. “This new report is further proof that the area in Bhopal has not been cleaned up 25 years later, despite Dow Chemical’s claims to the contrary” said Shana Ortman, US Coordinator for the International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal.“Dow prides itself on a commitment to the ‘Human Element’ yet they are ignoring the people who are suffering the most due to the company’s own in-action.” To commemorate the 25th Anniversary, thousands of supporters around the world will be participating in an International Day of Action on Thursday, December 3 to pressure Dow Chemical (the current owner of Union Carbide) to clean up the water in Bhopal and face criminal charges in India. The Day of Action will include mass rallies, symbolic “dieins”, candle-lit vigils, concerts, protests and more.  Over 150 actions are being planned around the globe, from Bhopal to London, and San Francisco to Tel Aviv. Highlights of the International Day of Action include

◌◌The Yes Men will be leading an action in NYC with hundreds of students. The students will spell out “DOW” while others will hold signs saying “Clean up Bhopal." ◌◌ Steven Volan, a member of the Bloomington, IN City Council, will propose a Resolution that is poised to become the strongest U.S. city resolution about Bhopal ever passed. ◌◌At exactly 12:05pm on December 3, 25 people will “Die-In” in Union Square in San Francisco, holding visuals from Bhopal. The 25 people will each represent 1,000 people who died in Bhopal on December 3, 1984 and in the subsequent years. ◌◌Amnesty International and Students for Bhopal in Toronto will hold a peaceful rally and vigil with speakers outside the Indian Consulate. ◌◌ Boston 4 Bhopal will host a “Fast for Bhopal” rally in Copley Square at 12:00pm on December 3. Participants will fast, sign petitions, exhibit photos and stage a “die-in.”

◌◌ In Berlin there will be a 9 hour vigil at the Brandenburg Gate and the Indian Embassy with information, performances, and petitioning. ◌◌There will be a gathering led by the Bhopal Medical Appeal at Trafalgar Square in London at 3pm on December 2, which equates, in Indian time, the point at which the disastrous chain of events began. ◌◌Amnesty International will lead two online actions on December 2 – sending emails to the Dow Chemical Corporation and to the Prime Minister of India. ◌◌ On December 3, thousands of supporters will be asked to call members of the Dow Board of Directors, calling on them to face their responsibilities in Bhopal. » AIUSA Group 48 Contact Information Group Coordinator Joanne Lau 971-221-5450 [email protected] Concert Tabling Will Ware 503-227-5225 [email protected] Newsletter Editor Dan Webb 503-253-3491 [email protected] Treasurer Janan Stoll 503-282-8834 [email protected] Legislative Coordinator Dan Johnson 503-310-4540 [email protected] Central Africa RAN Terrie Rodello 503-246-6836 [email protected]

OR State Death Penalty Abolition Coordinator Terrie Rodello 503-246-6836 [email protected] Central America RAN Marylou Noble 503-245-6923 marylou_noble@ yahoo.com Dignity Campaign Janie Whitlock 503-969-7240 [email protected] Guantanamo cases & Darfur Jane Kristof [email protected] Marty Fromer 503-227-1878 [email protected] Indonesia RAN Max White 503-292-8168 [email protected]

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◌◌ Over 100 actions will take place across India, including a massive rally from Bhopal’s Bharat Talkies to the Union Carbide factory.

◌◌ Dow’s subsidiary, Union Carbide, show up in court to face trial in the ongoing criminal proceedings against them in India.

All of these groups, including the International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal, are demanding that: ◌◌The Indian government clean up Bhopal now to prevent further spread of the toxins, and use the courts to get reimbursed by Dow.

◌◌The Indian Government establish the “empowered commission” that they promised in August 2008 to address the health, environmental, social, and economic issues in Bhopal. ◌◌The Indian Government finish building pipelines to bring clean water to the people in and around Bhopal immediately.

CHAD: Violence against refugee women

vildan uysal Stock.Xchng

Within the refugee camps, women and girls are also exposed to violence at the hands of other refugees, including members of their own families and in a few cases, staff of humanitarian organizations. Those responsible for committing human rights violations in eastern Chad are rarely brought to justice. There exists a deeply entrenched culture of impunity and men who rape or sexually abuse women and girls are rarely brought to justice.

The Chadian government has the responsibility to prosecute those responsible for committing crimes in eastern Chad, including in refugee camps and IDP sites. The DIS is mandated astern Chad, which shares a border with the conflictto investigate crimes and cases of human rights violations ridden Darfur region of Sudan, continues to be wrecked by committed against refugees and internally displaced persons. conflict and is host to 260,000 Sudanese refugees and 180,000 However, DIS officers are poorly trained and resourced.  They internally displaced people. Refugees who fled the conflict in are also accused of failing to effectively investigate complaints Darfur currently live in 12 different refugee camps in eastern of rape and other forms of violence. This is compounded by Chad. the fact that the government of Chad has not established an effective criminal justice system in eastern Chad. This has The deployment of MINURCAT (United Nations Mission in resulted in communities resorting to informal dispute resoluthe Central African Republic and Chad) and the Integrated Security Unit (DIS) have reduced the levels of violence.  How- tion mechanisms and overall impunity for perpetrators of rape and other forms of violence. ever, the refugee population in eastern Chad – as illustrated Action Request in the report ‘Chad: “No place for us here” Violence against Using the sample letter, please write polite letters to the Chadrefugee women in Eastern Chad’ still faces innumerable human rights violations with women and girls bearing the brunt ian government authorities listed below asking for the Chadian Government to: of rape and other forms of violence. ◌◌ Protect civilians, including refugee women and girls, Women and girls who have to venture outside the refugee camps, face a range of abuses from harassment and threats to living in Eastern Chad; and end impunity for human rights violations. » physical attacks, rape and other forms of sexual violence.

E

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◌◌ Ensure that DIS implements a system of daily patrols or escorts to accompany refugees, especially women and girls, when they leave refugee camps to collect firewood, straw, water and other necessities from outside the refugee camps; ◌◌ Increase the number of female police officers in DIS, who should be tasked with investigating cases of rape and other forms of  violence against women and girls, among other responsibilities; ◌◌ Put in place a program to raise awareness of the illegality of, and the psychosocial and medical consequences of rape and other forms of violence against refugees in eastern Chad. Sample Letter

His Excellency Idriss Deby Itno President of Chad Présidence de la République BP 74 N’Djamena République du Tchad Your Excellency, I am distressed to learn from Amnesty International’s latest report that internally displaced Chadian civilians and Sudanese refugees in Eastern Chad still face serious human rights violations, with women and girls particularly at risk.  When women go outside of the refugee camps, they face harassment, threats, physical attacks, rape and other forms of sexual violence.  Even within the camps, women and girls are exposed to violence at the hands of other refugees, including members of their own families and, in a few cases, the staff of humanitarian organizations.  Those responsible have no fear of arrest or legal action due to an entrenched culture of impunity.  Men who rape or sexually abuse women and girls are rarely brought to justice. Your government has the responsibility to prosecute those responsible for human rights abuses in eastern Chad, including the refugee camps. The DIS is mandated to investigate crimes committed against refugees and internally displaced persons, but they have not received the necessary specialist training or effectively investigated complaints of rape and other acts of violence.  Your government has not yet estab-

lished an effective criminal justice system in eastern Chad.  Although Amnesty notes the efforts of your government, DIS, and MINURCAT to improve the security of refugees, many additional protection measures are needed, particularly for women and girls. »

Group 48 Annual Holiday Potluck & Write-a-thon Group 48 is hosting a holiday potluck and Write-a-thon at the December meeting. This is part of the Amnesty International USA Global Write-a-thon to celebrate the UN-recognized Human Rights Day. The global action brings people together to write many letters and cards that would make a difference in the lives of prisoners of conscience, human rights defenders, victims of torture and other individuals at risk. Date: Friday, December 11, 2009 Time: 7:30-9pm (set up starts at 7pm) Location: 2nd floor, Buchan Building, First Unitarian Church, 1011 SW 12th Ave, Portland What to bring:

◌◌Food (an appetizer, main dish or dessert) ◌◌Drinks ◌◌Utensils, plates, cups, napkins ◌◌ Greeting cards (non-religious and non-Amnesty cards) ◌◌Paper for letter writing ◌◌Envelopes ◌◌Pens ◌◌98-cent stamps (international postage except Mexico and Canada) ◌◌79-cent stamps (Mexico) ◌◌44-cent stamps (US) ◌◌ Copies of the Global Write-a-thon cases For more info and to sign up to bring food or supplies, please visit Group 48 website at http://aipdx.org.

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Please use your power of office to insure that the Chadian authorities protect all civilians, including refugee women and girls, and end impunity for human rights violations.  The DIS should implement daily patrols or escorts to accompany any refugees, especially women and girls, when they leave the camps to collect firewood, straw, food, water and other daily necessities.  The number of female police officers in the DIS should be increased, trained, and tasked with investigating cases of rape and other forms of violence against women and girls.  A program should be instituted to raise awareness of the psychosocial and medical consequences of rape, emphasizing its illegality.  Those responsible for committing human rights violations, including rape, should be brought fairly and openly to justice. Thank you for your kind attention to my concerns. Respectfully, Amnesty International USA Member Letters to

Head of State HE Idriss Deby Itno President of Chad Presidence de la République BP 74 N'DJAMENA

République du Tchad Fax: 011 00235 251 45 01 Copies to

His Excellency Mahamoud Adam Béchir Ambassador Embassy of the Republic of Chad
2002 R Street, NW
Washington, DC. 20009
Tel: (202) 462-4009
Fax: (202) 265-1937  (Faxes and posted letters are especially good – we have overwhelmed their email and phone) Minister of Justice Mr Jean Bawoyeu Alingue Ministre de la Justice, Garde des Sceaux Ministère de la Justice BP 426 N’DJAMENA République du Tchad Fax : 011 235 252 36 67 Minister of Interior and Security Mr Ahmat Mahamat Bashir Ministre de l’Intérieur et de la Sécurité Ministère de l’Interieur et de la Sécurité BP 742 N’DJAMENA République du Tchad Fax : 011 235 252 37 42

CHINA: Prisoner of Conscience / Risk of Torture

Zhao Lianhai (m)

Zhao Lianhai, father of a boy rendered ill by a batch of con-

Alessandro Paiva Stock.Xchng

taminated milk powder in China in 2008, has been campaigning for justice for other affected families. He was detained at his home in the Chinese capital, Beijing on 13 November, and is being held at the Daxing District Police Station, Beijing. Zhao Lianhai is a prisoner of conscience and is at risk of torture and other ill-treatment.

At around 10:30pm on 13 November, twelve police officers entered Zhao Lianhai’s home in Beijing and presented him with a summons for his detention. When Zhao Lianhai refused to cooperate with them, as the summons had no reason for detention filled in, the police hastily wrote “provoking an »

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Recommended Action

Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible: ◌◌ Calling on the authorities to release Zhao Lianhai immediately and unconditionally, as he has been detained solely for peacefully exercising his right to freedom of expression and assembly; ◌◌Urging them to guarantee Zhao Lianhai will not be tortured or otherwise ill-treated; On 14 November, the police gave Zhao Lianhai’s wife a deten- ◌◌ Calling on them to ensure Zhao Lianhai has access to his family and lawyers, and to any medical attention he may retion notice that states that her husband is under criminal quire; - calling on them to end use of vaguely-defined charges detention on suspicion of “provoking an incident.” to crack down on human rights defenders. Zhao Lianhai’s lawyer has not yet been able to meet with him. incident” on the summons as the reason for detention. They then detained Zhao Lianhai and some of the police officers took him to the Daxing District Police Station whilst some police remained behind to search his home. The police officers confiscated two computers, USB memory ‘sticks’, some DVDs, campaign t-shirts, a camera, a video recorder and an address book all belonging to Zhao Lianhai.

Background Information

Parents whose children fell ill or in some cases died after drinking milk products tainted with the chemical melamine in 2008, have been campaigning for justice since. Zhao Lianhai’s son was one of the victims of the contamination and he has been a leading figure in organizing the parents of those affected. He organized a parents’ self-help group, a campaign calling for regular health check-ups for those affected, and launched a website called “babies with kidney stones” http:// www.jieshibaobao.com. Zhao Lianhai also helped parents file a lawsuit against the companies that produced the contaminated milk by collecting and organizing information on individual cases. Human rights activists in China who attempt to report on human rights violations, challenge policies which the authorities find politically sensitive, or try to rally others to their cause, face serious risk of abuse. There are many prisoners of conscience that have been imprisoned after politically motivated trials, while growing numbers are being held under house arrest with the police conducting intrusive surveillance and standing guard outside their homes. Such patterns of police control, surveillance and arbitrary detention are increasingly being employed against activists in China and members of their families, particularly during significant public events. Prior to US President Barack Obama’s trip to China on 16 November many activists and petitioners had police posted outside their homes in Shanghai, Beijing and elsewhere in the country, were detained or escorted out of Beijing.

Appeals To

Prime Minister of the People’s Republic of China WEN Jiabao Guojia Zongli The State Council General Office 2 Fuyoujie, Xichengqu Beijingshi 100017 PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA Fax: 011 86 10 65961109 (c/o Ministry of Foreign Affairs) Salutation: Your Excellency Director of the Beijing Public Security Bureau MA Zhenchuan Juzhang » Postage Rates Within the United States $0.28 - Postcards $0.44 - Letters and Cards up to 1 oz. To Canada $0.75 - Postcards $0.75 - Airmail Letters and Cards up to 1 oz. To Mexico $0.79 - Postcards $0.79 - Airmail Letters and Cards up to 1 oz. To all other destination countries $0.98 - Postcards $0.98 - Airmail Letters and Cards up to 1 oz.

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Beijingshi Gong’anju 9 Dongdajie, Qianmen Dongchengqu Beijingshi 100740 PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA Fax: 011 86 10 65242927 Salutation: Dear Director Copies To

Director of Daxing District Public Security Sub-Bureau Chen Debao Juzhang 35 Xi Dajie, Huangcun Daxing Qu, Beijingshi 102600 PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA

Fax: 011 8610 69204640 (c/o Daxing District Government) Salutation: Dear Director Ambassador Wen Zhong Zhou Embassy of the People’s Republic of China 2300 Connecticut Ave. NW Washington DC 20008 Fax: 1 202 328-2582 Email: [email protected] PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY. Check with the AIUSA Urgent Action office if sending appeals after 29 December 2009.

More Troops in Afghanistan Must Not Harm Civilians, Warns Amnesty International December 2, 2009

Washington - Amnesty International has called on the

Clearer chains of command and rules of engagement that United States government to establish a consistent, clear and abide by international law must be established for all forces to credible mechanism to investigate civilian casualties resulting ensure the safety of Afghan civilians. Without a clear sense of who is involved in these operations it is impossible for victims from military operations in Afghanistan. The statement follows President Obama’s recent commitment to sending 30,000 and their families to make complaints, inquire about investigations, and ultimately seek justice. more troops to the region. Amnesty International urges President Obama to appoint a senior human rights officer to investigate all abuses committed by U.S. troops and others connected to the military offensive. This officer should report directly to the White House to ensure full transparency and accountability.

“Recent efforts by the U.S. and NATO forces to minimize civilian casualties are a step forward, but the U.S. government must ensure that any troops who violate Afghan civilians’ human rights are held to account,”said Madhu Malhotra, AsiaPacific deputy director for Amnesty International. “More U.S. troops must not lead to more harm to Afghan civilians.”

The need for an improved system is urgent due to the current lack of accountability and transparency within other branches Amnesty International recognizes that anti-government groups, including the Taliban, are responsible for the majorof the U.S. military, civilian intelligence agencies and private ity of civilian casualties and injuries. However, this does not contractors. diminish the U.S. responsibility to offer support for those “The United States should sign a proper Status of Forces injured by Afghan and NATO/U.S. forces and to bring those agreement with Afghanistan, which would clarify the legal suspected of violations of international humanitarian and huframework for the U.S. forces operating there,” said T. Kuman rights law to justice. mar, Amnesty International USA’s Director for International Advocacy. “Currently there is only an exchange of diplomatic Respect for international law, including human rights law and notes that essentially provides the U.S. with the unfettered international humanitarian law, by all parties involved is a ability to operate in Afghanistan, with no reference to human prerequisite to bringing security to Afghanistan. rights law.”

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Switzerland Votes Against Religious Freedom

November 30, 2009 Hayat Alyaqout Stock.Xchng

“The yes vote comes as a surprise and a great disappointment. That Switzerland, a country with a long tradition of religious tolerance and the provision of refuge to the persecuted, should have accepted such a grotesquely discriminatory proposal is shocking indeed,” said David Diaz-Jogeix, Europe and Central Asia Deputy Programme Director at Amnesty International. “The general prohibition of the construction of minarets violates the right of Muslims in Switzerland to manifest their mnesty International said it deeply regrets the choice of religion. It can do lasting damage to their integration.” Swiss voters on Sunday to introduce a ban on the construction of minarets into the constitution. Islam is the second largest religion in Switzerland after The ban, which takes immediate effect, violates both the free- Christianity, and its followers represent over 4 per cent of the dom of religion of Muslims living in the country and the pro- country’s population. hibition of discrimination on the grounds of religious belief as The ban is expected to be rejected by either the Federal Suset out in several international human rights instruments that preme Court of Switzerland or the European Court of Human Switzerland is a party to. Rights.

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AIUSA group 48 Newsletter December 2009