Gender Inequity in South Africa: "correctional rape" against lesbian women

I have decided to more of the stuff I read on human rights in general on this blog, not just AI letters. Hopefully this will still be of interest to most readers.

This article in the Guardian is well worth a read. It starts off with talk about Caster Semenya -- the athlete asked to prove that she is female -- but quicly gets on to more general questions about gender roles in South Africa, and rape.

From the article:

Semenya might have been embraced with adulation this week, but another sportswoman who transgressed gender expectations has met a very different fate. Last year Eudy Simelane, who captained South Africa's women football team, was gang-raped and beaten, before being stabbed 25 times in the face, chest and legs. ...

Gay and lesbian activists said that Simelane – a 29-year-old politically active lesbian of supposedly "butch" appearance – was just the most high-profile victim of so-called "corrective rape". That is the rape of a lesbian by a man to punish or "cure" her sexual orientation.
...
Shocking research published last year by Triangle revealed that 10 cases of "corrective rape" are reported in South Africa every week. An astonishing 31 lesbians have been reported murdered in homophobic attacks since 1998 but only two cases have made it to the courts and there has been only one conviction. (Emphasis mine.)

Rendition to CONTINUE under Obama??

If this is true, it is extremel disappointing!

The Obama administration will continue the Bush administration’s practice of sending terror suspects to third countries for detention and interrogation, but will monitor their treatment to ensure they are not tortured, administration officials said on Monday.

From the New York Times.

Death Sentence Postponed

Further details: MDE 13/086/2009

Here is extracted information from that document:
In Iran, Mohammad Reza Haddadi was sentenced to death in 2004 for a murder committed when he was 15. He confessed to the murder, but later retracted the confession. He said that he was innocent, but had claimed responsibility for the killing because his two co-defendants had offered to give his family money if he did so.

The execution of juvenile offenders is prohibited under international law, including Article 6(5) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), to which Iran is a state party, and so has undertaken not to execute anyone for crimes committed when they were under 18.

Please write to:

• Ayatollah Sayed ‘Ali Khamenei; The Office of the Supreme Leader; Islamic Republic Street – End of Shahid Keshvar Doust Street; Tehran; Islamic Republic of Iran. Email: info_leader@leader.ir, or via website: http://www.leader.ir/langs/en/index.php?p=letter (English)
• Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi; c/o Director, Judiciary Public Relations and Information Office; Ardeshir Sadiq; Judiciary Public Relations and Information Office;
  No. 57, Pasteur St.; corner of Khosh Zaban Avenue; Tehran; Iran. Email: info@dadiran.ir
  

Send copies to:

• Judiciary spokesperson Alireza Jamshidi; Howzeh Riyasat-e Qoveh Qazaiyeh / Office of the Head of the Judiciary; Pasteur St, Vali Asr Ave., south of Serah-e Jomhuri; Tehran 1316814737' Iran; Email: info@a-jamshidi.ir
• His Excellency Mr Mahmoud MOVAHHEDI, Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran, PO Box 705 , Mawson ACT 2607, Fax : (02) 6290 2825, Email: ambassador@iranembassy.org.au, (Salutation: Your Excellency)

My letter is below:

Ole Koksvik
Philosophy, RSSS
The Australian National University
Canberra ACT 2600
AUSTRALIA


Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi
c/o Director, Judiciary Public Relations and Information Office
Ardeshir Sadiq
Judiciary Public Relations and Information Office
No. 57, Pasteur St., corner of Khosh Zaban Avenue
Tehran
Iran

Your Excellency,

My name is Ole Koksvik. I am a Norwegian citizen, an Australian Permanent Resident, a PhD Candidate at the Australian National University.

I write to recognise and welcome the postponement of Mohammad Reza Haddadi's execution. I urge you to now commute this death sentence without delay.

I respectfully remind you that Iran is a state party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), which prohibit the use of the death penalty against people convicted of crimes committed when they were under 18.

Thank you for taking the time to read my concerns.

Yours sincerely,

Ole Koksvik

Human Rights Defender on Trial in DR Congo

In DR Congo, human rights defender Golden Misabikom, who is the pPresident of the human rights organisation Association Africaine de défense des Droits de l’Hommein Katanga province (ASADHO/Katanga), is being put on trial, charged with "threatening state security," because his organization published a report alleging state complicity in illegal uranium mining.

Further details here: AFR 62/014/2009

Please write to:

• President; Son Excellence Joseph Kabila; Président de la République; Palais de la Nation; Avenue de Lemera; Kinshasa-Gombe; Democratic Republic of Congo; E-mail: presipp@yahoo.fr (Salutation: Dear President Kabila)
• Justice Minister; Luzolo Bambi Lessa; Ministère de la Justice; 228 Avenue de Lemera; BP 3137 Kinshasa-Gombe; Democratic Republic of Congo; Email : pourtous.justice@yahoo.fr (Salutation: Dear Minister)

My letter is below:

Ole Koksvik
Philosophy, RSSS
The Australian National University
Canberra ACT 2600
AUSTRALIA

Son Excellence Joseph Kabila
Président de la République
Palais de la Nation
Avenue de Lemera
Kinshasa-Gombe
Democratic Republic of Congo


Dear President Kabila,

My name is Ole Koksvik. I am a Norwegian citizen, an Australian Permanent Resident, a PhD Candidate at the Australian National University.

I write to demand that you release Golden Misabiko immediately and unconditionally, as he is a prisoner of conscience detained solely for his lawful human rights work.

I urge you also to guarantee Golden Misabiko's right to freedom of expression, including the right to conduct research, publish and disseminate, by himself or through ASADHO/Katanga, human rights information, a principle recognized by the 1998 UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders.

Thank you for taking the time to read my concerns.

Yours sincerely,

Ole Koksvik

This letter has been made public here: http://aiua-sent.blogspot.com/

Doctors at risk in Sri Lanka

ASA 37/018/2009

(I could not find the document on the AI servers yet, but this is the right UA, it has the same text as the word file I was sent.)

There is fear for the well being of five doctors who spoke out against the Sri Lankan government's methods of warfare during the recent war with the LTTE. They are now being held, and recently a press conference was held in which they recanted their previous accusations. Sri Lanka has a history of torture and ill treatment of prisoners.

AI writes:

Before their capture the doctors had provided eyewitness reports to the media and the international community from hospitals and makeshift medical centres in the conflict zone. Contrary to information from the government, their reports detailed the suffering of ordinary civilians, many of whom died from war-related injuries. Their reports also highlighted shelling of areas with large concentrations of non-combatants.

Please send appeals, before 23/09/09, to:
PLEASE SEND APPEALS BEFORE 23 September 2009:

• His Excellency the President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Presidential Secretariat, Colombo 1, Sri Lanka, Fax: +94 11 2446657 (Salutation: Your Excellency)
• Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, Minister of Defence, Ministry of Defence, Public Security, Law and Order, 15/5, Bauddhaloka Mawatha, Colombo 03, Sri Lanka, Fax: +94 11 245 1529 (Salutation: Dear Minister). NB: I was unsuccessful in getting a fax through to this number.

Send copies to your local Sri Lankan diplomatic mission. In Australia:

• His Excellency Mr Senaka C.B. WALGAMPAYA PC, High Commissioner, High Commission of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, 35 Empire Circuit, Forrest ACT 2603, Fax: (02) 6239 6166, Email : admin@slhcaust.org (Salutation: Your Excellency)

My letter is below.

His Excellency the President Mahinda Rajapaksa
Presidential Secretariat
Colombo 1
Sri Lanka
Fax: +94 11 2446657

Ole Koksvik
Philosophy, RSSS
The Australian National University
Canberra ACT 2600
Australia, Tuesday, 18 August 2009


Your Excellency,

My name is Ole Koksvik. I am a Norwegian citizen, an Australian Permanent Resident and a PhD Candidate at the Australian National University.

I write to express my grave concern for doctors Veerakkathipillai Shanmugarajah, Thurairaja Varatharaja, Thangamuttu Sathyamoorthy, Kathirvel Ilancheliyan Vallavan and S. Sivapalanm, who have not been charged since their detention on 15 May 2009.

I call on you to release the doctors immediately, unless they are charged with recognisably criminal offences.

I futhermore call on the Sri Lankan government to repeal or revise emergency regulations and other special security legislation so as to bring them into line with international human rights law and standards.

I also note that I regard with suspicion the retractions of earlier statements which were given by the doctors on the press conference on July the 8th. I call on you to do ensure that the doctors are treated well while in custody, and to ensure, in particular, that they are not subjected to torture or other ill treatment.

Thank you for taking the time to read my concerns.

This letter has been made public here: http://aiua-sent.blogspot.com/

Yours sincerely,

Ole Koksvik

White Flag Shootings in Gaza?

Here is a report in the Guardian, on allegations of killings of civilians carrying white flags, during Israel's offensive in Gaza this year.

Death in Custody: Justice for Mr Ward

I found this truly shocking. Mr Ward, an indigenous elder, was being transported by authorities when he died. AI writes:

Inside the metal pod, the temperature reached up to 50.4°C and the metal floor peaked at up to 56.6°C. Mr Ward died of heatstroke and suffered a serious burn from his skin touching the metal surface. His body temperature was 41.7°C when he reached Kalgoorlie Hospital. Despite the efforts of hospital staff, they were unable to revive him.

Please follow this link to write to the Attorney-General to protest. My letter is below.

Dear Attorney-General,

My name is Ole Koksvik. I am a PhD student at the Australian National University. I am writing to express my utter disgust at the appalling death of Mr Ward, and to express my grave concern that the history of Indigenous deaths in custody in Australia is, evidently, still not receiving adequate attention by the Australian Government.

I call on the Commonwealth to uphold its responsibility to honour Australia's human rights obligations.

The treatment of Mr Ward breached Australia's human rights obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) which states that no-one shall be subjected to torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, and that all persons deprived of their liberty shall be treated with humanity and dignity; and the Convention Against Torture which obliges States to ensure that effective legislative, administrative, judicial or other measures to prevent acts of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment are in place, and that all violations are punished.

I also call on the Commonwealth to uphold its responsibility to ensure that the recommendations from the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody have been implemented. These include:

- addressing the economic and social factors that underpin the extreme over-representation of Indigenous people in custody;
- improving standards of continuous monitoring to ensure the health and well-being of Indigenous prisoners;
- limiting the unnecessary transportation of accused persons over long distances;
- not placing Indigenous prisoners in institutions far from their families and allowing appeal against transfer decisions; and
- ensuring that all deaths in custody are investigated on the basis that they may be homicides.

I trust that you will do all that is within your power to ensure that the human rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders is upheld and that all necessary actions are taken to prevent a recurrence of this tragedy.

Sincerely yours

Ole Koksvik

Iran: Execution by Stoning

Today's second letter regards the threat of execution by stoning, in Iran. AI writes:

Iranian woman, Sakineh Mohammadi is at risk of execution by stoning in Tabriz Prison, western Iran. She was convicted in 2006 or 2007 of “adultery while being married”. She was previously flogged for “having an illicit relationship”.

Further details: MDE 13/082/2009

Write to Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi, Office of the Head of the Judiciary. Email: shahroudi@dadgostary-tehran.ir (In the subject line write: FAO Ayatollah Shahroudi).

Send copies to:

• Leader of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Sayed ‘Ali Khamenei, The Office of the Supreme Leader. Email: via website: http://www.leader.ir/langs/en/index.php?p=letter
• The local diplomatic contacts for Iran (click through to the right country, then click "contact us" on the left). In Australia: His Excellency Mr Mahmoud MOVAHHEDI, Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran. PO Box 705 , Mawson ACT 2607, Fax : (02) 6290 2825

My letter is below:

Ole Koksvik
Philosophy, RSSS
The Australian National University
Canberra ACT 2600
AUSTRALIA


Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi
Office of the Head of the Judiciary
Pasteur St., Vali Asr Ave., south of Serah-e Jomhouri
Tehran 1316814737,
Islamic Republic of Iran


Your Excellency,

My name is Ole Koksvik. I am a Norwegian citizen, an Australian Permanent Resident, a PhD Candidate at the Australian National University and a member of Amnesty International.

It has come to my attention that Sakineh Mohammadi is at risk of being stoned, having been convicted for “adultery while being married".

I am writing to urge you to ensure that Sakineh Mohammadi is not executed. Execution is the ultimate cruel and inhuman punishment; it is a punishment which is never justified, and certainly not in the case at hand.

I further call on you to ensure that an immediate and effective moratorium is imposed on executions by stoning and the use of other forms of execution and cruel and inhuman punishments, including flogging.


Thank you for taking the time to read this letter and to consider my concerns.


Sincerely yours

Ole Koksvik

Two men hanged; others in grave danger

Two urgent actions letters today:

The first relates to the hanging of two men, and the immediate risk of the execution of three further men, in Japan.

Further details: ASA 22/012/2009

Write, in the first instance, to MORI Eisuke, the Minister of Justice, fax: +81 3 5511 7200.

Send copies to:

• ASO Taro, Prime Minister, fax: +81 3 3581 3883, Email: (via website) http://www.kantei.go.jp/foreign/forms/comment.html
• Newspaper Asahi Shimbun, fax: +81 3 3545 0285.
• The local Japanese diplomatic contacts. In Australia: His Excellency Mr Takaaki KOJIMA, Ambassador. Fax: (02) 6273 1848

I believe that sending a fax strikes the best balance between speed of delivery and delivering a product that will be taken somewhat seriously, and I think email comes second. However, if you prefer sending an ordinary letter, click here to obtain postal addresses.

My letter is below.

MORI Eisuke
Minister of Justice
1-1-1 Kasumigaseki
Chiyoda-ku
Tokyo 100-897
JAPAN
Fax: +81 3 5511 7200
E-mail: webmaster@moj.go.jp


Ole Koksvik
Philosophy, RSSS
The Australian National University
Canberra ACT 2600
AUSTRALIA Friday, 14 August 2009

Dear Minister,

My name is Ole Koksvik. I am a Norwegian citizen, an Australian Permanent Resident, a PhD Candidate at the Australian National University and a member of Amnesty International.

I write to express my concern at the your decision to proceed with the executions of Maeue Hiroshi and Yamaji Yukio.

I strongly urge you not to execute Shinozawa Kazuo, Zoda Hiroshi and Ogata Hidek. I also call on you to order an immediate moratorium on the death penalty, with a view to eventual abolition, and to commute the sentences of all those now on death row.

Thank you for taking the time to read my concerns.

Yours sincerely,

Ole Koksvik