Urgent Action: Blogger prosecuted for humorous post

On 2 May 2020, 27-year-old Tunisian blogger Emna Chargui shared a Facebook post that she found on social media of a humorous text that imitates the verses of Quran to make fun of the COVID-19 situation.

The text is void of any incitement to hatred or violence. It is intended to be funny and it even includes a call for staying home and washing hands. Emna now faces up to three years in prison for this post.

On 6 May 2020, the Court of First Instance in Tunis charged her with inciting hatred between religions through hostile means or violence and “offending authorised religions” under articles 52 and 53 of the Tunisian Press Code.

Despite the fact that Emna Chargui’s post does not incite to violence or hatred, she was charged under Article 52 and 53 of the Tunisian press code. Article 52 provides a prison sentence of one to three years and a fine from one to two thousand Dinars (500 USD) to anyone who explicitly calls for hatred between races, religions and inhabitants and uses hostile means or violence or racial discrimination. Article 53 punishes with a fine of one to two thousand dinars everyone who purposefully uses preaching sites for political campaigning and anyone who intentionally infringes on any of the licensed religious rites.

Take Action

Complete the Amnesty letter to send in support of Emna on the Campaign website.
https://www.amnesty.org.uk/urgent-actions/blogger-prosecuted-humorous-post

If you are unable to get out and would like to post a letter please send it to us and we will arrange to post it on your behalf.

Just email your letter as an attachment to us at info@norwichamnesty.org.uk.

Further Details

Emna mentioned that her blogs and social media posts often trigger waves of insults from people who don’t agree with her views but the comments she had received in the aftermath of this social media post were threats that she had never experienced before. She quotes one death threat she received: “here is my name and my picture, I don’t care if I go to jail as long as I kill you.” Another person sent her a message of her picture with her father with a message threatening to kill her father “get a sponge to wipe his blood once I kill him.” Emna has been documenting and sharing screenshots of all the gruesome threats she has been receiving. She doesn’t feel safe and had to change her location several times in the past weeks. She told Amnesty International that she didn’t even feel safe going to her trial whose date and location are publicly known now.

You can read more about this case on the Amnesty website:

https://www.amnesty.org.uk/urgent-actions/blogger-prosecuted-humorous-post

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Covid-19 and your local media: Please help spread the word

The Covid-19 crisis has exposed a human rights crisis in our communities – essential workers, victims of domestic abuse and refugees and migrants are among those most adversely affected.

We’re calling on the government to protect their rights, and we need as many signatures on the petition as possible.

Sending a letter to your local paper can be a really good way to raise awareness.

Letter Template

You can download a template from Amnesty that you can send to your local media to encourage your community to take action to help those most at risk via this link:
http://webmail1.amnesty.org.uk/c/12brronHJfInqDN5Izpym79GvC

Eastern Daily Press  Contact details:

https://www.edp24.co.uk/home/contact-us

You should be able to find an email address for your paper online, but if you need help get in touch with ella.berny@amnesty.org.uk.

Posting

If you are unable to get out and would like to post a letter please send it to us and we will arrange to post it on your behalf.

Just email your letter as an attachment to us at info@norwichamnesty.org.uk.

 

India Cracks down on dissents during Covid-19

Activists Gautam Navlakha and Anand Teltumbde were arrested by the National Investigative Agency (NIA) on 14 April 2020 and charged under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code along with the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) for their involvement in the 2018 Bhima Koregaon riots.

These arrests appear to be politically motivated and relate to the massive crackdown on human rights defenders in 2018, when nine other prominent activists were arrested in the same case.

Take Action

Complete the Amnesty email on their campaign website:

https://www.amnesty.org.uk/urgent-actions/crackdown-dissent-continues-during-covid-19

 

Further Information

Anand Teltumbde and Gautam Navlakha were charged under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code along with the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) for their involvement in the 2018 Bhima Koregaon riots. Their trial will now be held at a National Investigative Agency special court. With a poor conviction rate, the UAPA is routinely used against people for simply expressing dissenting opinions often without evidence that they incited or resorted to violence or assisted banned organisations, resulting in lengthy pre or under trial detention.

The UAPA has often been abused and used to detain people peacefully exercising their rights to freedom of expression and association. Parts of the UAPA do not meet international human rights standards and their application leads to human rights violations.

Following the arrests of Sudha Bharadwaj, Shoma Sen, Surendra Gadling, Mahesh Raut, Arun Ferreira, Sudhir Dhawale, Rona Wilson, Vernon Gonsalves and Varavara Rao in 2018, a smear campaign was launched against the activists. The government claims they are ‘anti-nationals’ working against the country. However, the opinion of communities, where the activists work, is entirely different. In these communities, they are hailed as brave activists, committed to the causes of the poorest and most marginalised communities in the country, like Dalits & Adivasis.

https://www.amnesty.org.uk/urgent-actions/crackdown-dissent-continues-during-covid-19

Russian Journalist at risk after death threat

On 13 April, Chechnya’s Head Ramzan Kadyrov posted a video on Instagram in which he issued a death threat aimed at Russian journalist Elena Milashina.

The threat followed the publication of her article about the spread of COVID-19 in Chechnya.

She is in grave danger and Russian authorities must take urgent steps to ensure her safety.

Take Action

Complete Amnesty’s letter to President Putin via their website campaign:

https://www.amnesty.org.uk/urgent-actions/journalist-risk-after-receiving-death-threat

 

Further Details

On 12 April, Russian independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta published Elena Milashina’s article regarding the COVID-19 situation in Chechnya and the authorities’ response to it. The article, entitled “Death of corona virus is a lesser evil – When in Chechnya those who are infected are being equalled to terrorists, people have started to conceal their disease and die at home,” brought about an unprecedented response from the Head of Chechnya Ramzan Kadyrov.
He commented extensively on the article on his Telegram account and more alarmingly issued a video on Instagram in which he accused Novaya Gazeta and its journalists of being “puppets of the West” and directly appealed to the Russian government and the Federal Security Service (FSB) “to stop those non-humans who are writing and provoking our people.”

He stated: “We’ve had enough! If you want us to commit a crime and become criminals, then tell us so! One of us will take the burden of this responsibility on himself and suffer the punishment (for it) prescribed by law. He will spend some time in jail but will (eventually) be free. Do not try to turn us into criminals, murderers…”.

https://www.amnesty.org.uk/urgent-actions/journalist-risk-after-receiving-death-threat

Urgent Action: Please Help Detained Researcher In Critical Condition

Detained human rights researcher Ibrahim Ezz El-Din’s health has deteriorated in Tora prison putting him at particular risk if exposed to COVID-19.

Ibrahim remains in pre-trial detention following his arrest on 11 June 2019 and enforced disappearance for 167 days until his appearance in front of the Supreme State Security Prosecution on 26 November 2019.

Take Action: Write An Appeal

You can Write an Appeal in your Own Words or use the Model Letter you can download from:
https://www.norwichamnesty.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/FI10419_2.pdf

Please send your letter as soon as possible, before 21st May 2020

Send your Letter to:

Public Prosecutor Hamada al-Sawi
Office of the Public Prosecutor
Madinat al-Rehab Cairo,
Arab Republic of Egypt
Fax: +202 2577 4716
E-mail : m.office@ppo.gov.eg

Please send a copy to:

His Excellency Mr Tarek Ahmed Ibrahim Adel
Embassy of the Arab Republic of Egypt
26 South Street, W1K 1DW
Tel.: 020 7499 3304/2401
Fax: 020 7491 1542
E-mail address: egtamboff@gmail.com egyemblondon@mfa.gov.eg

You can also send your letter to:

President
Abdel Fattah al-Sisi
Office of the President
Al Ittihadia Palace
Cairo, Arab Republic of Egypt
Fax +202 2391 1441
Email: p.spokesman@op.gov.eg
Twitter: @AlsisiOfficial
Salutation: Dear President

Minister of Interior Mahmoud Tawfiq
Ministry of the Interior
25 El Sheikh Rihan Street
Bab al-Louk, Cairo, Egypt
Fax: +202 2794 5529
Email: center@iscmi.gov.eg or E.HumanRightsSector@moi.gov.eg
Twitter: @moiegy
Salutation: Dear Minister

Further Information

Ibrahim is a researcher at the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms (ECRF), where he focuses on the right to housing. On the night of 11 June 2019, plainclothes Egyptian security forces arrested Ibrahim. He was taken from the street near his Cairo home in the area of Moqattam and was forcibly disappeared for 167 days.

Ibrahim Ezz El-Din first appeared in front of a prosecutor on 26 November 2019. According to his lawyer, he appeared physically weak and had lost a considerable amount of weight. He told the prosecutor that he was tortured during his incommunicado detention to extract information about his relationship to the ECRF, and about the organization’s work. He also complained about being held in inhumane and degrading conditions of detention at several security agency locations. Since then, the prosecutor has been extending his pre-trial detention every 15 days pending investigations.

He is the fifth person affiliated with the ECRF to have been arrested since 2016. His arrest follows the detention on 13 May 2019 of labour rights lawyer, Haytham Mohamdeen, who also works at ECRF, on trumped-up charges of “aiding a terrorist group”. In May 2018, Egyptian security forces arrested Amal Fathy, a human rights defender and wife of the Executive Director of ECRF and former Amnesty International Researcher Mohamed Lotfy, over a video critical of the authorities’ failure to address rampant sexual harassment. She was conditionally released in December 2018 and put under house arrest until 14 March 2020, when the Supreme State Security Prosecution lifted all precautionary measures imposed on her. In 2016, authorities had also arrested the ECRF Minorities Programme Director Mina Thabet and head of the board Ahmed Abdallah, before releasing them without charge.

Ibrahim Ezz El-Din has been unable to complete his master’s thesis as scheduled in December 2019 given his arrest. While Ibrahim’s lawyer obtained permission for Ibrahim to receive books in prison, he was prevented from writing his thesis by prison authorities.

Ibrahim’s arrest came amid a human rights crisis in Egypt, characterized by a crackdown on independent civil society and arrests of hundreds of individuals over their legitimate work or peaceful expression or assembly. The crackdown has affected journalists, football fans, critics, politicians and staff of civil society organizations. Many of those arrested have been subjected to enforced disappearances, before being charged with unfounded “terrorism” charges and held in pre-trial detention for months, or even years, without trial (see www.amnesty.org/en/documents/mde12/1399/2019/en/).

Amnesty International has documented Egyptian security forces’ use of enforced disappearances as a tool against political activists and protesters, including students and children in Egypt (see www.amnesty.org/en/documents/mde12/4368/2016/en/). Hundreds of people forcibly disappeared were held with no access to their lawyers or families and no external judicial oversight. This pattern of abuse became particularly evident after President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi appointed Major-General Magdy Abd el-Ghaffar as Minister of Interior in March 2015. ECRF is one of the main Egyptian NGOs that has been working extensively on the issue of enforced disappearances.