Keeping the candle alight

Today being Human Rights Day, it is fitting and just to remind ourselves of the plight of human rights defenders and activists around the world.

Human rights defence is not always a simple choice to make and in many circumstances proves dangerous and deadly for those endeavouring to keep the candle lit. The candle that sheds light on human rights violations around the world and the candle that shines on to remind us, constantly, of the many who have been tortured, killed or have disappeared.

Human rights defenders expose human rights violations committed by state agents. They speak out on behalf of marginalised social groups, children, indigenous and poor people. They seek to end impunity by challenging the perpetrators of human rights violations and reminding all states of their obligation to bring perpetrators to justice and to uphold the rule of law.

A recent success story regarding a human rights defender is that which came to an end on November 29 this year. Prisoner of conscience Bakhrom Khamroev was conditionally released from prison after Amnesty International (AI) and many Russian NGOs had protested against his sentence and had called for his immediate release. AI had also contributed to his legal defence. It is believed that the momentum AI's Urgent Appeal generated around this case helped with building a coalition to press for his release.

Women of Zimbabwe Arise is a women's rights organisation that regularly organises peaceful demonstrations, taking to the streets around the country. For this, they are repeatedly arrested and detained, often in poor and overcrowded conditions, for periods ranging from a few hours to several days. While in detention, they have reportedly been threatened and assaulted by police officers and police officers have made access to their lawyers difficult. AI has repeatedly called on the Zimbabwean authorities to repeal or amend legislation which violates internationally recognised human rights, to end the political misuse of the police and to ensure that policing in Zimbabwe upholds the human rights of all its citizens.

One of AI's ongoing campaigns is that on human rights defenders in Latin America and the Caribbean. In some countries in the Americas, human rights defenders are often the only credible source of information regarding human rights violations. Not surprisingly, they have been the victims of extrajudicial executions, disappearances, death threats, detentions and harassment by state agents.

In some countries, the situation of human rights defenders has deteriorated far below levels acceptable to the international community. In other instances, governments eager to conceal violations committed by their agents and officials attempt to curtail or hamper the work of human rights defenders by monitoring their activities, encouraging defamation campaigns against them or subjecting them to investigations on unsubstantiated criminal charges. Making it difficult for them to get a job or threatening members of their family are more subtle forms of harassment.

In clear recognition of the important work of local human rights groups, the Declaration on the Right and Responsibility of Individuals, Groups and Organs of Society to Promote and Protect Universally Recognised Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (Declaration on Human Rights Defenders) was adopted by the UN General Assembly on December 9, 1998. This declaration sets down a series of principles and standards aimed at ensuring that states fully support the efforts of human rights defenders and ensure they are free to conduct their legitimate activities without hindrance or fear of reprisals.

The Organisation of American States (OAS) has agreed to recognise and support the work carried out by human rights defenders and their valuable contribution to the promotion, observance and protection of fundamental rights and freedoms in the Americas in resolutions adopted by its General Assembly every year since 1999.

In order to ensure that the expressions of political will set out in the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders and the OAS resolutions are translated into concrete actions and policies aimed at protecting human rights defenders and allowing them to work freely without hindrance, AI has urged all governments in Latin America and the Caribbean to adopt its 11 recommendations on human rights defenders.

Act out and raise your voice in the defence of these valuable men and women who, every day, put their lives at risk in order to work for the downtrodden, for the forgotten, for the abused individuals of their society. Visit http://web.amnesty.org/pages/hrd-index-eng for more information or write to AI (Malta Group) at info@aimalta.org.

Amnesty International - Malta Group congratulates the government of Malta on its ratification of international instruments in the human rights field.

Together with ratifying most of the major United Nations treaties, the Maltese government is also an active supporter of many significant initiatives of the Council of Europe, particularly the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment and the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities.

Furthermore, AI (Malta Group) applauds the Maltese government on being the first to ratify the Optional Protocol to the UN Torture Convention and for ratifying a major instrument in the fight against impunity for some of the world's gravest crimes - the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.

Hoping the Maltese government would follow up its excellent track record, AI (Malta Group) has often expressed its concern at a number of important legislative shortcomings. In particular, AI (Malta Group) strongly urges the Maltese government to:

¤ enact specific national legislation for the prevention of domestic violence, the protection of women, the punishment of perpetrators and the rehabilitation of survivors of domestic violence;

¤ ratify the Optional Protocol to the UN Women Convention in order to strengthen its application;

¤ ratify the most recent major UN Convention on the Protection of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families;

¤ sign the Agreement on the Privileges and Immunities of the International Criminal Court, without which the treaty is rendered ineffective;

¤ adequately implement the recommendations issued by the UN and COE treaty-monitoring bodies, particularly with regard to the rights of women, the child, minorities and to racism and tolerance and

¤ revise the reservations made under various conventions, particularly regarding the rights of women and the declarations made to the COE denying the presence of minorities in Malta.

AI (Malta Group) has in the past directly expressed most of these concerns to the appropriate authorities. While appreciating the willingness of the Maltese government to respect international human rights standards, it is hoped this willingness is strengthened with an adequate implementation of the above recommendations.

Ms Schranz is PRO, Amnesty International - Malta Group.