By the Asia-Pacific programme at the International Secretariat
We would like to give you a brief overview of our work on the issue of the Taleban and their human rights abuses.
We hope this will show that any suggestion that cooperation with any group or individuals has influenced our work on behalf of victims of religiously inspired abuses and violations is simply false.
Our latest statement on the Taleban and women’s rights appeared on 26 January 2010 (http://www.amnesty.org/en/for-media/press-releases/afghanistan-human-rights-must-be-guaranteed-during-taleban-talks-2010012), with the lead: “Human rights, including women’s rights, must not be traded away or compromised during any reconciliation talks with the Taleban in Afghanistan.”
We’ve focused on the Taleban’s violations of human rights law and International Humanitarian Law (IHL) consistently in all our statements on the topic, and often exclusively (for instance, on 28 October 2008: http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/news/taleban-must-immediately-stop-targeting-civilians-afghanistan-20091028).
Most of our statements on IHL address both sides to the conflict, while explicitly recognizing that the Taleban are responsible for about 2/3 of all civilian casualties and that the Taleban, unlike NATO troops, pursue a systematic policy of targeting civilians (see, most recently on 2 December 2009, http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/news/extra-us-troops-afghanistan-must-not-harm-afghan-civilians-20091202, in which we said: “Amnesty International said that it recognises that anti-government groups, including the Taleban, are responsible for the majority of civilian casualties and injuries. The organization said that this does not diminish the responsibility to offer support to those injured by Afghan and NATO/US forces and to bring those suspected of violations of international humanitarian and human rights law to justice.”
In our discussions of the Taleban’s abuses in Afghanistan, we have highlighted the Taleban’s systematic repression of girls and women, for instance through attacks on schools and health facilities catering to girls and women.
In 2007, we issued a comprehensive report on Taleban abuses: All who are not friends, are enemies: Taleban abuses against civilians. http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/ASA11/001/2007
And we’ve continued our coverage of this issue, by way of example, on 14 September 2009, in our coverage of election-related human rights issues, we pointed out that the Taleban were responsible for most attacks on civilians, particularly on schools for girls: http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/comment-afghan-election-outcome-unclear-except-demand-human-rights-20090914.
Similarly, discussing the Taleban’s pre-election violence, we said: “Anti-government groups, including the Taleban, have demonstrated a systematic contempt for the safety of civilians by targeting Afghans who want to establish their future through ballots, not bullets.” http://www.amnesty.org/en/for-media/press-releases/afghanistan-kandahar-bombing-and-nato-clinic-attack-highlight-increasing.
In Pakistan, our work has consistently highlighted the abuses by Pakistani Taleban groups, in particular, their systematic repression of women and girls and of schools and health facilities providing assistance to women and girls.
We remain one of the loudest voices among human rights groups (inside and outside Pakistan) to raise concerns about the Taleban’s actions in Pakistan. See, for instance, our statement of 23 April 2009, demanding protection for Pakistani civilians subjected to the Taleban’s rule: http://www.amnesty.org/en/for-media/press-releases/pakistan-people-buner-mercy-taleban-20090423.
We questioned a “peace deal” with the Pakistani Taleban that essentially abandoned Pakistani citizens, particularly women and girls, to the Taleban’s abusive practices on 16 February 2009, Pakistan: Swat peace deal threatens human rights, http://www.amnesty.org/en/for-media/press-releases/pakistan-swat-peace-deal-threatens-human-rights-20090216
We’ve also maintained our campaign against the use of blasphemy laws and other mechanisms against Pakistan’s religious minorities. Our clearest statement on this issue came on 10 August 2009, when we said: “As Pakistan marks Minorities Day, Amnesty International calls on the government to take meaningful action to protect religious minorities which have increasingly been the target of religiously-motivated attacks and persecution. The rise in attacks against religious minorities comes against a backdrop – and in tandem – with rising religious extremism in the country. Amnesty International is concerned at the discrimination, harassment and attacks against all religious minorities, including Ahmadis, Christians, Shiite, Sikhs and Hindus, that are widespread in Pakistan.” http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/ASA33/008/2009/en/955f51a0-acdc-4310-8866-0674ec5bf376/asa330082009en.html
We have also maintained this principled position in our work outside areas directly affected by the Taleban.
For instance, in Indonesia, we took the lead among international human rights groups in opposing efforts to introduce a strict interpretation of Shari’a law in Aceh province because it violated international human rights principles by including such provisions as stoning to death for adultery and caning of up to 100 lashes for homosexuality. http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/ASA21/021/2009/en/f995b7ff-8428-4e97-b3b2-d04adde7910f/asa210212009en.html
And in Malaysia, again we lead the international community in raising alarms in August 2009 about the extension of the Shari’a punishment of caning to a woman who drank an alcoholic beverage publicly (http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/feature-stories/malaysian-woman-caning-shariah-20090821). We also have been at the forefront of international efforts to protect lawyers and activists from religiously inspired harassment and intimidation for using the word “Allah”. http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/ASA28/001/2010/en/835c0199-095a-45b3-b2f5-4a77181e2734/asa280012010en.html
In conclusion, even a quick review of our work in the Asia-Pacific program clearly demonstrates that we have consistently held a principled line on religiously inspired violations of international law, particularly as it affects gender and sexual rights.
I think you do protest too much. The argument is not whether you support the taleban, but whether you tuen a blind eye to views unacceptable to any person concerned about human rights if it suits your purposes. Cageprisoners expresses views completly unacceptable to anyone concerned about rights but they are your poster boys (yes, boys) because it suits your wider agenda. Would you do the same for Nick Griffin?
Dear Amnesty, If Amnesty is really a reflexive organisationation that supports human rights I think you should apologise to Gita Shgal and reinstate her in her position. Amnesty could do with some ongoing gender analysis in your campaigns and some champions to keep the organisation’s decison making structures acoountable to the safety and human rights of women and girls . How about standing up for children in prison especially girls?
Amnesty International is power of the people and support of victimized uneqvivocally…all over the world. Every conscious and conscience citizen of this world should support this organization for the restoration of democratic and human rights of the people in marginalised societies and areas.
I find it interesting that since the unfounded and ungrounded attack on Amnesty International and cageprisoners was published in the Murdoch/NewsCorp London rag and then picked up by a few of the more reputable, but not any more accurate, publications, AI is now under attack for what they do, have always done and will continue to do – that is stand for the human rights of all regardless of gender, race, color, creed, religion, nationality, sexual orientation, size, weight, eye color, name , blood type or any other distinguishing characteristics or indistinguishable characteristics that may or may not match those of the mainstream’s view of what will be deemed ( in their arrogance) to be allowable. ALL people are created equal (no, not some people are created more equal than others) and all those people deserve the same human rights. The misconceptions, flat denials and willful ignorance exhibited in some of the commentary and even in the attacks on AI and cageprisoners says more about those commenting than it does about either AI or cageprisoners. It is that ignorance, bigotry and hate that AI addresses every day throughout the world. That hate, ignorance and bigotry that would call for “getting rid of Moazzam Begg” when the party knows nothing about him except some rant by a person with an ax to grind and an agenda to destroy someone that has done nothing but be Muslim; or attacking AI for removing Ms Shgai bas if it has ANYTHING to do with gender insisting that AI should reinstate her after she broke the cardinal rule for ANY representative of company, organization or group – one does not SOLICIT interview and SPEAK for an organization without the express permission of the organization. She is lucky she isn’t being sued; and Nick Griffin – the BNP leader who denies the holocaust (oh, yes, I know, when backed into a corner and running for Parliament, he did have to back off a bit on that didn’t he?), though Mr Griffin calls for the denial of rights to those citizens of the UK who are not quite “British” enough for his liking, AI would be the 1st to demand Mr Griffin be given his human rights. As for Mr Begg, the man that refused to shut up if he “knew what was good for him”, eh? Mr Begg speaks truth to power; he calls for accountability for the crimes committed by BOTH the UK and the US; He calls only for his brothers and sisters to be given the basic human rights and respect that all deserve. A man held against his will, held without his rights as demanded by the law in both the UK and the US as well as by the international community, He was tortured and abused in YOUR NAME for being Muslim – simply for being a Muslim in the wrong place at the wrong time when the world went mad after being baited into fear by those in power who would use that power to commit heinous acts IN YOUR NAME.
To pick up on Michael Scott’s comment, Amnesty never adequately dealt with the issue of Noam Chomsky’s denial of the truth about the Prijedor camps in Bosnia. Your half-hearted response suggested you weren’t really willing to engage with Chomsky on the issue.
unfortunately ai has let itself down. Activist are just that…active, but rely on the support of the wider community. I fear that this has tarnished its image leaving it to a fate similar to that befell the CRE.
In reply to Annie Costin, Amnesty has worked on children in prison and continues to do so, but less at the moment that several years ago – partly because the campaigning focus was on other issues, including a particular focus on violence against women and girls. This has included campaigning on violence and abuse in the criminal justice system, including against girls. Boys are much more likely to be imprisoned than girls. That’s not related to the present debate, except to underline that the organisation is very, very active on the human rights of women and girls.
As a donor to AI, I do not wish my contributions to go toward cross promotion with an organization that argues that the taleban fights a just cause in a roundabout way ( See Jihad- The Solution? Link on the cageprisoners website). With even a cursory exploration of their website and official materials, it becomes immediately apparent that cageprisoners does not just work on shutting down guantanamo bay.
Amnesty International is voice and power of the people and support of victimized unequivocally…all over the world. Every conscious and conscience citizen of this world should support this organization for the restoration of democratic and human rights of the people in marginalized societies and areas.
And my request to this honorable organization to work in the villages of so called azad Kashmir because in that part there is not independent media who transmit the voice of people to the world
Shahid latif khan
UKPNP
BAGH (POK)
Oppression of women can never be right and I don’t think AI “argues that the taleban fights a just cause in a roundabout way” as suggested by “A”