January 2010
January 2010
Contents
Democracy Alerts/Appeals
Update: Former Czech President Havel Joins in Attempt Deliver Letter Supporting Liu Xiaobo
Announcements and Events
Freedom House to Release Freedom in the World 2010
WFDA Publishes Framework for Action
Call for Papers: International IDEA Democracy and Development Program
Interactive Resource Centre Releases Documentary on Taliban Occupation of Swat Valley in Pakistan
Civil Society Strengthening
European Partnership Represents Civil Society at Eastern Partnership Forum
Economic Reform and the Business Sector
CIPE Presents Inaugural Hernando de Soto Award for Democracy
Elections
African Experts Lay Out Recommendations for Credible Elections
Gender Issues and Sexual Minority Rights
Mass Arrests of Women Activists after Protests in Iran
Broader Middle East and North Africa Gender Institute to be Established
Project on the Status of Women in the Middle East and North Africa Completes Lebanon Data Collection
Human Rights, Equality and Access to Justice
Civil Society Groups Express Concern over Forced Evictions in Cambodia
Vietnam Committee on Human Rights Condemns Sentence of Democracy Activist
Authorities in Bahrain Prevent Annual Demonstration to Commemorate Victims of Torture
CSOs Assess Situation for Human Rights Defenders in Tanzani
Democracy Coalition Project Publishes Human Rights Council Report Card
New Tactics to Hold Online Discussion on Documenting Human Rights Violations
Media, Freedom of Expression and Communication Technology
CIMA Releases Reports on Safety of Journalists and Libel Tourism
Young People's Political and Civic Participation
Zimbabwe National Students Union to Hold Seventh Biannual Conference
Call for Applications: Berlin Conference on Cultural Diplomacy and the Economy
World Movement Participants Mentioned in this Issue
Democracy Alerts/Appeals
Update: Former Czech President Havel Joins in Attempt Deliver Letter Supporting Liu Xiaobo
According to Chinese Human Rights Defenders (CHRD), on January 6, Former Czech President Václav Havel, actor Pavel Landovský, and Bishop Václav Malý visited the Chinese Embassy in Prague to hand over a proclamation demanding the immediate release of prominent Chinese dissident and principal author of “Charter ‘08,” Liu Xiaobo. Liu was sentenced to 11 years in jail on December 25 for “inciting subversion of state power.” However, the Chinese Embassy failed to open the door to receive the proclamation.
“Charter ‘08,” a public appeal calling for bold reforms that promote democracy and human rights in China, was published via the Internet in December 2008; Liu was arrested for posting the appeal that same month. He was detained for over a year awaiting his trial. “Charter ‘08” was inspired by “Charter 77,” which was an informal civic initiative in Czechoslovakia from 1977 to 1992, which criticized the government for failing to implement human rights provisions.
To read more information from CHRD, go to: http://crd-net.org/Article/Class9/Class98/201001/20100106225916_19319.html
To read a previous alert, go to: www.wmd.org/democracyalerts/dec2909.html
Announcements and Events
Freedom House to Release Freedom in the World 2010
On January 12, Freedom House will hold an event to release the findings of Freedom in the World 2010, the latest edition of the organization’s annual assessment of political and civil rights in every country in the world. The event will feature an in-depth discussion of the changes, trends, and important events relating to freedom and democracy in 2009 and will be webcast live on the Freedom House Web site. According to Freedom House, in a year marked by intensified repression against democratic reformers by the world’s most powerful authoritarian regimes, the state of freedom experienced a global erosion, with major setbacks in Latin America, Africa, the former Soviet Union, and the Middle East. Declines were registered in 40 countries and territories, which is far more than the number of countries that experienced gains for freedom.
Go to: www.freedomhouse.org
WFDA Publishes Framework for Action
In December, the World Forum for Democratization in Asia (WFDA) published its Framework for Action 2009-2011, the primary outcome of its Third Biennial held in Seoul in September. The document sets out the collective goals for WFDA participants for the next two years. WFDA welcomes any news from partners about efforts toward reaching these goals through participation in global democracy forums, regional activities, country-specific activities, and organizational development.
Go to: http://biennial.wfda.net/?FID=14
Call for Papers: International IDEA Democracy and Development Program
IOn December 7, the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) issued a call for abstracts and papers on democratic accountability arrangements in sectors, services, and state activities deemed essential for development. International IDEA has set up a program on Democracy and Development that seeks to stimulate debate among civil society organizations, governments, research institutions, and international organizations on effective ways to foster democratic practices in development. The selected papers will be considered for publication and presented at a workshop in Mozambique, in April 2010 that will be hosted by International IDEA, the Netherlands Embassy, and the Netherlands Development Organization.
Go to: www.idea.int/about/vacancies/eu_demo_accountability.cfm
Interactive Resource Centre Releases Documentary on Taliban Occupation of Swat Valley in Pakistan
The Interactive Resource Centre recently posted “Burning Paradise,” a documentary film about the Taliban occupation of the Swat Valley in Pakistan, to its Web site. The documentary analyzes factors that led to the Taliban occupation and the resulting destruction in the area. Many people from Swat Valley including students, teachers, barbers, traders, and women, were interviewed for the documentary. The film was conceived by World Movement participant Mohammad Waseem.
Go to: http://irc-net.tv/portal/index.php?option=com_achtube&task=view&id=204&Itemid=26
Civil Society Strengthening
European Partnership Represents Civil Society at Eastern Partnership Forum
On November 16-17, the European Partnership for Democracy (EPD) represented European civil society at the Eastern Partnership’s (EaP) first Civil Society Forum. Eastern Partnership is a European Union initiative to foster good relations between EU member states and their Eastern neighbors. Civil society organizations want to become institutional partners of the EU institutions, Member States, and the EaP authorities in planning, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating the Eastern Partnership programs. This initiative provides an opportunity for partner countries to integrate with European institutions by developing stable democratic structures, and by enabling stronger participation of civil society in areas such as human rights, electoral standards, media freedom, combating corruption, training, and networking of local authorities.
Go to: www.eupd.eu/homepage/epd-at-first-eastern-patnership-civil-society-forum
Economic Reform and the Business Sector
CIPE Presents Inaugural Hernando de Soto Award for Democracy
As part of the Center for International Private Enterprises’s (CIPE) 25th anniversary celebration, Peruvian scholar Hernando de Soto received the inaugural Hernando De Soto Award for Democracy, presented in recognition of his achievements in furthering economic freedom throughout the world. The award also recognizes de Soto and the Institute for Liberty and Democracy in Peru as the very first and still one of the most outstanding, CIPE partners. CIPE Chairman Greg Lebedev, Senator Richard Lugar, and Congressman Connie Mack spoke at the October award ceremony.
Go to: http://cipe.advomation.com/25th
Elections
African Experts Lay Out Recommendations for Credible Elections
During a three-day colloquium held in Accra, Ghana, in November, co-organized by the National Democratic Institute (NDI) and nine other organizations, African experts developed a communiqué calling on African countries to ratify the African Union’s (AU) Charter on Democracy, Elections, and Governance and enforce its standards. Participants emphasized the ratification of the AU charter and also stressed the importance of civil society’s role in promoting, monitoring, and reporting on its execution. The communiqué praised actions that regional organizations in Africa have taken to adopt higher electoral standards.
Go to: www.ndi.org/node/15971
Gender Issues and Sexual Minority Rights
Mass Arrests of Women Activists after Protests in Iran
According to the Women’s Learning Partnership (WLP), on December 27, over 16 women journalists and activists were arrested following protests in Ashura, Iran. Harassment and targeting of women activists for arrest had already intensified prior to this new wave of mass arrests. This systematic clampdown is meant to threaten and silence not only political opposition, but all voices speaking out in support of human rights and reform. WLP is gravely concerned for the health and safety of all women and civil society activists who are currently in detention, and calls for their immediate and safe release.
Go to: www.learningpartnership.org/advocacy/alerts/iranwomenarrests0307
Broader Middle East and North Africa Gender Institute to be Established
Global Political Trends Center (GPoT), a policy-oriented research institution within Istanbul Kültür University, and the Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation (TESEV) have launched the Broader Middle East and North Africa (BMENA) Gender Institute project. The Gender Institute will act as a much needed civil society hub for the BMENA region, and its main activities will include networking, research, and advocacy. The establishment of such an institute is specifically designed to strengthen and underpin existing gender equality policies and programs and to further enhance gender equality in the respective countries of the region.
Go to: www.gpotcenter.org/news/418
Project on the Status of Women in the Middle East and North Africa Completes Lebanon Data Collection
In December, the F. Clifton White Applied Research Center (ARC) at the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) completed the data collection phase in Lebanon for its Status of Women in the Middle East and North Africa (SWMENA) project. The SWMENA project is a gender-focused research project that evaluates the status of women in three countries: Lebanon, Morocco, and Yemen. The project aims to improve the status of women in the Middle East and North Africa by strengthening local NGO capacity to advocate actively on behalf of women. SWMENA is funded by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and is implemented in partnership with the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR).
Go to: www.ifes.org/publication/a99d92e2d966fd3b60100d486da02ba2/LebanonSWMENA_survey.pdf
Human Rights, Equality and Access to Justice
Civil Society Groups Express Concern over Forced Evictions in Cambodia
On December 30, the Cambodian Human Rights Action Committee (CHRAC), the Housing Rights Task Force (HRTF), and the NGO Forum on Cambodia (NGO Forum) issued a joint statement expressing their deep concern about potential forced evictions of urban poor people from their communities. Recently, over 400 communities received notifications from government authorities ordering them to move away from their homes but without sufficient compensation to purchase new houses. In the statement, the organizations call on the Cambodian government to end the practice of forced evictions; to provide more substantial compensation to those who have been evicted; and to provide legal security to home owners.
Go to: www.wmd.org/documents/0110dn12.pdf
Vietnam Committee on Human Rights Condemns Sentence of Democracy Activist
Vo Van Ai, World Movement participant and president of the Vietnam Committee on Human Rights (VCHR), has condemned the sentence of Vietnamese pro-democracy activist Tran Anh Kim to five and a half years in prison and three years probationary house arrest, which was handed down at a perfunctory trial on December 29 at the People’s court in Thai Binh Province. Tran Anh Kim’s confession, which some allege was coerced, concerned “spreading propaganda against the State” (Article 88 of the criminal Code), yet this charge was suddenly changed and he was sentenced under the much more serious charge of subversion (Article 79 of the Criminal Code).
Given this harsh prison sentence, Mr. Ai also expressed grave concern for four colleagues, human rights lawyer Le Cong Dinh, Nguyen Tien Trung, Tran Huynh Duy Thuc, and Le Thang Long, who will stand trial on the same charges in late January 2010.
Go to: www.queme.net/eng/news_detail.php?numb=1279
Authorities in Bahrain Prevent Annual Demonstration to Commemorate Victims of Torture
On December 29, the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (BCHR) expressed its grave concern over the Bahraini authority’s decision to prevent a scheduled demonstration on December 17 in commemoration of martyrs and victims of torture. The Committee of Martyrs and Victims of Torture calls for this demonstration on an annual basis, and followed the usual procedures and laws required to carry out a peaceful demonstration, but the authorities refused to allow it. The BCHR believes that preventing channels of expression and peaceful gatherings is a glaring violation of human rights and freedom of expression. Article 20 of the UN Declaration of Human Rights states that everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association. BCHR calls on the authorities to stop preventing peaceful protests that respect the law.
Go to: www.bahrainrights.org/en/node/3010
CSOs Assess Situation for Human Rights Defenders in Tanzania
The East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project (EHAHRDP) and Protection Desk Uganda (PDU) carried out a short exploratory mission to Dar Es Salaam on November 25- 28 to briefly assess the current situation of human rights defenders in Tanzania. The mission helped to develop an overview of the situation and identify a series of gaps in the current protection mechanisms available to them. The report includes a number of recommendations to human rights defenders as well as to the government of Tanzania.
Democracy Coalition Project Publishes Human Rights Council Report Card
On International Human Rights Day, December 10, the Democracy Coalition Project (DCP) published its annual report on government performance at the UN Human Rights Council. The report, “Human Rights Council Report Card: Government Positions on Key Issues 2008-2009,” assesses the work of the Human Rights Council by studying the positions and votes of governments on important issues it debated during its third cycle. These annual DCP assessments are aimed to increase transparency and accountability of the work of the United Nations in the promotion of universal human rights standards and democratic development. The report is designed to assist governmental and nongovernmental stakeholders in recognizing achievements and challenges facing the international community when working toward the realization of universal human rights.
Go to: www.demcoalition.org/site09-2008/pdf/pdf/FINAL%20DCP%20HRC%20Report%20Card%202008-2009.pdf
New Tactics to Hold Online Discussion on Documenting Human Rights Violations
On January 27 – February 2, 2010, New Tactics in Human Rights will hold an online discussion on “Documenting Violations: Choosing the Right Approach.” The discussion will feature practitioners who have developed database systems to document human rights violations, organizations on the ground documenting violations, and those that are training practitioners on how to choose the right approach for their documentation needs. Participants will look at options available for collecting, storing, and sharing human rights data safely and effectively.
Go to: www.newtactics.org/en/blog/new-tactics/documenting-violations-choosing-right-approach
Media, Freedom of Expression and Communication Technology
CIMA Releases Reports on Safety of Journalists and Libel Tourism
In December, the Center for International Media Assistance (CIMA) released its new report, Under Attack: Practicing Journalism in a Dangerous World, which examines the key issues surrounding threats to the physical safety of journalists, particularly in countries with hostile media environments. The report by Bill Ristow, a journalist and international journalism trainer based in Seattle, provides a clear look at the problem of violence against journalists and offers some potential solutions. In January, CIMA also issued Libel Tourism: Silencing the Press through Transnational Legal Threats, which describes the legal risks that independent media worldwide face from libel and defamation suits. This report by Drew Sullivan, a journalist, editor, and media development specialist, explains how lawsuits can force media organizations to censor themselves or limit the distribution of their news content, restricting freedom of expression and thus threatening one of the foundations of democracy.
To view Under Attack: Practicing Journalism in a Dangerous World, go to: http://cima.ned.org/reports/under-attack-practicing-journalism-in-a-dangerous-world.html
To view Libel Tourism: Silencing the Press through Transnational Legal Threats, go to: http://cima.ned.org/reports/libel-tourism-silencing-the-press-through-transnational-legal-threats-2.html
Young People's Political and Civic Participation
Zimbabwe National Students Union to Hold Seventh Biannual Conference
On January 28-31, the Zimbabwe National Students Union (ZINASU) will hold its 7th Bi-Annual Congress at the Chinhoyi University of Technology under the theme, “Defining and Entrenching a New Politics in pursuit of a Students Revolution.” The Congress will address issues affecting the students and the country. Topics include the transition, students’ rights and welfare, workers’ rights and welfare, the economic and social transformation, the constitutional reform process, and the national healing program.
For more information, send an email to: zinasupress@gmail.com
Call for Applications: Berlin Conference on Cultural Diplomacy and the Economy
On January 31 – February 7, Cultural Diplomacy and the Economy: A Forum for Young Leaders (CDEC) will be held in Berlin as part of the Berlin International Economic Congress. This year the CDEC is a weeklong seminar with the theme of “Restructuring and Rethinking the Global Economy: the Role of Civil Society and International Politics in International Economics.” The seminar will be split into two parts, beginning with group workshops, seminars, and lectures on January 31 – February 3, and culminating with participation in the Berlin Economic Congress on February 4-7. Once individuals have taken part in the weeklong seminar, they will join the CDEC Forum.
Go to: www.culturaldiplomacy.org/culturaldiplomacyandtheeconomy/index.php?en
World Movement Participants Mentioned in this Issue
Chinese Human Rights Defenders (CHRD) – http://crd-net.org
Freedom House – www.freedomhouse.org
World Forum for Democratization in Asia (WFDA) – www.wfda.net
International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) – www.idea.int
Interactive Resource Centre – http://irc-net.tv
European Partnership for Democracy (EPD) – www.eupd.eu
Center for International Private Enterprises’s (CIPE) – www.cipe.org
National Democratic Institute (NDI) – www.ndi.org
Women’s Learning Partnership (WLP) – www.learningpartnership.org
Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation (TESEV) – www.tesev.org.tr
Vietnam Committee on Human Rights (VCHR) – www.queme.net
Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (BCHR) – www.bahrainrights.org
East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project (EHAHRDP) –
Democracy Coalition Project (DCP) – www.demcoalition.org
New Tactics in Human Rights – www.newtactics.org
Center for International Media Assistance (CIMA) – http://cima.ned.org
Zimbabwe National Students Union (ZINASU) –
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