Denuncias / Reports

Repression has been going on continuosly against Tibetans, resulting in an ongoing bout of self-immolations as non-violent acts of protest, totalling 120 since March 2011. The latest ones began this year on April 24, when two monks of the Taktsant Lhamo Kirti monatery set themselves on fire in the assembly hall. Another one followed on May 27, and three more in June 11, July 20 and August 6 in different parts of Tibet. Before the violence reported in October 7 (below) the Chinese authorities had blocked communications on July 6 in Tawu (easteern Tibet) to suppress information when police forces opened fire on unarmed Tibetans peacefully celebrating the Dalai Lama's 78th birthday. Two Tibetans were shot in the head and eigth others were injured. Late in September a Respected Tibetan monk was killed in Chengdu, another Chinese city << click here to read the report

Dharamshala, Oct. 7.─ Several Tibetans have been severely injured after Chinese armed forces opened fire and used tear gas to disperse Tibetans gathered at local government office yesterday to appeal for the release of Tibetan man in Driru, eastern Tibet, said Ngawang Tharpa, a Tibetan living in exile with close contacts in the region.

Geneva, Sept.17.─ Inmates in North Korea's prison camps suffered starvation and torture and described "unspeakable atrocities" comparable with Nazi abuses uncovered after the Second World War, U.N. investigators said on Tuesday.

Evidence in their report, swiftly rejected by Pyongyang, showed a disturbing pattern of human rights violations, said Michael Kirby, who chairs the independent inquiry.

Physical Security a Concern

Aug. 12.─ Adilur Rahman Kahn, Secretary of Odhikar, a leading human rights organization in Bangladesh, was arrested by the Bangladeshi Detective Branch of Police without an arrest warrant (photo) on August 10, 2013, according to an Odhikar press release. The next day, Mr. Khan was brought before the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court. According to Human Rights Watch, he was not allowed to speak with lawyers before the hearing, and the arrest "appears to be an attempt to silence one of the Bangladeshi government's most vocal critics prior to national elections." In addition, the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development reports that Mr. Khan has been the subject of harassment and intimidation by the State authorities on numerous occasions.

At the Court hearing, it was revealed that Mr. Khan was charged under the Information and Communication Technology Act for "publishing false images and information and disrupting the law and order situation of the country," according to Odhikar. The charge refers to Odhikar's fact-finding report about an incident on May 5, 2013 in Dhaka, when security forces violently attacked peaceful demonstrators in Shapla Square. The report stated that many people died in the crackdown but Odhikar refused to release the names to the government out of concern for the safety of the families of the deceased. Instead, Odhikar called for an independent commission to be established to investigate the incident, and to whom Odhikar would release the names.

According to the new Cuban laws police officers can address directly any infringement of the Penal Law, with penalties of up to 1 year's imprisonment and/or fines not higher than 15 thousand pesos, without being required to report the case to the courts. In October, they will be granted authority over offenses of up to 3 years' imprisonment and/or fines no higher than 50 thousand pesos, with the approval of a prosecutor

July 22.─ The reforms of the Penal Code and the Penal Procedure Act adopted by the State Council to "ensure greater effectiveness and efficiency in the prevention and the fight against crime" raises a red flag about the situation of human rights in Cuba.

The amendments will come into force on October 1st. Their main objective is to expand the power of the police forces and lighten the burden of the courts, a solution that results in more than one problem. The main one is: Are the police officers trained to legally evaluate and judge a case?