The Azerbaijani parliament on Tuesday approved a prisoner amnesty proposed by the country’s glamorous and powerful first lady that will likely see thousands of convicts released. The move — put forward by Mehriban Aliyeva, the influential wife of strongman President Ilham Aliyev —…
Presidential Human Rights Council backs proposed amnesty for 2012 rioters
“We call upon you to support the draft statement on granting amnesty to all suspects within the so called Bolotnaya Square case,” reads the address from the council members to the Lower House MPs published on the council’s web-site.The HR activists go on to claim that the prosecutors’ theory of a premeditated mass riot does not appear credible to those who attended Bolotnaya Square on May 6 2012, and that the Bolotnaya protesters hold that the clashes must be blamed on law enforcers.The council members then say that the continuation of investigations and court cases would only prevent the possible ‘settlement in the society’ and aggravate the supposed stand-off between the authorities and the “peaceful civil opposition”. Continuation could lead to more radical protests and undermine the citizen’s trust to the courts and the state system in general.The suggestion of an amnesty for all the suspects was first voiced at the end of April by two Communist Party MPs – Anatoly Lokot and Boris Kashin. They suggested the move to mark the 20th anniversary of the Constitution of the Russian Federation (that will be marked on December 12) and promised to formally submit the proposal in mid-May, after the holiday period.The two communists said that the amnesty would become a signal to society that the state is ready for a dialogue.Billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov who is heading the pro-business party Civil Platform also supported the call for an amnesty saying that this would be the most reasonable step in the current situation.The riots on Bolotnaya Square took place on May 6 last year during a major protest rally against alleged elections violations.Authorities started about two dozen criminal cases against alleged rioters, one of which has ended in a conviction and a 4 and a half year sentence.Investigators also started a separate case into the suspected preparations for the riots claiming that several leftist activists, including one of the street opposition’s leaders Sergey Udaltsov plotted and prepared the unrest and financed their activities from money provided by Georgian spin doctor Givi Targamadze. Targamadze was also charged in absentia as part of the case but hopes for a trial are slim as Georgia and Russia currently have neither diplomatic relations nor an extradition agreement.One of the suspected plotters – Konstantin Lebedev – was convicted on April 25 and sentenced to two and a half years in a prison colony. … Read More
Fængslet på ubestemt tid
Danmark arbejder på at udlevere den enlige fange i Camp Viking til den afghanske sikkerhedstjeneste NDS i en anden provins end Helmand, men Amnesty og flere eksperter i folkeret tvivler på, at det er muligt at finde et sted, hvor risikoen for tortur ikke er til stede. I sidste ende kan Danmark blive nødt til selv at retsforfølge ham … Read More
Danske styrker tilbageholder afghansk fange uden dom
Det er konventionsbrud, når Danmark tilbageholder en afghansk fange på femte måned uden dom i Afghanistan, mener Amnesty International. Flere eksperter bakker op om den vurdering … Read More
Protest Against Obama’s Deportations in Mexico City
Deported workers, families and activists rally outside US embassy demanding amnesty and reunification of broken families … Read More
Nye oplysninger skaber uklarhed om tolkes skæbne
Otte afghanske tolke fra Helmand, der har arbejdet for de danske tropper, er ikke længere under dansk eller britisk militærbeskyttelse. Amnesty International og Enhedslisten kræver øjeblikkelig handling … Read More
Tea Partiers want Sarah Palin to run for Senate
A group of tea partiers is hoping Sarah Palin will challenge Democratic Sen. Mark Begich in 2014, when he is up for reelection. “We know that, with Sarah in the Senate, conservatives across America can rest a little easier at night knowing that she’s at the watch,” said Todd Cefaratti of the Tea Party Leadership Fund, in a fundraising email to supporters.”You and I both know that Sarah Palin is a fighter who will stand up to Harry Reid and his pals in the Senate to protect our Constitution in issues like amnesty, gun control and our nation’s crushing debt,” Cefaratti wrote.But the Los Angeles Times, which obtained the email, reports that Palin might not have the “clear path” to victory that the Tea Party Leadership Fund says she does. A February PPP poll had Begich’s approval rating at 49 percent, and winning in a potential match-up against Palin by a margin of 54-37 percent.Continue Reading… … Read More
