“It is way beyond time that Meta fulfilled its responsibilities and provided an effective remedy to the Rohingya people of Myanmar. It is reprehensible that Meta still refuses to repair the harms it contributed to despite the overwhelming evidence that the company played a key role in 2017’s ethnic cleansing. 

“The Rohingya people were killed, tortured, raped, and displaced in their thousands as part of the Myanmar security forces’ campaign of ethnic cleansing. In the months and years leading up to the atrocities, Facebook’s algorithms were intensifying a storm of hatred against the Rohingya, which contributed to mass offline violence.

Today, the vast majority of Rohingya survivors remain stranded in squalid refugee camps and internment camps under conditions of severe deprivation.

Pat de Brún, Amnesty Tech

“Today, the vast majority of Rohingya survivors remain stranded in squalid refugee camps and internment camps under conditions of severe deprivation. Meanwhile, Meta continues to reap enormous profits from the same toxic business model that contributed to so much destruction for the Rohingya.  

“Meta shareholders should utilize this shareholder meeting to demand that Meta’s leadership fulfils its responsibility under international human rights standards to provide reparations to the Rohingya.  

“Meta shareholders should also insist that the company overhauls its overall approach to human rights, lest the company yet again be implicated in the recurrence of violence and atrocities elsewhere. As a first step, it should undertake a comprehensive review of human rights due diligence, including by mainstreaming human rights considerations throughout all its platforms’ operations, especially in relation to the development and deployment of its algorithmic systems.

“It is shameful that Meta’s board has recommended that shareholders reject proposals to improve human rights oversight and transparency in the company. We are calling on Meta shareholders to defy these recommendations and do their part to ensure the protection of individuals and communities across the world who remain at risk from Meta’s reckless business practices.”   

Amnesty International is handing in a petition demanding Meta pays the Rohingya community reparations. The petition has been signed by thousands of Amnesty International members and supporters. 

Background

Meta’s annual shareholder meeting will take place on 31 May 2023. A number of shareholder resolutions have been filed, which challenge Meta’s business practices, including several seeking to enhance the company’s human rights oversight practices. One resolution calls for an independent human rights impact assessment on Meta’s use of targeted advertising and another resolution cites Meta’s failure to publish its human rights impact assessment on India. 

In September 2022, Amnesty International found that Meta’s dangerous algorithms and reckless pursuit of profit substantially contributed to the atrocities perpetrated by the Myanmar military against the Rohingya people in 2017.  

In November 2019, Amnesty International released a report outlining how the surveillance-based business model of Big Tech companies such as Meta is inherently incompatible with the right to privacy and poses a systemic threat to a range of rights including freedom of opinion and expression, freedom of thought, and the right to equality and non-discrimination.  

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“Hundreds of millions of people around the world are expected to mark Earth Day this year, reflecting growing and well-founded concerns about the damage being inflicted on our climate and environment. Amnesty International salutes everyone who is helping to promote the protection of our planet and human rights.

Amnesty International salutes everyone who is helping to promote the protection of our planet and human rights.

Marta Schaaf, Director of Climate, Economic and Social Justice, and Corporate Accountability Programme, Amnesty International

“The impacts of climate change are not borne equally – many countries that contributed little to carbon emissions face near existential threats and overall there are severe health and other human rights consequences experienced mostly by racialized and marginalized people. The more attention and public support that is mobilized, the better the chances we have of limiting and reversing damage.

“The effects of the climate crisis are increasingly evident. A severe heatwave is currently gripping large parts of Asia, including Thailand, Laos, Bangladesh, parts of China and swathes of India, with temperatures far exceeding 40˚C. There is water rationing in Tunisia and a shortage in Spain, the forest fire season has already begun in France, and there are warnings that the harvest in Morocco and the wider Maghreb will be reduced by drought. A just energy transition away from fossil fuels has never been more urgent and we are not moving fast enough to prevent a catastrophic rise in global temperatures.”

This international show of solidarity should motivate many more to engage in the campaign to protect our human rights from the potentially devastating impact of climate change.

Marta Schaaf

“Yet the public pressure on states and corporations to act is having some effect. Output from renewables has never been higher, and there are tangible advances in international and domestic legislation towards delivering climate justice and holding polluters accountable. There has been progress towards establishing a fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty and a loss and damage fund to help those who have suffered most from climate change but done the least to cause it.”

“Everyone marking Earth Day should be encouraged to know that their collective action is having an impact and that this international show of solidarity should motivate many more to engage in the campaign to protect our human rights from the potentially devastating impact of climate change. We see too how essential the right to protest is to claiming human rights and on this Earth Day, we thank climate activists.”

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Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday called Prothom Alo ‘an enemy of the Awami League, democracy, and the people of Bangladesh,’ while speaking in Parliament, with reference to an article published by the media outlet on the Independence Day of the country, covering the cost of living in Bangladesh. The journalist who wrote the article, Shamsuzzaman Shams was arrested and charged under the country’s draconian Digital Security Act (DSA) and was later granted bail. The editor of Prothom Alo, Matiur Rahman was sued under the DSA and named as the main accused in one of the two cases against Shams.

Hours after the Prime Minister’s statement, a group of individuals barged into Prothom Alo’s office in the capital city of Dhaka, issued threats and vandalized its logo in the reception by writing ‘boycott’ over it.

“This is the latest in a series of attacks by the government of Bangladesh threatening press freedom in the country. Penalizing a media outlet, publisher or journalist solely for being critical of the government or the policies it promotes is a restriction of the right to freedom of expression that can never be justified. The attacks on Prothom Alo which has the largest daily circulation come close on the heels of the closure of Daily Dinkal, the only newspaper belonging to the main opposition party last month,” said Yamini Mishra, regional director for South Asia at Amnesty International.

The use of the draconian Digital Security Act on journalists and attacks on some of the largest news publications in the country together indicate a worrying trend towards repression and a downward spiral of the right to freedom of expression in Bangladesh.

Yamini Mishra, regional director for South Asia at Amnesty International

“The use of the draconian Digital Security Act on journalists and attacks on some of the largest news publications in the country together indicate a worrying trend towards repression and a downward spiral of the right to freedom of expression in Bangladesh.”

‘We were worried sick’

On 29 March, Bangladeshi journalist Shamsuzzaman Shams was picked up from his residence by a group in civil clothes that identified as the Criminal Investigations Department. His whereabouts were unknown for about 10 hours, after which the police stated that he was in custody and was being charged under Bangladesh’s draconian DSA.

A family member of Shams speaking to Amnesty International said, “We were worried sick… There was no warrant issued against him. No one informed us of anything. Even when it was confirmed that he was in custody, that too we came to know from mass media.”

The editor of Prothom Alo, Matiur Rahman and a group of ‘unnamed people’ were also charged under DSA including a photographer. Although Shams was granted bail on 3 April 2023, and released from prison, if convicted he could face up to seven years in prison.

‘Atmosphere of terror’

A senior news editor from Bangladesh speaking to Amnesty International described the government’s crackdown on Prothom Alo as a deliberate campaign ‘to create an atmosphere of terror ahead of the general elections.’

Speaking on the condition of anonymity, he said, “The government is sending a very clear message (that) this is what happens when you cross the limits of speech we have set. Even if journalists eventually receive bail, until the day the case is dropped the pressure will remain… Many of those who criticize the ongoing crackdown on freedom of press in Bangladesh think the DSA is being misused by targeting journalists. However, this is a conceptual mistake. The DSA is not being misused – it is being used exactly in the way the government intended the law to function.”

Bangladeshi authorities stopped the publication of the Daily Dinkal on 20 February, the only newspaper belonging to the main opposition party, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). A total of 56 journalists have been tortured, harassed, sued, intimidated and obstructed from doing their jobs in the first three months of 2023 according to the data published by Ain O Salish Kendra (ASK), a Bangladeshi legal aid and human rights organization.

Previously, Amnesty International documented the escalation in the use of the DSA against independent media and journalists following critical reporting on leaders of the ruling Awami League party. Amnesty International has also published its findings of a concerning pattern in which the authorities weaponized Sections 25 (publication of false or offensive information), 29 (Publication of defamatory information), and 31 (Offence and punishment for deteriorating law and order) of the Act to criminalize dissent including criticism expressed by journalists, activists, and human rights defenders.

The authorities must repeal the DSA and immediately cease the harassment and intimidation of journalists in Bangladesh.

Yamini Mishra

On 31 March 2023,  the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk called on Bangladesh to impose an immediate moratorium on the use of DSA until it is reformed to ensure compliance with international human rights law.  The Commissioner expressed concern that the DSA ‘is being used across Bangladesh to arrest, harass and intimidate journalists and human rights defenders, and to muzzle critical voices online.’

“Since its inception, the Digital Security Act has been wielded as a weapon by the Bangladeshi authorities to silence critics and suppress dissent. They have increasingly exploited the law’s vague and broad provisions to escalate attacks on independent journalism and media freedom. The authorities must repeal the DSA and immediately cease the harassment and intimidation of journalists in Bangladesh,” said Yamini Mishra.

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“The Government should work with the international community to urgently put in place measures that ensure everyone has access to emergency shelter. Essential items such as cooking implements, medication, and sanitary items must urgently be replaced where lost in the fire to ensure people have access to food, health, sanitation, and adequate housing. All those affected must have access to health and other care that they may need, including mental health care.

The Government should work with the international community to urgently put in place measures that ensure everyone has access to emergency shelter.

Yasasmin Kaviratne, the regional campaigner for South Asia at Amnesty International

“Special attention should be paid to meet the needs of groups at most risk of adverse impact due to the loss of homes, health clinics, sanitation facilities, and schools, such as older persons, women, people with disabilities, and children and those experiencing intersectional discrimination among others.

“Steps should be taken to ensure that such fires do not re-occur. The government should recognize the danger of keeping large communities in unsafe, overcrowded conditions and take steps to provide adequate and safe housing to the Rohingya community.”

Background

On 5 March, a massive fire broke out in the afternoon in Cox’s Bazar area of Bangladesh, which is the largest refugee camp in the world. The fire destroyed around 2000 shelters and left around 12000 Rohingya refugees homeless. Since January 2021, there have been more than 200 fire incidents in the Rohingya camps including 60 cases of arson.

Durable solutions for the settlement of Rohingya refugees has been long discussed, but a solution that meets international human rights standards is yet to be implemented. Previously, Amnesty International has raised concerns on the proposed plans to relocate the Rohingya refugees to the Bhashan Char islands reiterating that any relocation plan should be undertaken only with the full, free, prior and informed consent of the individuals involved.

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by Yamini Mishra, South Asia Regional Director at Amnesty International

A cursory look at the human rights situation in South Asia can make one feel that the arc of the moral universe in the region has been too long and does not seem to be bending towards justice. And yet, as people committed to human rights, we can’t let doom and gloom be our defining narrative. We must keep hope close to our hearts in terrain that is so hostile to human rights work.

Indeed, while 2022 has seen a great number of violations of human rights across South Asia, there have also been positive developments that need to be acknowledged and celebrated.

We must keep hope close to our hearts in terrain that is so hostile to human rights work.

Yamini Mishra, South Asia Regional Director at Amnesty International

The use of draconian anti-terror laws in the region to put behind bars and silence activists, journalists and almost anyone who dares to speak up against injustice has become an easy and replicable template across the region. But our collective struggle for freedom and justice did ensure liberty for at least some of those critical voices.

In Sri Lanka, the authorities have been using legislation from 1979 called the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) to intimidate critics. But in February, after spending almost two years in pre-trial detention, Hejaaz Hizbullah, a Sri Lankan lawyer and a vocal advocate for minority rights who was detained under the PTA, was granted bail. In August, Mohamed Imran, a computer engineering student, was released after a long, unjust detention under the PTA; a month later Divaniya Mukunthan, the director of a Tamil YouTube channel, was also let go.

During the anti-government protests earlier this year, the Sri Lankan government once again used this draconian legislation to quash dissent, along with excessive force and mass arrests. But after deciding not to renew the state of emergency imposed due to the upheaval, the authorities also released most protesters who were arbitrarily detained. Student leader Galwewa Siridhamma Thero who was arrested under the PTA got bail earlier this month.

In India, the authorities have been using the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) to hold activists in jail without a trial. But there were at least two cases this year with positive developments. Poet and radical thinker Varavara Rao, who was detained under the UAPA in 2018, was granted bail from the Supreme Court. Prominent intellectual and scholar Anand Teltumbde, who was arrested in 2020 also on UAPA charges, was also given bail.

Another encouraging development came from the Supreme Court of India after, in May, it suspended the country’s colonial-era sedition law, which has also been used to suppress dissent. This was a big step in the right direction, particularly for the protection of freedom of expression. The court also passed landmark orders affirming the right of sex workers to dignified life and the right to abortion for every pregnant person until the 24th week, notwithstanding their marital status.

While the Indian judiciary has sometimes failed to uphold human rights over these past few years, such developments make me think that not everything is lost. They also give me hope that the Indian courts can also step up and defend rights, particularly those of persecuted minorities.

The persecution of minorities has been a dominant trend across the region, not just in India. In Pakistan, blasphemy laws have contributed to violence against ethnic and religious groups and several deaths were reported. However, in a positive move, the Supreme Court of Pakistan called on the authorities to ensure due process in the administration of justice in relation to blasphemy cases. This, of course, is not enough and such legislation needs to be abolished altogether.

In the Maldives, which also has strict blasphemy laws, activist Mohamed Rusthum Mujuthaba was arrested for posting content critical of religion on social media and for possession of “obscene material”. He was released from detention in August and relieved from further imprisonment.

In Bangladesh, teenager Dipti Rani Das, who was arrested for “hurting religious sentiment” was released after spending 16 months in detention.

There have also been modest gains for women’s rights in the region, too. In Nepal, activists secured reforms to strengthen the rights of survivors of gender-based violence. As a result of their campaigning, the government extended the restrictive statute of limitation on rape and other forms of sexual violence from one year to up to three years. This is a small win and we need to continue advocating until the statute of limitations is done away with.

Afghanistan has seen perhaps the most disheartening human rights crisis in the region. One year of Taliban rule has been marked by gender persecution of the worst kind, as well as persecution of minorities, including torture and enforced disappearances of Hazara people and individuals associated with the former Afghan government.

But at times even the Taliban has given in after people stood up for justice. Professor Faizullah Jalal, a prominent leader and university lecturer in Afghanistan, was released after being detained for pointing out the Taliban’s failure to address the humanitarian catastrophe in the country. His release came after months of campaigning by Amnesty International and many others.

Another positive development came in October, when the International Criminal Court (ICC) announced that investigations into war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in the armed conflict in Afghanistan will resume. This has restored some hope for long-awaited justice. The ICC Prosecutor must now seize this opportunity to urgently commence investigations into all parties to the conflict and ensure justice and reparations for the victims of these heinous crimes.

While 2022 has seen no dearth of human rights violations in vast tracts of South Asia, and as widespread repression persists, there is definitely a light that continues to shine.

Let’s keep the candle of human rights burning.

Yamini Mishra

It burns in every Afghan woman who continues to protest and claim her space in what is probably one of the most hostile environments for women. It burns in Bilkis Bano who continues to demand justice for the 2002 Gujarat riots and fights the premature release of her rapists in India. It burns in activist Shahnewaz Chowdhury who faces prison in Bangladesh for speaking up about pollution and deaths at a coal plant. It burns in the resilience that protesters in Sri Lanka have shown to claim a better future for themselves and for their country.

South Asia has a history of strong people’s movements fighting against injustice, so let’s celebrate them and support them in their quest to secure human rights for all. Let’s keep the candle of human rights burning.

As the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu said: “Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness.”

Yamini Mishra

Regional Director for South Asia at Amnesty International

Originally published on International Human Rights day, December 10, 2022 at Al Jazeera:

A flicker of hope for human rights in South Asia | Opinions | Al Jazeera

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“This incident shows that the Bangladesh authorities have very little regard for the sanctity of human life and sends a chilling message that those who dare to exercise their human rights will face dire consequences. Authorities must put an end to excessive use of force when responding to large-scale demonstrations and only respond in a manner that is consistent with international standards.

This incident shows that the Bangladesh authorities have very little regard for the sanctity of human life and sends a chilling message that those who dare to exercise their human rights will face dire consequences.

Yamini Mishra, South Asia Regional Director, Amnesty International

“In recent weeks, we have seen an alarming escalation of repression by the authorities, who are carrying out mass arrests of political activists, raising serious concerns about violence, intimidation and harassment ahead of the parliamentary elections next year. It’s imperative that the government shows the political will to uphold the human rights of everyone, including guaranteeing that people can fully exercise their rights, including the rights to freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly in the country.

“Authorities must end impunity for repression of peaceful protests, and promptly, thoroughly and effectively investigate cases of excessive use of force by the police. They must ensure that suspected perpetrators are brought to justice, and that victims are provided with access to justice and effective remedies.”

BACKGROUND

On 7 December, activists and supporters of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), the largest opposition party, and the police clashed outside the party headquarters in Dhaka’s Paltan area after the BNP announced a major political rally on December 10.

As per media reports, 32-year-old Mokbul died from a bullet wound while atleast three of the injured and are undergoing treatment at a hospital in Dhaka. Thousands of BNP activists were standing in front of the party headquarters when the police opened fire with live ammunition, pellets, rubber bullets and tear gas. 

The Bangladesh authorities have also launched a drive to mass arrests political activists leading to the arrest of 1400 activists so far.

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The climate crisis is already upon us – yet most governments have chosen to remain in the deadly embrace of the fossil fuel industry, submitting desperately inadequate emissions targets and then failing to meet even those.

Agnès Callamard, Secretary General, Amnesty International

“COP27 comes in the wake of a terrifying summer in which the Arctic burned, scorching heatwaves ravaged Europe, and floods submerged huge swathes of Pakistan and Australia. In short, the climate crisis is already upon us – yet most governments have chosen to remain in the deadly embrace of the fossil fuel industry, submitting desperately inadequate emissions targets and then failing to meet even those,” said Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General.

“These failures mean we are currently heading for global warming exceeding 2.5°C, a scenario which would see famine, homelessness, disease, and displacement unfold on an almost unfathomable scale. These violations are already happening in many parts of the world.

“As the climate crisis unfolds, the people who are least responsible for causing it are being hit hardest and first, exacerbating the marginalization they already face. At COP27 we need to see measures that will radically shift responsibility-sharing and address this injustice. Wealthy governments must increase their commitments on climate finance to help lower-income countries phase out fossil fuels and scale up adaptation measures. They must also establish a loss and damage fund in order to provide speedy remedy to those whose rights have been violated by the crisis they helped to create.”

“I’m getting poorer every day”

Amnesty International’s new briefing ‘Any tidal wave could drown us’: Stories from the climate crisis, includes case studies featuring seven marginalized communities from around the world, including in Bangladesh, Fiji, Senegal, and the Russian Arctic.

Amnesty International worked with local activists to interview marginalized people, including those living in some of the world’s most climate-vulnerable places, and shared their stories and calls to action. Their accounts provide a glimpse of life on the frontlines of the climate crisis, characterized by discrimination, forced displacement, loss of livelihood, food insecurity, and destruction of cultural heritage.

In Bangladesh, interviewees from impoverished and marginalized coastal communities, including Dalits and Indigenous Munda people, explained how frequent flooding means they have had to rebuild their houses again and again, or else live in the ruins of their flooded homes. Floods have also damaged water and sanitation infrastructure, leaving the communities with salty drinking water and unusable toilets.

The Indigenous peoples of the Arctic region of Yakutia live in the far north-east of Russia, where the average temperature has risen by 2-3°C in recent years. This has caused permafrost to thaw, intensifying wildfires, and leading to biodiversity loss.

Unpredictable weather has a severe impact on the way of life of Indigenous peoples, as one Chukcha man explained: “The weather is essential for the traditional way of life of Indigenous peoples. Based on weather patterns, we determine where the reindeer will graze, where to set up a camp between migrations, when the snowstorm will come, when and where animals, birds and fish will migrate.”

In Québec, Canada, the Indigenous Innu people in the community of Pessamit face similar threats. Rising temperatures have led to reduced coastal ice and other weather changes which have severely impacted the community’s way of life. For example, the fact that lakes do not freeze in winter means elders are less able to travel on their ancestral territory and cannot pass on their traditional knowledge about wayfaring.

“If you are no longer able to talk about your knowledge, there is a certain shame. You lose some dignity,” David Toro, environmental adviser at Mamuitun Tribal Council said.

The case studies also reveal how people facing loss and damage due to climate change are often left to fend for themselves after disasters, forcing them to take out exorbitant loans, migrate, cut down on food, or pull their children out of school.

“I used to be able to send my son to school… but now I don’t have that luxury, I’m getting poorer every day,” said a fisherman who lives in the Fonseca Gulf area of Honduras, which suffers regular flooding and cyclones.

“We are not listened to”

Some interviewees shared information about adaptation strategies they have developed. These provide important learnings for the rest of the world and underscore the importance of including the worst-impacted communities in developing strategies to address the climate emergency. For example, the Pessamit Indigenous community in Québec, Canada, have initiated projects to protect salmon and caribou.

“For the past ten or twelve years, community or even individual hunting of the caribou has been prohibited,” Adelard Benjamin, project coordinator for Territory and Resources in Pessamit, explained.

The resourcefulness of the hardest-hit communities underscores the importance of genuinely including them in decision-making concerning responses to the climate emergency. For the Pessamit people, the impacts of climate change and environmental degradation have entrenched inequalities caused by long histories of colonialism, racism and discrimination.

As Eric Kanapé, environmental adviser for the Pessamit community said: “We are consulted for the sake of it. We propose new ways of doing things but we are not listened to. We are not taken seriously.”

The Langue de Barbarie is a sand peninsula near the Senegalese city of Saint Louis, where around 80,000 people live in densely populated fishing villages at high risk of flooding. Coastal erosion has led to the loss of up to 5-6 meters of beach every year; “the sea is advancing”, as one fisherman put it.

Interviewees in Saint Louis have developed several of their own initiatives to cope with the climate crisis. For example, one community-led project helps locals affected by sea-level rise to build houses and set up income-generating recycling activities. Others have set up a community solidarity fund to help people through times of hardship, although it is sometimes left empty because of economic problems affecting the whole community.

The lack of support measures and effective remedies for loss and damage caused by climate change is a major injustice. The wealthy countries that have contributed the most to climate change, and those with the most resources, have a heightened obligation to provide redress. At COP27, this should start with an agreement to establish a loss and damage fund and commitments of adequate funds dedicated for this purpose.

Last chance

Amnesty International will be attending COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, between 5 and 19 November. The organization is calling on all governments to urgently ensure that their 2030 emissions targets are compatible with keeping the global temperature increase below 1.5°C.

Meeting the 1.5°C target would mitigate some of the worst impacts of climate change, but the window to do so is rapidly closing. Despite the COP26 Glasgow Climate Pact Decision requesting all states to strengthen their 2030 targets, only 22 countries have submitted updated pledges in 2022. In addition, most national policies that are currently being implemented are inadequate to meet countries’ pledges.

Wealthy states must present a clear plan to increase their contributions to climate finance, so they can collectively meet the long overdue goal of raising at least 100billion USD annually to help lower-income countries phase out fossil fuels and scale up adaptation measures. In addition, wealthy countries must ensure the rapid provision of new funding to support and remedy communities who have suffered serious loss and damage caused by the effects of climate change.

Civil society participation in COP27 is severely threatened by the Egyptian authorities’ years-long crackdown on the rights to freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly which Amnesty has been documenting. All states attending COP27 must pressure the Egyptian government to protect civic space and guarantee the meaningful input of NGOs and Indigenous peoples.

“We are living a natural phenomenon caused by global warming and, caused by ourselves for not obeying the ecological damage we did,” said a resident of Punta Ratón in Honduras. “Now we must take care of what is left for the generations to come.”

Case studies

Bangladesh

People from impoverished and marginalized coastal communities, including Dalits and Indigenous Munda people living in coastal villages in south-west Bangladesh, described the impact of regular flooding and cyclones. These communities live in poverty, and some are subject to pervasive and systematic discrimination, and as a result they are extremely vulnerable to climate shocks. Interviewees explained how frequent flooding has meant they have had to rebuild their houses again and again, and has also damaged sanitation infrastructure, leaving them with salty drinking water and unusable toilets.

Russia

The Indigenous peoples of the Arctic region of Yakutia, in the far north-east of Russia. Yakutia is one of the coldest inhabited regions on earth, but its average temperature has risen by 2-3°C in recent years, causing permafrost to thaw, intensifying wildfires, and causing biodiversity loss.

This has a severe impact on the way of life of Indigenous peoples, as one Chukcha man explained: “The weather is essential for the traditional way of life of Indigenous peoples. Based on weather patterns, we determine where the reindeer will graze, where to set up a camp between migrations, when the snowstorms will come, when and where animals, birds and fish will migrate.”

The impacts of climate change in Yakutia are compounded by the Russian government’s plans to maximize extraction and production of oil and gas in the region.

Austria and Switzerland

In 2022, Europe experienced its hottest summer on record, with multiple heatwaves, record-breaking temperatures, drought, and wildfires in several countries. Amnesty International interviewed people in Austria experiencing homelessness, and older people and people with disabilities in Austria and Switzerland, who were all especially badly impacted by the heat.

Fiji

Amnesty International spoke to residents of a safe house – many of whom were LGBT – in an informal settlement in Fiji, one of the most climate-vulnerable countries in the world. Fiji has experienced rising sea and air temperatures, more intense tropical cyclones, storm surges, droughts, and changing rainfall patterns as a result of climate change. Residents reported struggling to access sufficient food immediately after cyclones and having to evacuate several times in recent years as the shelter got damaged by several cyclones. They also explained how people of diverse sexual orientation and gender identity may bear the brunt of public anger or administrative disruption in the context of disasters, including community and police harassment, as a consequence of stigma and discrimination.

Honduras

Communities in the Fonseca Gulf area of Honduras rely on subsistence fishing and are therefore highly vulnerable to climate shocks. Extreme weather events and the reduction in fish species have drastically reduced the standard of living among these communities and caused deepening poverty. Residents described how they are often reduced to cutting mangrove to sell as timber or firewood, contributing to the further degradation of their environment.

One fisherman in Cedeño village said: “You have no idea what the mangroves used to be like, it was a pleasure to see and appreciate them. Today you can no longer see them, they have been destroyed, it is a desert over the water.”

Canada

The Pessamit are an Indigenous community of the Innu Nation in the province of Québec, Canada. Rising temperatures have led to reduced coastal ice and other weather changes which have severely impacted the Innu peoples’ way of life and culture. For example, the fact that lakes don’t freeze in winter means elders are less able to travel on the territory and cannot pass on their traditional knowledge.

“If you are no longer able to talk about your knowledge, there is a certain shame. You lose some dignity,” one man said.

The Pessamit community is also living with the impacts of hydroelectric dams located in their ancestral territory, while the forestry industry has stripped their land of trees. One Pessamit Elder said “Those who made the dams, they install them but they don’t pay attention. There are fish in the rivers, but they don’t care. There are animals, they don’t care. Even if it floods the land, they don’t care about humans, let alone animals.”

Senegal

The Langue de Barbarie is a peninsula in Senegal where 80,000 people reside in densely populated fishing villages. It is one of the most climate vulnerable places on the African continent, exposed to sea-level rise and experiencing frequent flooding and storm surges.

Residents described how these weather events had damaged fisheries and left them with no means of making a living – but the prospect of moving is devastating for some:
“We’re thinking of moving, but we don’t really want to. Because if you want to kill a fisherman, you have to take him away from the sea,” said one local fisherman.

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Any form of financial transaction is forbidden in the camps. As a result, security officials often accuse Rohingya refugees of operating criminal gangs for having mobile phones with internet access and mobile financial systems installed on their phones. Some Rohingya refugees avoid detention by paying money to the officials.

We refugees are living in limbo in Bangladesh with neither the opportunity to return to our homes in Myanmar nor have a way to live life peacefully in Bangladesh.

At this current state, we have lost the expectation that  the international community will do anything to truly help. We face enormous hardship in the refugee camps. Nearly half a million Rohingya children hang in the balance with limited primary level access to education. We have no security for our lives, no means for livelihood. To move anywhere outside the refugee camps, we need written order from the camp authority. We are just a monsoon’s landslide away from perishing under the muds.

On the top of it, we do not know how we can ever return to our homes. We are neither safe in the refugee camps nor in Arakan [in Myanmar]. Our people are losing their lives to gang violence in the refugee camps, in environmental calamity, or by taking dangerous attempts to migrate to other countries through the deadly seas and other means.

Sadly, our options are so limited. Yet, there would be some hope if we had access to education. At least we can strive to improve the fate of our children by doing something better for them. Here, too, in the refugee camps there is so much restriction. We are detained by the police for operating community schools.

Our people deserve to have a better life. Bangladesh has given us a second chance to survive , but what happens after this? Are we supposed to live in a standstill in the camps with nowhere to go and nothing to do? Being stuck in one place with no qualitative change in our lives for five years is no less cruel than the discrimination we faced in Myanmar.

We are a people who have been denied and deprived of our rights at home for decades. The way out of this situation is not by looking away from us or pushing us away to a remote island but by engaging with us to find a durable solution.

San thai Shin is a researcher and a volunteer teacher and prefers to write under his Burmese name in order to speak freely. The views expressed in this blog are entirely his own.

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In a letter issued by the NGO Affairs Bureau of Bangladesh on 5 June 2022, the renewal of Odhikar’s registration was cancelled. The authorities stated that Odhikar’s publication of “misleading information” on enforced disappearances and extrajudicial executions in the country severely tarnished the reputation of the state globally. The organization had filed a writ petition in May 2019 seeking explanation from the Bureau as it withheld Odhikar’s renewal application for eight years since 14 September 2014.

“Odhikar’s documentation of human right violations have been critical in holding perpetrators to account in Bangladesh. It is absurd that the authorities withheld the registration of the rights group for eight years and then cancelled it because of the global ire they faced for a poor human rights record. The reprisals against Odhikar are an egregious and shameless act to silence and intimidate human rights defenders in Bangladesh,” said Saad Hammadi, South Asia Campaigner at Amnesty International.

The reprisals against Odhikar are an egregious and shameless act to silence and intimidate human rights defenders in Bangladesh

Saad Hammadi, South Asia Campaigner at Amnesty International.

The suspension and involuntary dissolution of an organization are among the severest restrictions on the right to freedom of association, protected under Article 22 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to which Bangladesh is a party. Given the severity of the measure, it may only be used when there is a clear and imminent threat to national security or public order, and it must be strictly necessary and proportionate to the legitimate aim pursued and used only when less restrictive means would be insufficient. The decision to suspend or dissolve an association should only be made by an impartial and independent court, and not by administrative bodies.

“The revocation of Odhikar’s registration also shows the authority’s disregard for rule of law as the matter of renewal is currently pending review at the High Court, which in 2019 ruled upon the NGO Affairs Bureau to explain the non-renewal of Odhikar’s registration. We have also learnt about disconcerting inquiries from the Bureau seeking sensitive details about families of individuals subjected to enforced disappearance and extrajudicial execution on a sub-judice matter as this is one of the core areas of Odhikar’s work,” said Saad Hammadi.

This is not the first time the government has attempted to obstruct the work of Odhikar. In 2014, Odhikar’s secretary Adilur Rahman Khan and director Nasir Uddin Elan were detained for 62 days and 25 days, respectively, on allegations of producing “fabricated reports” after they documented the violent dispersal of protests at the hands of government forces during May 2013, which left several people dead. The latest action against Odhikar raises fears of further retribution against members of the organization and the larger civil society in the country.

“Odhikar’s deregistration is a clear demonstration of the government’s anger about the credibility the human rights organization enjoys internationally. Reporting on human rights violation is not anti-government or anti-state. Their decision to deregister Odhikar is akin to shooting the messenger. The government must respond to the allegations of human rights violations through credible independent investigations and refrain from punishing human rights defenders and civil society organizations,” said Saad Hammadi.

Reporting on human rights violation is not anti-government or anti-state

Saad Hammadi

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Bangladesh’s government must urgently take steps to support the community-led learning facilities in the Rohingya refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar and strengthen their resources in line with the country’s international commitment to protect children’s right to education, 25 undersigned organizations said in a statement today.

About 30 community-led schools have been shut down or dismantled by the authorities since December 2021. The closure of community learning facilities in the Rohingya refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh is detrimental to the community’s development and a gross violation of children’s right to education which puts them at the risk of becoming a lost generation.

Nearly half a million Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh are children, who constitute 52% of the refugees registered in the camps. They have been deprived of access to education in an accredited curriculum since they sought refuge in Bangladesh in August 2017.

In January 2020, Bangladesh’s government made a promise to introduce the Myanmar curriculum for about 10,000 children from grades six to nine. The Rohingya community has been offering education to their children through the community schools due to a delay in the rollout of the program by more than two years since Bangladesh’s government announced its plan.

Rohingya refugees said that some schoolteachers were detained by the Armed Police Battalion (APBn) and released in exchange of signing a paper with the condition that they will stop teaching.

It is not a crime to teach students and show them the right path of life. It is a basic human right

Rohingya community teacher

Rights groups have documented allegations against authorities threatening refugees with confiscating their refugee identification cards and relocation to the remote Bhasan Char island if they violate the ban on operating or attending community-led schools.

Access to education and other human rights of the Rohingya refugees are as critical as the battle is for justice and accountability for the crimes committed against the Rohingya people. It is pivotal for their right to voluntary, safe, dignified and sustainable return to their homes in Myanmar.

“All that the community want is the formal education that will be useful to continue studying in Myanmar,” said a Rohingya youth, whose identity is being withheld for his safety.

Education is one of the most important activities that can keep the Rohingya population away from being exploited by harmful groups including child traffickers, drug smugglers, armed groups, and others who sense opportunity in people’s misery.

It is pivotal to empower the Rohingya refugees to claim their rights and speak for themselves. Loss of critical academic years is not only depriving the community of their educational development but also increasing their dependency on uncertain humanitarian aid.

The existing learning centres authorized by the government and operated by UNICEF and other humanitarian partners offer education to children from four to 14 years of age. The program leaves out the older age groups, some of whom were about to take their matriculation examination at the time of the exodus in 2017.

The undersigned 25 organizations call on Bangladesh’s government to:

• Ensure access to education for all Rohingya children by building capacity for all learning facilities within the refugee camps including by granting legal status to community schools in line with their international commitments;
• Immediately re-open all community schools and put a stop to all harassment, threats and attacks against refugees, avoid any discriminatory policies that affect the right to education of Rohingya children in Bangladesh;
• Put an end to the crackdown on community-led schools and Rohingya refugees for operating them;
• Launch prompt, transparent, impartial and independent investigation into the allegations against members of law enforcement agencies for detaining Rohingya refugees and authorities threatening them with forced relocation to Bhasan Char island for operating schools;
• Establish and strengthen government infrastructure to provide complete access to education to Rohingya population. Ensure that any vacancies are filled by individuals with knowledge and commitment to integrating Rohingya culture and practices into the teaching modules.

The organizations also call on the United Nations and the international community to:

• Urgently engage with Bangladesh’s government to raise concerns about the closure of community-led schools in the refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar and provide support to education for all children in the camps and elsewhere;
• Offer assistance to build capacity for all learning facilities within the refugee camps including community schools with regards to access to teaching materials, teachers and learning spaces;
• Allocate adequate and specific funds towards and implement education programmes and projects as part of a comprehensive and long-term commitment to support Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh.

Signatories:

1. ActionAid
2. Amnesty International
3. Arakan Rohingya National Organisation
4. Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network
5. Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust
6. Burma Campaign UK
7. Burmese Rohingya Association in Japan
8. Burmese Rohingya Community in Denmark
9. Campaign for a New Myanmar
10. Canadian Rohingya Development Initiative
11. COAST Foundation
12. Drik Picture Library
13. European Rohingya Council
14. Fortify Rights
15. Human Rights Support Society
16. Human Rights Watch
17. International Campaign for the Rohingya
18. Justice4Rohingya UK
19. Manusher Jonno Foundation
20. Map Photo Agency
21. Nagorik
22. Naripokkho
23. Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights
24. Rohingya Action Ireland
25. The Arakan Project

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Responding to the proposed framework of the “Data Protection Act, 2022” by the Government of Bangladesh, Saad Hammadi, Amnesty International’s South Asia Campaigner, said:

“The draft of the proposed Data Protection Act which has opened for public feedback is a dangerous bill that is aimed at usurping people’s right to privacy in Bangladesh. The Bill uses vague and overbroad provisions to enable and legitimize intrusive actions by authorities such as granting access to encrypted communication on personal devices physically or remotely. It violates an individual’s rights solely on the basis of pre-empting a law-and-order deterioration without adequate justification.

“The Bill exempts authorities from civil, criminal and any other legal proceedings for harms caused to people in the course of its actions. Keeping in mind how existing laws like the Digital Security Act have led to gross human rights violations in the past, the proposed bill is the newest addition to an insidious pattern in which the government wants to control the digital lives of people.

Instead of breaking away from ambiguity in laws that promotes repressive actions, the proposed bill violates Bangladesh’s constitutional and international obligations including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which it is a state party.

Saad Hammadi, Amnesty International’s South Asia Campaigner

“We call on Bangladesh’s government to ensure public ownership, participation, transparency and protection of people’s right to privacy and right to information in the law and that no one including the authorities are exempted from accountability for human rights violation.”

Background:

The proposed “Data Protection Act, 2022” aims to severely trample people’s privacy rights and relieves all liability of authorities in accessing people’s personal data both physically and remotely.

The proposed law states that it will have precedence over all existing laws thereby having an overriding effect on Bangladesh’s Right to Information Act, 2009, which is a key instrument that protects people’s right to information in the present time.

In the backdrop of vague and overbroad terminologies such as the protection of ‘spirit of liberation war’, ‘sovereignty of state’, ‘friendly relations with foreign states’, the government has reserved the right within the bill to issue any direction as it sees fit.

Amnesty International’s detailed submission with recommendations on the draft Data Protection Act, 2022 can be found here.

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In the discussion at school, where teachers should be free to discuss any ideas or facts without fear of reprisals, the teacher argued that “religion is a matter of faith” while “science looks at evidence”, according to a recording that was filmed by [a student/someone in the class and?] shared on social media. In the audio recording accessed by Amnesty International, the teacher said: “There is no evidence in religion. Religion in the end says God will take care of everything. Religion offers memorized words whereas science shows evidence”.

On 22 March, two days after the recording was made, the school’s headteacher told the media that students and other people from the community were demonstrating outside the school calling for punishment for Hriday Chandra Mondal. Later that day, an office assistant of the high school filed a case before the police against the teacher, who was subsequently arrested. He has since been held in judicial custody after being denied bail twice. The next bail hearing is scheduled for 10 April 2022 at the District and Sessions Judges Court.

It is outrageous that a teacher finds himself behind bars simply for voicing his opinion while teaching a class. Teachers should be free to discuss ideas and opinions of all kinds without fear of reprisals.

Smriti Singh, South Asia Deputy Regional Director for Amnesty International

“Hriday Chandra Mondal is detained solely for exercising his right to freedom of expression and must be released immediately and unconditionally,” said Smriti Singh, Deputy Regional Director for South Asia at Amnesty International.

“Hriday Chandra Mondal’s detention is emblematic of a disturbing trend in Bangladesh where the space for free expression is rapidly shrinking. Detaining a teacher for simply discussing ideas in class sets a dangerous precedent where even challenging students to think critically can now land someone in jail”

Amnesty International has been documenting a growing sense of fear among people in Bangladesh stemming from the arbitrary detention and growing criminalization of the right to freedom of expression. Hriday Chandra Mandal’s case only exacerbates the situation and represents a direct threat for one of the last bastions of free expression in the country.

Several civil society and academic organizations, including the Bangladesh Astronomical Association and the Centre for Women Journalists, have condemned the arrest and raised concerns about the ability of academics to teach. Similarly, human rights defenders, lawyers and teachers around the country have raised questions about the time of the arrest, which according to them appears to be politically motivated.

“Hriday Chandra Mondal’s detention is a shameful demonstration of the erosion of the human rights situation in Bangladesh. The authorities must take urgent measures to improve the conditions that allow people to express freely and safely, and ensure that teachers can speak freely in class without fear of reprisals,” said Smriti Singh.

Background

Under international human rights law, the exercise of the right to freedom of expression may only be subjected to certain restrictions if they are provided by a clearly formulated law and are demonstrablynecessary and proportionate for the purpose of protecting specified public interests (national security, public order, or public health or morals) or the rights or reputations of others. Protection of abstract concepts or religious or other beliefs, or the religious sensibilities of their adherents, is not a permissible ground for restricting the right to freedom of expression.

The UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief recently observed that “sensitivity concerning religious sentiments of different religious and belief communities should become an important feature of culture of communication… Subjective feelings of offensiveness, however, should never guide legislative action, court decisions or other State activities”.

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