Good News _ January 2013

BAHRAIN 10/12/12 (courtesy of Australia Section)

JALIA al-SALMAN, a mother of three and a teacher, Vice President of the Bahrain Teachers' Society, was arrested early in 2011 in a dawn raid on her family home. She was held in an unknown location, unable to contact anyone, denied access to a lawyer and tried in a military court. She was tortured, deprived of food, water, sleep and access to a bathroom. She was also held in a freezing cell for 8 days.

She and another BTS member, Madi 'Issa Madi Dheeb, had called for a teachers' strike in support of pro-reform protestors, and charged with “attempting to overthrow the ruling system by force”.

She was finally released after thousands of letters and emails were sent by Amnesty members directly to the King of Bahrain.

Unfortunately Madi remains in prison.

FYROM 18/12/12

On 13/12/12 and for the first time ever, the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights held a European state responsible for complicity in covert US-led rendition and secret detention programmes.

This was in regard to the detention and rendition of German national KHALED EL-MASRI.

Amnesty International and the International Commission of Jurists see this as a historic ruling on involvement of rendition and a milestone in the fight against impunity. (full details on AI.org site)

NIGERIA 17/12/12

In the case SERAP (Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project) v Nigeria, the ECOWAS Court (Economic Community of West African States) made a ground-breaking judgment seen by AI as “a key moment in holding governments and companies to account for pollution”.

It unanimously found the Nigerian Government responsible for abuses by oil companies, making it clear the government must hold to account the companies and other perpetrators.