Human Rights Watch: Gays Targets for Violence in Cameroon | Female Activists Pressured

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From: Human Rights Watch <news@hrw.org>
Date: Thu, Nov 11, 2010 at 6:06 PM
Subject: Gays Targets for Violence in Cameroon | Female Activists Pressured
To: david chirot <david.chirot@gmail.com>

Having trouble viewing this email? Click here. November 11, 2010 Follow us on           Gays Targets for Violence in Cameroon Criminalization of Homosexuality Leads to Abuses in Homes, Community The Cameroonian police arrested Christian, accusing him of being gay: "On our way to the police station, the police officers insulted us and they beat us with batons on our heads and bodies. They kept saying they were going to burn us for being dirty pédés [faggots]." He was studying computer science, but after the arrest, the university forced him to drop out. A new report by Human Rights Watch and Alternatives-Cameroun, a human rights organization, says Cameroonians who are perceived as gay are attacked by police, politicians, and the media. Families and friends reject them, even reporting them to the authorities. Same-sex conduct can lead to prison. Steave Nemande, Alternatives-Cameroun president, received The Alison Des Forges Award for Extraordinary Activism for speaking out against laws criminalizing homosexuality. In Cameroon, guards hit prisoners arrested for homosexuality and threaten them with rape. Other inmates beat them and even urinate and defecate on their mattresses. Women suspected of having sex with women become targets for rape. Newspapers have published the names of those purported to be gay, and allege that homosexuals are power-hungry, corrupt, and intent on controlling the country. Cameroon's criminalization of homosexuality drives inequality within the justice system and violence within families and communities. The government should ensure that all Cameroonians live free of discrimination. Read more » Photo: © 2010 Human Rights Watch Iran Ups Pressure on Female Activists Women Jailed for Demonstrating, Protesting Detention of Their Children Since 2005, Iran's government has cracked down on activists – particularly those who press for women's rights and speak out against discriminatory laws. Repression only worsened in the wake of the contested 2009 presidential elections. But courageous Iranian women continue to stand up to the government, including the women's rights activist Sussan Tahmasebi, who received the Alison Des Forges Award for Extraordinary Activism. Tahmasebi helped start the Million Signatures Campaign, one of the most influential and effective human rights campaigns in Iran. Its premise is simple: Members ask ordinary Iranians to sign a petition asking the government to allow equal rights in marriage, divorce, inheritance, and other areas. Tahmasebi dedicated her award to the imprisoned human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh, and other women activists sentenced to prison. Some have been jailed for taking part in peaceful demonstrations, while others spoke out against the detention of their children. Several members of the Million Signatures Campaign are also behind bars. Sotoudeh recently ended a hunger strike, which she staged to protest being held in solitary confinement. Imprisoned Iranian women include human rights activists, lawyers, journalists, and students. What they have in common is their pursuit of justice, despite the risk to themselves, their families, and their reputations.   Read more » Photo: © 2008 Raheleh Asgarizadeh Most Popular Headlines US: Status Quo Stance at First UN Rights Review The US wasn't defensive in its responses, but it also refused to budge from the status quo. US officials were often reduced to restating current practices that grossly violate human rights, like the death penalty, poor prison conditions, and sentencing youth offenders to life without parole. US: Torture Should Not Go Unpunished   It is beyond shocking that a former US president can publicly claim responsibility for torture and the next day the US government can say it will not pursue charges for destroying evidence of that torture. It sends the ugly message that there are no legal consequences in the United States for committing the most heinous of international crimes. Indonesia: Uphold Religious Freedom  President Yudhoyono gave a nationwide speech about religious tolerance in the United States, but what will he tell visiting US President Barack Obama about the burned Ahmadiyah mosques in Indonesia? Yudhoyono should take clear steps to protect religious freedom, starting with loudly rejecting any ban on the Ahmadis, and ensuring that those responsible for attacks on Ahmadiyah homes and mosques are prosecuted. Editor's Picks Ukraine: Stop Harassing Rights Group Asylum seekers in Ukraine are already tremendously vulnerable under Ukraine's deeply flawed asylum system. The illegal seizure of these confidential files raises serious concerns about possible police retaliation against asylum seekers. Lebanon Ratifies Cluster Munitions Ban Lebanon's sad history with this weapon makes its ratification of the cluster munitions ban especially poignant. All governments need to get on board with the ban, especially those from the Middle East and North Africa, where too few have joined. Singapore: Drop Charges Against Author Who Raised Rights Concerns There is a long history of Singapore's government using criminal defamation charges to gag and bankrupt critics. Criticism of the government should never be resolved in a criminal court – the authorities should drop the charges.   Videos Watch the video >> Stand up for 9/11 trials in New York State, rather than in the Guantanamo Bay military commissions. Podcasts Listen to Rights Watch >> Countries that signed an international treaty banning cluster munitions are meeting in Laos. But many producers of these weapons haven't signed the ban. Publications World Report 2010 Purchase a bound copy of the edition Download PDF Criminalizing Identities Rights Abuses in Cameroon based on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity   Home | Take Action  Privacy

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