Amnesty 2017

lack of independence of the judiciary prosecutions of perpetrators, and wereremained a concern. The President marred by political interference.reaffirmed that executions would resumeafter more than 60 years. In March, journalists from Raajje TV reported to the Maldives Police Service thatJUSTICE SYSTEM they had received threats of death if they sent journalists to Faafu Atoll to cover a visit by thePolitical turmoil persisted as the President King of Saudi Arabia. No additional securityused the military and the judiciary to stifle the was granted by police. Around the sameopposition. In July, the opposition initiated a time, two journalists from the newspaperno confidence motion to impeach the Maldives Independent were taken intoSpeaker of Parliament, but proceedings were “protective custody” by police after receivinghalted with the suspension of four opposition threats from members of the ruling party. TheMPs. On 24 July, parliamentarians were journalists claimed that the police read theirdenied entry into the Parliament and the notes and treated them like suspects.President directed the military to use pepperspray and tear gas to disperse them. MPs In July, seven journalists from Sangu TV andFaris Maumoon and Qasim Ibrahim were Raajje TV were arrested while covering aarrested arbitrarily for allegedly bribing protest marking Independence Day. Theylaw makers to unseat the Speaker of were detained for several hours accused ofParliament.1 obstructing police.UNFAIR TRIALS FREEDOM OF ASSEMBLYThe authorities ignored constitutional Arbitrary restrictions on peaceful protestersprovisions safeguarding the right to a fair trial, and human rights defenders continued. Onas evidenced by a string of criminal cases 24 July, the military used pepper spray andagainst political opponents. On 18 July, MP tear gas to disperse parliamentarians trying toFaris Maumoon was arrested during a raid on enter the Parliament building. On 8 August, ahis house for allegedly bribing law makers to march led by relatives and friends of Ahmedsign the motion of no confidence against the Rilwan to mark the third anniversary of hisSpeaker. He was seeking to cancel the disappearance was blocked by Specialistcharges, claiming that the evidence was Operations police officers who used pepperobtained unlawfully. spray, snatched banners, tore up placards and briefly detained nine people. Several In April, Qasim Ibrahim, leader of the days later, Ahmed Rilwan’s nephew andJumhooree Party, was sentenced to 38 Yameen Rasheed’s sister were dismissedmonths’ imprisonment after being convicted from their posts as civil support staff aton charges including plotting to overthrow the Maldives Police Service for joining thegovernment. After repeated requests for protest.medical attention, in September the courtgranted him permission to travel abroad for DEATH PENALTYtreatment. The government stated that the death penaltyFREEDOM OF EXPRESSION was to be implemented “by the end of September”. Executions would be the first toIn April, popular political blogger and social be carried out in over 60 years. Three men –media activist Yameen Rasheed was stabbed Hussain Humaam Ahmed, Ahmed Murrathto death in his apartment building in the and Mohamed Nabeel – remained at risk ofcapital, Malé.2 The year marked three years imminent execution despite serious concernssince the disappearance of journalist Ahmed about the fairness of the legal proceedings.Rilwan. By the end of the year, neither of the These included the use of an apparentlyinvestigations had resulted in successful coerced “confession” by Hussain Humaam Ahmed, which he later retracted. The UNAmnesty International Report 2017/18 251

Human Rights Committee made repeated cases included 21 instances of extrajudicialrequests to the government to stay the executions and deliberate and arbitraryexecutions of the three men during 2016 and killings, 12 cases of enforced disappearance2017, in accordance with Maldives’ and 31 cases of torture and other ill-commitments under the Optional Protocol to treatment.the ICCPR.3 Of the 17 prisoners on deathrow, at least five were sentenced to death for The French authorities opened an inquirycrimes committed when they were below 18 into the death of a child during the Novemberyears of age.4 2016 Operation Barkhane involving French soldiers. The results had not been made1. Maldives: Opposition MP must get a fair trial (News story, 22 public by the end of 2017. In December the September) spokesman for the French Army said that the internal inquiry did not reveal any individual2. Maldives: Killing of popular blogger an attack on freedom of or collective responsibility. expression (News story, 23 April) ABUSES BY ARMED GROUPS3. Maldives: Halt first execution in more than 60 years (News story, 20 July) Attacks in the central regions of Mopti and Ségou increased during the year. A rise in the4. Maldives to resume executions by September (ASA 29/7007/2017) presence of armed groups and in local recruitment aggravated tensions betweenMALI different ethnic groups. In February, 20 people were killed and 18 others injuredRepublic of Mali when unidentified assailants attackedHead of state: Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta members of the Fulani community. TheHead of government: Soumeylou Boubeye Maiga attack followed the killing of a well-known(replaced Abdoulaye Idrissa Maïga in December, who opponent of radical influences in Ségoureplaced Modibo Keïta in April) region.A bill for the protection of human rights Between January and September,defenders was adopted by the National MINUSMA recorded at least 155 attacksAssembly in December. The government against its own peacekeeping forces, thepostponed the revision of the Constitution Malian security forces and French soldiersfollowing protests. Full implementation of involved in Operation Barkhane. Throughoutthe 2015 Algiers peace agreement the year, more than 30 MINUSMA-relatedremained delayed. Joint operations between personnel, including civilians andthe Malian army and some armed groups contractors, were killed by armed groups.began in Gao under the Operational Most attacks were claimed by the Group forCoordination Mechanism. the Support of Islam and Muslims. Victims included eight children.INTERNATIONAL SCRUTINY In June, five people were killed and 10The UN Independent Expert on the situation wounded during an attack by an armedof human rights in Mali and the UN group on a hotel on the outskirts of theMultidimensional Integrated Stabilization capital, Bamako.Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) raised concernsabout serious security threats in the northern In July, armed men beat 10 women whoand central regions, which put civilians at risk were part of a wedding party. In August, 12and hampered their access to basic social women who were not wearing a veil wereservices. During the year MINUSMA flogged in Mopti.documented 252 cases of human rightsviolations by security forces and armed At the end of the year at least eight peoplegroups involving more than 650 victims. The remained held hostage by armed groups following their abductions in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger over the last three years. The eight included three women – Beatrice252 Amnesty International Report 2017/18

Stockly, a Swiss missionary, Gloria Cecilia violations, had not been implemented by theAgoti Narvaez, a Colombian missionary, and end of the year.Sophie Petronin (French) – as well as JulianGhergut (Romanian); Jeffery Woundke (US); In August, the former head of the police unitKen Eliott (Australian); and Malian nationals of the Movement for Oneness and Jihad inMamadou Diawara and Soungalo. West Africa, Aliou Mahamane Touré, was convicted of “violation of internal security,FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION illegal possession of weapons of war, criminal conspiracy and aggravated assault” by theFreedom of speech was under threat in the Bamako Assizes Court and sentenced to 10run-up to a referendum on amendments to years’ imprisonment.the Constitution. The trial of General Amadou Haya Sanogo In June, at least eight people were injured in relation to the abduction and murder of 21when protesters against the constitutional soldiers in April 2012 had not recommencedchanges clashed with police using tear gas after it was postponed in December 2016.and batons. The postponement followed a ruling that DNA tests were held inadmissible because the Physical and verbal threats against correct legal procedure had notopponents of the referendum were reported been followed.in July. Also in July, Maliba FM radiojournalist Mohamed Youssouf Bathily, known RIGHT TO EDUCATIONas Ras Bath, was sentenced to one year’simprisonment for “incitement to military The UN Independent Expert on the situationdisobedience” following criticisms of the of human rights in Mali expressed concernarmy in 2016. In November, he was about the high number of schools closed dueacquitted by the Bamako Court of Appeal. to insecurity in central and northern parts of the country, depriving more than 150,000DETENTION children of their right to education.Prisons remained overcrowded and Throughout the year, more than 500conditions were poor. At the end of the year, schools in Gao, Kidal, Ségou, Mopti andthe Bamako Central Prison housed 1,947 Timbuktu remained closed. Many schools,detainees despite a capacity of 400. Of those notably in Niono, Macina and Tenenkou,held, 581 had been convicted and 1,366 were threatened with attack by armed groupswere awaiting trial. Detainees held since if they did not either close or convert to2013 on terrorism charges were not Qur’anic teaching. In May, an armed grouppermitted to leave their cramped and poorly burned down a school in Mopti, threateningventilated prison cells, even for exercise. further attacks against non-Qur’anic schools. Detainees continued to be held at an Despite Article 39 of the peace agreementunofficial detention centre known as the committing all signatories to pay particular“Sécurité d’Etat”. attention to education for all, armed groups continued to occupy some schools.IMPUNITY INTERNATIONAL JUSTICEEfforts to tackle impunity faltered as severalhigh-profile trials related to abuses In August, the International Criminal Courtcommitted in northern Mali during the held Ahmad Al Faqi Al Mahdi liable for €2.72012-2013 occupation failed to make  million in individual and collectivesignificant progress. The 2015 peace reparations. He was convicted in 2016 of theagreement, which recommended the war crime of intentionally directing attacksestablishment of an international commission against religious and historic buildings inof inquiry to investigate crimes under Timbuktu, and sentenced to nine years’international law including war crimes, imprisonment. ICC investigations into allegedcrimes against humanity and human rightsAmnesty International Report 2017/18 253

war crimes committed since January 2012 in showed that Italian navy and coastguardMali were ongoing. officials were reluctant to deploy the Italian warship Libra which was the closest to theMALTA boat in distress, notwithstanding repeated requests by Maltese authorities to do so.Republic of Malta Criminal proceedings and investigationsHead of state: Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca against some of the Italian navy andHead of government: Joseph Muscat coastguard officials involved were ongoing in Italy at the end of the year. No investigationNew information emerged regarding the was known to have been initiated by the2013 shipwreck in which many Syrian Maltese authorities into the incident.refugees died. It exposed Italy’s reluctanceto assist Maltese authorities in rescuing the In August, Maltese authorities deniedboat in distress. Malta denied three Libyan authorization to disembark three Libyanasylum-seekers who were rescued within its asylum-seekers from the rescue boat Golfosearch and rescue region permission to Azzurro, operated by the NGO Proactivadisembark. The authorities admitted 168 Open Arms. The three men had beenasylum-seekers under the EU relocation rescued within Malta’s search and rescueprogramme, a higher number than they had region in the central Mediterranean. Aftercommitted to. Marriage rights were three days of negotiations between Malta andextended to same-sex couples. Abortion Italy over which country should take theremained prohibited in all circumstances. asylum-seekers, Italy accepted the request and the three men were taken to Sicily.BACKGROUND Malta received 168 refugees and asylum-In October, journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia seekers from Greece and Italy, more than thewas killed in a car bomb explosion. She had 131 it legally committed to accept under thebeen critical of the government and EU relocation programme, which closed oninvestigated organized crime, corruption 26 September.including against politicians, and the Maltesechapter of the so-called “Panama Papers” – RIGHTS OF LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL,leaked files from an offshore law firm TRANSGENDER AND INTERSEX PEOPLEregarding tax havens and their users. Thegovernment was under pressure from the EU In July, marriage equality legislation wasand others to ensure a thorough and approved by Parliament. The new lawindependent investigation into Daphne extended full marriage rights to same-sexCaruana Galizia’s death. In December, three couples.men were charged with her murder andremanded in custody. SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTSREFUGEES AND ASYLUM-SEEKERS Abortion remained prohibited in all circumstances. Women were denied accessIn May, the Italian magazine L’Espresso to abortion even when the life of the pregnantpublished new information regarding the woman was at risk.shipwreck that occurred on 11 October 2013in the Maltese search and rescue region of MAURITANIAthe central Mediterranean. Over 260 peopledied, mostly Syrian refugees, many of them Islamic Republic of Mauritaniachildren. The magazine reported that phone Head of state: Mohamed Ould Abdel Azizconversations held in the period immediately Head of government: Yahya Ould Hademinepreceding the capsizing of the refugees’ boat Human rights defenders, bloggers, anti- slavery activists and other opponents of the254 Amnesty International Report 2017/18

government were intimidated, attacked and One of them was released without chargeprosecuted for their peaceful activities. after three days; the others were chargedFreedoms of expression, association and with belonging to an unauthorizedpeaceful assembly were restricted. organization and released six days later.International human rights activists wererefused entry to the country. Torture and Ahead of the August referendum, the Officeother ill-treatment in custody was common. of the UN High Commissioner for HumanHaratine and Afro-Mauritanian people faced Rights expressed concern about thesystematic discrimination. Slavery practices authorities’ apparent suppression of dissentpersist. and the reported use of excessive force against protest leaders.BACKGROUND Five days after the referendum, SenatorIn March, the Senate rejected a proposal to Mohamed Ould Ghadda, who opposed theamend the 1991 Constitution. The authorities vote, was arrested and charged withcalled a referendum for August; the majority corruption. He remained in detention withoutvoted to abolish the Senate. trial at the end of the year. Three weeks later, 12 Senators and four journalists wereFREEDOMS OF EXPRESSION, questioned by a judge regarding allegationsASSOCIATION AND ASSEMBLY that they received financial support from a businessman. They were required to signSecurity forces continued to intimidate and weekly at the police station while the policeattack bloggers, human rights defenders and were investigating the allegations.others who criticized the government. In November, the Appeal Court of Anti-slavery activists, among them prisoners Nouadhibou commuted the death sentenceof conscience, were detained. Abdallahi of blogger Mohamed Mkhaïtir to two years’Abdou Diop was released in January after imprisonment. He was convicted inserving a six-month prison sentence. December 2014 of apostasy for writing a blogAbdallahi Maatalla Seck and Moussa Biram critical of those who used Islam to fosterremained in Bir Moghrein prison, more than discrimination against Moulamines1,000km from their homes, since July 2016. (blacksmiths) and had been held sinceThe three prisoners of conscience were January 2014. Although he was scheduledconvicted on charges including participating for release at the end of the year, hein an unauthorized gathering and remained in custody; his family and hismembership of an unauthorized association. lawyers were not able to visit him or confirm his whereabouts. In April, the security forces used tear gasand batons to repress a peaceful protest in In November, 15 human rights defendersthe capital, Nouakchott, that was organized were arrested in the southern town of Kaédiby youth groups calling for policies to address by plain clothes men who identifiedyouth unemployment and to support young themselves as members of the Battalion forpeople. At least 26 people were arrested. Presidential Security. They had beenMost of them were released the same day, distributing leaflets and holding bannersbut 10 were detained for four days, charged calling for justice for their relatives who hadwith participating in an unauthorized been unlawfully killed between 1989 andgathering. The court in Nouakchott gave one 1991. They were taken to a military base andwoman a three-month suspended prison questioned about their activities. Ten weresentence, which was overturned on appeal. released the same day and five wereThe others were acquitted. transferred to a police station and detained for six days, without access to a lawyer, On 23 April, police arrested seven people, before being released without charge.of whom four were foreign nationals and twowere children, in connection with their International human rights activists andattending a religious service in Nouakchott. NGOs were refused access to MauritaniaAmnesty International Report 2017/18 255

throughout the year. In May, a foreign lawyer without adequate access to food, education,and journalist carrying out research into water, sanitation and health care. The Specialslavery were asked to leave the country. In Rapporteur stressed that despite Mauritania’sSeptember, US anti-slavery activists were obligations under international human rightsdenied entry visas when they arrived at treaties, there was a complete absence ofNouakchott International Airport. In prenatal and postnatal care in rural areas. HeNovember, the authorities refused an also highlighted that Haratines and Afro-Amnesty International delegation access to Mauritanians, who constituted an estimatedthe country. two thirds of the population, were excluded from many areas of economic and social life.TORTURE AND OTHER ILL-TREATMENT In addition, the fact that the government had not collected statistics on the numbers ofDetainees reported that they were tortured Haratine and Afro-Mauritanian people in theduring pre-trial detention in order to extract country, served to render their needs andconfessions and to intimidate them. People rights invisible.held in police stations including theCommissariat in Nouakchott were routinely REFUGEES’ AND MIGRANTS’ RIGHTSplaced in prolonged solitary confinement − atype of detention condemned by the UN In his March report, the UN SpecialHuman Rights Committee as a violation of Rapporteur on torture expressed concernsthe prohibition of torture or other cruel, about the collective expulsion of irregularinhuman or degrading treatment. migrants and refugees who were often abandoned on the southern border with In his March report, the UN Special Senegal which could contravene the principleRapporteur on torture acknowledged that of non-refoulement. During a visit to a sitewhile torture and other ill-treatment was no where irregular migrants were held inlonger “rampant”, it occurred frequently. He Nouakchott, he said that the 20 to 30expressed concern that the “culture of detainees had no toilet facilities and hadtorture” persisted in police and gendarmerie insufficient room to lie or even sit down tounits, and that torture continued to be used sleep.to extract confessions. The SpecialRapporteur noted that the practice of MEXICOdetaining terrorism suspects for up to 45days without access to legal representation United Mexican Stateswas excessive; oversight mechanisms for the Head of state and government: Enrique Peña Nietoinvestigation of allegations of torture andother ill-treatment lacked due diligence and Violence increased throughout Mexico. Thewere slow; existing laws and safeguards armed forces continued to undertakeneeded to be expanded and implemented; regular policing functions. Human rightsand that there was no significant defenders and journalists were threatened,improvement in detention conditions, such as attacked and killed; digital attacks andovercrowding, poor sanitation and inadequate surveillance were particularly common.nutrition. Widespread arbitrary detentions continued to lead to torture and other ill-treatment,ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL enforced disappearances and extrajudicialRIGHTS executions. Impunity persisted for human rights violations and crimes underIn his report in March the UN Special international law. Mexico received a recordRapporteur on extreme poverty and human number of asylum claims, mostly fromrights concluded that while the government nationals of El Salvador, Honduras,had made progress in alleviating poverty inrecent years, a large proportion of thepopulation continued to live in poverty256 Amnesty International Report 2017/18

Guatemala and Venezuela. Violence against the year. In August, civil society organizationswomen remained a major concern; new data and opinion leaders presented a proposal forshowed that two thirds of women had the design of this institution.experienced gender-based violence duringtheir lives. The rights to housing and In October, the acting Attorney Generaleducation were compromised by two major removed the Special Prosecutor for Electoralearthquakes. Crimes, regarded as independent by different political forces, after he publicly reportedBACKGROUND being subjected to political pressure to disregard a high-profile corruption case.Early in the year an increase in gas pricescaused social unrest, including road POLICE AND SECURITY FORCESblockages, lootings and protests throughoutthe country, leading to hundreds of arrests There was a marked increase in the numberand some fatalities. Throughout the year, of homicides, with 42,583 recordedsecurity forces carried out a number of nationally, the highest annual number ofoperations to crack down on a spate of homicides registered by authorities since theclandestine robberies of petroleum. At least start of the presidential term in Decemberone of these security operations resulted in a 2012. The real number may be higher, withlikely extrajudicial execution by the army in some crimes not being reported to police,May. The National Human Rights and not all of those reported triggering officialCommission raised concerns over deficient action.security measures in prisons that affected therights of people deprived of their liberty. In December, Congress passed a Law onThere were riots in prisons including in the Interior Security enabling the prolongedstates of Nuevo León and Guerrero, and a presence of the armed forces in regularhunger strike in the federal maximum policing functions without any effectivesecurity prison at Puente Grande, Jalisco provisions for transparency, accountability orstate. civilian oversight. The new adversarial criminal justice system, ARBITRARY ARRESTS AND DETENTIONSfully operational since June 2016, continuedto replicate problems from the old Arbitrary arrests and detentions remainedinquisitorial system, including violations of widespread, and often led to further humanthe presumption of innocence and the use of rights violations including torture and otherevidence collected in violation of human ill-treatment, enforced disappearances andrights and other illicit evidence. Bills were extrajudicial executions. Arbitrary arrestsintroduced in Congress that would weaken often included the planting of evidence,fair trial guarantees and expand the scope of commonly guns and illicit drugs, by lawmandatory pre-trial detention without a case- enforcement officials. Authorities appeared toby-case assessment by a judge. especially target those who had historically faced discrimination, in particular young men Congress approved long-overdue laws living in poverty.against torture and other ill-treatment andagainst enforced disappearance by state The police routinely disregarded theiractors and disappearances committed by obligations during and following an arrest.non-state actors. Legal reforms allowed the They usually did not inform the persons ofuse of cannabis for medical purposes. the reasons for the arrest or of their rights,Sustained public debates over the such as the right to legal counsel and totransformation of the federal Attorney communicate with their families. UnjustifiedGeneral’s Office, responsible for law delays in bringing the detainee before theenforcement and prosecution, into an relevant authorities were common and oftenindependent body were conducted during enabled other human rights violations. Police reports of arrests often contained significant errors, fabricated information and otherAmnesty International Report 2017/18 257

serious flaws, including inaccuracies in almost absolute impunity. The officialrecording date and time of arrest. National Register of Missing and Disappeared Persons indicated that the fate or The reasons for arbitrary arrests were whereabouts of 34,656 people (25,682 menvaried, but included: to extort money from and 8,974 women) remained unclarified. Thedetainees; to detain a particular individual in actual numbers were higher because thereturn for payment from a third party; for official figure excluded federal pre-2014politically motivated reasons; and to cases and cases classified as other criminalinvestigate detainees in connection with offences such as hostage-taking or humananother crime by detaining them for a trafficking.misdemeanour that they usually had notcommitted. Investigations into cases of missing persons continued to be flawed and authorities There was no unified and accessible generally failed to immediately initiateregister of detention, consistent with searches for the victims. Impunity for theseinternational human rights law and crimes continued, including in the case of 43standards, in which every detention by law students from the Ayotzinapa teacher trainingenforcement officials is recorded in real college who were forcibly disappeared intime.1 Guerrero state in 2014. The investigations into the case made little progress during theTORTURE AND OTHER ILL-TREATMENT year. In March, in a hearing before the Inter- American Commission on Human Rights,In February, the UN Special Rapporteur on state representatives reasserted thetorture issued a follow-up report to a previous government’s version of events that thevisit to Mexico in 2014; the report concluded students had been killed and burned in athat torture and other ill-treatment remained local rubbish dump − a theory that waswidespread, including the alarming use of proved to be scientifically impossible by thesexual violence as a frequent method of Interdisciplinary Group of Independenttorture. Experts appointed by the Commission. In June, a new general law on torture came In October, Congress passed a general lawinto force, replacing existing state and federal on disappearances that defined the crime inlaws with nationwide application. Civil society accordance with international law andorganizations welcomed it as an advance that provided tools to prevent and prosecute it.better incorporated international standards The implementation of the law was expectedcompared to the previous legislation. The to require a sufficient budget allocation in theSpecial Unit on Torture of the Federal following years.Attorney General’s Office reported 4,390cases of torture under revision at the federal EXTRAJUDICIAL EXECUTIONSlevel and commenced 777 investigationsunder the new adversarial justice system. Cases of extrajudicial executions were notFederal authorities did not announce any properly investigated and perpetratorsnew criminal charges against public officials, continued to enjoy impunity. For the fourthnor provide any information on arrests made consecutive year, the authorities failed tofor the crime of torture. In Quintana Roo publish the number of people killed orstate, a federal judge sentenced a former wounded in clashes with the police andpoliceman to five years’ imprisonment for the military forces. No information was madecrime of torture. available regarding criminal charges in the cases of Tlatlaya, Mexico state, whereENFORCED DISAPPEARANCES soldiers killed 22 people in 2014; Apatzingán, Michoacán state, where federalEnforced disappearances with the police and other security forces killed at leastinvolvement of the state and disappearances 16 people in 2015; and Tanhuato,committed by non-state actors continued tobe common and those responsible enjoyed258 Amnesty International Report 2017/18

Michoacán state, where the security forces The Unit for the Investigation of Crimeskilled 43 people during a security operation against Migrants of the Attorney General’sin 2015. Office marked two years in operation, yet remained marred by institutional challenges On 3 May, military personnel carried out in its operation and problems in co-ordinatingpublic security operations in Palmarito with other authorities. These problems limitedTochapan town, Puebla state, and reported advances in criminal investigations, includingthat seven people died, including four into massacres of migrants, that remainedsoldiers. Days later, video footage from shrouded by impunity.security cameras installed at the locationwere published on the internet. One of the In August, a citizen consultative bodyvideos clearly showed a person in military published research demonstrating theuniform shooting dead a man lying on the involvement of the National Migrationfloor. Amnesty International independently Institute in a number of human rightsverified the video and concluded that there violations against those deprived of liberty inwas sufficient reason to believe that an migration detention centres run by theextrajudicial execution took place.2 Institute. Violations included overcrowding, lack of access to adequate medical services,REFUGEES’ AND MIGRANTS’ RIGHTS solitary confinement used as punishment, allegations of torture and other ill-treatment.A total of 8,703 asylum claims were lodged The authorities denied allegations of torturebetween January and August, a similar committed by the Institute, despite thenumber as for the whole of 2016. The National Human Rights Commission havingpercentage of claims that resulted in the also confirmed evidence of torture on priorgranting of refugee status decreased from occasions.35% in 2016 to 12% in 2017. The majority ofasylum claims came from Honduran and HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERSVenezuelan nationals, the latter surpassing AND JOURNALISTSfor the first time the number of refugees andasylum-seekers from El Salvador and Human rights defenders and journalistsGuatemala. continued to be threatened, harassed, attacked and killed. Between January and November, 88,741irregular migrants were detained and 74,604 At least 12 journalists were killed, thedeported, in most cases without the highest number recorded in one year sinceopportunity to challenge their deportation. Of 2000. They included prize-winning journalistthose deported, 94% were from Honduras, Javier Valdez, founder of the newspaperGuatemala and El Salvador, countries which Ríodoce, who was killed on 15 May in Sinaloahave registered some of the highest homicide state. Many of the killings of journalistsrates in the world in recent years, and 20% of occurred in daylight in public places. Thethose deported to these countries were authorities made no significant advances intochildren. In February, Mexico’s Foreign the investigations of these killings. TheMinister announced that Mexico would not Special Prosecutor’s Unit for Attention toreceive foreign nationals turned back from Crimes against Freedom of Expression failedthe USA under the US Border Control to investigate the journalists’ work as aExecutive Order announced by US President possible motive in the majority of cases ofDonald Trump on 25 January. attacks. The federal Mechanism to Protect Human Rights Defenders and Journalists left In June, the government met with North human rights defenders and journalistsAmerican and Central American inadequately protected.governments, ostensibly to tackle the rootcauses of the regional refugee crisis; they did Former Goldman Prize winner Isidronot publish any agreements reached. Baldenegro López and Juan Ontiveros Ramos, two Indigenous human rightsAmnesty International Report 2017/18 259

defenders of the Raramuri (Tarahumara) violence against women and girls. By the endIndigenous People, were killed in January of the year, the Alerts mechanisms were notand February respectively. In May, Miriam shown to have reduced gender-basedRodríguez, a human rights defender leading violence against women and girls.the search for her daughter and otherdisappeared persons in Tamaulipas, was RIGHTS OF LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL,killed. In July, Mario Luna Romero, leader of TRANSGENDER AND INTERSEX PEOPLEthe Indigenous Yaqui People in Sonora stateand beneficiary of protection measures from Same-sex couples were able to marry inthe federal protection mechanism, was Mexico City and 11 states without recourse tosubjected to an intrusion in his house by judicial proceedings. Couples in states whereunidentified assailants who set fire to his laws or administrative practice did not allowpartner’s car. for same-sex marriage had to file a constitutional complaint (amparo) before In January, it became known that a network federal tribunals to have their case reviewedof people was using the internet to harass and their rights recognized.and threaten human rights defenders andjournalists throughout Mexico.3 In June, Supreme Court rulings continued to upholdevidence emerged of surveillance against same-sex couples’ rights to marry and tojournalists and human rights defenders using adopt children without being discriminatedsoftware that the government was known to against on the basis of sexual orientation andhave purchased. The federal Mechanism to gender identity. In March, the Supreme CourtProtect Human Rights Defenders and ruled unconstitutional the Law of the InstituteJournalists provided no strategy to respond to of Security and Social Services for Statedigital attacks and unlawful surveillance for Workers because it protected only different-those who have been granted protection sex couples’ rights.measures. ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURALVIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLS RIGHTSGender-based violence against women and Two earthquakes in September had a seriousgirls was widespread. Most of the cases were impact on vast areas, mostly in central andinadequately investigated and perpetrators southern Mexico. More than 360 peopleenjoyed impunity. Sufficient and current data died; in Mexico City the majority of fatalitieson gender-based killings was not available. were women. According to official figures,However, official data for 2016 was published more than 150,000 households were affectedindicating that 2,668 women were and at least 250,000 people were madeconsidered to be victims of homicide, homeless.pending further investigations. The government implemented survivor In August, the National Institute of Statistics rescue and emergency care actions with theand Geography published a survey estimating participation of both civil and militarythat 66.1% of girls and women aged 15 or personnel and with the support of theabove had experienced gender-based international community. However, severalviolence at least once in their lives, and that reports emerged of inadequate co-ordination43.5% of women had experienced gender- among authorities, inaccurate and untimelybased violence committed by their partners. information on the rescue and recovery of bodies, illegal commandeering of food and Mechanisms known as “Alerts of gender- other essential services meant for survivors,based violence against women” were active and insufficient aid deliveries to manyin 12 states. Established by the General Law devastated areas, especially in small,on Women’s Access to a Life Free from impoverished communities.Violence, the Alert mechanisms relied on co-ordinated efforts to confront and eradicate Expert preliminary assessments published in the media suggested that some of the260 Amnesty International Report 2017/18

collapsed structures might have been in changes were widely seen as benefiting thebreach of building regulations. There was no two biggest parties in Parliament, the rulingcomprehensive strategy to guarantee that Democratic Party of Moldova and thepeople made homeless were provided with opposition Socialist Party of Moldova. On 19 safe and adequate housing options. On 6 June, the Venice Commission of the Council October, President Peña Nieto called on of Europe issued a highly critical opinion onaffected families to organize themselves to the amendments. Most of the mainstreamrebuild their houses. media remained effectively controlled by and biased towards the Democratic Party of Educational services, including many Moldova.primary schools, were disrupted for weeks ormonths while safety checks and FREEDOM OF ASSOCIATIONreconstruction of schools were underway.Thousands of national monuments and other A draft law on NGOs was agreed by aculturally significant public buildings were Working Group which includeddestroyed or damaged by the earthquakes. representatives of the Ministry of Justice, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for1. False suspicions: Arbitrary detentions by police in Mexico (AMR Human Rights, and several NGOs. The law 41/5340/2017) was widely welcomed by civil society. However, in July, the Ministry of Justice2. Mexico: Open letter to the President on a possible extrajudicial unexpectedly introduced three articles into execution by the military (AMR 41/6347/2017) the draft without consulting the Working Group. These articles would compel NGOs3. Mexico’s misinformation wars: How organized troll networks attack involved in broadly defined “political and harass journalists and activists in Mexico (News story, 24 activities” to publish financial reports and January) disclose the origin and use of their funding, among other requirements. Non-complianceMOLDOVA would incur severe penalties, including hefty fines, exclusion from the government-runRepublic of Moldova financial mechanism that facilitates andHead of state: Igor Dodon encourages voluntary donations to NGOs byHead of government: Pavel Filip taxpayers, and potential closure of the NGO. The amendments met strong opposition fromThe government recalled a draft law on civil society and international organizationsNGOs which contained undue restrictions who regarded them as undue restrictions onfor organizations that receive foreign NGOs receiving foreign funding. Criticsfunding. Nine activists were convicted of foresaw a stigmatizing effect on human rightsattempting to organize mass disturbances in defenders and civil society, particularly for2015 and given conditional prison those critical of the authorities. In September,sentences in an unfair trial. In May, the the government recalled the draft law.LGBTI Pride in the capital Chișinău wasstopped by police due to alleged security UNFAIR TRIALSconcerns, while President Igor Dodon madehomophobic statements. Public spending In June, the former leader of the “Our Homeon health, education and social protection – Moldova” political party, Grigore Petrenco,continued to fall; discrimination against and eight fellow political activists wereRoma persisted. convicted of attempting to organize mass disturbances on 6 September 2015, receivedBACKGROUND conditional prison sentences and were prohibited from attending public events. TheIn July, the Parliament adopted controversial sentences ranged from three tochanges to the Electoral Law despite public four and a half years. On the day of theprotests and international condemnation. TheAmnesty International Report 2017/18 261

alleged offence, they had attempted to ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURALforcibly enter a government building during RIGHTSan otherwise peaceful rally. Their trial facedmultiple delays and procedural Moldova’s third periodic report on itsinfringements. implementation of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights was Grigore Petrenco’s lawyers, Ana Ursachi considered by the UN Committee onand Eduard Rudenco, who also defended Economic, Social and Cultural Rights inother high-profile clients in politically September. Particular concerns raised duringsensitive cases, continued to be subjected to the review included the continually fallingsmear campaigns in pro-government media, rate of public spending on health, educationand reported harassment by the authorities in and social protection, and the persistentconnection with their work. discrimination and marginalization of Roma. The Committee described the situation ofTORTURE AND OTHER ILL-TREATMENT Roma as a “glaring problem” and “the failure in many aspects” of the National Action PlanAllegations of torture and other ill-treatment on Roma for 2011-2015 as “a serious causein places of detention and in the criminal for concern”.justice system continued to be reported. MONGOLIA On the night of 26 August, Andrei Braguta,a driver who had been arrested for speeding, Mongoliadied in police custody. The authorities Head of state: Khaltmaa Battulga (replaced Tsakhiaclaimed that he had died of pneumonia and Elbegdorj in July)later admitted that Andrei Braguta had been Head of government: Ukhnaa Khurelsukh (replacedbeaten up by two fellow cell mates. Three Jargaltulga Erdenebat in September)police officers who were on duty that nightand the two cell mates were arrested as The death penalty was abolished as the newcriminal suspects in the case. One of the Criminal Code and Code of Criminalcell mates claimed that Andrei Braguta had Procedure came into force. Impunity foralready been severely beaten when placed in torture and other ill-treatment of detaineesthe cell, and protested his and the other and attacks against human rights defenderscell mate’s innocence. The criminal continued. The economic, social andinvestigation was ongoing at the end of the cultural rights of people living in rural areasyear. affected by mining activities, and in ger areas − areas without adequate access toRIGHTS OF LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, essential services − were at risk of beingTRANSGENDER AND INTERSEX PEOPLE violated.The police cut short the 21 May Pride march DEATH PENALTYafter the demonstrators had walked just a fewhundred metres, stating that they were The death penalty was abolished for allunable to guarantee their security in the crimes when the new Criminal Code cameevent of violent attacks by counter- into force on 1 July, after its adoption indemonstrators. December 2015.1 However, in November, the newly elected President proposed The President publicly criticized the LGBTI reinstatement to the Ministry of Justice incommunity, described the Pride march as response to two violent rape and murderbeing contrary to the country’s “traditional cases.values”, and participated in a paralleldemonstration named the “Traditional FamilyFestival”.262 Amnesty International Report 2017/18

HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS livestock and people. Media workers filmed mining company representatives intimidatingHuman rights defenders continued to report journalists and herders. Following his visit tophysical attacks and harassment by law Mongolia in September, the UN Specialenforcement authorities and private Rapporteur on human rights and thecorporations. These human rights defenders environment called for consultation with localincluded students with disabilities acting as communities before mining permits werewhistleblowers exposing discrimination and issued, and for improved standards to ensuresexual abuse in a school, and journalists safe operation.trying to report human rights issues such asgender-based violence. Existing laws failed to RIGHT TO HOUSING AND FORCEDprotect them from harassment and EVICTIONSunjustified interference with their privacy. Residents in the ger areas of the capital,TORTURE AND OTHER ILL-TREATMENT Ulaanbaatar, continued to live with the possibility of forced eviction due to urbanImpunity and under-reporting of torture and redevelopment, without updated informationother ill-treatment of individuals in detention, on redevelopment plans, genuineincluding people with disabilities and foreign consultation or adequate compensation.nationals, continued in the absence of an Residents complained that the new localindependent, dedicated investigation government elected in June 2016 had failedmechanism. The new Criminal Procedure to implement redevelopment plans agreedCode becoming effective in July did not re- with the previous government; the newestablish the previously disbanded government claimed it lacked funds. Theseindependent investigation unit, despite plans included the provision of essentialadvocacy efforts by civil society. components of adequate housing such as safe drinking water, sanitation and energy.FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION 1. Mongolia: Death penalty confined to history as new criminal codeOn 1 July, a new Administrative Offence Act comes into effect (ACT 50/6646/2017)came into effect, allowing for increasedadministrative fines including when false MONTENEGROinformation was published that could damagethe reputation of individuals or business Montenegroentities. A media professionals’ organization Head of state: Filip Vujanovićcriticized the law for being vague and overly Head of government: Duško Markovićbroad, and feared it could be excessivelyused to suppress freedom of expression. Past murders and attacks on journalists andMedia companies staged a media blackout media workers were not resolved. Theon 26 April to protest against the law, which Constitutional Court found thatwas subsequently passed with reduced fines. investigations into alleged torture and ill- treatment failed to meet internationalECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL standards. The funding of NGOs wasRIGHTS threatened and human rights defenders were subjected to smear campaigns byAuthorities failed to protect traditional herders media supportive of the government.from the operations of mining companies thatnegatively affected their livelihoods, BACKGROUNDtraditional culture, and access to land andclean water. The influx of mining companies Montenegro joined NATO in June. Seriousand transporting trucks in the Dalanjargalan concerns continued about criminalsubdivision of Dornogovi province causedheavy dust which severely degraded pasturesand threatened the health and safety ofAmnesty International Report 2017/18 263

proceedings against 14 men, including alleging his membership of a drug-traffickingRussian intelligence officers and opposition gang that he had been investigating –leaders, who were indicted in May for “violent continued at the end of the year.overthrow of the government” and“preventing NATO accession” on election day In October, the Constitutional Court awardedin October 2016. journalist Tufik Softić EUR7,000 in compensation for the ineffective investigationLACK OF ACCOUNTABILITY into the 2007 attack on his life, continued threats and his fear of another attempt on hisThe State Prosecutor’s Office reportedly life.reviewed seven war crimes cases, in whichall but four defendants had been acquitted, RIGHTS OF LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL,to determine whether grounds existed to TRANSGENDER AND INTERSEX PEOPLEreopen proceedings. In September, thegovernment reported it would pay the victims In April, activists proposed a model law onEUR1.35 million in compensation. gender identity. In August, members of the NGO LGBT Forum Progress were attacked; Proceedings opened in September against one was hospitalized.Vlado Zmajević, who was arrested inMontenegro in 2016 and indicted – originally ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURALby Serbia – for war crimes in Kosovo. RIGHTSTORTURE AND OTHER ILL-TREATMENT In January, the government cut by 25% a lifetime benefit, provided under the 2016 LawIn June and again in July, the Constitutional on Social and Child Protection, to mothersCourt found that the State Prosecutor’s Office with three or more children who gave uphad failed to conduct effective investigations employment. Protests followed, including ainto the alleged torture and ill-treatment 14-day hungerstrike in March. In June, theduring demonstrations in November 2015 of government abolished the benefit completely.Branimir Vukčević and Momčilo Baranin, and Although the law was potentiallyMilorad Martinović, respectively. discriminatory, beneficiaries feared that, with insufficient support to enable them to return Proceedings against prison officers indicted to work, the lost benefit would have a drasticin 2016 for abusing prisoners continued to impact on their family income.be delayed by their lawyers, with no verdictby December. REFUGEES AND ASYLUM-SEEKERSFREEDOM OF EXPRESSION Almost 1,000 Roma and Egyptian refugees who fled Kosovo in 1999 remained at KonikIn June, the government proposed to amend camp outside the capital, Podgorica, awaitingthe Law on Gatherings to prohibit protests in resettlement into adequate EU-fundedfront of Parliament. NGOs feared that apartments, 120 of which were completed inamended legislation on sources of NGO November.income would potentially reduce theirfunding, and allow the government to decide Around 800 Roma and Egyptians remainedwhether new NGOs could be registered. at risk of statelessness, their applications forJOURNALISTS regular status pending. Some 379 had onlyCivil society members of a commission three years’ temporary residence. In May, thecharged with monitoring investigations into government withdrew a procedure toviolence against journalists continued to be determine statelessness from a draft Law ondenied security clearance to classified Foreigners.documents. Four men convicted in May of grave Investigative journalist Jovo Martinović, offences against general safety, fordetained in 2015, was released in February overloading a boat in 1999, resulting in theafter international appeals, but proceedings – deaths of 35 Roma refugees, were sentenced264 Amnesty International Report 2017/18

in December to between six and eight years' protests. In the second half of the year,imprisonment. prosecutors investigated at least one protester for “false reporting” after heMOROCCO/ claimed that the police had tortured him.WESTERN SAHARA Courts also convicted and imprisoned journalists and activists on vague and overlyKingdom of Morocco broad state security and terrorism offences inHead of state: King Mohammed VI what amounted to punishment for theirHead of government: Saad-Eddine El criticism of the authorities.Othmani (replaced Abdelilah Benkirane in March) Between May and August, security forcesJournalists and protesters calling for social arrested and detained eight journalists andjustice and political rights were imprisoned, bloggers over critical coverage or onlineoften following unfair trials. Judicial commentary of the protests in Rif.authorities did not adequately investigate Prosecutors charged them with protest-reports of torture in detention. Impunity related, state security offences. Hamid Elpersisted for past human rights violations. Mahdaoui was convicted of inciting others toMigrants continued to face excessive force take part in an unauthorized protest andand detention. Courts imposed death sentenced to three months’ imprisonmentsentences; there were no executions. and a fine of 20,000 dirhams (around USD2,100), increased to one year’sBACKGROUND imprisonment on appeal.Significant and sustained social justice Seven people, including journalists, activistsprotests took place in Morocco’s northern Rif and the academic Maati Monjib, remained onregion. In January, Morocco rejoined the trial on charges including “threatening stateAfrican Union. In February, Morocco security” for promoting a mobile applicationsubmitted a request to join ECOWAS. In for citizen journalism that protected users’March, King Mohammed VI appointed Saad- privacy. Journalist Ali Anouzla remained onEddine El Othmani as head of government trial on trumped-up charges of “advocating,following a government reshuffle. In April, the supporting and inciting terrorism” for anUN Security Council extended the mandate article he had published on the websiteof the UN Mission for the Referendum in lakome.com in 2013.Western Sahara (MINURSO) for another yearwithout human rights monitoring.1 In The authorities imposed restrictions onSeptember, the UN Human Rights Council some organizations in Morocco and Westernadopted recommendations following a review Sahara perceived to be critical of theof Morocco’s human rights record under the authorities. Restrictions included continuingUN UPR process.2 obstruction of the registration of associations, banning the activities of associations, andFREEDOMS OF EXPRESSION AND expelling foreign nationals invited by suchASSOCIATION associations.The authorities used Penal Code provisions FREEDOM OF ASSEMBLYon insult and on incitement to protest orrebellion to prosecute and imprison Authorities tried and imprisoned hundreds ofjournalists, bloggers and activists who activists involved in social or environmentalcriticized officials or reported on human justice protests on assembly-related charges.rights violations, corruption or popular Courts also used trumped-up criminal charges for offences under ordinary law and charges under vaguely defined state security and terrorism provisions to try protesters. In February, gendarmes violently arrested peaceful environmental protesters includingAmnesty International Report 2017/18 265

Mohamed Akkad, causing significant sight and unnecessary force to disperse peacefulloss in his right eye. He and 13 other people protests in Western Saharan cities includingwho had protested peacefully against a stone Laayoune, Smara, Boujdour and Dakhla,quarry near their village in Beni Oukil were particularly against those demanding Sahrawiconvicted by a court in Oujda city of self-determination and calling for the release“obstructing public officials” and sentenced of Sahrawi prisoners. Several protesters,to a one-month suspended prison term and bloggers and activists were imprisoned, oftenfines which totalled 10,000 dirhams (around after unfair trials on trumped-up charges.USD1,050). In a separate protest, gendarmesarrested environmental activist In September, Sahrawi blogger Walid ElAbderrahmane Akhidir from Imider in the Batal was released from prison in Smara afterAtlas Mountains. In March, a court convicted serving a 10-month sentence and receiving ahim on trumped-up charges of assault and fine of 1,000 dirhams (around USD105) ontheft and sentenced him to a four-month trumped-up charges of insulting andprison term. assaulting public officers, damaging public property and taking part in an armed In April, gendarmes arrested human rights gathering.defenders Mahjoub El Mahfoud, MiloudSalim and Saif Saifeddine after they In July, a court in Laayoune convictedparticipated in a protest organized by Zohra Sahrawi activist Hamza El Ansari onEl Bouzidi, who self-immolated to protest trumped-up charges of assaulting andagainst her forced eviction from her home in insulting public officers and criminal damagethe town of Sidi Hajjaj. Gendarmes also for his participation in a protest in February,arrested Zohra El Bouzidi’s sister, Khadija El and sentenced him to one year’sBouzidi. A court convicted the four of imprisonment and a fine of 10,000assaulting and insulting public officers and dirhams (around USD1,050). The court failedsentenced the three men to two-year prison to investigate his allegation that police had ill-terms reduced on appeal to four months, and treated him and forced him to sign aKhadija El Bouzidi to 10 months’ statement while blindfolded. He was releasedimprisonment, reduced on appeal to two after his sentence was reduced to threemonths, as well as fines of 500 dirhams months on appeal in September.(around USD50) each. Zohra El Bouzidi diedfrom her injuries in October. TORTURE AND OTHER ILL-TREATMENT From May onward, the authorities deployed In October, the UN Subcommittee onsecurity forces on a scale unmatched in Prevention of Torture visited Morocco.recent years to prevent protests in the Rif Morocco had yet to establish a Nationalregion, and conducted mass arrests of largely Preventive Mechanism against torture.peaceful protesters, including children.3 Onsome occasions, security forces used Courts continued to rely on statementsexcessive or unnecessary force. Judicial made in custody in the absence of a lawyerauthorities failed to conduct adequate to convict defendants, without adequatelyinvestigations into the circumstances of the investigating allegations that statements weredeaths in August of two protesters, Imad El forcibly obtained through torture and other ill-Attabi and Abdelhafid Haddad. treatment. Between July and November, courts Between July and November, courts in Alconvicted many protesters in relation to Hoceima and Casablanca tried and convictedprotests in Rif, sentencing them to terms of many Rif protesters, drawing on statementsup to 20 years’ imprisonment on charges that defendants claimed were coerced,ranging from unauthorized protest to plotting without adequately investigating theirto undermine state security. Throughout the allegations that they were tortured andyear, the authorities routinely used excessive otherwise ill-treated in custody.4 In July, a civilian court convicted 23 Sahrawi activists in connection with deadly clashes in266 Amnesty International Report 2017/18

Gdim Izik, Western Sahara, in 2010, and REFUGEES’ AND MIGRANTS’ RIGHTShanded down heavy sentences, includingsome of life imprisonment, following their Morocco did not adopt a law on asylum butgrossly unfair trial by a military court in maintained its policy of allowing refugees2013.5 The civilian court failed to adequately access to basic rights and services, includinginvestigate allegations that they were tortured education. The authorities issued asylum-in custody and did not exclude information seekers and refugees registered by UNHCR,tainted by torture as evidence from the the UN refugee agency, with documentsproceedings.6 From September, at least 10 of protecting them against refoulement −the 19 Sahrawi activists who remained forcible return of individuals to a countryimprisoned went on hunger strike against where they risk serious human rightsprison conditions after being separated into violations − without taking a decision on theirdifferent prisons in Morocco. definitive status. Detainees reported torture and other ill- The authorities left a group of 25 Syriantreatment in police custody both in Morocco refugees stranded in the buffer zone of theand in Western Sahara. Judicial authorities border area with Algeria for three monthsfailed to adequately investigate these before giving them protection in July.8allegations and hold those responsible toaccount. Security forces continued to participate in the summary expulsion of migrants and Authorities kept several detainees in asylum-seekers from the Spanish enclaves ofprolonged solitary confinement, which Ceuta and Melilla to Morocco, and to useconstitutes torture or other ill-treatment. excessive or unnecessary force against them.Prisoner Ali Aarrass was held in isolation for Courts imprisoned migrants for unlawfulmore than one year.7 entry, stay or exit from Moroccan territory, including some who had applied to regularizeIMPUNITY their status, and on some occasions put them on trial without access to a lawyer.The authorities failed to take any stepstowards addressing impunity for grave In September, two Burkina Faso nationalsviolations including systematic torture, died after Moroccan security forces used tearenforced disappearances and extrajudicial gas against migrants attempting to enter theexecutions in Morocco and Western Sahara Spanish enclave of Melilla.between 1956 and 1999, despiterecommendations by the Equity and DEATH PENALTYReconciliation Commission transitional justicebody. Courts continued to hand down death sentences. No executions had been carried out since 1993.RIGHTS OF LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, POLISARIO CAMPSTRANSGENDER AND INTERSEX PEOPLE The Polisario Front again failed to hold toCourts continued to imprison men under account those responsible for committingArticle 489 of the Penal Code that human rights abuses in camps under itscriminalizes consensual same-sex sexual control during the 1970s and 1980s.relations. At least two men were sentenced tosix months’ imprisonment under Article 489. 1. UN peacekeeping force in Western Sahara must urgently monitorVictims of homophobic attacks reported human rights (News story, 18 April)being afraid to approach the police to filecomplaints because of the risk of arrest 2. Human Rights Council adopts Universal Periodic Review outcome onunder Article 489. Morocco (MDE 29/7141/2017) 3. Morocco: Rif protesters punished with wave of mass arrests (News story, 2 June) 4. Morocco: Dozens arrested over mass protests in Rif report torture in custody (News story, 11 August)Amnesty International Report 2017/18 267

5. Morocco/Western Sahara: Verdict in Sahrawi trial marred by failure to The December 2016 truce reached adequately investigate torture claims (News story, 19 July) between the government, led by the Mozambique Liberation Front, and the main6. Morocco/Western Sahara: Grant Sahrawi defendants a fair trial (MDE opposition party, Mozambique National 29/5753/2017) Resistance (RENAMO), continued to hold in 2017, after three years of violent clashes.7. Morocco: Further information: Health risks for detainee in isolation for Peace negotiations continued on 232 days − Ali Aarrass (MDE 29/6303/2017) decentralization of government powers. The relationship between the two leaders8. Syrian refugees trapped in desert on Moroccan border with Algeria in remained tense; RENAMO leader Afonso dire need of assistance (News story, 7 June) Dhlakama accused President Nyusi of failing to withdraw government troops from theMOZAMBIQUE Gorongosa region by the agreed time.Republic of Mozambique LAND DISPUTESHead of state and government: Filipe Jacinto Nyusi Mining companies acquired land used byThe government’s hidden borrowing plunged residents, exacerbating already existing foodthe country into economic crisis. Food insecurity which affected over 60% of peopleinsecurity deepened because of large-scale in rural areas who depended on the land forland acquisition for mining which pushed their livelihoods, and for food and water.people off land on which they depended forsubsistence. People expressing dissenting Coal mining company Vale Mozambiqueor critical views continued to face attacks began in 2013 to fence off land used by localand intimidation by unidentified individuals residents to graze their livestock and collector security forces. An estimated 30,000 firewood, including in the Nhanchere area inpeople with albinism faced discrimination the Moatize district of Tete province. On 13 and feared for their lives, and at least 13 June 2017, Hussen António Laitone was shotwere killed. Violence against women and dead by police in Nhanchere during thegirls remained widespread. community’s peaceful protest against land acquisition for mining; he had notBACKGROUND participated in the protest.The Administrative Tribunal and the FREEDOMS OF EXPRESSION ANDParliamentary Commission of Inquiry into the ASSOCIATIONSituation of the Public Debt stated in 2016that the guarantees on the undisclosed Intimidation and harassment of and attacksborrowing by the government of USD2.2 against people who expressed dissenting orbillion for use in security and defence critical views continued.spending was illegal and unconstitutional.The undisclosed loans were revealed in April Journalist and human rights activist2016; it was projected that they would drive Armando Nenane was severely beaten on 17 the public debt to 135% of GDP during May in the capital, Maputo, by riot police. He2017. Local currency lost value and prices was attacked for his views on the so-calledincreased substantially, a situation which was G40, a group allegedly created under thecompounded by the country’s dependence government of former President Guebuza toon imports. discredit opponents in favour of the government. Prior to the beating, Armando Senior government officials obstructed a Nenane received anonymous death threatsforensic audit of the loans which had been by telephone. No one had been helddemanded by international donors in order to accountable for the attack by the end of therestore trust and to resume aid support. year.Consequently, donors withheld aid pendingthe government’s co-operation and its full On 4 October, Mahamudo Amurane, Mayordisclosure. of the northern city of Nampula, was shot268 Amnesty International Report 2017/18

dead in front of his house by an unidentified VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLSgunman. Following disagreements with theleadership of the Mozambique Democratic There were high rates of women murdered,Movement (MDM), Mahamudo Amurane had often by men intimately known, or related, toannounced his intention to leave the party to them. In several cases, the perpetratorsform his own party and seek re-election in attempted to justify their actions by claimingOctober 2018 municipal elections. the victim used witchcraft against them. On 2 December, a gunman threatened to On 10 January, a 31-year-old man stabbedkill Aunício da Silva, an investigative journalist his 27-year-old wife to death with a kitchenand editor of Ikweli, a weekly publication, in knife in Inhagoia neighbourhood on theNampula. The gunman accused him of outskirts of Maputo. In February, in Vanduzipublishing articles that tarnished the image of district, Manica province, a 27-year-old manCarlos Saíde, the MDM mayoral candidate for decapitated his mother with a macheteNampula. saying she had refused to serve him food. In May, a man killed his mother in Guru district,DISCRIMINATION – PEOPLE WITH Manica province, claiming she cast a spell ofALBINISM sexual impotence on him. In August, two brothers killed their 70-year-old grandmotherAn estimated 30,000 people with albinism in the Messano locality, Bilene district, Gazaexperienced discrimination and were province, after accusing her of casting a badostracized; many lived in fear of their lives. luck spell on them. In September, in theIncidents of persecution increased; at least Centro Hípico neighbourhood located on the13 people with albinism were known to have outskirts of Chimoio, Manica province, a manbeen killed although figures are likely to have killed his 80-year-old mother with an iron barbeen greater. The killings were fuelled by after accusing her of bewitching him.superstition or myths about the magicalpowers of people with albinism. Most killings Although, in all these cases, the suspectedtook place in the central and northern perpetrators admitted that they carried outprovinces, the country’s poorest regions. the killings, the authorities failed to develop, resource and implement an effective strategy A seven-year-old boy with albinism was to combat violence against women.murdered on 31 January by four unidentifiedmen who broke into his house and abducted MYANMARhim while the family slept, in Ngaúmadistrict, Niassa province. On 28 May, a group Republic of the Union of Myanmarof unidentified assailants abducted a three- Head of state and government: Htin Kyawyear-old boy from his mother in Angóniadistrict, Tete province. On 13 September, a The human rights situation deteriorated17-year-old youth was killed for his body dramatically. Hundreds of thousands ofparts and organs in Benga area, Moatize Rohingya fled crimes against humanity indistrict, in Tete province. The attackers Rakhine State to neighbouring Bangladesh;removed his brain, hair, and arm bones. those who remained continued to live underNone of those responsible for the killings a system amounting to apartheid. The armywere arrested or brought to justice by the end committed extensive violations ofof the year. international humanitarian law. Authorities continued to restrict humanitarian access Despite public outcry, the government did across the country. Restrictions on freedomlittle to address the problem. A strategy was of expression remained. There wasdesigned to stop the killings; however, this increased religious intolerance and anti-was not implemented, allegedly because of a Muslim sentiment. Impunity persisted forlack of resources. past and ongoing human rights violations.Amnesty International Report 2017/18 269

BACKGROUND Rohingya who remained in Rakhine State continued to live under a system amountingThe civilian-led administration, headed de to apartheid, which severely restrictedfacto by State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, virtually every aspect of their lives andcompleted its first year in office in March. segregated them from the rest of society.2Economic reforms stagnated, while the peace Their rights to nationality, freedom ofprocess – aimed at bringing an end to movement, the highest attainable standard ofdecades of internal armed conflicts – stalled. health, education, work, food, freedom ofThe military retained significant political religion and belief, and to participate inpower and remained independent of civilian public life were routinely and systematicallyoversight. On 6 October, Myanmar ratified the violated on a discriminatory basis.ICESCR, due to come into force in thecountry on 6 January 2018. The government dismissed allegations of human rights violations and ignored calls forCRIMES UNDER INTERNATIONAL LAW – investigations and accountability. It signed aCRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY deal with Bangladesh to repatriate refugees subject to a verification process, andRakhine State was plunged into crisis when announced that it would work to implementsecurity forces unleashed a campaign of Kofi Annan’s recommendations and bringviolence against the predominantly Muslim development to Rakhine State.Rohingya ethnic minority in the northern partof the state, following co-ordinated attacks in INTERNAL ARMED CONFLICT late August by the armed group ArakanRohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) on Fighting between the Myanmar Army andapproximately 30 security posts. The attacks ethnic armed groups intensified in northerntook place just hours after a commission Myanmar. The Army committed wide-rangingheaded by former UN Secretary-General Kofi human rights violations against ethnicAnnan presented its recommendations to minority civilians, including extrajudicial“prevent violence, maintain peace and foster executions and other unlawful killings,reconciliation” in the state. enforced disappearances, arbitrary detentions, torture and other ill-treatment and The military, often working with Border forced labour. The Army regularly firedGuard Police and local vigilantes, killed an mortar and artillery shells when fightingundetermined number of Rohingya women, ethnic armed groups, which often landed inmen and children; tortured and otherwise ill- civilian areas. In May, an 81-year-old womantreated Rohingya women and girls, including was killed when a mortar exploded near herwith rape and other forms of sexual violence; home in Namhkan township, northern Shanlaid landmines; and burned hundreds of State.3 Several of these violations were likelyRohingya villages in what the UN High to amount to war crimes.Commissioner for Human Rights describedas a “textbook example of ethnic cleansing”. Ethnic armed groups committed violationsThe conduct of the security forces amounted of international humanitarian law, includingto crimes against humanity.1 enforced disappearances, forcible recruitment and extortion. Both the Myanmar More than 655,000 Rohingya fled to Army and ethnic armed groups laid anti-Bangladesh as a result of the violence. Other personnel landmines or landmine-likeethnic minority communities were also weapons. Many displaced people were afraidaffected, with an estimated 30,000 people to return to their homes as a result.temporarily displaced to other parts ofRakhine State. There were reports of abuses, LACK OF HUMANITARIAN ACCESSincluding killings of informants and theenforced disappearance of ethnic Rakhine Both the civilian government and the militaryand Mro villagers by ARSA. continued to severely and arbitrarily restrict270 Amnesty International Report 2017/18

humanitarian access, placing hundreds of ongoing instability, militarization in ethnicthousands of people at risk. areas and lack of access to essential services. In Rakhine State, authorities restricted aidaccess in the wake of the August ARSA PRISONERS OF CONSCIENCEattacks, suspending it entirely in the north ofthe state. The authorities later allowed the Despite prisoner amnesties in April and May,Red Cross Movement and the World Food prisoners of conscience remained inProgramme to operate in the area. However, detention. The authorities continued to use atheir access was limited and insufficient to range of vaguely worded laws that restrictedmeet needs. In other parts of Rakhine State, the rights to freedom of expression,access was further impaired by local tensions association and peaceful assembly to arrestand hostility towards international aid and imprison people solely for peacefullygroups.4 exercising their rights. The authorities further restricted access to Prisoner of conscience Lahpai Gam, andisplaced populations in northern Myanmar, ethnic Kachin farmer, remained in prison,especially to people living in territory that was suffering from serious health conditions. Henot under government control. In February, was tortured at the time of his arrest in 2012.the Myanmar Army prevented the delivery of200 UN-stamped “dignity kits” – which The government failed to provide restitutionincluded basic sanitary supplies – for women to former prisoners of conscience and theirand girls displaced in areas controlled by the families, such as compensation, assistance inKachin Independence Organization. gaining access to education and employment opportunities, and other forms of reparation.REFUGEES AND INTERNALLY FREEDOMS OF EXPRESSION,DISPLACED PEOPLE ASSOCIATION AND ASSEMBLYCivilians were displaced as a result of The rights to freedom of expression,conflict, violence and natural disasters. More association and peaceful assembly remainedthan 106,000 people remained internally subject to severe restrictions. There was adisplaced by the conflicts in northern surge in the number of people charged withMyanmar. Some 120,000 people, mostly “online defamation” under Section 66(d) ofRohingya, continued to live in squalid the 2013 Telecommunications Act.5 Followingdisplacement camps in Rakhine State where national and international pressure,they have been confined for five years Parliament adopted minor amendments tofollowing violence in 2012. the law. However, “online defamation” remained a criminal offence. By the end of the year more than 655,000Rohingya refugees had fled to Bangladesh Human rights defenders, lawyers andfollowing unlawful and disproportionate journalists – in particular those speaking outmilitary operations in northern Rakhine State. about the situation of the Rohingya, religiousIn November, Myanmar and Bangladesh intolerance and violations by the military –signed an agreement to repatriate refugees to faced surveillance, intimidation and attacks.Myanmar even as people continued to flee On 29 January, Ko Ni, a lawyer, was shotacross the border. The entrenched and dead at Yangon International Airport whileongoing regime amounting to apartheid in returning from an interfaith conference inRakhine State ensured that any returns Indonesia. At the end of the year, the trial ofwould not be safe or dignified. four alleged perpetrators was still ongoing; a fifth suspect remained at large. In November, Some 100,000 additional refugees from ethnic Kachin pastor Dumdaw Nawng LatMyanmar continued to live in camps in and his assistant Langjaw Gam wereThailand, where they faced decreasing imprisoned for providing assistance tohumanitarian assistance. Many expressed journalists reporting on military air strikesconcerns about returning to Myanmar, citingAmnesty International Report 2017/18 271

near the town of Monekoe in late 2016. Both CORPORATE ACCOUNTABILITYmen were sentenced to two years’imprisonment under the Unlawful Thousands of families living near theAssociations Act. Dumdaw Nawng Lat was Letpadaung copper mine in Sagaing regionsentenced to an additional two years for remained at risk of losing their homes and“defamation”. farmland under plans to expand the project.7 Villagers living close to the mine continued to The operations of independent media protest against the project. In March, at leastoutlets were increasingly restricted, and in 10 people were injured after police firedsome cases journalists were subjected to rubber bullets at a group of villagerscriminal prosecution for carrying out their protesting about the impact of truckswork. In June, three media workers were transporting materials to the mine. Accordingarrested and charged with contacting an to local authorities, six police officers were“unlawful association” after returning from an wounded by protesters using catapults.8area controlled by an armed ethnic groupoperating in northern Myanmar. They were In August, the Ministry of Defence rejectedreleased after charges against them were a proposal to relocate a factory producingdropped in August.6 In December, two sulphuric acid to supply the mine. SevereReuters reporters were detained under the risks were posed to the health of theOfficial Secrets Act in connection with their community living nearby. Environmental andwork reporting on the situation in Rakhine human rights concerns related to the projectState. Both were held incommunicado for two had not been addressed by the end of theweeks and remained in detention at the end year.of the year. DEATH PENALTYFREEDOM OF RELIGION AND BELIEF Courts continued to impose death sentencesThere was a sharp rise in religious under legal provisions allowing for theintolerance and anti-Muslim sentiment in the imposition of the death penalty. Nowake of the August attacks in Rakhine State. executions were carried out.The government exacerbated the situation byboth allowing and directly producing hate LACK OF ACCOUNTABILITYspeech inciting discrimination and violence inprint and online. State media published A persistent culture of impunity remained forderogatory anti-Rohingya articles; human rights violations committed by thegovernment officials published inflammatory security forces. Most perpetrators of past andposts on social media. current human rights violations, including crimes under international law, had not been Throughout the year religious minorities, in held accountable for their actions.particular Muslims, continued to facediscrimination. In April, two madrassas The government failed to adequately(religious schools) in Yangon were closed by investigate and hold to account perpetratorslocal authorities and police following pressure of serious human rights violations in Rakhinefrom a mob of Buddhist hardline nationalists. State, including crimes against humanity. InIn September, the Kayin State authorities August, an Investigation Commissionissued an order requiring all Muslims in the established by the President to probe thestate to report to local authorities before October 2016 attacks and their aftermathtravelling. Although the Kayin State Chief published a summary of its findings in whichMinister later said that the order was an it acknowledged casualties, destruction of“administrative error”, travel restrictions buildings, loss of property and displacement.reportedly remained in place at the end of However, it failed to establish responsibilitythe year. for these acts, or to state whether any action had been taken to prosecute perpetrators. The investigation lacked independence.9 In November, a military investigation concluded272 Amnesty International Report 2017/18

that no human rights violations had been 7. Mountain of trouble: Human rights abuses continue at Myanmar’scommitted in Rakhine State following the 25 Letpadaung mine (ASA 16/5564/2017)August ARSA attacks and subsequentmilitary campaign. 8. Myanmar: Investigate police use of force against protesters at troubled mine (ASA 16/5983/2017)INTERNATIONAL SCRUTINY 9. Myanmar: National efforts to investigate Rakhine State violence areIn March the UN Human Rights Council inadequate (ASA 16/5758/2017)established an independent, internationalFact-Finding Mission to “establish the facts NAMIBIAand circumstances” about human rightsviolations and abuses, in particular in Republic of NamibiaRakhine State. The Council requested the Head of state and government: Hage Gottfried GeingobMission to present its findings in September2018. The move was met with strong The right to adequate housing wasopposition by the government, which restricted and the situation was exacerbateddisassociated itself from the investigation and by high levels of unemployment, povertyrefused to allow the team into the country. and inequality. Eight prisoners of conscience in the long-running Caprivi trial A significant increase in international were held 14 years after their arrest, onattention was focused on Myanmar and the treason and sedition charges.crisis in Rakhine State following the Augustattacks. On 6 November, the UN Security RIGHT TO HOUSINGCouncil issued a presidential statementcalling for an end to the violence and for the Housing remained inadequate; therestrictions on humanitarian aid to be lifted. government failed to ensure accessible,Also in November, the UN General Assembly affordable and habitable housing. Overadopted a resolution on the situation of 500,000 people lived in shacks or makeshifthuman rights in Myanmar. In December, the settlements in urban areas while only 10% ofHuman Rights Council held a special session the population could afford to buy a houseon the situation of the Rohingya and other which cost on average 800,000 Namibianminorities. The EU and the USA suspended dollars (USD58,474) per household. Rural toinvitations to senior military officials. urban migration, high unemployment levels, low salaries, high rents and lack of available The UN Special Rapporteur on the situation and affordable land plots with residentialof human rights in Myanmar faced increasing services led to inadequate housingrestrictions on her access, and by the end of particularly in the capital, Windhoek. On 28the year had been barred from the country  March, 15 families were rendered homelessfor the remainder of her tenure. She had when Windhoek City Police arbitrarily evictedpreviously raised concerns about the them, without an eviction notice, from theirdeteriorating situation in the country. informal settlements in Agste Laan, Windhoek. Although the residents took their1. “My world is finished”: Rohingya targeted by crimes against case to the High Court seeking to be allowed humanity in Myanmar (ASA 16/7288/2017) to stay in the settlement and have their shacks rebuilt while their case was finalized,2. “Caged without a roof”: Apartheid in Myanmar’s Rakhine State (ASA the Court ruled against them on grounds that 16/7484/2017) they were not legally resident on the site.3. “All the civilians suffer”: Conflict, displacement and abuse in The inadequate housing in informal northern Myanmar (ASA 16/6429/2017) settlements was highlighted between 25 and 31 August when five children in the Erongo4. Myanmar: Restrictions on international aid putting thousands at risk and Oshikoto regions died in their homes in (News story, 4 September)5. Myanmar: Repeal Section 66(d) of the 2013 Telecommunications Law (ASA 16/6617/2017)6. Myanmar: Release journalists immediately (News story, 26 June)Amnesty International Report 2017/18 273

separate fires after their parents left them committee found that the main contributingalone in corrugated shacks. factors were a harmful living environment, uncertainty about the future, an inadequate The UN Independent Expert on the regulatory framework (including childenjoyment of all human rights by older protection policies), a lack of transparency inpersons noted that, while housing conditions operations affecting refugees, and a failure tofor older people in rural areas had improved hold authorities accountable for abuses. Bysince the country gained independence in the end of the year, neither the Australian nor1990, it had worsened in urban areas the Nauruan authorities had taken steps tobecause of the growth of informal settlements remedy the situation.where access to essential services likesanitation facilities and water and electricity Reports emerged during the year that thesupplies were inadequate. Spanish multinational company Ferrovial and its Australian subsidiary Broadspectrum wereCAPRIVI DETAINEES complicit in the abuse of refugees on Nauru, and that they reaped vast profits fromThe trial of eight prisoners of conscience, Australia’s refugee policies. Ferrovial statedaccused in the long-running Caprivi case, that it would not renew its contract when itresumed in May. Progress Kenyoka Munuma, expired in October.1Shine Samulandela, Manuel ManepeloMakendano, Alex Sinjabata Mushakwa, In August, a medical professional reportedDiamond Samunzala Salufu, Hoster Simasiku that four refugee women were being deniedNtombo, Fredderick Ntamilwa and John transfer to Australia to have abortions, whichMazila Tembwe were charged and convicted are illegal on Nauru.of treason and sedition in 2007. In 2013, theSupreme Court set aside their convictions In November, a refugee died after aand sentences ranging from 30 to 32 years motorcycle accident; a police investigationand ordered a retrial. However, they was under way. Later in the same month,remained in detention pending trial, in another refugee received head injuries in aviolation of international fair trial standards, at motorcycle accident.the end of the year. FREEDOMS OF EXPRESSION ANDNAURU ASSEMBLYRepublic of Nauru In May, three suspended parliamentarians,Head of state and government: Baron Waqa who were charged and convicted for peaceful protests in 2015, had their prison sentencesRefugees and asylum-seekers remained substantially increased on appeal: from threetrapped on Nauru. They had been forcibly months to 22 months for two defendants,sent there by the Australian government, and to 14 months for the third defendant.despite widespread reports of physical, Their lawyer announced the intention of thepsychological and sexual abuse. In three defendants to appeal their convictionSeptember, 27 refugees were sent to the and sentences to the High Court of Australia,USA; over 1,000 remained on the island. which is the ultimate court of appeal under Nauru’s legal system.REFUGEES AND ASYLUM-SEEKERS Journalists seeking to visit Nauru remainedIn April, an Australian Senate Committee subject to a non-refundable visa fee ofreport described numerous allegations of USD6,089. This severely restricted mediaphysical and sexual abuse, self-harm and freedom and hampered independent scrutinyneglect of refugees and asylum-seekers in of Nauru’s policies and practices.Nauru and Papua New Guinea. The 1. Treasure i$land – how companies are profiting from Australia’s abuse of refugees on Nauru (ASA 12/5942/2017)274 Amnesty International Report 2017/18

NEPAL In August, a vast area of the southern Tarai was flooded by monsoon rains that killed 143Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal people and affected 1.7 million others. MoreHead of state: Bidhya Devi Bhandari than 400,000 people were forced out of theirHead of government: Sher Bahadur Deuba (replaced homes, with more than 1,000 homes beingPushpa Kamal Dahal in June) completely destroyed. Victims were given inadequate assistance by the government,Nearly 70% of people made homeless by which blocked attempts to distribute aidthe 2015 earthquake remained in privately. Many continued to live intemporary shelters. Thousands of people inadequate housing and poor conditions. affected by monsoon floods in the Tarairegion were not provided with adequate EXCESSIVE USE OF FORCEassistance, including housing. Concerns byIndigenous and Madhesi people about Security forces continued to use unnecessaryclauses they viewed as discriminatory in the or excessive force in response to protests in2015 Constitution remained unaddressed. the Tarai, particularly over grievances relatingNo effective investigations took place into to the Constitution. In March, five protestersthe use of excessive force against protesters were killed and 16 others injured when policein the Tarai. Efforts toward ensuring truth, used firearms to disperse Madhesi protestersjustice and reparations for thousands of in Saptari district.victims of human rights violationscommitted during the decade-long armed WORKERS’ RIGHTS – MIGRANTconflict were inadequate. Nepali migrant WORKERSworkers continued to be subjected toextortion, fraud and bonded labour, and The government failed to deliver effectivewere put at risk of further human rights protection for migrant workers and end theabuse in employment abroad. culture of impunity for unlawful and criminal recruitment practices. Migrant workers wereBACKGROUND systematically subjected to unlawful and criminal conduct by recruitment businessesLocal elections were held for the first time in and agents. Recruiters routinely chargedmore than two decades. Parliamentary and migrant workers illegal and excessive fees;provincial elections took place in November deceived them about the terms andand December. In October, Nepal was conditions of their work abroad; andelected to the UN Human Rights Council. manipulated their consent to overseas work through the accumulation of recruitmentRIGHT TO HOUSING debts. Some recruiters were directly involved in labour trafficking, which is punishableHundreds of thousands of survivors from the under Nepal’s Human Trafficking and2015 earthquake (nearly 70% of those Transportation (Control) Act.affected) were still living in temporaryshelters. The government stipulated proof of Migrants trapped in forced-labour situationsland ownership as a condition for receiving a abroad faced extreme difficulty in accessingrebuilding grant. However, since up to 25% support from Nepalese embassies in order toof the population were considered not to have return home. Recruiters rarely providedmet this criterion, tens of thousands of the repatriation assistance to workers when theyearthquake survivors were ineligible for these encountered problems abroad despite theirgrants. The situation primarily affected obligations under the Foreign Employmentmarginalized and disadvantaged groups, Act. The authorities failed to investigate –including women, Dalits and other caste- including through autopsies – the highbased and ethnic minorities. number of migrant worker deaths during foreign employment.Amnesty International Report 2017/18 275

No improvements were made in the Commission and the Commission ofimplementation of the government’s “Free Investigation on Enforced Disappearedvisa, free ticket” policy, which was intended Persons – had respectively collected overto curtail recruitment charges by agencies. 60,000 and 3,000 complaints of humanAlthough the government made repeated rights violations, such as murder, torture andpublic commitments to reduce migration enforced disappearances committed by statecosts for workers and to protect them from security forces and Maoists during theincurring debt, it increased the burden on conflict from 1996 to 2006. Effectivemigrants by raising pre-departure costs. In investigations did not take place. An acuteJuly, the Foreign Employment Promotion shortage of resources and capacity adverselyBoard increased the amount migrant workers affected the ability of the two bodies to deliverwere required to contribute to the truth, justice and reparation.government-administered welfare fund. IMPUNITY Fewer than 100 recruitment agencies werefined or referred to the Foreign Employment Impunity remained entrenched. PoliticalTribunal for violations of Nepal’s foreign parties resisted amending transitional justiceemployment laws, even though more than laws in what was widely perceived as a8,000 migrant workers filed cases against prioritization of reconciliation and monetaryrecruitment agents. The Foreign Employment compensation over truth, justice andAct 2007 stipulates that victims must file other reparations, including guarantees oftheir complaints with the Department of non-repetition. No effective investigations hadForeign Employment and restricts police from taken place into the hundreds of killings ofactively investigating recruitment businesses demonstrators by security forces since 1990for their violations of Nepal’s criminal in various parts of the country, including thelegislation. Recruitment businesses Tarai.continued to use their political influence toprevent investigation, prosecution and DISCRIMINATIONredress for their routine abuse andexploitation of migrants. Discrimination persisted on the bases of gender, caste, class, ethnic origin, sexualTORTURE AND OTHER ILL-TREATMENT orientation, gender identity and religion. Constitutional amendments did not fullyThe criminal investigation system remained guarantee equal rights to citizenship forarchaic and draconian. Torture and other ill- women, nor provide protection fromtreatment was widespread in pre-trial discrimination to marginalized communitiesdetention to extract “confessions”. including Dalits and other caste-based and ethnic minorities, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, The new Criminal Code passed by transgender and intersex people.Parliament in August containedprovisions criminalizing torture and other ill- The provisions for punishment andtreatment, with a maximum of five years’ the statutory limitations relating to rape in theimprisonment. A separate anti-torture bill, new Criminal Code were still far short ofwhich remained pending in Parliament, fell international law and standards. Gender-far short of international legal requirements. based discrimination continued to undermine women’s and girls’ ability to control theirTRANSITIONAL JUSTICE sexuality and make informed choices related to reproduction; to challenge early and forcedThe government did not amend the marriages; and enjoy adequate antenatal andInvestigation of the Disappeared Persons, maternal health care.Truth and Reconciliation Commission Act2014 as ordered by the Supreme Court in2014 and 2015. By the end of the year, twobodies – the Truth and Reconciliation276 Amnesty International Report 2017/18

NETHERLANDS COUNTER-TERROR AND SECURITYKingdom of the Netherlands In March, two anti-terrorism laws came intoHead of state: King Willem-Alexander force for individuals suspected of being aHead of government: Mark Rutte threat to national security. The first allowed for administrative control measures onUndocumented migrants continued to be individuals, including travel bans anddeprived of their rights. New security restrictions on movement and contact withlegislation threatened to undermine human certain persons, without providing sufficientrights and the rule of law. Ethnic profiling safeguards against arbitrary andby police continued to be a pressing discriminatory use. The secondconcern, as was the use of Tasers in day-to- administrative law enabled the revocation ofday policing. Dutch nationality of dual citizens who are suspected of having travelled abroad to joinREFUGEES’ AND MIGRANTS’ RIGHTS an armed group. The laws did not provide for a meaningful and effective appeal.The number of people in immigrationdetention increased, after years of decline. In July, the law on the Intelligence andInsufficient attention was given by the Security Services was adopted. It gaveauthorities to alternatives to detention, while sweeping surveillance powers to intelligencethe necessity and proportionality of an and security services, threatening the rightsindividual’s (continued) detention were also to privacy, freedom of expression and non-insufficiently assessed. A draft law on discrimination. Safeguards against abuse ofamending immigration detention rules was these powers were insufficient. Seriouspending at the end of the year. Although the concerns remained about the possibility ofbill offered minor improvements, the information-sharing with intelligence agenciesdetention regime would remain “prison-like” in countries that might use such informationin terms of facilities, detention conditions and to target human rights defenders andthe use of disciplinary measures, including government opponents.isolation cells and use of handcuffs. Any person suspected or convicted of Despite a deteriorating security situation in terrorism-related offences continued to beAfghanistan, the Netherlands continued to automatically placed in a specialized high-forcibly return asylum-seekers whose claims security prison where they were subjected towere rejected to Afghanistan, including inhuman and degrading treatment.families with children, in breach of theprinciple of non-refoulement. POLICE AND SECURITY FORCESRIGHT TO AN ADEQUATE STANDARD OF In order to address ongoing ethnic profiling,LIVING the police introduced a professional standard and a training module to promote the fair andThe authorities remained unwilling to effective use of their stop-and-search powers.implement a recommendation by the UN However, the impact of this remainedCommittee on Economic, Social and Cultural unclear, as there was no systematicRights to put in place a comprehensive monitoring and recording of how these stop-strategy to ensure that everyone, including and-search powers were executed inundocumented migrants, enjoys the practice.minimum essential levels of all Covenantrights (such as the rights to food, housing, In February, the police began piloting thehealth, water and sanitation) and ensure this use of Taser X2 electro-shock weapons.is supported by adequate funding. Police records between February and August showed that Tasers were used in situations where there was no imminent threat of death or serious injury. In almost half of the cases, persons were tasered in direct contact mode,Amnesty International Report 2017/18 277

including when already handcuffed, inside a and/or waist restraints in at-risk units waspolice cell or vehicle, and in a separation cell found to amount to cruel, inhuman orin a psychiatric hospital. This usage is degrading treatment or punishment. Theinconsistent with international human rights separation of children and young people instandards. “secure care” units in “care and protection” residences was found to be inappropriate.FREEDOM OF RELIGION AND BELIEF REFUGEES AND ASYLUM-SEEKERSA government proposal for a ban on face-coverings in certain public spaces was The government announced the frameworkpending before the Senate at the end of the for its pilot community sponsorshipyear. The ban would restrict the rights to programme for refugee resettlement, to beginfreedom of religion and of expression, at the end of the year. The new refugeeparticularly of Muslim women. category allows community groups to sponsor 25 refugees to enter New Zealand.NEW ZEALAND CHILDREN’S RIGHTSNew ZealandHead of state: Queen Elizabeth II, represented by A UNICEF report raised concern over thePatricia Lee Reddy health and wellbeing of children in NewHead of government: Jacinda Ardern (replaced Bill Zealand, due to the high rates of teenEnglish in October) pregnancy, neonatal mortality and the high teen suicide rate. The UN Committee on theNew Zealand received criticism about its Elimination of Racial Discriminationmental health services, detention facilities, recommended the establishment of anhigh rates of Indigenous Māori independent inquiry into abuse suffered byrepresentation in the criminal justice children, the vast majority Māori, in state caresystem, and about poor health and between the 1950s and 1990s.wellbeing among children.  INTERNATIONAL JUSTICEJUSTICE SYSTEM The authorities declined to hold anThe Waitangi Tribunal, a permanent independent inquiry into allegations that thecommission of inquiry, found that the New Zealand Defence Force committedgovernment had failed to prioritize the crimes under international law during a raidreduction of the high rate of recidivism in Afghanistan in 2010, resulting in civilianamong Māori and had breached its Treaty of deaths. Lawyers filed a civil lawsuit calling forWaitangi obligations. The commission called a judicial review on behalf of the allegedfor urgent practical action to reduce the Afghan victims.number. The National Preventive Mechanismfound that Māori were disproportionally RIGHT TO HEALTHrepresented in all detention centres. Mentalhealth and disability in detention continued to The Auditor-General found that problemsbe a concern. Separate reviews by the with access to housing, rehabilitation andOmbudsman and an independent expert other services led to patients being kept incommissioned by the Human Rights mental health units for years.Commission highlighted the high use ofprolonged solitary confinement and restraintpractices in places of detention and the over-representation of ethnic minority groups inthese incidents. The use of “tie-down beds”278 Amnesty International Report 2017/18

NICARAGUA INDIGENOUS PEOPLES’ RIGHTSRepublic of Nicaragua Impunity persisted for crimes such asHead of state and government: Daniel Ortega Saavedra killings, rapes, kidnappings, enforced disappearances, death threats and forcedGender-based killings became increasingly displacement of Indigenous Peoples in thebrutal. Attacks against human rights North Atlantic Autonomous Region, evendefenders persisted. A total ban on abortion though both the Inter-American Commissionremained in place. Impunity persisted for on Human Rights (IACHR) and the Inter-perpetrators of violence against Indigenous American Court of Human Rights hadPeoples. The authorities continued to deny ordered Nicaragua in 2015 to adopt alla genuine and effective consultation necessary measures to investigate thoseprocess for communities likely to be crimes.affected by the construction of the GrandInteroceanic Canal. HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERSBACKGROUND Attacks against women human rights defenders continued, as reported at a publicIn January, Daniel Ortega assumed office as hearing before the IACHR in September.President for a third consecutive term. Women’s civil society organizations reportedRosario Murillo, his wife, assumed office as receiving death threats as well as beingVice-President for the first time. arbitrarily detained and attacked with the complicity or acquiescence of state officials.WOMEN’S RIGHTS In March, the Inter-American Court ofBetween January and December, there were Human Rights issued its judgment in Acosta55 gender-based killings of women, et al. v. Nicaragua; it found the stateaccording to the NGO Catholics for the Right responsible for having violated the rights toto Decide. The NGO found that the killings access to justice, truth and physical integritywere more brutal than in previous years and of human rights defender María Luisa Acosta,tended to be committed by perpetrators following the murder of her husbandacting in groups. Francisco García Valle.1 The authorities had yet to take steps to comply with the In June 2017, the National Assembly judgment, in particular to put an end to theapproved an amendment to the impunity in the case and ensure the rights toComprehensive Law on Violence against justice and truth of Mariá Luisa Acosta.Women; the amendment reduced the scopeof the definition of femicide to the private In August the IACHR granted precautionarysphere, limiting the crime to relations measures to Francisca Ramírez and herbetween spouses and partners. Critics said family after they were victims of deaththe new definition denied the reality of threats, harassment and attacks in retaliationfemicides, which were also committed in for her activism in opposition to thepublic places. construction of the Grand Interoceanic Canal. Abortion remained banned in all GRAND INTEROCEANIC CANALcircumstances. Nicaragua continued to haveone of the highest teenage pregnancy and There continued to be no genuine andmaternal mortality rates in the Americas effective consultation process for those whoregion, according to the UN Population Fund would be affected by the construction of the(UNFPA). Grand Interoceanic Canal, in violation of international human rights principles.2 According to the Centre for Legal Assistance for Indigenous Peoples, the right to free, prior and informed consent of the Indigenous and Afro-descendant Rama Kriol people relatingAmnesty International Report 2017/18 279

to the project had not been guaranteed, suspected Boko Haram members went ondespite several appeals lodged with the trial. Hundreds of people, includingcourts. Civil society organizations noted that prisoners of conscience, were arrested andthe scale of the project, which would include prosecuted for exercising their rights toan oil pipeline and two ports, among other freedom of expression and association.infrastructure, would affect hundreds of Security forces used excessive force againstthousands of people and would put them at protesters. The rights of refugees andrisk of eviction. migrants were violated. Human rights organizations and peasant BACKGROUNDfarmer communities continued to call for therepeal of Law 840, the law regulating the In March, the government declared a state ofCanal, due to its insufficient safeguards to emergency in the western areas borderingprotect Indigenous Peoples’ rights. Their Mali and extended the security forces’demands continued to be rejected and the powers after attacks by armed groups inauthorities had yet to open a meaningful Tillabéry and Tahoua. It renewed the state ofdialogue with the communities likely to be emergency in the Diffa region, where attacksaffected by the construction of the Canal. by armed groups continued.FREEDOMS OF EXPRESSION, FREEDOMS OF EXPRESSION ANDASSOCIATION AND ASSEMBLY ASSOCIATIONIn November, municipal elections took place Hundreds of people, including prisoners ofin a context of violence, with at least five conscience, were arbitrarily arrested andpeople reported to have been killed and 30 prosecuted for exercising their rights towounded in six municipalities. freedom of expression and association. There were also reports of unnecessary and In May, Insar Abdourahmane, a member ofexcessive use of force by the police against the Association of Action for Democracy andpeople peacefully protesting against the Human Rights, was arrested and detained forconstruction of the Canal, as well as reports more than 20 days in Agadez town forof arbitrary detention of protesters. Human criticizing the authorities on Facebook. Herights defenders were also reported to have was given a six-month suspended prisonbeen harassed and intimidated for their sentence for inciting violence.opposition to the project. In April, security forces used excessive force1. Nicaragua: The state must uphold, without delay, the judgment to repress a student protest in Niamey, the issued by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (AMR capital, against the suspension of bursary 43/6173/2017) payments and new age restrictions on welfare payments. One student, Mala Bagallé, was2. Danger: Rights for sale − the Interoceanic Grand Canal project in killed after being shot in the back with a tear Nicaragua and the erosion of human rights (AMR 43/6515/2017) gas canister, and dozens were wounded. In May, a commission of inquiry found that theNIGER gendarmerie was responsible for the killing; and a judicial investigation was opened.The Republic of NigerHead of state: Mahamadou Issoufou At least 300 students, including boardHead of government: Brigi Rafini members of the Niger Union of Students, were arrested throughout the country,Armed conflict continued and armed groups detained for a few days and released withoutcarried out at least 70 attacks, killing tens charge for participating in a protest andof civilians. The humanitarian situation blocking traffic.continued to deteriorate. Over 700 In May, Amadou Ali Djibo, leader of the opposition coalition Front for the Restoration of Democracy and the Defence of the280 Amnesty International Report 2017/18

Republic, was convicted of inciting revolt Abada on the Nigeria border, when they wereand, after 11 days’ detention, was given a 90- mistaken for members of an armed group.day conditional suspended sentence. An investigation was launched into the killings. In April, Baba Alpha, an outspokenjournalist working for private television ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURALchannel Bonferey, and his father, who was RIGHTSborn in Mali, were arrested and charged withforgery and illegal status. In July they were The UN CEDAW Committee expressedsentenced to two years’ imprisonment for concern that 82% of the population lived inforgery. extreme poverty. Women were particularly affected by food insecurity in rural areas, a In June, Ibrahim Bana, a member of fact linked to, among other things, theiropposition party Moden Fa Lumana, and socioeconomic status and the impact ofGamatié Mahamadou Yansambou, Secretary climate change and extractive industries. TheGeneral of the Union of Taxi Drivers, were Committee also expressed concern thatarrested and charged for attempting to temporary measures to achieve greaterinfluence a judicial investigation after they gender equality were inadequately applied,denounced, on social media, corruption in including in employment, education andthe judicial system. In July, Ibrahim Bana health.was sentenced to three months’imprisonment, including two months As the humanitarian situation deterioratedsuspended, and Mahamadou Yansambou due to conflict, the UN estimated that 2.2was released after more than 15 days.  million people, including 408,000 in Diffa, were in need of humanitarian assistance; 1.8 In July, 43 members of the teachers’ union  million were estimated to be severely foodSYNACEB were convicted of disrupting insecure. Over 73% of children under fivepublic safety and inciting a riot, after they and almost 46% of women of reproductiveboycotted substitute teacher evaluations. age suffered from anaemia.They spent more than 15 days in detentionand were sentenced to suspended prison REFUGEES’ AND MIGRANTS’ RIGHTSterms of between one and three months. Over 60,000 refugees and migrants transitedARMED CONFLICT Niger on the way to Libya and Algeria where many suffered serious abuses including rape,Armed groups including Boko Haram carried unlawful detention in harsh conditions, ill-out at least 70 attacks on soldiers and treatment and extortion, and unknownvillages in the Diffa, Mainé-Soroa, Tillabéry numbers died. Operations to arrestand Bosso regions. At least 30 people, perpetrators pushed smugglers to use moreincluding civilians, were killed and others dangerous routes to Libya or Algeria.wounded; over 60 people were abducted. InJune, suspected Boko Haram members In May, eight migrants from Niger, includingkilled nine people and abducted 37 women five children, died of thirst after they werein the region of Nguigmi. abandoned on the way to Algeria; and 92 migrants were found close to death by the The trial of 700 people accused of Niger Army after being beaten andsupporting Boko Haram began on 2 March. abandoned by their driver in the desert nearMost had been arrested in the Diffa region Bilma in the north. In June, 44 migrants,since 2013, although some had been including babies, were found dead in thedetained since 2012. Among them were desert near Agadez, central Niger, after theirNigerians, including refugees from areas vehicle broke down on the way to Libya.affected by Boko Haram. In July, 13 people, including two Nigernationals and 11 Nigerian nationals, werekilled by Niger soldiers in a village nearAmnesty International Report 2017/18 281

NIGERIA of Kala Balge local government, in Borno state, killing at least 167 civilians, includingFederal Republic of Nigeria many children. The military said the bombingHead of state and government: Muhammadu Buhari was an accident as Rann was not identified as a humanitarian camp.The armed group Boko Haram continued to ARBITRARY ARRESTS AND DETENTIONScarry out attacks, resulting in hundreds ofdeaths. Reports continued of extrajudicial The military arbitrarily arrested and heldexecutions, enforced disappearances, and thousands of young men, women andtorture and other ill-treatment, which, in children in detention centres around thesome cases, led to deaths in custody. country. Detainees were denied access toConditions in military detention conditions lawyers and family members. The armywere harsh. Communal violence occurred released 593 detainees in April and 760 inacross the country. Thousands of people October.were forcibly evicted from their homes. By April, the military detention facility atARMED CONFLICT Giwa barracks, Maiduguri, held more than 4,900 people in extremely overcrowded cells.BOKO HARAM Disease, dehydration and starvation were rifeBoko Haram carried out at least 65 attacks and at least 340 detainees died. At least 200causing 411 civilian deaths, and abducted at children, as young as four, were detained inleast 73 people. Sixteen women, including 10 an overcrowded and unhygienic children’spolicewomen, were abducted in June when cell. Some children were born in detention.Boko Haram ambushed an army-escortedconvoy on the Maiduguri-Damboa road. In The military detained hundreds of womenJuly, Boko Haram ambushed a team of oil unlawfully, without charge, some becauseprospectors in a village in Magumeri. Three they were believed to be related to Bokooil workers were abducted and at least 40 Haram members. Among them were womenother people were killed, including soldiers and girls who said they had been victims ofand members of the Civilian Joint Task Force. Boko Haram. Women reported inhumanOn 6 May, 82 Chibok schoolgirls, abducted in detention conditions, including a lack of2014, were released by Boko Haram fighters health care for women giving birth in cells.in an exchange deal; 113 girls remained incaptivity. In November, six farmers in Dimge On 24 September, the Minister of Justicevillage in Mafa were abducted and beheaded. announced that the mass trial of Boko Haram suspects held in different detention centresINTERNALLY DISPLACED PEOPLE had commenced. The first phase of trials was handled by four judges in secret, between 9There remained at least 1.7 million internally and 12 October. Fifty defendants weredisplaced people (IDPs) in the northeastern sentenced to various terms of imprisonment.states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa; 39% An interim report of the Director of Publiclived in camps or similar settings and 61% in Prosecutions showed that 468 suspects werehost communities. The UN said that 5.2  discharged and the trial for the remaindermillion people in the northeast remained in was adjourned to January 2018.urgent need of food assistance; 450,000children under five were in urgent need of LACK OF ACCOUNTABILITYnutrition. In July, Doctors without Bordersreported that 240 children had died from In June, the Special Board of Inquiry tomalnutrition in Borno state. investigate allegations of gross violations of human rights, established by the Chief of On 17 January, the Nigerian Air Force Army Staff, found that Giwa barracks wasbombed an IDP camp in Rann, headquarters extremely overcrowded, with poor sanitation and insufficient ventilation, factors which resulted in detainees’ deaths. It cleared282 Amnesty International Report 2017/18

senior military officers, alleged to have UNLAWFUL KILLINGScommitted crimes under international law, ofwrongdoing. At least 10 IPOB members were killed and 12 others wounded by soldiers in Umuahia, In August, acting President Yemi Osinbajo Abia state on 14 September. The militaryset up a presidential investigation panel to claimed that they were killed when they triedprobe allegations of human rights violations to resist the arrest of leader Nnamdi Kanu atcarried out by the military. Between 11  his home. Witnesses say that, in addition toSeptember and 8 November, the panel sat in those killed, at least 10 IPOB members werethe capital, Abuja, and in the cities of shot and taken away by soldiers. TheMaiduguri, Enugu, Port Harcourt, Lagos and government subsequently banned the IPOB.Kaduna. On 9 March, a court in Abuja sentenced two In its December preliminary report, the police officers to death for their part in theOffice of the Prosecutor of the ICC extrajudicial execution of six traders in Apo,announced that it would continue to assess Abuja, in 2005. Three other police officersthe admissibility of the eight potential crimes including the leader of the police team wereit had previously identified as having been acquitted. In 2005, a Judicial Commission ofallegedly committed in Nigeria. Inquiry had indicted six police officers for the murders and recommended their trial as wellTORTURE AND OTHER ILL-TREATMENT as compensation for the victims’ families. One of them allegedly escaped from custodyTorture and other ill-treatment and unlawful in 2015.detention by the police and the State SecurityService (SSS) continued. In February, Nonso In September, the High Court in PortDiobu and eight other men were arrested and Harcourt convicted five SARS policemen fordetained by Special Anti-Robbery Squad the extrajudicial executions of Michael Akor(SARS) officers in Awkuzu, Anambra state. and Michael Igwe in 2009. The court alsoThey were tortured and all, except Nonso awarded 50 million naira (USD143,000) inDiobu, died in custody. Nonso Diobu was compensation to the victims’ families.charged with robbery and released fourmonths after arrest. In December, after huge pressure on social media, the Inspector General of Police In May, a high court ordered the SSS to agreed to reform SARS.release Bright Chimezie, a member of theIndigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). Instead, COMMUNAL VIOLENCEthe SSS included his name in another case.Bright Chimezie had not been brought to Inter-communal violence linked to lingeringcourt by the end of the year; the SSS had clashes between herdsmen and farmingheld him in incommunicado detention for communities resulted in more than 549more than one year. deaths and the displacement of thousands in 12 states. In February, 21 villagers were Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, leader of the Islamic killed in an attack by suspected herdsmen inMovement of Nigeria (IMN), and his wife three communities in the Atakad district ofremained in incommunicado detention Kaura, Kaduna state. Witnesses said thewithout trial since their arrest in December herdsmen killed, looted, and burned the2015 despite a court ordering their release villagers’ houses. In June, a communal clashand compensation. in the Mambilla Plateau of Taraba state left scores of people dead, mostly herdsmen and In September, the Nigerian police launched their families. In September, at least 20Force Order 20 which sought to reduce the people were killed when suspectedexcessive use of pre-trial detention by herdsmen invaded Ancha village in theproviding free legal advice to suspects at Miango district of Jos, Plateau state, after apolice stations. In December, the Anti-Torture misunderstanding between villagers andBill – intended to prohibit and criminalize the herdsmen residing in the community. Inuse of torture – was signed into law.Amnesty International Report 2017/18 283

October, 27 people were killed by suspected On 2 February, a High Court in Abujaherdsmen in a classroom where they were declared threats of forced evictions withoutsheltering after three days of attacks in the the service of statutory notices illegal. It urgedNkyie-Doghwro community of Bassa, Plateau state authorities to take measures to conferstate. In December, herdsmen attacked at security of tenure on affected residents. Theleast five villages in Demsa LGA in Adamawa judgment prevented the Abuja authoritiesstate to avenge the massacre of up to 57 from forcibly evicting hundreds of thousandspeople, mostly children, in November in of residents in Mpape community. On 21nearby Kikan community. Residents June, a Lagos State High Court found thatdescribed being attacked by a fighter jet and forced evictions and their threat werea military helicopter as they attempted to flee. unconstitutional and amounted to cruel,At least 86 people were killed by the inhuman or degrading treatment.herdsmen and air force bombing. WOMEN’S RIGHTSRIGHT TO HOUSING AND FORCEDEVICTIONS Nigeria’s federal Parliament and Adamawa and Gombe states continued to debate theAuthorities in Lagos, Imo and Rivers states Gender and Equal Opportunities Bill. Incontinued to forcibly evict thousands of October, ECOWAS Court held that Nigeriaresidents, without adequate notice, violated the right to dignity of three women bycompensation, or the provision of alternative wrongly accusing them of being sex workers,accommodation and resettlement. and unlawfully arresting and verbally abusing them. In Lagos state, at least 5,000 people wereforcibly evicted from Otodo-Gbame and IDP women and girls reported gender-basedIlubirin waterfront communities between violence including rape and sexualMarch and April, in violation of previous exploitation, often in exchange for food andLagos State High Court orders. The orders other necessities, by military officers andrestrained state authorities from demolishing members of the Civilian Joint Task Force inthe homes of affected communities the northeast. Households headed by womenconsisting of at least 300,000 residents, and reported discrimination in access to foodordered them to consult with residents. In assistance and livelihood opportunities inMarch, the Lagos state government pulled some locations.out of the consultations saying thecommunities’ demand for resettlement was A group of women who were previouslyunreasonable. confined to Bama IDP camp campaigned for the release of their husbands from military During the forced eviction of Otodo-Gbame detention, and for justice for rape and othercommunity on 9 April, at least two people abuses they suffered while in the campwere shot, one fatally, as the police fired at between 2015 and 2016. The Chief of Armyunarmed residents. There were no Staff was reported to have ordered aninvestigations into the shootings. On 13 June, investigation in June into misconduct byLagos state authorities forcibly evicted soldiers in the camp.hundreds of people from Ijora-Badiacommunity. HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS On 15 June, Rivers state authorities forcibly Human rights defenders continued to faceevicted hundreds of people from Ayagologo intimidation for their work. Parliamentwaterfront community in Port Harcourt. debated a bill to regulate and restrict the work of NGOs. If passed, it would establish On 15 November, police in Lagos arrested an NGO Regulatory Commission to keep aand detained 158 residents, including six register of all NGOs, co-ordinate theirwomen one of whom was pregnant, who were activities, and monitor their budgets andprotesting against forced evictions in thestate.284 Amnesty International Report 2017/18

funding. A public hearing on the bill took FREEDOMS OF ASSEMBLY ANDplace in December. ASSOCIATION On 19 July, police arrested and detained The security forces disrupted, in some casesMaurice Fangnon for six days for calling for violently and with excessive force, peacefulinvestigations into alleged killings and protests and assemblies.assaults of residents in Otodo-Gbamecommunity. He was rearrested on 12 The police continued to deny IMN, which December with Bamidele Friday; they were was banned by the Kaduna state governmentreleased on bail on 22 December. Raymond in 2016, the right to peaceful protest. On 25Gold faced criminal charges carrying a  January, the Abuja police arrested nine IMNmaximum three-year prison sentence for members in connection with a peacefuldemanding that an oil company conduct an protest demanding the release of Ibrahim El-Environmental Impact Assessment on Zakzaky.activities which harmed the environment. On6 June, police officers harassed, beat and On 25 July, police in Kano city prevented ainjured Justus Ijeoma at Onitsha Area group of women from protesting against theCommand. In October, he received a written persistent rape of women and children in theapology from the Area Command. state. On 8 August, police violently dispersed peaceful protesters who demanded theFREEDOM OF EXPRESSION return of President Buhari who was in the UK for medical treatment.Journalists were harassed, intimidated andarrested. On 19 January, police raided the CORPORATE ACCOUNTABILITYoffices of Premium Times and arrestedpublisher Dapo Olorunyomi and In June, the widows of four men from thecorrespondent Evelyn Okakwu for several Ogoni region in the Niger Delta who werehours, after the Chief of Army Staff accused executed following an unfair trial in 1995,the newspaper of offensive publications. filed a lawsuit in the Netherlands against Shell, demanding compensation and a public On 19 April, Kaduna state police arrested apology. They accused Shell of complicity inand detained Midat Joseph, a journalist with the unlawful arrest and detention of theirLeadership newspaper, for a WhatsApp husbands during a brutal crackdown by thecomment. He was taken to court the next day then military authorities on the Movement foron charges of criminal conspiracy, inciting the Survival of the Ogoni People. Internationaldisturbance and injurious falsehood. On 31  organizations called for Shell to beJuly, the court dismissed the case on investigated for involvement in these crimes.grounds of lack of diligent prosecution. Environmental pollution linked to the oil On 19 September, the Katsina state police industry continued to undermine thearrested three bloggers, Jamil Mabai, Bashir economic, social and cultural rights of theDauda and Umar Faruq, for criticizing the Niger Delta communities.Governor. Bashir Dauda and Umar Faruqwere released after one week and Jamil The government took limited steps toMabai was detained for 22 days. address pollution in the Ogoni region of the Niger Delta, as recommended by the UN On 27 October, Audu Maikori, who was Environment Programme (UNEP) in 2011.arrested for publishing false information However, local communities expressedonline, was awarded 40 million naira frustration at the slow progress of the(USD112,700) in compensation for unlawful initiative and because operations on thearrest and detention. ground had not begun. Shell failed to comply with some of UNEP’s key recommendations. In September, operations to clean up the pollution caused by two large oil spills in 2008 began in the Bodo community in the Ogoni region.Amnesty International Report 2017/18 285

RIGHTS OF LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, REFUGEES AND ASYLUM-SEEKERSTRANSGENDER AND INTERSEX PEOPLE There was a dramatic decrease in theArrest, public shaming, extortion of and number of people claiming asylum. Bydiscrimination against individuals based on November, only 3,378 people had claimedtheir sexual orientation were reported in asylum, compared to 31,145 in 2015,several parts of the country. In April, the according to government statistics.Nigerian police arraigned 53 men in amagistrate court in Zaria, Kaduna state, for The government continued to take initiativesconspiracy and unlawful assembly and for to restrict the rights of asylum-seekers andbelonging to an unlawful society. They were refugees. The practice of “Dublin” returns –accused of attending a gay wedding and requiring any asylum claim to be processedgranted bail. by the country in which the applicant first arrived – to Italy continued, and restarted to In August, about 42 men and boys between Greece.12 and 28 years old were arrested at a hotelin Lagos while attending an HIV intervention Afghan nationals represented the fifthprogramme organized by an NGO. They were biggest group of people who claimed asylumcharged with “engaging in gay activities”. The by the end of November. They continued topolice paraded the victims to the media. face obstacles in accessing asylum and forced return to Afghanistan. According toDEATH PENALTY Eurostat, there was a dramatic drop in asylum recognition rates for Afghan nationals,Death sentences continued to be imposed; down to 24% by August; Norway had theno executions were recorded. In July, at the highest number of persons being forciblyNational Economic Council, state governors returned to Afghanistan.agreed to either sign execution warrants orcommute death sentences as a way of VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLSaddressing overcrowding in prisons. Deathrow prisoners reported that execution gallows Gender-based violence, including rape andwere being prepared for executions in Benin sexual violence, remained a serious concern.and Lagos prisons. The Norwegian Penal Code was still not in accordance with international human rights In August, the Ogun state government standards as the definition of rape was notannounced that it would no longer maintain based on consent. The number of rape casesan informal commitment to refrain from reported to the police had been increasingauthorizing executions. steadily over the years. In 2016, 1,663 cases of rape were reported to the police, an In September, the Senate passed a bill increase of nearly 21.9% since 2015.prescribing the death penalty for kidnapping. Shortcomings in police investigations contributed to the low level of rapeNORWAY prosecutions. In April, the Director of Public Prosecutions reviewed the quality ofKingdom of Norway investigations in 275 nationally reported rapeHead of state: King Harald V cases. The review concluded that there wasHead of government: Erna Solberg considerable room for improvement in the quality of police investigations, and pointedSerious concerns remained about the especially at weaknesses in the initial phase,prevalence of, and inadequate state where the necessary steps to secureresponse to, rape and other violence against evidence were not always taken.women. The rights of refugees and asylum-seekers continued to be restricted; Afghan Following the consideration of Norway’sasylum-seekers faced forced returns to ninth periodic report, the Committee on theAfghanistan. Elimination of Discrimination against Women expressed concerns about the high level of286 Amnesty International Report 2017/18

gender-based violence against women, and Women remained subject to discriminationrecommended a number of measures in law. Migrant workers were exposed toincluding the adoption of a legal definition of exploitation and abuse. The death penaltyrape in the Penal Code that places lack of remained in force; no executions werefree consent at its centre. In addition, the reported.Committee expressed concern at theconsequences of the criminalization of the BACKGROUNDpurchase of sexual services from adults. Thecommittee recommended a white paper on Oman maintained a neutral stance in theprostitution with a comprehensive framework regional crisis in which Saudi Arabia, thewhich ensured that women who engage in UAE, Bahrain and Egypt severed relationssex work are not prosecuted for the selling of with Qatar, as well as in relation to the Saudisexual services, including for acts that Arabia-led coalition fighting in Yemen sincecurrently amount to criminal acts of 2015.“promotion of prostitution”. There was a marked decline in coverage ofRIGHTS OF LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, human rights issues in the country. Oman’sTRANSGENDER AND INTERSEX PEOPLE economy continued to be impacted by: lower oil prices, Oman’s main source of income; aThe Penal Code still did not classify violence relatively high deficit; the removal ofmotivated by discriminatory attitudes towards subsidies, notably on petroleum; a rise intransgender people as a hate crime. fees for some government services; and a temporary hiring freeze for public sectorINTERNATIONAL JUSTICE positions.On 1 March, a 44-year-old Rwandan national FREEDOM OF EXPRESSIONaccused of complicity in the 1994 genocidein Rwanda was released after four years in The government continued to unduly restrictcustody. The Ministry of Justice had freedom of expression. In January thepreviously concluded that he could be authorities ordered the dismissal of aextradited to Rwanda. The investigation into journalist who was reporting on sex traffickingan allegation by his defence lawyer – that two in the country, and revoked the licence ofwitnesses were pressured into giving false another journalist who was covering reportstestimonies to the prosecutors – led to the that Oman had sought financial support fromconclusion that their testimonies were not its neighbours. In February, the annualsufficiently credible. Muscat International Book Fair suspended the participation of two writers, apparently inOMAN connection with their criticism of the government. In April, the authorities arrestedSultanate of Oman at least two people in connection withHead of state and government: Sultan Qaboos bin Said Facebook posts; they were subsequentlyAl Said released. In May, the government blocked the online publication of the MowatenThe authorities curtailed the rights to newspaper; it remained blocked at the end offreedom of expression and association, the year.using flawed legal procedures to suspendnewspapers and to arrest, prosecute and The chilling effect of the trials againstconvict journalists on criminal and Azamn newspaper and its journalistsadministrative grounds. Family members of continued to reverberate following Azamn’shuman rights defenders faced harassment publication in 2016 of two reports detailingand intimidation from the authorities. allegations of corruption in the government and the judiciary. The government renewed a rolling, temporary suspension of the newspaper, despite a court ruling overturningAmnesty International Report 2017/18 287

the suspension. In January the Public custody, inheritance, and passing theirProsecutor appealed against the December nationality on to their children.2016 acquittal of Azamn journalist Zaheral-‘Abri. He was released on bail in August. WORKERS’ RIGHTS – MIGRANTEditor-in-chief Ibrahim al-Maamari and WORKERSdeputy editor-in-chief Youssef al-Haj werereleased in April and October respectively Migrant workers continued to faceafter completing their prison sentences. In exploitation and abuse. Domestic workers,June, Azamn staff members approached the mainly women from Asia and Africa,government for financial support following its complained that employers to whom theyclosure. were tied under the official kafala sponsorship system confiscated their In January the High Court in the capital, passports, forced them to work excessiveMuscat, overturned a three-year prison hours without time off, and denied them theirsentence on journalist Hassan al-Basham, full wages and adequate food and livingpartly because of his ill-health, and ordered conditions. The kafala system did not providethe case back to the Appeal Court. In domestic workers with the protectionsNovember the initial three-year prison available under the Labour Law.sentence was upheld. In June 2016 theCourt of Appeal in Sohar had upheld the DEATH PENALTYverdict, which was based on charges of“insult” to God and the Sultan. The death penalty remained in force for a range of crimes. No convictions or executions In January a Muscat Appeal Court were reported.overturned the three-year prison sentenceand fine of 1,000 Omani Riyals (about PAKISTANUSD2,600) handed down in October 2016 towriter Hamoud al-Shukaily, a member of the Islamic Republic of PakistanOmani Society for Writers and Authors, on Head of state: Mamnoon Hussaincharges of incitement to protest or disturbing Head of government: Shahid Khaqan Abbasi (replacedpublic order relating to a 2016 Facebook Muhammad Nawaz Sharif in August)post. The crackdown on freedom of expression The Appeal Court verdict in the case of intensified. The Prevention of Electronicwriter and film critic Abdullah Habib was Crimes Act, 2016 was used to intimidate,postponed several times. In November 2016 harass and arbitrarily detain human rightshe had been sentenced to three years’ defenders for online comments. Enforcedimprisonment and a fine of 2,000 Omani disappearances were widespread; impunityRiyals (about USD5,200). was prevalent. Blasphemy-related violence claimed the life of a student, triggering rare On 23 May a lower instance court condemnation from the government. Largesentenced writer and researcher Mansour al- demonstrations took place in support ofMahrazi to three years’ imprisonment and a blasphemy laws, which were used to convictfine on charges of “undermining the state” people expressing opinions online.and violating publication laws by writing and Journalists were attacked by unidentifiedpublishing a book in Lebanon without assailants. Minorities continued to facepermission. He was appealing the case at the discrimination in the enjoyment ofend of the year. economic and social rights. Attempts to restrict child marriage were blockedWOMEN’S RIGHTS by Parliament. Killings of women continuedWomen faced discrimination in criminal lawand in personal status or family law, inrelation to matters including divorce, child288 Amnesty International Report 2017/18

in so-called “honour” crimes, despite the military intelligence custody; the fifth2016 law criminalizing the practice. remained disappeared. The draconian Prevention of Electronic CrimesBACKGROUND Act of 2016 was used to carry out a number of arrests throughout the year including, inThe Supreme Court disqualified Prime June, the arrest of journalist ZafarullahMinister Nawaz Sharif from office in July for Achakzai, a reporter for the newspaper Dailyfailing to disclose a source of foreign income. Qudrat. Over subsequent weeks, supportersFollowing his resignation, the government’s of different political parties were arrested forauthority progressively weakened as social media posts critical of the authorities.members of the Sharif family and ministers in No action was taken against social mediathe government became the subject of fresh accounts belonging to armed groups thatcorruption probes. The Minister for Law and incited discrimination and violence.Justice resigned in November after weeks ofprotests in which he was accused of People were prosecuted after beingblasphemy. The military took an increasing accused, particularly over social media, forlead on foreign policy, national security and alleged breaches of vague and broaddaily governance ahead of elections due by blasphemy laws, which criminalized peacefulAugust 2018. expression if deemed to offend religious sensibilities. In June, Taimoor Raza was Tensions endured between India and sentenced to death by an anti-terrorism courtPakistan against the backdrop of firing from in Punjab, southern province, for allegedlyboth sides across the Line of Control that blasphemous posts on Facebook. Individes the disputed territory of Kashmir. September, Nadeem James, a Christian, wasRelations with Afghanistan deteriorated as sentenced to death by a court in Gujrat citythe two countries accused each other of for sharing a “blasphemous” poem overusing their territory as a launching pad for WhatsApp.armed attacks. Under its new South Asiapolicy, the USA singled out Pakistan as a Accusations of committing blasphemysource of instability in Afghanistan, raising triggered the execution-style killing of Mashalthe prospect of a rupture in relations. Turning Khan, a university student, in Mardan city. Inaway from the West, Pakistan drew closer to April, a mob of students stormed his hostel,China with the expansion of the China- stripped him naked and beat him repeatedlyPakistan Economic Corridor, a multi-billion before shooting him. Then Prime Ministerdollar infrastructure project. Nawaz Sharif vowed to take action against those who “misuse” the blasphemy laws. Six Pakistan was elected to the UN Human days later, a “faith healer” accused ofRights Council in October. Pakistan’s human blasphemy was similarly killed by threerights record was examined by UN bodies attackers inside his home in Sialkot city. Twoduring the year: the Committee on Economic, days after that, a mob in Chitral city attackedSocial and Cultural Rights, the Human Rights a man accused of blasphemy, injuring policeCommittee and under the UPR process. officers trying to protect him. In May, a 10- year-old boy was killed and five others wereFREEDOM OF EXPRESSION injured as a mob in Hub town in Balochistan tried to attack Prakash Kumar, a Hindu, forAttacks on freedom of expression continued, allegedly posting an offensive image online.particularly against those posting commentsonline. In January, five bloggers who made Senior government officials exacerbatedanonymous online comments said to be tensions around blasphemy-related offences.critical of the military were subject to In March, then Interior Minister Nisar Alienforced disappearances. Four of the Khan deemed so-called blasphemersbloggers were later released; two of them “enemies of humanity”. In February andlater said they had been tortured while in March, the Islamabad High Court ordered theAmnesty International Report 2017/18 289

removal of allegedly blasphemous content whereabouts remained unknown at the endonline and directed the government to initiate of the year. In October and November,proceedings against people responsible for dozens of Sindhi and Baloch defenders wereuploading them. subjected to enforced disappearances by Pakistani security forces. Some returned toHUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS their homes days later, but others remained missing at the end of the year.Bloggers, journalists, lawyers, activists andother human rights defenders faced Space for civil society continued to shrink asharassment, intimidation, threats, the Interior Ministry used broad powers toviolence and enforced disappearance. The undermine the ability of human rightsfive bloggers who were forcibly disappeared defenders and NGOs to workand activists who campaigned for their independently. In November, the Ministry ofrelease were subject to a smear campaign the Interior ordered 29 international NGOs toaccusing them of being “blasphemers”, halt their operations and leave the country“anti-Pakistan”, “anti-Army” and “anti- within days. Islam”. Human rights defenders criticized ontelevision and on social media faced death ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURALthreats, forcing some to self-censor and to RIGHTSseek protection for their physical safety. Around 58% of households were food In May, Rana Tanveer, a journalist covering insecure, according to the National Nutritionabuses against religious minorities, found Survey, and an estimated 44% of childrendeath threats sprayed on his home in Lahore remained underdeveloped or short for theircity. A few weeks later, he was knocked off age. The percentage was significantly higherhis motorbike and severely injured after a car in Federally Administered Tribal Areas anddeliberately crashed into him. In September, Balochistan.Matiullah Jan, a journalist who had regularlybeen critical of the military’s interference in The government failed to take action againstpolitics, was attacked by men on motorbikes those who held people in bonded labour inwho hurled a large piece of concrete at the rural areas. The 1992 Bonded Labourcar in which he was travelling with his Abolition Act was still notchildren, shattering the windscreen. In adequately enforced; reasons included a lackOctober, Ahmad Noorani, an outspoken of clarity regarding the law on the part ofpolitical journalist, was attacked by men on lower court judges and lack of actionmotorbikes who stopped his car and beat by police when complaints were filed. him, including with iron rods. At the end ofthe year no one was known to have been In its 2017 review, the UN Committee onheld accountable for any of these attacks. Economic, Social and Cultural Rights noted that more than 73% of workers, a majority of Defenders continued to be subjected to them women, were in the informal economyenforced disappearances, but some also with no labour or social protection. Thereappeared. Raza Khan, a Lahore-based Committee called on Pakistan to address thepeace activist, was subjected to an enforced gender pay gap, which rose from 34% indisappearance in December. Punhal Sario, a 2008 to 39% in 2015. The Committee alsocampaigner against enforced disappearances noted an urgent need to increase spending inin Sindh province, went missing in August. the social sector, especially for health andHe returned home in October. Zeenat education. It further stated that adequateShahzadi, the first female journalist to be steps must be taken to reduce the gapforcibly disappeared, was found near the between girls and boys in enrolment forAfghanistan border in October, 26 months education.after she went missing in Lahore. Shedisappeared again in November; her290 Amnesty International Report 2017/18

RIGHTS OF LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, electric shocks. The couple had beenTRANSGENDER AND INTERSEX PEOPLE sentenced to death by a jirga (tribal council). In September, a man in Peshawar city killedIn an historic advance for LGBTI rights, the his two daughters because he suspected theygovernment recognized those who wished to had boyfriends.register as a “third gender” on nationalidentity cards. Transgender people were The 2016 law, which brought the penaltiesrecognized for the first time in the national for so-called “honour” crimes in line withcensus, on the orders of the Lahore High murder, proved ineffective. The law, whichCourt. provides for the death penalty, allows the judge to decide whether the crime was Despite this symbolic victory, transgender “honour-based”. In some cases in 2017, thepeople continued to suffer harassment and accused successfully claimed another motiveviolent attacks. In August, a 25-year-old and was pardoned by the victim’s familytransgender woman called Chanda was shot under qisas and diyat laws, which allow fordead in Karachi. In September, five men “blood money” and forgiveness instead ofbroke into a house rented by a group of punishment.transgender women in Karachi city andsubjected them to sexual violence, including REFUGEES AND ASYLUM-SEEKERSthe gang rape of two of the women. The expulsion of Afghan refugeesWOMEN’S RIGHTS continued, albeit at a far slower rate. According to UNHCR, the UN refugeeKey legislation to protect women’s rights agency, 59,020 registered Afghan refugeesfailed to be passed and existing legislation were involuntarily returned to Afghanistan,was not enforced. The draft Sindh Criminal compared to more than 380,000 inLaw (Protection of Minorities) that 2016 (the mass deportations triggered bycriminalized forced conversions of women escalating tensions between the Pakistanifrom religious minority groups remained and Afghan governments). More than 2unratified. A bill that would have equalized million Afghans remained at risk of beingthe age of consent to marriage for men and forcibly returned as their legal residencywomen by raising the minimum age of status was due to expire at the end of themarriage for girls from 16 to 18 was blocked year.by the upper house of Parliament.VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLS POLICE AND SECURITY FORCESViolence continued against women and girls, The mandate of military courts to try civilianincluding killings by relatives committed in “terrorism” suspects was extended for athe name of so-called “honour”. In Khyber further two years. Reports continued thatPakhtunkhwa northwest province, 94 women security forces were involved in human rightswere murdered by close family members. In violations, including torture and other ill-several cases, there was a failure to conduct treatment, arbitrary detention, extrajudicialinvestigations and hold the perpetrators executions and enforced disappearances.accountable. Impunity remained in the absence of independent, impartial mechanisms to Parallel and informal justice systems investigate and bring perpetrators tocontinued to undermine the rule of law and justice. While the number of attacks byto issue unjust “verdicts” that punished armed groups fell in 2017, scores of peoplewomen and girls. In July, a village council in died in bombings that targeted the securityMultan district ordered and carried out the forces, religious minorities and others. rape of a teenage girl in “revenge” for a crimeallegedly committed by her brother. InAugust, the bodies of a teenage couple inKarachi were exhumed to reveal evidence ofAmnesty International Report 2017/18 291

PALESTINE (STATE Hamas announced its readiness to dismantleOF) its committee administering Gaza, and called for legislative and presidential elections to beState of Palestine held in the West Bank and Gaza. Later thatHead of state: Mahmoud Abbas month, the two rival political parties HamasHead of government: Rami Hamdallah and Fatah signed a reconciliation agreement in Cairo, Egypt, aimed at ending the decade-The Palestinian authorities in the West long split between the West Bank andBank and the Hamas de facto Hamas-run Gaza. In November, the “nationaladministration in the Gaza Strip escalated consensus” government took over control oftheir restrictions on freedom of expression. the border crossing between Gaza and Egypt,In both areas, security forces tortured and and checkpoints near crossings with Israel.otherwise ill-treated detainees withimpunity. The authorities in the West Bank FREEDOMS OF EXPRESSION ANDtook punitive actions against the Hamas ASSEMBLYadministration that further restricted thecivilian population’s access to vital services, As political in-fighting continued, authoritiesexacerbating the humanitarian crisis in the West Bank and Gaza used threats andresulting from Israel’s military blockade of intimidation against activists and journalistsGaza. Women in both areas continued to to suppress peaceful expression, includingface discrimination and violence. Courts in reporting and criticism. According to theGaza handed down death sentences and NGO Palestinian Centre for Development andHamas carried out public executions; no Media Freedoms, the Palestinian authoritiesexecutions were carried out in the West in the West Bank were responsible for 147Bank. attacks on media freedom during the year. These included arbitrary arrests, ill-treatmentBACKGROUND during interrogations, confiscation of equipment, physical assaults, bans onGaza remained under an Israeli air, sea and reporting and the banning of 29 websitesland blockade, in force since June 2007. critical of the West Bank authorities. HamasContinuing restrictions on exports crippled authorities in Gaza were responsible for 35the economy and exacerbated widespread such attacks.impoverishment among Gaza’s 2 millioninhabitants. Egypt continued to enforce an In January, security forces in Gaza violentlyalmost total closure of the Rafah border dispersed a protest in Jabalia refugee campcrossing with Gaza, compounding the impact against Hamas’ mismanagement of theof the Israeli blockade. electricity crisis (see below). Activists and organizers were detained, threatened and in Divisions between the Ramallah-based some cases tortured for organizing the“national consensus” government and the demonstrations. Activist Mohammad al-Hamas de facto administration in Gaza Talowli was arrested on three occasionspersisted for much of the year. In an throughout the year for his role in organizingapparent effort to regain control of the Gaza the protests, and received death threats.Strip, the Palestinian authorities introduced aseries of punitive measures against Hamas, Journalists working with media affiliatedwhich remained in place at the end of the with the West Bank authorities were barredyear. from working freely in Gaza. Palestine TV correspondent Fouad Jaradeh was arrested In October, the “national consensus” by Hamas Internal Security Forces on 6 Junegovernment held a cabinet meeting in Gaza, and tried before a military court formediated by the Egyptian authorities, after “collaborating with Ramallah”. He was released in August.292 Amnesty International Report 2017/18

The Electronic Crimes Law (Law 16 of mismanagement of the electricity crisis said2017) was adopted in July. It permitted the that Hamas’ internal security forces torturedarbitrary detention of journalists, whistle- him in custody. He reported being beatenblowers and others who criticize the with a plastic pipe, blindfolded, and forced toauthorities online. The law allowed for prison sit in strenuous positions with his handssentences and up to 25 years’ hard labour for cuffed for around four days. Others reportedanyone deemed to have disturbed “public ill-treatment.order”, “national unity” or “social peace”. Anamended draft proposed removing several EXCESSIVE USE OF FORCErepressive provisions, but left in place othersthat allowed arbitrary restrictions on the rights Security forces used excessive force toto freedom of expression, privacy and disperse protests in the West Bank and Gaza.protection of data. The draft had not beenmade public by the end of the year. On 12 March, Palestinian security forces used excessive force to violently suppress a Six Palestinian journalists were charged peaceful protest outside the Ramallah Districtunder the Electronic Crimes Law in August. Court in the West Bank. At least 13 men andIn June and July, at least 10 journalists were eight women were injured; among them weresummoned for interrogation by Preventative four journalists covering the protest.Security Forces for publicly criticizing the law. Seventeen people were hospitalized. ThoseHuman rights defenders were subjected to injured suffered bruises from heavy beatingsinterrogation, harassment and threats in with wooden batons or after being struck byrelation to their human rights work, including tear gas canisters. Farid al-Atrash, a lawyer,criticism of the Electronic Crimes Law. human rights defender and the head of ICHR’s Bethlehem office, reported being Prominent human rights defender Issa beaten to the ground by police using woodenAmro was detained for a week in September batons.and charged with several offences under theElectronic Crimes Law and the 1960 A Fact-Finding Commission established byJordanian Penal code, which remained in Prime Minister Hamdallah to investigate theforce in the West Bank. incident found that the use of force to disperse the protest violated governmentTORTURE AND OTHER ILL-TREATMENT regulations. It made a series of recommendations, including reparation andTorture and other ill-treatment of detainees accountability measures. Despite the Primeremained common and was committed with Minister’s stated commitment to uphold theimpunity by Palestinian police and security recommendations, these remainedforces in the West Bank, and by Hamas unimplemented, and none of the officerspolice and security forces in Gaza. The responsible for the violence were brought toIndependent Commission for Human Rights justice.(ICHR), Palestine’s national human rightsinstitution, received hundreds of allegations WOMEN’S RIGHTSof torture and other ill-treatment of detaineesheld in the West Bank and Gaza.   Women and girls continued to face discrimination in law and in practice, and In September, a 16-year-old boy and were inadequately protected against sexualanother detainee died in unclear and other gender-based violence, includingcircumstances in Hamas-controlled detention so-called “honour” killings. At least 28centres in Gaza City. The Public Prosecution women and girls were reported to have beenin Gaza announced that it would carry out an killed by male relatives in “honour” killings,investigation; this had not been concluded by according to civil society.the end of the year. Under provisions of the Jordanian Penal At least one activist detained in relation to Code, judges were able to use stereotypes ofhis role leading the protests against Hamas’ women’s sexuality to justify minimizing theAmnesty International Report 2017/18 293

sentences of those convicted of “honour” patients’ long-term health. Hamas authoritieskillings. reported a shortage of baby formula, blaming West Bank authorities. Article 308 of the Jordanian Penal Code,which allows for those who commit rape or DEATH PENALTYsexual assault to escape punishment bymarrying the victim, remained in force. The death penalty was applied in Gaza. Six people were executed after civil and military More than three years after the State of courts sentenced them to death afterPalestine acceded to CEDAW, national convicting them of “collaboration with Israel”legislation had not been amended in line with or other offences.CEDAW. The applicable Jordanian PersonalStatus law continued to discriminate against In May, Hamas executed three men in Gazawomen with regard to marriage, inheritance, for allegedly assassinating a senior Hamasdivorce, guardianship and property rights. commander. They were sentenced to death in a trial that lasted one week and consistedECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL of four brief sessions only. The sentencesRIGHTS were carried out in a public square in Gaza City; two men were hanged and one executedThe Palestinian government based in by firing squad. The executions were shownRamallah imposed several punitive measures live on social media.against Gaza in a bid to pressure the Hamasadministration to give up control of Gaza. No one was sentenced to death or executedThese measures impeded the civilian in the West Bank.population’s access to medical care, essentialservices including water and electricity, and IMPUNITYeducation. This contributed to violations ofthe rights to health, an adequate standard of Impunity for human rights abuses includingliving, and education. unlawful killings and torture in the West Bank and Gaza persisted. No criminal In May, the West Bank authorities informed investigations were launched into theIsrael that they would cover only 70% of the apparent extrajudicial executions of Faresmonthly cost of Israeli electricity supplies to Halawa and Khaled al-Aghbar by PalestinianGaza due to Hamas’ failure to reimburse security forces in Nablus in August 2016, northem. As a result, access to electricity in was anyone brought to justice for the death ofGaza was reduced from an average of eight Ahmad Izzat Halawa under torture in Jneidhours per day to between two to four hours prison in the same month.per day. In Gaza, Hamas authorities took no steps to The West Bank authorities cut the salaries prosecute members of its forces and Hamas’of some 60,000 civil servants in Gaza by military wing, the ‘Izz al-Din al-Qassam30%, undermining their right to an adequate Brigades, for extrajudicial executions theystandard of living and prompting mass carried out in 2014 and 2016.protests. According to the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs, in Marchthe West Bank authorities suspended thepayments for transfers of people in need ofmedical treatment outside Gaza, delaying thereferrals of some 1,400 patients. NGOsreported that procedural delays resulted inthe deaths of several patients, includingbabies. The UN reported delays in thetransfer of essential medicines and medicalsupplies to hospitals in Gaza, affecting294 Amnesty International Report 2017/18

PAPUA NEW Hillside Haus and West Lorengau Haus wereGUINEA inadequate, with frequent water and power cuts. Refugees were subject to threats andIndependent State of Papua New Guinea attacks following the transfers.Head of state: Queen Elizabeth II, represented byRobert Dadae (replaced Michael Ogio in February) POLICE AND SECURITY FORCESHead of government: Peter Charles Paire O’Neill In April, PNG navy officers fired shots at theViolence by security forces remained Manus Island refugee centre at Lombrumendemic; prisoners, refugees and women after a dispute about use of a nearby footballwere the most frequent victims. Disputes field. Initial reports by PNG and Australiaabout elections led to violent clashes and suggested that only one shot was fired intodeaths in some parts of the country. More the air and was not a serious security breach.than 800 refugees and asylum-seekers However, after forensic evidence establishedremained trapped in Papua New Guinea that multiple shots had been fired directlyafter being forcibly sent there by the into the centre, putting the lives of refugees,Australian authorities. Two refugees with immigration officials and private contractorsserious mental health issues died, raising at risk, Australia confirmed that nine peopleconcerns about inadequate health care. were injured, including three refugees. No investigation had taken place by the end ofREFUGEES AND ASYLUM-SEEKERS the year.Australia’s policy of detaining and processing In May, PNG security forces shot and killedrefugees on Manus Island, Papua New 17 detainees during an escape attempt fromGuinea (PNG), resulted in the systematic a prison in Lae city. The prison hadviolation of the rights of hundreds of previously been noted for poor conditions,individuals. In February, Iranian refugee lack of sanitation and overcrowding. TheLoghman Sawari was detained and charged authorities stated that investigations would beafter he was forcibly returned to PNG from conducted into the incident but no furtherFiji, where he had fled to seek asylum. Papua information was received by the end of theNew Guinea claimed he had provided false year. Around half of those detained at theinformation to obtain a passport. However, by facility were being held on remand and manySeptember all charges against him had been had waited years for their trials.dismissed by the courts for lack of evidence. ELECTION-RELATED VIOLENCE Two refugees died (in August and October)in suspected suicides. The circumstances of National elections were held from late June tothe deaths were being investigated by the August. Allegations of corruption,PNG Coroner. mismanagement, widespread exclusion of voters and a heavy-handed response by the In September, around 25 refugees were authorities led to a tense atmosphere, intransferred to the USA. The vast majority of some cases involving violence or arrests.refugees and asylum-seekers remainedtrapped on Manus Island. By mid-August, violence over disputed seats following the election resulted in the deaths On 23 and 24 October, refugees were of at least 20 people and the burning down offorcibly removed from the Lombrum refugee some 120 houses in Enga and Southerncentre by PNG immigration and police Highlands provinces.officers armed with metal poles andtransferred to Hillside Haus, West Lorengau GENDER-RELATED VIOLENCEHaus or the East Lorengau Transit Centre;some sustained minor injuries. Facilities at Gender-related violence continued to be a major issue. On 14 October, prominent journalist Rosalyn Albaniel Evara died. Family members and close friends claimed she wasAmnesty International Report 2017/18 295

a victim of domestic violence. No charges of the government’s reaction to the protestshad been brought by the end of the year. also reported being harassed by the authorities. In November, a six-year-old girl was cut andburned following accusations of sorcery in On 1 April, opposition activist RodrigoEnga. Her mother, Kepari Leniata, had been Quintana was killed by police in the contextpublicly burned to death in Mount Hagen in of the protests. Dozens of people were2013; no perpetrators have been brought to injured, more than 200 were detained, andjustice. Authorities often failed to adequately local organizations reported allegations ofinvestigate or prosecute cases of violence torture and other ill-treatment by securityfollowing sorcery accusations because of the forces.deeply held customary beliefs of policeofficers and the community. In June, in response to allegations that 23 journalists had been attacked by police In November, the PNG government during the protests in March, National Policeannounced 25 million Kina (USD7.8m) in adopted a security protocol for journalists atfunding to end violence against women, set risk.up child protection, and to address violencefollowing sorcery accusations. INTERNATIONAL SCRUTINYPARAGUAY In September, the UN Committee against Torture issued concluding observations andRepublic of Paraguay recommendations on Paraguay, including toHead of state and government: Horacio Manuel Cartes ensure that all persons deprived of theirJara liberty enjoy all legal safeguards from the beginning of the detention, including theIndigenous Peoples continued to be denied rights to access a lawyer of their choice, to betheir rights to land and to free, prior and promptly examined by a doctor respectinginformed consent on projects affecting their confidentiality and privacy, and to bethem. A bill to eliminate all forms of given access to an independent medicaldiscrimination was pending approval at the practitioner if they so request.end of the year. There were reports thathuman rights defenders and journalists The Committee also recommended prompt,were persecuted amid violations of the right impartial and effective investigations into allto freedom of expression, and that police allegations of excessive use of force, arbitraryused excessive force to repress detention and acts of torture and other ill-demonstrations. treatment by law enforcement officials, including those reported during theFREEDOMS OF EXPRESSION AND demonstrations of 31 March and 1 April, andASSEMBLY to ensure that the perpetrators are prosecuted and the victims receive adequateIn March, journalists Menchi Barriocanal and reparation.Oscar Acosta reported on a secret attempt bysenators to amend the Constitution to allow In addition, the Committee recommendedpresidential re-elections. In response, that an independent, effective, exhaustiveprotests erupted on 31 March and 1 April, and impartial investigation be conducted intowith some protesters setting fire to the allegations of disproportionate use of lethalCongress building. force, torture and other ill-treatment during the confrontation in Curuguaty in 2012, as President Cartes and ruling party well as alleged violations of due processrepresentatives publicly accused the two during the judicial proceedings against 11journalists of inciting violence and threatened campesinos (peasant farmers) related to thisthem with arrest. Other media workers critical case. On 16 August, Congress approved a law to implement the Rome Statute of the296 Amnesty International Report 2017/18

International Criminal Court (ICC) and ensure fire, and 12 others were injured. The Nationalco-operation with the ICC. On 23 August the Mechanism for the Prevention of Torture hadExecutive sent to Congress for ratification the reported in 2016 the lack of fire protectionKampala Amendments on the crime of and evacuation protocols in the centre.aggression and on Article 8 of the RomeStatute. SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTSINDIGENOUS PEOPLES’ RIGHTS In July, President Cartes vetoed Bill No. 5833/2017, which aimed to establish a civilNegotiations began between the government registry record of “deaths of conceivedand representatives of the Ayoreo unborn children”. In August, the Chamber ofTotobiegosode Indigenous Peoples living in Deputies and the Senate rejected the vetovoluntary isolation, with a view to and approved the bill, which wasimplementing the precautionary measures promulgated by the President at the end ofgranted by the Inter-American Commission the year. The bill was denounced by humanon Human Rights (IACHR) to protect these rights organizations as introducing an almostcommunities from third parties seeking to absolute protection of the foetus, which couldaccess their ancestral land, and to reach a potentially take precedence over the rights tofriendly settlement in a case pending before life, physical integrity and health of womenthe IACHR for the violation of their rights. and girls. The Yakye Axa community remained In October, the Ministry of Education andwithout access to their lands despite a ruling Science passed a resolution banning publicfrom the Inter-American Court of Human education materials on “gender theory”,Rights ordering the government to construct which in practice restricted materials relatedan access route. The case regarding the to gender equality, reproductive rights,ownership of land expropriated from the sexuality and non-discrimination.Sawhoyamaxa community, which has asimilar ruling from the Inter-American Court PERUin their favour, had also not been resolved bythe government. Republic of Peru Head of state and government: Pedro Pablo KuczynskiRIGHT TO HOUSING AND FORCED GodardEVICTIONS Land and territory-related rights continuedIn September, the Chamber of Deputies to be threatened by the adoption of lawsupheld the Executive’s veto of a bill that weakening the protection framework for thewould have expropriated 900 hectares of rights of Indigenous Peoples andland from its current occupants to return it to undermining the right to free, prior andthe Guahory campesino community, who informed consent. Violence against womenwere forcibly evicted in 2016. and the rate of pregnancy among girls continued to increase without an effective In October, human rights organizations response from the state. A presidentialreported that one year after the forced pardon and grace granted to formereviction of the Avá Guaraní de Sauce Peruvian president Alberto Fujimori oncommunity in connection with the Itaipu humanitarian grounds raised serioushydroelectric dam, no progress had been concerns regarding impunity and themade regarding the restitution of their lands. respect of due process guarantees.As a result, the community withdrew fromdialogue with the authorities.DETENTIONIn September, two boys held at a juveniledetention centre in Ciudad del Este died in aAmnesty International Report 2017/18 297

HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS 2009, had been serving a 25-year sentence for crimes against humanity. The decisionBoth state and non-state actors continued to was seriously flawed by lack of transparency,threaten and harass human rights defenders, impartiality, respect for due process andparticularly those working on issues related to participation of the victims and their families,land, territory and the environment, in the notably given the severity of the crimes underabsence of policies for their effective international law.protection or public recognition of theimportance of their work. Human rights In June, the Supreme Court of Chiledefenders were criminalized and harassed confirmed the extension of Alberto Fujimori'sthrough judicial proceedings with high extradition request to include the killing of sixpenalties, and they usually lacked financial residents of Pativilca district in theresources for adequate legal representation. department of Lima in January 1992. In July, the Third National Criminal Prosecutor's In May, the Supreme Court confirmed the Office of Peru accused Alberto Fujimori ofacquittal of Máxima Acuña, putting an end to responsibility for this crime, committed by hisan unfounded criminal proceeding for land subordinates in complicity with others.seizure that had lasted for more than five Nevertheless, the grace granted to him on 24years. Máxima Acuña and her family  December lifted any criminal proceedingscontinued to report acts of intimidation, while against him, therefore raising concerns ofthe ownership of the lands on which they impunity in the Pativilca case.lived was still pending judicial resolution. In August, military officers were sentencedINDIGENOUS PEOPLES’ RIGHTS for the torture, enforced disappearance and extrajudicial execution of 53 people in LosThe issuance of a series of regulations Cabitos military barracks in Ayacucho inlowering environmental standards and 1983.procedures for access to land aimed atpromoting extractive or infrastructure projects In September, the trial began of former navycontinued to conflict with the protection personnel charged with killing more than 100framework for Indigenous Peoples’ rights. people during a riot in El Frontón prison in 1986, a charge which could amount to a Indigenous Peoples of the Cuninico crime against humanity.community in Loreto region and thecommunities of Espinar in Cusco region were VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLSstill suffering a health crisis due to their onlywater sources being contaminated with toxic Between January and September themetals, while the government failed to Attorney General’s Office registered 17,182undertake necessary actions to provide them complaints of “crimes against sexualwith specialized medical attention or access freedom”, which include rape and otherto clean and safe water. forms of sexual violence. Only 2,008 (11%) of the complaints were followed up by the No substantial progress was made in the judiciary. The registry of complaints did notcase of four Asháninka Indigenous leaders list the gender of complainants.who were killed in Ucayali region in 2014after reporting death threats from illegal In the same period, the Ministry for Womenloggers to the authorities. reported 94 cases of femicide.IMPUNITY There were no concrete advances in policy or legislation to combat violence againstOne year after its approval, the National Plan women and girls.for the Search for Disappeared Persons wasstill not implemented. SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS On 24 December, President Kuczynski Pregnancy rates among girls remained high.granted a humanitarian pardon and grace to Official records showed that at least 12 girlsformer president Alberto Fujimori who, since aged 11 and under, and 6,516 girls aged298 Amnesty International Report 2017/18

between 12 and 17, gave birth between penalty stalled at the Senate after a bill wasJanuary and March. passed by the House of Representatives. Abortion continued to be criminalized in all EXTRAJUDICIAL EXECUTIONS ANDcircumstances except when the health or life SUMMARY KILLINGSof the pregnant woman or girl is at risk. Thedebate on a bill for decriminalization of The deliberate, unlawful and widespreadabortion in cases of rape was pending before killings of thousands of alleged drugCongress. offenders appeared to be systematic, planned, organized and encouraged by the More than 5,000 women had been included authorities, and may have constituted crimesin the Registry of Victims of Forced against humanity. Most of those killed wereSterilization. Despite this, there was no from poor urban communities.1 Despiteprogress in obtaining justice and providing evidence that police and gunmen with linksreparation. to the police killed or paid others to kill alleged drug offenders in a wave ofRIGHTS OF LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, extrajudicial executions, authorities continuedTRANSGENDER AND INTERSEX PEOPLE to deny any unlawful deaths. In January, the President suspended the violent anti-drugsPeru continued to lack specific legislation campaign for one month following the killingrecognizing and protecting the rights of in police custody of a Republic of KoreaLGBTI people, who continued to face national. In March, the unlawful killings ofdiscrimination and violence based on their suspected drug offenders in police operationssexual orientation or gender identity. resumed, as did drug-related killings by other armed individuals. The number of killings on In May, Congress partially repealed a single day in police anti-drug operationsLegislative Decree 1323, including the reached 32 in August. Police continued tosection which established “sexual orientation rely on unverified lists of people allegedlyand gender identity” as aggravating grounds using or selling drugs. In September, thefor certain crimes and as elements of the killings of three teenagers within a few weekscrime of discrimination. sparked a national outcry. CCTV footage and witness statements contradicted police Transgender people continued to lack social accounts of the killing of one of the three, 17-and legal recognition of their gender identity, year-old Kian delos Santos, who according toand were deprived of their rights to freedom forensic experts and witnesses appeared toof movement, health, work, housing and have been extrajudicially executed.2education, among others. In October, President Duterte announcedPHILIPPINES that the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency would take over the anti-drugs campaignRepublic of the Philippines from the Philippine National Police. However,Head of state and government: Rodrigo Roa Duterte it was announced less than two months later that police might rejoin anti-drug operations,Thousands of unlawful killings by police despite unresolved issues. Meaningfuland other armed individuals continued as investigations into killings of alleged drugspart of the government’s anti-drugs offenders failed to take place; no policecampaign. Human rights defenders critical officers were known to have been held toof the campaign were singled out and account. Relatives of victims continued to betargeted by the President and his allies. A fearful of reprisals if they filed complaintsstate of martial law was declared and against police.extended twice on the island of Mindanao,raising fears of further human rightsabuses. Attempts to reintroduce the deathAmnesty International Report 2017/18 299

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION the Philippines’ international obligations and in particular as a state party to the SecondHuman rights defenders, in particular those Optional Protocol to the ICCPR, aiming at thecritical of the government, faced threats and abolition of the death penalty. A draft law tointimidation. Journalists worked in dangerous reintroduce the punishment was adopted byand at times deadly environments. In August, the House of Representatives in March butradio broadcaster Rudy Alicaway and stalled in the Senate after facing opposition.columnist Leodoro Diaz were shot dead in theprovinces of Zamboanga del Sur and Sultan INTERNAL ARMED CONFLICTKudarat respectively. Radio broadcasterChristopher Iban Lozada was killed by President Duterte declared martial law in theunidentified gunmen in Surigao del Sur in island of Mindanao on 23 May. Fighting hadOctober. erupted in the city of Marawi between government forces and an alliance ofHUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS militants, including the Maute group, which pledged allegiance to the armed groupAttacks against human rights defenders Islamic State (IS). The conflict ended inincreased, as the President encouraged October when the military killed severalpolice to “shoot” human rights defenders militant leaders.4 Militants allied with ISwho were “obstructing justice”. In February, targeted Christian civilians, committing atSenator Leila de Lima, former justice least 25 extrajudicial killings and carrying outsecretary and former chair of the Philippines mass hostage-taking and extensive looting ofCommission on Human Rights, was arrested civilian property, which may have amountedon charges of drug trafficking. At the end of to war crimes. Philippine armed forcesthe year she remained in detention at the detained and ill-treated fleeing civilians, andPhilippine National Police headquarters in also engaged in looting. Their extensivethe capital, Manila, and faced between 12 bombing of militant-held areas of Marawi cityyears’ and life imprisonment if convicted. It wiped out entire neighbourhoods and killedwas believed that the charges were politically civilians, which highlighted the need for anmotivated and that she had been deliberately investigation into their compliance withtargeted by the government since emerging international humanitarian law. In response,as the most prominent critic of the “war on the Philippine armed forces said they woulddrugs”.3 Attacks against the Commission on probe allegations of war crimes. Martial lawHuman Rights also intensified, as lawmakers was extended for a second time inaccused it of “siding with suspected December, amid concerns that military rulecriminals” in the anti-drugs campaign and could allow for further human rights abuses.caused uproar by approving a budget of justUSD20, before the decision was overturned TORTURE AND OTHER ILL-TREATMENTin the Senate. Human rights groupsexpressed concern at reports of increased In April a secret detention cell was found in anumbers of arbitrary arrests and detention, police station in Manila. The Philippinesand extrajudicial executions of political Commission on Human Rights referred theactivists and individuals aligned with the left, discovery, along with allegations of torturefollowing a declaration of martial law in the and other ill-treatment, to the Office of theisland of Mindanao, and as peace talks Ombudsman for investigation.between communist rebels, the New People’sArmy and the government broke down. Security forces were accused of torture and extrajudicial executions of those rounded upDEATH PENALTY during five months of fighting between the Philippine armed forces and the Maute groupInternational groups called on the in Marawi.government to abandon its plan, proposed in2016, to reintroduce the death penalty, citing A bill to establish a National Preventative Mechanism in accordance with the300 Amnesty International Report 2017/18