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Report

Republic of Albania Head of state Bujar Nishani (replaced Bamir Topi in July) Head of government Sali Berisha The government adopted reforms which restricted the immunity of MPs and other public officials from prosecution and revised the Electoral Code, following previous allegations of fraud. In December, the European Council postponed the granting of EU candidate status to Albania, conditional on further reform. Enforced disappearances In November, proceedings before the Serious Crimes Court concerning the enforced disappearance in 1995 of Remzi Hoxha, an ethnic Albanian from Macedonia, and the torture of two other Albanian men, ended with the conviction of three…

May 15, 2013

Report

Argentine Republic Head of state and government Cristina Fernández de Kirchner Women pregnant as a result of rape continued to face obstacles in accessing legal abortions, despite a Supreme Court ruling affirming this right. Indigenous Peoples’ land rights remained unfulfilled. Trials to end impunity for human rights violations committed during the military regime (1976-83) continued. Background In October, Argentina’s human rights record was examined under the UN Universal Periodic Review. Recommendations were made on issues including sexual and reproductive rights, Indigenous Peoples’ rights, freedom from torture and migrants’ rights. Investigations in Argentina based on universal jurisdiction continued during the year…

May 15, 2013

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REPUBLIC OF ANGOLA Head of state and government José Eduardo dos Santos Police and security forces continued to use excessive force, including against peaceful demonstrators, as well as to carry out arbitrary arrests and detentions. Freedom of assembly was suppressed throughout the country. Two people were feared to have been subjected to enforced disappearance. Freedom of expression was restricted and the press was censored. There were reports of forced evictions. Background In April Angola presented its human rights report to the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights. A new political party, the Broad Convergence for the Salvation of Angola-Electoral…

May 15, 2013

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REPUBLIC OF AUSTRIA Head of state Heinz Fischer Head of government Werner Faymann The Criminal Code was amended to introduce the crime of torture. Concerns about racism in the criminal justice system remained. Legal safeguards for asylum-seekers were reduced. International justice Criminal investigations against the former Guatemalan deputy-head of police, Javier Figueroa, suspected of involvement in extrajudicial executions in Guatemala, were pending. The Austrian authorities had arrested Javier Figueroa in May 2011, after they turned down an extradition request to Guatemala. Torture and other ill-treatment At the end of the year the Criminal Code was amended to introduce the crime…

May 15, 2013

Report

Australia Head of state Queen Elizabeth II, represented by Head of government Julia Gillard Despite the establishment of a federal human rights committee to consider all new bills before Parliament, laws were passed restricting the rights of Indigenous Peoples in the Northern Territory and reintroducing a policy of offshore processing where asylum-seekers arriving by boat are sent to Nauru or Papua New Guinea. Background The government announced that it would ratify the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention against Torture in January 2011. However, it had not done so by the end of the year. A parliamentary human rights scrutiny…

May 15, 2013

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Republic of Armenia Head of state Serzh Sargsyan Head of government Tigran Sargsyan Public attitudes were hostile towards topics which were perceived as unpatriotic. Conditions in prisons were reported to amount to inhuman treatment. Background President Sargsyan’s Republican Party won parliamentary elections on 6 May. While freedom of expression, assembly and movement were largely unrestricted around the election, monitors reported widespread vote buying as well as instances of pressure on voters. Freedom of expression Freedom of expression was largely unrestricted. However, those expressing opinions perceived as unpatriotic or anti-nationalist faced widespread public hostility and occasionally violence. Police and local authorities…

May 15, 2013

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People’s Republic of Bangladesh Head of state Zillur Rahman Head of government Sheikh Hasina Some 30 extrajudicial executions were reported. State security forces were implicated in torture and other ill-treatment and at least 10 enforced disappearances. Political violence resulted in the death of at least four men. Women continued to be subjected to various forms of violence. The government failed to protect Indigenous communities from attack by Bengali settlers. At least 111 workers died in a factory fire, some allegedly because officials refused to let them leave the premises. More than 20 Buddhist temples and monasteries, one Hindu temple and…

May 15, 2013

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People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria Head of state Abdelaziz Bouteflika Head of government Abdelmalek Sellal (replaced Ahmed Ouyahia in September) The authorities continued to restrict freedoms of expression, association and assembly, dispersing demonstrations and harassing human rights defenders. Women faced discrimination in law and practice. Perpetrators of gross human rights abuses during the 1990s, and torture and other ill-treatment against detainees in subsequent years, continued to benefit from impunity. Armed groups carried out lethal attacks. At least 153 death sentences were reported; there were no executions. Background The year saw protests and demonstrations by trade unionists and others against unemployment,…

May 15, 2013

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Republic of Azerbaijan Head of state Ilham Aliyev Head of government Artur Rasizade The government continued to intimidate and imprison people and groups who criticized the government. Peaceful protests in the centre of the city were banned and dispersed by the police with excessive use of force. Torture, especially in police custody, was frequently reported. Prisoners of conscience Four prisoners of conscience were released on 26 December by presidential pardon: activists Vidadi Iskandarov and Shahin Hasanli, arrested in connection with the 2011 protests; and Taleh Khasmammadov and Anar Bayramli, both convicted on fabricated charges in 2012. Human rights defender Taleh…

May 15, 2013

Report

Commonwealth of the Bahamas Head of state Queen Elizabeth II, represented by Head of government Perry Gladstone Christie At least six people were reportedly killed by police in disputed circumstances. Haitian migrants continued to face discrimination and forcible repatriation. One person remained on death row. Background In August, a Commission was established to review the Constitution and to address issues including strengthening fundamental rights and freedoms and the death penalty. The Bahamas continued to face a worrying public security crisis. The homicide rate remained high, despite a 13% decrease in reported cases compared with 2011; 111 homicides were reported in…

May 15, 2013

Report

Kingdom of Bahrain Head of state King Hamad bin ‘Issa Al Khalifa Head of government Shaikh Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa The authorities continued to crack down on protests and dissent. The government made some reforms based on the recommendations of a major inquiry into human rights violations in 2011, but failed to implement some of the inquiry’s main recommendations in relation to accountability. Scores of people remained in prison or were detained for opposing the government, including prisoners of conscience and people sentenced after unfair trials. Human rights defenders and other activists were harassed and imprisoned. The security forces…

May 15, 2013

Update

An Amnesty statement released today highlights that three European countries, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Turkey, still refuse to protect the right to conscientious objection.

May 15, 2013