NEWSLETTER FROM THE HUMAN RIGHTS HOUSE NETWORK

1) Torture is completely unacceptable
Today, on UN’s International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, there will be far too many voices we won’t here, namely the voices of those who are being tortured and continue to be imprisoned. Amnesty International’s latest annual report teaches us that torture is practiced in more than 100 countries.

2) If you have access to arms, you torture others
Research establishes that all armed security personnel groups in Uganda are guilty of torture, as defined by the United Nations Convention Against Torture. The investigations were carried out by one of the organisations associated with the Human Rights House project in Uganda, the African Centre for Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture Victims.

3) The secret prison in Grozny
In Chechnya in the center of Grozny human rights activists discovered a secret prison in a cellar. The Ministry of Internal Affairs’s operational group detained people and some of them were tortured and killed in the building, reported the “Memorial” human rights center on the basis of its own investigation and a proof presented by a victim. The day after the Ministry’s group left the place, the secret prison was quickly demolished.

4) Rebyia Kadeer´s son tortured in detention
A press release from the Uyghur Human Rights Project states that one of Rebiya Kadeer’s sons arrested by Chinese police, has been tortured in detention. UHR Project is not aware of the extent or nature of any injuries Mr Abdureyim may have sustained, but express concern that he may be in need of urgent medical attention, and is at risk of further abuse.

5) Norway criticized for ill-treatment by police
The Council of Europe's Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment has published a report on its fourth visit to Norway. The report which has been made public at the request of the Norwegian authorities and contains, in particular, recommendations to further strengthen fundamental safeguards against the ill- treatment of persons deprived of their liberty by the police

Free of charge news and background service from the Human
Rights House Network, an international forum of cooperation between
independent human rights houses. It works to strengthen cooperation and
improve the security and capacity of the 70 human rights organizations in
the Network. The Human Rights House Foundation in Oslo is the
secretariat.

To subscribe, please send an email to:
newsletter-subscribe@humanrightshouse.org

More news and background on www.humanrightshouse.org

*****************************************************************
Sent by:

Nina Luhr
Editor
Human Rights House Foundation (HRH)
Address: Menneskerettighetshuset,
Tordenskioldsgate 6b, 0160 Oslo, Norway
Tel: (+47) 22 47 92 47, Direct: (+47) 22 47 92 44,
Fax: (+47) 22 47 92 01
Website: http://www.humanrightshouse.org,
http://www.menneskerettigheter.no