“Women in Pakistan are consistently deprived of education, justice, health care, political representation and economic opportunities. Enforced disappearance is a crime under international law and, if committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack, they constitute a crime against humanity. Under the right to health in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), health care goods, facilities and services should be available in sufficient quantity within the state; accessible to everyone without discrimination; respectful of medical ethics and culturally appropriate; and scientifically and medically appropriate and of good quality. Hold Export Development Canada accountable for disastrous dam investment. While everyone remains at risk of contracting COVID-19, such detention conditions greatly increase the potential spread of the virus.  In January 2019, a political dissident Ahmad Mustafa Kanju was forcibly disappeared from his house in Rahim Yar Khan, Punjab province. As of 30 June 2019, Pakistan government’s Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearance has 2,141 cases unresolved.  It also sought to understand whether any specific measures were taken by Twitter to decrease the online abuse during the 2019 General Elections in India. NY 10065 Backed by Amnesty International, and supporters like you, public pressure worked. Twitter Search jobs Digital Archive ... Photographed by Steve McCurry in Pakistan. Twitter:    @ImranKhanPTI In June 2020, Pakistan authorities did something very rare - admitting that Idris was in their custody. Pakistan’s prisons suffer from severe overcrowding. According to the International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights, under conditions of detention, the Pakistani authorities should ensure that all prisoners have prompt access to medical attention and health care. “Amnesty International unequivocally supports the Aurat March’s calls for equality,” said Rimmel Mohydin, South Asia Campaigner at Amnesty International. You can help Save lives, Stop torture, Bring justice and Protect human rights. Amnesty International UK Section Charitable Trust. Geelaman Pashteen was later released. The Ministry of Home Affairs has issued a statement calling out the false allegations made by the dubious NGO Amnesty International India ever since it announced to halt its operations in India on 29th September 2020. Pakistan News: ISLAMABAD: Amnesty International on Tuesday urged Pakistan to allow the construction of a Hindu temple in Islamabad, which was stopped by the governme. In Pakistan, enforced disappearance has been used as a tool to muzzle dissent and criticism of military policies. The whereabouts of Muhammad Idris Khattak, a 56-year-old Pakistani father, human rights defender and independent researcher, remain unknown since he was forcibly disappeared by men in plain clothes on 13 November 2019.Â. In October 2019, Suleman Farooq Chaudhry an engineering graduate who was critical of the government on social media was taken from outside Islamabad. Please send a letter, fax, email or tweet to the Prime Minister. Enforcing inmates to practice social distancing would be impossible, given the overcrowding, drastically increasing the potential for the virus to spread. Instead, the practice of enforced disappearance continues in the country with impunity. 8:01 p.m. Rich countries have secured enough coronavirus vaccines to protect their populations nearly three times over by the end of 2021, Amnesty International … On 8 March 2020, the Bahrain authorities forcefully returned Hazrat Naeem Abdul Qayum, also known as Geelaman Pashteen to Pakistan where he was detained upon arrival then later released. Amnesty International has been receiving reports of enforced disappearances and arbitrary detentions of dissidents, students and other citizens from across the country throughout 2019. An inmate at Camp Jail, with a prison population of 3,500 people, in the provincial capital Lahore  tested positive for coronavirus before being transferred to a medical facility. Prime Minister Imran Khan If you want Updates on this case, send your request to urgentaction@amnesty.ca with “Keep me updated on Idris Khattak” in the subject line. While everyone remains at risk of contracting COVID-19, such detention conditions greatly increase the potential spread of the virus. The authorities say they are charging him under the Official Secrets Act. Fax:         011 92 51 921 5519   His family only found out about his disappearance once the driver was released the night of 15 November 2019. Pakistan. Islamabad, Pakistan Ottawa, Ontario  K1N 8J3 Registered office 17-25 New Inn Yard London EC2A 3EA. NO FURTHER ACTION IS REQUESTED. © Amnesty International UK 2019. According to the application submitted by Mr Khattak’s family, for the registration of the police case, four men in plain clothes put a black sack on the faces of Mr Khattak and the driver and took them to an undisclosed location.Â. The provision of health care for prisoners is a state responsibility. Prisoners should enjoy the same standards of health care that are available in the community, including when it comes to testing, prevention and treatment of COVID-19. Â. The right also includes the accessibility of health-related information. Additional information, Idris Khattak has worked as a consultant with Amnesty International and other international human rights NGOs. Amnesty International United Kingdom Section. ISLAMABAD: Amnesty International has lauded Prime Minister Imran Khan for allowing Afghan refugees to open bank accounts in Pakistan. Call on his government to immediately disclose the whereabouts of Idris Khattak to his family. Canada K1N 1H9. Enforced disappearances have long been a stain on Pakistan’s human rights record. Email:         pakistan@un.int  Photograph: Amnesty International ... Poster for the planned Amnesty International Turkey campaign in … Families of prisoners have expressed concern about their loved ones being at heightened risk of COVID-19. Should the government fail to act now, Pakistani prisons and detention centers could become hotspots for the transmission of coronavirus. The whereabouts of both men are still unknown to their families.Â, The International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance defines an enforced disappearance as “the arrest, detention, abduction or any other form of deprivation of liberty by agents of the State or by persons or groups of persons acting with the authorization, support or acquiescence of the State, followed by a refusal to acknowledge the deprivation of liberty or by concealment of the fate or whereabouts of the disappeared person, which place such a person outside the protection of the law.”. High Commissioner for Pakistan  In its latest annual report, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan said that nearly 1,100 women were killed in Pakistan last year by relatives on so-called ‘honour’ grounds. On 8 March 2020, the Bahrain authorities forcefully returned Geelaman Pashteen a Pashtun human rights activist and supporter of Pakistan’s Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) to Pakistan. champa patel, amnesty international. Prisoners who require specialized treatment, not available at the prison facilities, should be transferred to specialized institutions or to civil hospitals. Print Colombia Public Interest, NGO Amnesty International WPP Description Since 2016, when the peace agreement between the national government and the FARC was signed, more than 900 human rights and environment defenders have been assassinated, turning Colombia into the most dangerous country in the world for activists. Few punishments are as cruel as enforced disappearances and not knowing the whereabouts and fate of their loved one is a source of immense pain and anguish for Idris Khattak’s family. 10 Range Road Â, <><><><><><> New research by Amnesty International has revealed the silencing impact that toxic abuse on Twitter is having on women. Constitution Avenue G-5/2 Email:        info@pmo.gov.pk  Prisons in Pakistan face massive overcrowding (jails in Pakistan have a capacity of 57,742 but currently house 77,275 inmates), with limited hygiene supplies and insufficient access to healthcare. Nearly 4 million Pakistanis live under Taliban rule in the north-western tribal belt, where they suffer human rights abuses from both militants and the army, Amnesty International said today. 8 E 65th Street MANY THANKS TO ALL WHO SENT APPEALS. A company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales (01735872). However, even as provincial high courts issued directives to release vulnerable, under-trial and elderly prisoners, the Supreme Court of Pakistan suspended all bail orders. The only other person in the car was the driver with whom Idris Khattak has travelled frequently. In 2014, the figure was 1,000, and in 2013, it was 869. The health of Idris Khattak is at even greater risk during the COVID-19 outbreak for two reasons: the conditions of his detention remain unknown and he is a patient of diabetes requiring daily medication. PARIS: Rich countries have secured enough coronavirus vaccines to protect their populations nearly three times over by the end of 2021, Amnesty International and … Days after a case against ex-Amnesty India chief Aakar Patel was registered for allegedly attempting to instigate a section of people against the government, Twitter has blocked his account in the country. By 28 March 2020, he was using his Twitter account again. Amnesty spoke to women journalists, activists, writers and bloggers who all reported horrific abuse on Twitter and the platform’s failure to contain it. Prime Minister’s Office Salutation:    Your ExcellencyÂ, His Excellency Raza Bashir Tarar  Pakistani authorities must protect the health of all prisoners and should urgently consider measures to reduce the prison population. On 8 March 2020, the Bahrain authorities forcefully returned Hazrat Naeem … Reacting to the arrest of at least 100 journalists after police baton-charged a peaceful demonstration against curbs on media, Secretary General Irene Khan said, "Amnesty International condemns the continuing intimidation of journalists in Pakistan including the arrest of at least 100 journalists - many of whom were beaten - holding peaceful a protest in Karachi against media curbs … Saudi Arabia: Release women human rights defenders now! 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