Bolivia: 2mila bambini condannati a vivere in carcere insieme alle madri

Radio Vaticana
Si calcola che circa 2mila bambini in Bolivia non hanno altra alternativa se non quella di vivere nelle carceri con le rispettive madri che scontano le loro condanne. 

La vita dietro le sbarre è il prezzo che pagano per stare con le loro madri. Il Governo - riporta l'agenzia Fides - ha iniziato a "liberare" quelli con più di 11 anni a causa dei maltrattamenti che subiscono. 

Nel carcere di massima sicurezza di Miraflores, in pieno centro a La Paz, vivono una centinaia di detenute. Per evitare l'isolamento totale dei loro figli, ogni giorno le maestre li portano fuori. 

A Miraflores la maggior parte dei bambini ha meno di 6 anni, tuttavia nell'intero Paese sono molti i Centri dove anche gli adolescenti vivono in cella con i rispettivi genitori. 

In Bolivia si registra un'ampia lista di denunce di violenze ai minori negli istituti di detenzione. Alcune di queste violenze sono commesse dagli stessi familiari dei piccoli. 

Spesso le situazioni si aggravano a causa dell'abuso di alcool e droghe. Il Governo spera che entro la fine dell'anno gran parte di queste piccole vittime verranno portate fuori dalle prigioni del Paese.

Mali: Elements of military appear to be carrying out a purge and extrajudicial killings of soldiers

Amnesty International
Elements of Mali’s military appear to be carrying out a purge and extrajudicial killings of soldiers who took part in a mutiny last month in a barracks outside the capital Bamako, Amnesty International said today based on its research.

The bodies of four soldiers were discovered earlier this month near the capital and several others, including a Colonel, remain unaccounted for. These apparent extrajudicial executions and disappearances raise fears that soldiers loyal to General Amadou Haya Sanogo, who staged a coup in March 2012, are purging their ranks to quell dissent.

“This is the latest shocking example of how a small group of soldiers who appear to consider themselves above the law continue to cling onto power in Mali,” said Gaëtan Mootoo, Amnesty International's researcher on West Africa.

The organization is calling for the Malian authorities to open an independent and impartial investigation into these very serious events, and ensure that those allegedly responsible for the acts are suspended from duty and prosecuted. Such investigations will be a crucial addition to the efforts to restore the rule of law after the armed conflict in northern Mali.

“It’s appalling to see that despite the election of a democratically elected president in August 2013, a small group of soldiers loyal to the former junta continue to impose terror on their perceived opponents, in total impunity,” said Mootoo.

The soldiers who were allegedly extrajudicially executed appear to have been targeted because they took part in a mutiny on 30 September at the Kati military barracks near the capital Bamako. The soldiers revolted against some officials in the ex-junta, especially its leader General Sanogo, for failing to promote their ranks. In a statement, the soldiers said they decided to take up arms to demand their right to be promoted and to receive payment that was due to them.

One of them, first class soldier (soldat première classe) Lassiné Keita, was arrested by soldiers loyal to the ex-junta in a bar in Bamako on the night of 30 September.

A witness contacted by Amnesty International said: “I was with [Lassiné Keita]. I went out at one point and when I came back I was told that my friend had been taken away by soldiers.”

Lassiné Keita’s body was later found near Kati barracks on 4 October.

The body of another soldier, Dramane Cissoko, was reportedly dropped off at a morgue in Bamako.

Since the mutiny, the whereabouts of Colonel Youssouf Traoré remain unknown and Amnesty International fears that he may have been subjected to enforced disappearance. The corpse of his bodyguard, Salif Meiga, nicknamed “Ganda Koye”, was found with his head severed and his driver is also reportedly missing. Colonel Traoré was one of the leaders of the military junta that overthrew the democratically elected President Amadou Toumani Touré in March 2012.

“It’s deeply troubling how the soldiers allegedly responsible for these extrajudicial executions and enforced disappearances continue to target military personnel or civilians believed to resist or protest against General Sanogo’s de facto rule,” said Gaëtan Mootoo.

In the wake of the 30 September mutiny, some 30 soldiers were arrested and are currently detained at the Camp I of the gendarmerie. Some of them handed themselves over to the gendarmerie to seek protection.

“Any detained soldiers must be protected against torture and other ill-treatment and against any reprisals, including enforced disappearance,” said Gaëtan Mootoo.

Intellectual Disability and the Death Penalty

New York Times
Editorial
Eleven years ago, the Supreme Court banned the execution of intellectually disabled people in Atkins v. Virginia. Ever since, some states have worked to circumvent that ruling by defining intellectual disability using unscientific standards or by making it nearly impossible to prove. On Monday, the justices indicated that they may at last be ready to clarify the Atkins decision by agreeing to considerwhether a Florida law defines intellectual disability too narrowly.

Freddie Lee Hall was sentenced to death for the 1978 murder of a 21-year-old pregnant woman, Karol Hurst. The Florida trial court found that Mr. Hall had been “mentally retarded his entire life,” but capital punishment was not then prohibited in such cases.

Mr. Hall appealed his death sentence following the 2002 Atkins ruling, which held that people with intellectual disabilities are less culpable because of their “reduced capacity” for understanding, reasoning and impulse control. But the Florida Supreme Court ruled against himbecause he scored between 71 and 80 on recent I.Q. tests, and state law requires a score of 70 or lower for a finding of intellectual disability.

Such a “bright line” I.Q. cutoff has been roundly rejected by mental-health experts, who say that the diagnosis of intellectual disability is complex and I.Q. tests are approximate measures but do not provide a complete picture. There is no magic score above which intellectual disability doesn’t exist.

Florida is far from alone in its efforts to undermine the court’s ruling. In Texas, the state’s highest criminal court decides whether a defendant is too disabled to be executed by using unscientific standards based on outdated stereotypes. And in Georgia, defendants must prove intellectual disability beyond a reasonable doubt — an arguably unconstitutional standard no other state uses. In a promising development, the Georgia Legislature agreed last week to reconsider that standard. Rich Golick, a Republican state representative, said, “When you’re an outlier, you really ought not to stick your head in the sand.”

The Supreme Court is right to revisit its 2002 ruling, which gave states too much leeway to define intellectual disability. It should take this opportunity to reaffirm the central principle of Atkins and require states to adhere to medical consensus in defining intellectual disability.

Centrafrica, quei bimbi soldato in ostaggio rapiti in Uganda

Vatican Insider
Parla mons Alule, rettore del seminario di Alokolum: “Dopo il golpe per i bambini soldato diventa più difficile tornare a casa in Uganda"

Arcivescovo incontra esponenti dell'LRA

«Dopo il golpe della Seleka, per i bambini soldato tenuti in ostaggio in Centrafrica è divenuto ancora più difficile tornare a casa». È quanto dichiara ad Aiuto alla Chiesa che Soffre, la fondazione di diritto pontificio che sostiene la chiesa nel mondo, monsignor Cosmas Alule, rettore del seminario maggiore nazionale di Alokolum, nel nord dell’Uganda.

Monsignor Alule racconta alla fondazione pontificia come in passato molti dei ragazzi rapiti e condotti a forza nella Repubblica Centrafricana dal gruppo ribelle Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), riuscissero a fuggire grazie all’aiuto dei soldati ugandesi di stanza in Centrafrica. «Ora però il nuovo governo di Bangui, nato da una fazione della coalizione Seleka, è favorevole al leader dell’LRA, Joseph Kony, ed ha espulso i militari ugandesi dal paese». Il rettore esprime profondo rammarico per la sorte dei tanti giovani costretti a combattere, «quando potrebbero invece rientrare in Uganda, dove la popolazione non vive più nella paura». Secondo il rettore, infatti, l’Esercito di Resistenza del Signore è attualmente più attivo in Sudan e nella Repubblica Centrafricana.

Anche la diocesi di Golu, in ci si trova il seminario di Alokolum, è stata gravemente colpita dalla violenza dell’LRA. L’11 maggio 2003 il seminario minore diocesano è stato attaccato dai ribelli che hanno rapito quarantuno seminaristi con l’obiettivo di costringerli a combattere. È tuttora ignota la sorte di dodici di loro. «Nonostante tutto, continuo a sperare che loro o altri bambini soldato possano riabbracciare le proprie famiglie», afferma monsignor Alule.

Secondo dati dello Human Right Watch, dal 1987 circa 80mila ugandesi sono stati rapiti ed inseriti nelle file dell’LRA. Almeno 38mila di loro erano adolescenti, se non addirittura bambini. Ed è alle migliaia di bambini soldato che dal 2001 si rivolge Radio Wa, la piccola stazione della diocesi di Lira da anni sostenuta da Aiuto alla Chiesa che Soffre. Nel programma radiofonico Karibu – “benvenuto” in lingua swahili - familiari e amici dei piccoli rapiti hanno la possibilità di mostrare affetto ai propri cari e chiedere loro di tornare a casa. La radio è ascoltata perfino nella boscaglia e grazie alla sua trasmissione almeno mille e cinquecento bambini soldato hanno fatto ritorno a casa.

Israele: il negoziato tra Israele e l'Anp s'intensifica, liberati altri 32 detenuti

Agi 
Israele rilascerà il prossimo 29 ottobre 32 detenuti palestinesi, in base all'accordo preso tra le parti prima dell'avvio di un negoziato di pace che sembra aver preso un ritmo intenso. 

"Sarà Israele a decidere chi farà parte di questo nuovo gruppo", ha spiegato un portavoce del Ministero degli affari relativi ai detenuti dell'Autorità nazionale palestinese, facendo riferimento alla scarcerazione, avvenuta ad agosto scorso, di 24 detenuti.

 In tutto, man mano che il negoziato va avanti, saranno fuori dalle carceri israeliane 104 palestinesi, messi fuori da una Commissione presieduta dal premier Benjamin Netanyahu.

La liberazione dei detenuti è un ulteriore segnale che il negoziato di pace va avanti e si intensifica. Tra le parti, che nel settembre del 2010 avevano congelato le trattative, vi sono stati circa tredici incontri, tre dei quali negli ultimi quattro giorni. 

"Tutte le questioni sono sul tavolo", aveva affermato il segretario di Stato americano, John Kerry, "e gli incontri si sono succeduti con rilevante ritmo". Kerry aveva anche annunciato che il Qatar erogherà 150 milioni di dollari in favore della riduzione del debito dell'Autorità nazionale palestinese.

Iran: graziato uomo sopravissuto a forca. Trovato vivo dopo l'impiccaggiome.

ANSA
Dato per morto, era stato trovato vivo dopo l'impiccaggiome

TEHERAN, - E' stato graziato Alireza M., l'uomo condannato a morte in Iran ma sopravvissuto alla forca lo scorso 9 ottobre. 

Il caso è stato al centro di polemiche internazionali dopo che i giudici avevano deciso di giustiziare comunque l'uomo: Amnesty International aveva lanciato un appello per scongiurare l'esecuzione. 

Alireza era stato condannato perché trovato in possesso di droghe nel carcere di Bojnord. 

Dato per morto dopo l'impiccagione, era stato trovato ancora vivo il giorno dopo in obitorio.

Tokyo, October 31st, 2013 - Confernce: NO JUSTICE WITHOUT LIFE - Europe against the Death Penalty

  COMMUNTY OF SANT’EGIDIO                                                                 EUROPEAN COMMISSION

NO JUSTICE WITHOUT LIFE

Europe against the Death Penalty – Join the discussion

Tokyo, October 31^st, 2013

House of Representatives - First Members’ Office Bldg. 1F

Congress Hall - 10:00 am – 12:30 pm

The World is changing...

… Japan is a Partner we want closer and closer...

… There is a Need to create more Bridges!

Joint Appeal of 42 European Ministers

for the Abolition of the Death Penalty

Justice which kills is not justice. Convinced of the inhumanity of the death penalty, the signatory countries represented here are opposed to its application in any circumstances and in any part of the world.

The death penalty is not only an intolerable affront to human dignity, but its implementation involves numerous violations of human rights of prisoners and their families. In addition, capital punishment has no positive impact on the prevention of crime or safety in any way and can not remedy the suffering of the victims and their families.

The abolition of capital punishment is the result of a progressive awareness of a collective effort and constant. This is the path that countries that still carry out executions in the name of justice must take. The determination necessary to achieve the abolition of the death penalty must come from both states by individuals. Thanks to an informed debate and to the fluid exchange of ideas between our countries and our societies the death penalty has now been almost entirely abolished in Europe.

We are entering a crucial phase in the process of abolition of the death penalty. Currently, about 50 countries still apply the death penalty, while only twenty years ago were more than twice. This positive trend allows us to imagine that the next generation will live in a world without the death penalty and encourages us in our common effort to support countries in their journey towards its universal abolition.

The following Foreign Ministers signed the Appeal:

Ditmir Bushati (Albania), Gilbert Saboya Sunyé (Andorra), Michael Spindelegger (Austria), Didier Reynders (Belgium), Zlatko Lagumdžija (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Kristian Vigenin (Bulgaria), Ioannis Kasoulides (Cyprus), Vesna Pusić (Croatia), Villy Søvndal (Denmark), Urmas Paet (Estonia), Nikola Poposki (Former Yugoslavia Republic of Macedonia), Erkki Tuomioja (Finland), Laurent Fabius (France), Guido Westerwelle (Germany), Evangelos Venizelos (Greece), Eamon Gilmore (Ireland), Gunnar Bragi Sveinsson (Island), Emma Bonino (Italy), Edgars Rinkēvičs (Latonya), Aurelia Frick (Liechtenstein), Linas Antanas Linkevičius (Lithuanian), Jean Asselborn (Luxembourg), George Vella (Malta), Natalia Gherman (Moldova), José Badia (Principality of Monaco), Igor Lukšić (Montenegro), Espen Barth Eide (Norway), Frans Timmermans (Netherlands), Rui Machete (Portugal), William Hague (United Kingdom), Jan Kohout (Czech Republic), Miroslav Lajčák (Slovak Republic), Titus Corlățean (Romania), Pasquale Valentini (San Marino), Ivan Mrkić (Serbia), Karl Erjavec (Slovenia), José Manuel García-Margallo (Spain), Carl Bildt (Sweden), Didier Burkhalter (Switzerland), Ahmet Davutoğlu (Turkey), Leonid Kozhara (Ukraine) e János Martonyi (Hungary).

… From Europe to Tokyo …
… to meet with parliamentarians, journalists, Japanese citizens …

… In an open and respectful discussion.

Thursday, October 31^st, 10:00 am – 12:30 pm
House of Representatives - First Members’ Office Bldg. 1F - Congress Hall

PART I

Introduction

Alberto  QUATTRUCCI
Secretary General of Peoples and Religions, Community of Sant’Egidio

Key-note addresses

Mario MARAZZITI
Chairman of the Committee for Human Rights to the Italian House of Representatives

Shizuka KAMEI
Member of the House of Representatives of Japan

PART II

Moderator

Pio D’EMILIA
East Asia Correspondent, Sky TG24

Interventions

Mizuho FUKUSHIMA
Member of the House of Councilors of Japan

Nobuto HOSAKA
Mayor of Setagawa

Curtis MC CARTHY
Innocent, exonerated after spending 20 years of his life on Oklahoma Death Row, USA

Yuji OGAWARA
Secretary General of JFBA's Committee on Abolition of the Death Penalty

Hans Dietmar SCHWEISGUT (to be confirmed)
Ambassador of the European Union to Japan

Kaoru TASHIRO
Member of the House of Councilors of Japan

Other contributions are expected…

PART III

Screening of images about the work for
the Abolition of the Death Penalty in the World

Conclusions

Mario MARAZZITI
Chairman of the Committee for Human Rights to the Italian House of Representatives

www.santegidio.org

http://blog.goo.ne.jp/c-santegidio-japan-n2013

For the accreditation of journalists and televisions:
Muneto Nikai – c.santegidio.japan@gmail.com

Please confirm your participation
(together with the number of persons with you) to:

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