The crazy world of Greater Manchester justice

It is my view that the sentence a criminal gets should reflect the damage he has caused to the human rights of a victim as well as the risk he poses to the general public.

I would question how Bolton Crown Court, which sentences art forger Shaun Greenhalgh to four years and eight months yet sentences rapist Ajmal Afridi to just six years (while another present,Mustafa Arshad, who filmed the rape only recieved eight months), fits into this view.

I do not justify art fraud, but I wonder if Mr Greenhalgh could have been punished in the community while a dangerous criminal could have been placed in his cell.

Looking for a web content or first line IT support role

My one year contract with ISEAL Alliance has now ended, and I am looking for work.

I am looking for web content, online reporting or first line IT support roles.

London preferred but would also consider other areas or outside the United Kingdom.

My CV.

I live within a short walk of the Victoria Line, the Gospel Oak to Barking Line and the Chingford to Liverpool Street Line.

There is also a sprawling bus service near me. I am therefore well placed for commuting.

I am hard-working, am experienced at multitasking and teamwork, as well as having an excellent knowledge of a variety of software and hardware. I speak French and Italian to a basic level as well as being a native English speaker.

Contact me at richard-brennanAThotmail.co.uk (replace the AT with @!) or leave a comment below.

Uzbek photographer Umida Akhmedova accused of defamation

One of the most unusual accusations of defamation I have heard comes from the Uzbeistan authorities.

They have charged photographer Umida Akhmedova with this crime, which in Uzbekistan carries a maximum penalty of three years' remedial work or six months'detention, after investigating her 2007 book Men and Women fron Dawn to Dusk, produced with support by the Swiss Embassy in Tashkent, the Uzbek capital.

The authorities claimed that: "Looking at the pictures, a foreigner who had not seen Uzbekistan comes to the conclusion that this is a country where people live in the Middle Ages. The author intentionally focuses on life’s hardships", according to the independent regional news site Ferghana.

Ms Akhemdova is currently awaiting trial, and is banned from leaving the country. She has been accused of insulting the "traditions of the Uzbek people, which is viewed as defamation, scornful, and disrespectful attitude towards national traditions."

Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) Europe and Central Asia Program Coordinator Nina Ognianova commented: "We call on the authorities in Tashkent to drop the absurd charges against Umida Akhmedova at once.It is unthinkable that a documentarian should go to prison because the state interprets her work as insulting."

"I am not scared of being prosecuted but hope they will spare the people I have documented and worked with." Akhemedova told the CPJ.

It has been suggested by some Uzbek bloggers that the defamation claim may only be a smokescreen, according to Global Voices:

Many believe that the main reason for prosecution of photographer Umida Akhmedova is her active civil position. Albatrossdoc writes (russian) that Umida Akhmedova and her husband Oleg Karpov (director of Tashkent Film Museum) were way too active for Uzbekistan - making films, photos and showing social topical movies in the Film Museum.

Albatrossdoc guesses that there could be people, who didn’t like it. The Museum has been closed for the last three months and no official explanation was given.

Sign the petition supporting Umida Akhmedova.

Via Mick Hartley.

Vietnamese activists imprisoned for promoting multiparty democracy

Last week, four activists in Vietnam received lengthy prison sentences for promoting democracy,according to the Guardian.

The four, who received sentences of between five and sixteen years after a one-day trial, were found guilty of violating Article 79 of Vietnam's criminal code, which prohibits "carrying out activities aimed at overthrowing the people's administration".

While Nguyen Tien Trung, who received a seven year sentence, showed remorse, defendants Le Thang Long and Tran Huynh Duy Thuc, who received sentences of sixteen and five years respectively, claimed they had done nothing wrong and only signed confessions under duress.

International condemnation of the sentences:

Peter Lysholt Hansen, the Danish ambassador to Vietnam, was able to watch the trial with journalists via closed-circuit television,according to Al Jazeera English.

He told reporters: "There are serious concerns about the whole process...We will very strongly urge the government of Vietnam to grant amnesty to all four."

Ivan Lewis, a British Foreign Office minister, has said he was "deeply concerned" by the sentences, commenting "Nobody should be imprisoned for peacefully expressing their opinions".

Amnesty International has described the four activists as "prisoners of conscience", and called for their immediate release, along with America's consul-general Kenneth Fairfax.

Holocaust Memorial Day today

Today, 27 January, is Holocaust Memorial Day, where we remember those murdered by the Nazis during the Final Solution, as well as those murdered in Cambodia, Bosnia, Rwanda and Darfur.

The Holocaust Memorial Day Trust comments:"We hope the words and experience of victims and survivors will help people to think about their own attitudes, behaviour and choices, the way they vote, the way they interact with others and the way they respect and celebrate differences.

"On HMD 2010, we hope people will think about how they can make a difference in their own communities, asking themselves what they can do today to build a safer, stronger society so that the risk of the building blocks of genocide ever being laid is removed."

Holocaust Memorial Day occurs on the 27th as this is when Soviet armies liberated Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp, near Oświęcim, Poland.

Over one million people died in Auschwitz-Birkenau.

To mark the day, the film The Long March, about English Holocaust survivor and anti facist campaigner Leon Greenman O.B.E., is being shown in the UK for the first time, on Community Channel (Sky Channel 539 or Virgin 233).

Other events are taking place throughout the United Kingdom.

Netanyahu and Medvedev to attend Auschwitz-Birkenau observances:

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will attend observances of the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, while President Shimon Peres will address the German Bundestag (Parliament).

Russian leader Dmitry Medvedev will also be attending the observances.

Kurdish activist Farzad Kamangar in danger of execution by Iranian regime

Education International, a global trade union representing almost 30 million people working in education, claims that teacher and activist Farzad Kamangar is in danger of execution.

Security and intelligence officials of Kurdistan province have repeatedly told Kamangar that he would be executed.

Since June 2008, the trade union has questioned the fairness of Kamangar’s trial and appealed for his sentence to be reduced.

His lawyer alleges that Kamangar has suffered repeated torture and ill treatment during his incarceration in Evin and other Iranian prisons.

Amnesty International comments "Prior to his trial, Farzad Kamangar was held incommunicado, tortured and otherwise ill-treated, including by being beaten, flogged, and electrocuted. He is now said to suffer from spasms in his arms and legs.

"He was tried in unfair proceedings, during which his access to his lawyer was restricted. Farzad Kamangar has been prohibited, on several occasions and for prolonged periods of time, from seeing his lawyer and family members."

Education International is calling for people to write to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Chief of State Ayatollah Sayed Ali Khamenei and Head of the Judicary Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi appealing for his sentece to be reduced and for Kamangar to have proper contact with his lawyer.

You can find further details, including contact details, at the Appeal.

Kamanger is one of an estimated twenty political prisoners condemned to death. Another is Shirin Alam Hol, tried on 19th December 2009.

According to International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, Alam Hol was accused of cooperating with armed Kurdish opposition groups, although the prosecution did not provide evidence of armed activity by her.

TheStop Execution Against Shririn Alam Hol blog, written in Arabic, but translated by International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, reports that Hol's condition was so bad when she was taken from a Revolutionary Guard detention centre to Evin prison that officals at the prison refused to take custody of her.

North Korean regime promises "fierce struggle" against "class enemies"

One oppressive state that I do not write about enough on this blog is North Korea. I will try to blog more about this terrible regime.

Mick Hartley's excellent blog draws attention to a rather ominous article from the Korean Central News Agency, the propagandist mouthpiece of the ironically named Workers' Party of Korea.

He believes the article could herald a Pol-Pot style genocide.

The article comments: "It is also important to struggle against allies and stooges of the imperialists.

"A fierce struggle should be waged against the class enemies within the socialist society.All those who try to destabilize the socialist society are the enemies of socialism.

"They include remnants of the exploiting classes who harbor antipathy towards the socialist system, those who work hard overtly and covertly to bring down the socialist system after being greased by imperialists, those who have degenerated ideologically and morally, taken in by the imperialists' ideological and cultural poisoning and those who are introducing corrupt bourgeois way of life into society.

"Only when a fierce struggle is waged against them is it possible to protect and reinforce the position of socialism."

Hartley sees this as a warning of even greater suffering, commenting: "A fierce struggle should be waged against the class enemies within the socialist society. We know what this means. We saw it in the war against the kulaks in the early years of the Soviet Union, when millions perished in the famines and the gulag; we saw it in Mao's Cultural Revolution; and we saw it in Pol Pot's Year Zero. This is not looking good."

North Korean citizens survive by bartering:

Conditions are steadily worsening in North Korea.

Hartley highlights a report by the Daily NK that people are only able to survive by bartering, as the authorities have not released details of prices. Therefore, people are reluctant to trade in case they make a loss.

The North Korean regime responded to currency reform riots in December with the execution of twelve people alleged to have "masterminded" the protests. They have also banned foreigners from entering North Korea - which they are only allowed to do under close guard -until February.

Those interested in news about North Korea should read Mick Hartley's blog.

Anti-homophobic bullying film FIT to be sent to schools by Stonewall

Next month all British secondary schools will recieve a DVD of the film FIT, produced by Stonewall to teach pupils about homophobic bullying and encourage them not to use anti-gay language.

In 2009, the charity reported that only one in ten teachers had recieved specific training on how to prevent homophobia in schools.

The film, an adaption of the Stonewall play seen by thousands of schoolchildren over the past few years, follows a mixture of gay, unsure and straight teenagers studying classes in hip hop dancing at a south London college.

Some of the teenagers come out and face bullying, while others conceal their sexuality out of fear, according to the Guardian, where there is already an interesting debate about the film.

Writer and director Rikki Beadle-Blair, who also plays a teacher in the film, told Pink News: "When on tour I would ask the kids how many people thought homosexuality was wrong. In every single school the vast majority, about 80 per cent, would put their hands up. But kids would come up after the performance and say quite openly 'I walked into this room homophobic and will leave it a changed person'."

Navdeep, a year 8 pupil at a south London school, commented: "After watching FIT, we realised it was wrong to use the word gay as a cuss word [swear word]. You shouldn’t outcast your friend if they’re gay."

A trailer for the film can be seen below:




FIT was originally commissioned in 2007 by Stonewall and Queerupnorth International Festival, according to The Seafront Diaries.

The play has been performed in over 75 schools and to almost 20,000 11-14 year-old students across the UK.

Stonewall has also released a guide for teachers on tackling homophobic bullying. The guide, aimed at both primary and secondary schools as well as education professionals, is the first in a series and can be downloaded via the Stonewall website.

The charity is also asking for donations to help continue its work.

In related news, all schools in England will be required to record all incidents of sexist, racist and homophobic bullying from September 2010.

Haiti earthquake phishing scam

No doubt most people reading this will be aware of the terrible devastation caused by the Haiti earthquake.

However, one sick individual is trying to profit from it. I recieved an email today from someone claiming to be Jacques Kruger from "Lunkem International", asking for people to email or telephone him regarding donating.

Please don't be fooled by Mr Kruger.

If you want to donate to help victims of the earthquake in Haiti, Oxfam, UNICEF or the Disasters Emergency Committee are all good and trustworthy organisations.

There is no such organisation as Lunkem International. A Google Search brings up one result from 419eater.com, where a member posts about an email he has recieved from ""Lunkem International Limited", claiming to be a business dealing with importing cars."

Rather stupidly, "Jacques Kruger" has decided to copy and paste an address belonging to the Lanark Hotel, 348 Seven Sisters Road, London.

He has also used the free email addresses lukem@yahoo.com and internationallunkem@yahoo.com. A real aid organisation worker would have his own email address and would not use a free one.

If you recieve an appeal for donations from an organisation you have not heard of before, search for it on Google and make sure the e-mail address given is not a free one. You can also try putting other contact details such as an address into a search engine.

Good news from Russia: Protocol 14 ratified

The State Duma, Russia's parliament, has voted to ratify Protocol 14 of the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights by 392-56 votes, according to Al-Jazeera English.

Protocol 14 allows the Council of Europe's committee of ministers to bring a member state before the European Court of Human Rights for non-compliance with an earlier judgment.

Only Russia, out of the forty-seven member states, has been opposing this protocol.

The protocol also reduces the number of judges on certain panals, such as those deciding if a case is admissiable.

The only Duma faction to vote against Protocol 14 were the Communists. Communist politican Sergei Reshulsky claimed that the new court operation rules would put more pressure on Russia.

Memorial, a leading Russian rights group, told the Washington Post that the ratification was "an important decision that was long overdue."

The measure still needs to be approved by the upper house and signed by President Medvedev, which is expected to occur soon.

Chinese dissident Zhao Shiying detained by police

Zhao Shiying, the leader of a writers' group, has been detained by Chinese police since Monday, according to Radio Netherlands Worldwide.

No explanation has been given for his detention.

Two computers, his books and his notes, have been confiscated from his home, and his family have also been questioned.

Zhao is a signatory to Charter 08, which calls for political reform. Fellow signatories have been oppressed by the Chinese government.

You can view a summary of Charter 08 at Asia News.it or a full English translation by Human Rights In China.

Human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng "missing" after arrest:

Concern is also growing over the fate of human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng, who has been missing since February 2009. His family claim he was taken by the Chinese authorities from his home in Shaanxi province.

This week one of the arresting policemen told Gao's brother that he had "gone missing".

Gao has been detained before, and claimed that while imprisoned in 2007 his guards tortured him with electric batons, burned his eyes with cigarettes and threatened to kill him if he told anyone about this.

Amnesty International's Roseann Rife told the Guardian: "We have been very concerned since last February because there are reports in his own hand about how he was treated in custody last time, when it seemed he was near death."

Malawi couple arrested for homosexuality to be tried on 15 January

This week Malawi gay couple Steven Monjeza and Tiwonge Chimbalanga, who have been arrested on charges of homosexuality, will be tried.

They were refused bail on 4 January, with Judge Nyakwawa Usiwa-Usiwa claiming the couple risked attack and would be safer in prison – which was rejected by the defendants and their lawyers.

Monjeza and Chinbalanga have claimed that they are being beaten in Chichiri Prison, according to Pink News.

Three human rights activists from the Malawian Centre for the Development of People (CEDEP) who have been involved in their defence have also been arrested.


Outrage's Peter Tatchell writes on Harry's Place: "This prosecution is illegal. It is contrary to section 20 of the Malawi constitution, which outlaws all discrimination and it violates the equal treatment provisions of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, which Malawi has signed and pledged to uphold."

CEDEP director Gift Trapense told The Daily Times: "Unless the suspects were caught in the act, the law cannot take charge against them in the absence of evidence that they are involved in a sexual act. what these two people have done is expression of their legal rights.

"It is another way of testing our law which is silent on such matters. Here are two individuals who are expressing their sexual orientation as human beings. Therefore I do not see any reason why the government should intrude in such an issue."

If found guilty, the pair could recieve up to fourteen years in jail.

You can support Steven Monjeza and Tiwonge Chimbalanga by posting a cheque payable to "OutRage!" to: OutRage!, PO Box 17816, London SW14 8WT.

Include a note giving your name and address and stating that your donation is for the Malawi Defence Campaign.

OutRage! will pass all money donated to Steven Monjeza and Tiwonge Chimbalanga’s defence team in Malawi.

You can also voice your support via CEDEP's contact page.

Perhaps the Malawi authorities would better serve their country by concentrating on fugitives facing charges relating to the Rwandan genocide.

Off-topic: Using Oyster on National Rail including Oyster Extension Permits

This is off-topic and London-centric, but is important for all those using Oyster on National Rail, and includes information on Oyster Extension Permits, needed if you have a Travelcard on your Oyster card and travel outside your Travelcard zone.

Read the document here.

A summary of the information. I recomend reading the full document.

Via diamondgeezer's fantastic blog on London.

If you don't travel into or our of London using National Rail, you can ignore this post and head back to the homepage.

Here's a summary of Oyster Extension Permits:

You can set your permit at any Tube or London Overground station ticket office or touchscreen ticket machine, Oyster Ticket Stops, some National Rail ticket offices or self-service ticket machines.

You only need to set an Oyster Extension Permit when you start a journey within the zones covered by your Travelcard and want to travel outside those zones on National Rail.

Only set your permit to your card just before you make your extension journey.

You must have at least £1.50 pay as you go balance on your Oyster card to set one.

When touching out, the permit will be cleared from your Oyster card and the fare for the extension journey will be deducted from your pay as you go balance.

If you travel beyond the zones covered by your Travelcard without an Oyster Extension Permit you may be liable to a penalty fare or prosecution.

It should be noted that an usused Oyster Extension Permit will remain on the card until used.

I feel that many London travellers are unaware of what Oyster Extension Permits are. Hopefully the links above help.

diamondgeezer's blog is full of wonderful information on London, by the way.

I often become hooked on the blog when considering where I want to go walking next.

My last walk was from Clapham North to Morden. I want to walk to Erith but the snow is hindering this.

Defend the right to offend

In 2005, the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten published twelve cartoons about the Islamic prophet Muhammad. They were intended, according to the newspaper, to contribute to the debate on censorship and Islam.

Islamic tradition says no image of Muhammed should be produced or shown.

Protests took place among Danish Muslims, spreading worldwide when the cartoons were reprinted in newspapers such as Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (Germany) and Expressen (Sweden).

Some Muslim leaders, such as Hamas cofounder Mahmoud al-Zahar, issued death threats, and the Danish police investigated Jyllands-Posten after complaints from Danish imans.

A few days ago, an attempt was made on cartoonist Kurt Westergaard's life. An earlier one had been prevented by members of Politiets Efterretningstjeneste (Danish Security Intelligence Service) in 2008.

A man alleged to be linked to the radical al-Shabab militia in Somalia broke in armed with an axe and a knife. He was arrested by Danish police.

In response, Nancy Graham Holm, who has strong ties with Denmark, has written a rather unpleasent article in the Guardian which implies criticism of Westergaard for publishing the cartoon, as well as the Danish prime minister for not apologising for the cartoon (which would have surely compromised the idea of a free press in Denmark), and Danes in general for being suspicious of religion.

Let us be clear. Mr Westergaard was simply excisising his right to free speech. The idea that the head of a nation should apologise for a newspaper cartoon in order to prevent this attack is odious. It also takes the responsibility away from the attacker. Nancy Graham Holm implies that Westergaard asked for it.

I have seen items which offend me in the media, such as the demonisation of ginger people in some advertising campaigns and the tedious attacks on those who attended public schools. I don't call for an apology from Gordon Brown, or try to attack those responsible for these items.

Where I live, near Queens Road Walthamstow, there are several stickers on drainpipes advertising a demonstration from 2007 against British values. I don't walk into the Queen's Road mosque and demand to know if anyone is aware who stuck them up, as I believe that this person was exercising his freedom of speech.

A minority of Muslims need to understand that, while they believe Muhammed should not be depicted, others disagree. They do not hate Muslims, they simply want to express an idea.

I would also make the point that the majority of the comments on the Guardian story disagree strongly with Nancy Graham Holm, showing that the readership is more broad and respecting of freedom of expression that some like to portray.

Christopher Hitchens has the last word in an interview with Michael J. Totten. Via Harry's Place:

These people are saying the grandfather and granddaughter were the authors of their own attempted assassinations... They've just dissolved morality completely into relativism by saying actually, occasionally, carving up grandfathers and granddaughters with an axe on New Year's Eve can be okay if it's done to protect the reputation of a seventh century Arabian man who heard voices.

BBC report on disabled hate crime in Wales

This report for BBC Wales by wheelchair user Simon Green shows how many disabled people suffer verbal abuse, vandalism and even arson attacks across Wales.

In 2009, police forces in Wales recorded 116 such incidents, with 18 convictions, according to the BBC.

Green also interviews Kier Starmer QC, the Director of Public Prosecutions, and Gwent Police Chief Superintendent Paul Symes about the prosecution of those who commit this crime.

I hope that this program is shown across Britain, because disabled hate crime is also a problem in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, as the deaths of Fiona Pilkington and Francesca Hardwick showed.

It is rather sad how much of the public debate generated when the deaths of Fiona Pilkington and Francesca Hardwick were first reported seems to have vanished.

Maybe some people need constant reminding of the torments disabled people face. We also need a public debate on why a minority think abusing the disabled is fun, as well as why they are getting away with it.

Victims or witnesses to disabled hate crime in Wales should report it to their local police force, and Safer Wales.

In related news, a story in the Flintshire Chronicle reports that 186 hate crimes were reported in the last three years, nine against disabled people.

Simon Green believes, however, that many disabled people suffering hate crime do not have the confidence to report it to the police.

Ugandan tabloid Red Pepper promotes homophobia

The Ugandan tabloid Red Pepper has recently published a story with the personal details of alleged "city tycoons who bankroll Ugandan homos", Box Turtle Bulletin reports.

You can see a scan of the article at the link above.

Box Turtle Bulletin says: "This is what we have long feared: names, identifying features, places of employment, residences, boyfriends and girlfriends, and other unfounded charges and illicit gossip intended to destroy their reputations and worse. It is a repeat of the 2007 vigilante campaign which was also trumpeted by — you guessed it — the Red Pepper."

The paper, which has a history of homophobic reporting, alleges that Ugandan "coordinators" of homosexuals receive 1.5 million Ugandan Shillings per month (about US$780), and also makes allegations about the blogger GayUganda, which he has debunked.

As Gay Uganda notes, the web version of Red Pepper does not appear to be accessible, so I cannot link directly to the article.

Paul Kagaba, the paper's single source for this vile article, claims to be an "ex-gay".

The byline is Stanley Ndawulu, himself a victim of human rights abuses, although there have been rumours that others have had a role in the article as well.

It is very sad that some media outlets in the world continue to spread homophobia. The personal details given may be used by thugs to attack (alleged or actual) homosexuals.

Thankfully, the New York Times has produced a more accurate report on homosexuality in Uganda.

The article has a good ending:

One European gay man, who asked not to be identified, lifted his chin, pointing to the whole scene.

“See, this is what I mean,” he said. “Look at everybody here, gay and straight. There’s no problem.”

He gave a hug to a tall friend.

“It’s not homosexuality that it is imported,” the European man said. “It’s homophobia.”

There is also a lively debate about the matter in the comments section of Pink News.co.uk.

Uganda's Anti-Homosexuality Bill, recently altered to replace the death penalty for homosexuals who had sex with minors, disabled people or while infected with HIV, with life imprisonment and rehabilitation, will be debated again this month.

That was the decade that was

Not much human rights content in this post, more of a general "oh look, it's 2010".

Unsurprisingly, giving the continued economic dispair, New Year's celebrations across the country have been very muted.

When I got back home to Walthamstow, I heard a few fireworks going off and the odd shout or scream, but aside from that my road was eerily silent.

Perhaps people were worried about the fare rises on London Underground and London buses which come into effect from today.

I loathe the term "the noughties" which sounds to me like a reference to bad behaviour, but ironically this is a good summary of the past decade, with continued human rights abuses (I've never been short of material), economic hardship for millions and countless armed conflicts.

On a personal level, on 1st January 2000 I was a thirteen year old three years away from his GCSE's.

Since then, I've lived in three different cities (Oxford, Brighton and London), studied a BA in English Literature and an MA in Journalism, and worked for a year in a contract role at the ISEAL Alliance, which will expire on January 12th.

It's been a tough but exciting decade, with many friends gained and many interesting experiences.

Let's hope 2010 is just as interesting, social and exciting.