"Don't deport Sri Lankans at risk of torture"

Thursday, June 16, 2011 

Tamils Set for UK Deportation Following Suicide Attempt, Says Amnesty International

Washington, D.C.: Amnesty International is calling on the United Kingdom authorities not to deport Sri Lankans at risk of torture, ahead of a planned deportation from Gatwick Airport in London to Colombo this afternoon. 

At least twenty Sri Lankans, mostly Tamil, face forcible return on the flight. 

"Nobody should be deported from the United Kingdom if they are at risk of torture," said Yolanda Foster, Sri Lanka researcher at Amnesty International. "The end of the armed conflict in Sri Lanka in May 2009 has not diminished the risks faced by failed Sri Lankan asylum seekers, who continue to be subjected to arrest and detention upon their arrival in Sri Lanka. We are aware of cases of returned asylum seekers being tortured." 

Amnesty International understands that at least one of the failed asylum seekers due to be deported tried to commit suicide last night at an airport detention facility, following threats he reportedly received on the telephone to kill him once he returned to Sri Lanka. The death threat followed an interview given to the media. 

"The British government has a responsibility under international law to protect people at risk of torture and should not remove them," said Foster. 

Amnesty International has documented the endemic use of torture in Sri Lanka and a culture of impunity prevails. 

Amnesty International is a Nobel Peace Prize-winning grassroots activist organization with more than 3 million supporters, activists and volunteers in more than 150 countries campaigning for human rights worldwide. The organization investigates and exposes abuses, educates and mobilizes the public, and works to protect people wherever justice, freedom, truth and dignity are denied. 

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Afghan, Coalition Force Kills, Captures Insurgents

From an International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Release KABUL, Afghanistan, June 16, 2011 - A combined Afghan and coalition security force killed two armed insurgents and detained several suspects during a nighttime security operation in the Mota Khan district of Afghanistan's Paktika province yesterday, military officials reported. The Afghan-led security force encountered the armed insurgents while searching for a Haqqani terrorist network facilitator. The facilitator is a roadside and car bomb expert who conducts, coordinates and directs attacks against Afghan and coalition forces within the district. After arriving at the suspected location, the force noticed several armed individuals fleeing the area. The suspected insurgents fired on the security force as they were pursued. The security force opened fire, killing two insurgents. One of the individuals was wearing a suicide vest and had multiple grenades, assault rifles and chest racks. The force also seized several homemade explosives, blasting caps and detonation cord. In other operations in Afghanistan yesterday: -- Based on intelligence reports, an Afghan-led force in Jowzjan province's Qush Tepah district captured a Taliban facilitator while searching for an insurgent leader who is the Taliban-appointed governing official for operations in the province and conducts attacks on Afghan forces. The force detained two individuals with suspected ties to Taliban activity. -- A combined force in Kandahar province's Kandahar City captured a Taliban facilitator who acquired roadside bomb-making materials for construction and distribution throughout Kandahar City. -- A combined force detained several suspected Taliban insurgents in Kandahar province's Zharay district while searching for a Taliban leader who directs insurgents responsible for attacks on Nakhonay Village. He also operates in Salawat and Zalakhan in Kandahar province's Panjwa'i district. -- Based on intelligence tips, a combined force detained two suspected insurgents while searching for two Taliban facilitators in Helmand province's Marjah district. The facilitators are responsible for purchasing roadside bomb-making materials and using their shop as a bed-down facility for Taliban insurgents. -- In Zabul province's Tarnek wa Jaldek district, a coalition force observed several armed insurgents planting a roadside bomb. After gaining positive identification, an air weapons team engaged the position, killing five insurgents. -- A combined force in Logar province's Charkh district detained several individuals with suspected ties to the Haqqani terrorist network while searching for a Haqqani facilitator responsible for conducting attacks against Afghan and coalition forces, and coordinating fighter and weapons movements in the district. -- In the Nangarhar province's Sherzad district, a combined force captured several individuals with suspected ties to insurgent activity while searching for a Taliban facilitator who supports a roadside bomb cell that targets Afghan government officials in Khugyani district's Memla Village. In addition, the force destroyed 80 pounds of opium. -- In Khost province's Sabari district, an Afghan-led force captured a Haqqani network leader and two of his associates. The leader targets Afghan forces with roadside bombs and direct attacks, and also purchased weapons and equipment for other insurgents. -- A combined force in Nangarhar province's Hisarak district found 47 20 mm rounds, 41 12.7 mm rounds, 17 fuses and 119 pounds of hashish.

Related Sites: NATO International Security Assistance Force

Soldier Gives Gift of Life

By Rachel Parks  III Corps and Fort Hood Public Affairs FORT HOOD, Texas, June 15, 2011 - Army Spc. Christopher Sutton enjoys helping people. It's something that comes naturally to him whether it's at his job, in his free time or while volunteering. Army Spc. Christopher Sutton donates bone marrow in Washington, D.C. Sutton discovered he was a bone marrow match just a few months ago and made a donation in May. He elected to enter the Defense Department's bone marrow donor database more than four years ago. Courtesy photo  In that spirit of giving, Sutton took part in a bone marrow donor drive while stationed with the 89th Military Police Brigade about four years ago, and he was entered into the Defense Department bone marrow donor database. "Two months ago, they called me out of the blue," Sutton said. "I just happened to have the same number." Now working as a cadre member of the Warrior Transition Brigade Headquarters, Sutton was stunned when he was told he was a match to someone who would benefit from a bone marrow donation. A donor coordinator from the C.W. Bill Young Department of Defense Marrow Donor Center contacted Sutton to ask if he would donate blood to verify a positive match. "They said chances were slim that I could even be a match," he said. But in a few short weeks, Sutton was contacted again with the official word. He was a match and his bone marrow donation could save a life. Sutton said he wanted to help, but was concerned about the marrow-extraction process. "I was definitely thinking they were going to shove a huge needle in me and it was going to hurt," he said. "I've heard that is one of the most-painful things ever." Ultimately, Sutton decided the pain would be worth the possibility of having a positive impact on someone's life. "I was trying to make excuses at first, but after that I was just like, 'OK it's got to be done,'" he said. Although he was willing to donate, Sutton had work considerations as well. At the time of the coordination, the WTB was preparing for a Warrior Transition Command Inspector General inspection. Sutton, who played a vital role in the inspection preparation process, was reluctant to leave before the inspection was over. "They had to have the donation soon because [the recipient] was getting worse," he said. "They waited for the inspection that we had, because I needed to be there for that, and they flew me out the day after the inspection was over." Although Sutton was expecting a painful bone marrow extraction process, he was able to donate through a less-invasive method. Instead of requiring surgery to harvest bone marrow from his hip, Sutton donated peripheral blood stem cells. "Basically it's five days of injections of this medicine called filgrastim," he explained. "It tells your body to produce more stem cells. On the sixth day, you go in and they do the draw." Sutton spent more than four hours donating peripheral blood stem cells during the procedure. He said he'd definitely donate again. Sutton is humble when discussing his donation. "I didn't think it was that big of a deal, but it was everyone else's outlook on it," he said. "Everywhere I went, people said it was amazing and it made me feel really good." Soldiers who work with Sutton each day say they're proud of him, but not surprised by his willingness to donate to someone he doesn't know. Army Capt. Rica Banks, the WTB's personnel officer, and Army Chief Warrant Officer 3 David Garcia, a brigade human resources technician, said that's just the way Sutton is. Garcia also served as a source of information for Sutton as the donation process unfolded. "When we were in Hawaii a few years ago, my wife actually got contacted [to be a bone marrow donor]," Garcia said. "Unfortunately, the lady passed away before all that could happen. After that, she convinced me to become a donor. "You never know when it's going to be you, or someone close to you," he added. Banks agreed. "It's a very easy thing to do," Banks said, "but unless you've had a situation where you've had to receive, you might not understand how important it is or how one simple little thing can change the life of someone else." Sutton was honored in front of the brigade for his donation. "Everyone recognized what a big deal this is for him," Banks said. Sutton said it was an easy decision to make. "I definitely recommend people get signed up, it's great to help someone."

Related Sites: DOD Marrow Donor Program

Airman Aids Afghans With Carpentry Skills

By Tech. Sgt. Stacia Zachary  U.S. Air Forces Central CAMP BASTION, Afghanistan, June 14, 2011 - Some of the heat has burned off as the summer moon rises overhead. An airman labors over scrap wood in a makeshift workshop under a canopy of camouflage. Fitting pieces of wood together, the shape of a tiny coffin emerges. Air Force Master Sgt. Jason Reininger builds a child-size coffin to be turned over to the hospital at Camp Bastion, Afghanistan. Reininger is an aerospace medical technician assigned to the 451st Expeditionary Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron. U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Adrian Cadiz  When the contract providing coffins for deceased Afghans expired, members at the hospital here immediately began making alternative plans. Americans stepped in to continue the role after their British counterparts brought the deficiency to their attention. "[British army Maj. Martin Smith] came asking to see if our airmen would help out," said Air Force Lt. Col. Barbara Persons, commander of the 451st Expeditionary Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron Detatchment 1 Contingency Aeromedical Staging Facility. "I didn't even hesitate. I knew my airmen would feel the same way as I did -- anything to preserve the dignity of an innocent child." The British and other nations' service members had long-since noticed the carpentry skills of the airmen here. Shortly after their arrival at the squadron compound in January, the airmen decided to make the place more habitable. Before long, the airmen had built wooden overhangs draped with canopy covers. They nailed together shelves to hold books and other donated items, and fashioned picnic tables out of discarded wood from around the camp. "I am always looking for ways to improve the conditions here, so whenever I can do a little project that will help with making the quality of life better for the people here or the patients, then it's usually something I jump right into," said Air Force Master Sgt. Jason Reininger, a reservist deployed from the 419th Medical Squadron at Hill Air Force Base, Utah. Not a carpenter by trade, the sergeant said he has always been around construction and picked up little tricks of the trade along the way. "I learned a lot of my skills from working with my father who worked a lot with contract builders and my stepfather who did a lot of work around the house," Reininger said. "A lot of what I know I either picked up from them or has been self-taught." So when the question was posed to the sergeant about fashioning coffins for children, he immediately set to work. "It seemed pretty simple to me and it just seemed something easy that I could do," Reininger said. "It raised the level of intensity because I have two children of my own. It wasn't just a shelf to put books on, but the final resting place for a child." Having never built a coffin before, or anything similar to one, the craftsman began researching the project online. Before long, he had a blueprint and a rough estimate of size. Building a coffin is a somber task, but the sergeant takes solace in the knowledge that children won't be released to their family in a sterile, military-issued body bag. "I wouldn't want to do that when I can provide something a little more to show that the child's life was worth something," he said, "and that the parent's grief matters." Reininger's first coffin is a model that will give the British an idea of what he can build. Once he receives the green light to proceed and reviews the cultural requirements, he'll set to work on more. In the meantime, the sergeant and other aeromedical evacuation personnel continue to forage wood scraps from different construction sites on the camp. "If I'm busy with something, I can sleep better at night knowing that I am accomplishing something good and worthwhile," Reininger said. "I think being able to do little things like this improves the standing of us among the Afghans here," he added.

Air Force Master Sgt. Jason Reininger builds a child-size coffin to be turned over to the hospital at Camp Bastion, Afghanistan. Reininger is an aerospace medical technician assigned to the 451st Expeditionary Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron. U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Adrian Cadiz  Download screen-resolution Download high-resolution

Amnesty International Urges Malaysia

Arrest Sudanese President Wanted for War Crimes 
Washington, D.C.: The Malaysian government should immediately withdraw its invitation to Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir, and arrest him if he travels to Malaysia, Amnesty International said today.

The Malaysian government announced yesterday that President al-Bashir will participate in the Langkawi International Dialogue, an economic forum being held in Malaysia from June 19 to 21. 

The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Al-Bashir for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in Darfur.

"Malaysia should not turn itself into a port of call for fugitives from international justice," said Donna Guest, deputy Asia Pacific director at Amnesty International. "The Malaysian government should bar Bashir from its territory and arrest him if he turns up."

Amnesty International welcomed Malaysia’s announcement on March 21 of its intention to become a state party to the Rome Statute and to recognize the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court. In his announcement, Malaysian Law Minister Nazri Aziz said, "This is a declaration that Malaysia rejects war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide."

When the U.N. Security Council referred the situation in Darfur to the ICC in 2005, it urged all states to cooperate fully with the Court. Although Malaysia is not yet party to the Rome Statute of the ICC, it should arrest Omar al-Bashir should he arrive in Malaysia, Amnesty International said.

"Malaysia’s invitation to Omar al-Bashir flies in the face of its decision to join the ICC," said Guest. "Instead of hosting people wanted by the ICC, Malaysia should reaffirm its commitment to justice."

Amnesty International is a Nobel Peace Prize-winning grassroots activist organization with more than 3 million supporters, activists and volunteers in more than 150 countries campaigning for human rights worldwide. The organization investigates and exposes abuses, educates and mobilizes the public, and works to protect people wherever justice, freedom, truth and dignity are denied. 

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