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seeking safety,finding fearRefugees, asylum-seekeRs andmigRants in libya and malta
many thousand somalis flee their war-torn country every year insearch of safety. for those who reach libya, indefinite detention,torture and other abuses await them. many then embark on periloussea journeys towards europe. those who survive often end up inmalta, where they face detention followed by isolation and povertyin cramped accommodation.
Tens of thousands of Somalis flee every yearto escape the conflict that has ravaged theircountry since 1991. Some go toneighbouring countries, but many travelfurther afield to seek refuge. They take long,expensive and dangerous journeys, oftenthrough Ethiopia, Sudan and Libya. InLibya, their hopes are often shattered asthey face arrest, indefinite detention, tortureand other abuses – and they have nopossibility to seek protection or remedy.Many use all their savings to embark on riskyjourneys across the Mediterranean. Someperish at sea. Some are intercepted andreturned to Libya by Italian or Libyan patrolvessels. Those who reach Europe may facedetention. In Malta, for example, Somalis, likeother asylum-seekers, are detained on arrival,although most are eventually recognized asneeding protection, released from detentionand transferred to open residential centres.There, they live on a small allowance inovercrowded and unhygienic conditions withscant chances of a better future or integrationinto Maltese society. Many suffer from mentalhealth problems.
Amnesty International delegates visitedMalta in September 2010 and interviewedmany Somalis about their hazardousjourneys and subsequent ordeals in Libyaand Malta.
A dinghy in distressOn 17 July 2010, a group of 55 Somalistravelling in a dinghy from Libya to Europefound themselves in distress and wereintercepted and rescued, some 45 milessouth-east of Malta. Twenty-eight weretaken to Malta by an Armed Forces of Malta(AFM) P-52 patrol vessel, while 27 werereturned to Libya by a Libyan patrol boat.
The Maltese authorities said that the 27 –18 men and nine women – returned toLibya voluntarily. However, some of theSomalis interviewed by AmnestyInternational gave a different account. Theysaid that the first vessel to approach themwas the Maltese boat: it picked up fivewomen considered particularly vulnerable,but left everyone else in the dinghy afterhanding out life-jackets, water and biscuits.Shortly after, another ship approached. TheSomalis were addressed in English andItalian. Thinking that they would be takento Italy, 27 of them boarded the vessel.When one of them overheard Arabic, he
family separatedHaving initially fled to libya from somalia,ahmed mahmoud and mariam Hussein, thenseven months’ pregnant, decided to leave libyabecause ahmed could not find work andbecause they lived in constant fear of beingdetained. several times, they were robbed bylibyan teenagers, but dared not complain to thepolice for fear of being arrested. On 17 July theywere separated during their boat journey toeurope. mariam did not realize that the ship shewas boarding was libyan. ahmed told amnestyinternational that when he asked the maltesepersonnel to be reunited with mariam, he wastold that it was too late as the libyan ship hadalready left. the maltese authorities state thatahmed never told them that mariam was on thelibyan ship. mariam’s baby was stillborn sometwo months after her return to libya.
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‘It is better to die in the seathan return to Libya’farah anam, somali woman who arrived in malta in July 2010 via libya,interviewed at Hal far Reception Centre, malta, september 2010
Rescued refugees, asylum-seekers andmigrants being taken back to Tripoli in Libya.
– being returned to Libya, where they lackany prospect of international protection, andwhere they are at risk of torture and otherhuman rights abuses.All 27 were immediately detained in Libyafor periods ranging from a few days to a fewweeks. In detention, according to reports,all males were lined up against a wall andbeaten with batons, and some were givenelectric shocks during interrogation. Twomen remain in unknown places ofdetention, allegedly because they arebelieved to have organized the crossing.The 28 Somalis taken to Malta were allreleased from detention within two monthsand granted international protection.The Maltese authorities continue to deny anywrongdoing. In September 2010 they toldAmnesty International that, in the context ofthe 17 July and other similar incidents, Maltadoes not consider that it has internationalobligations towards asylum-seekers beyondensuring the physical safety of individuals indistress at sea.
Under international law, however, states thathave effective control, authority or powerover third-country nationals rescued orintercepted at sea have obligations thatextend outside their territories, including thehigh seas. At a minimum, they must:ensure access to a full, fair andsatisfactory asylum determinationprocedure to assess individuals’ eligibilityfor international protection; andnot return any individuals, either directlyor indirectly, to a country or territory wherethey would face a real risk of persecution orserious harm.
attempted to jump overboard screaming“they are Libyans”. Those still in the dinghyrefused to board the ship once they realizedit was Libyan. Some panicked, jumping intothe water or threatening to commit suicide.The Maltese vessel, which was reportedlystanding nearby, then picked up theremaining Somalis on the dinghy and tookthem to Malta.Even though Maltese personnel took somesteps to prevent families from being splitup, one man told Amnesty International thathe was separated from his pregnant partnerwho was returned to Libya (see box left).Their actions also resulted in 27 Somalis –who are eligible for international protectionwhen fleeing central and southern Somalia
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Misratah detention centre, Libya. It wasconsidered a “model” centre that was visited byUNHCR and its partners prior to the closure ofUNHCR’s operations in Libya in June 2010.Amnesty International visited the centre in May2009 and collected testimonies from asylum-seekers, including Somalis, who had beendetained there for over two years.
COmpliCity Of tHe eurOpean uniOnthe eu and its member states are ignoringlibya’s dire human rights record and activelyseeking its collaboration to stem the flow ofpeople arriving in europe from africa. the libyanauthorities complain that the eu expects libyato act as its “guard”, but seem to be willing toplay this role for a price. in late august 2010,libya’s leader, Colonel mu’ammar al-gaddafi,requested €5 billion to halt the “influx ofstarving and ignorant africans” to europe. abouta month later, the european Commission signedan agreement with libya covering “themanagement of migration flows” and “bordercontrol”, in return for financial assistance of€50 million until 2013.negotiations over an eu-libya frameworkagreement, including on “readmission of third-country nationals” who have transited throughlibya on their way to europe, have been ongoingfor the past two years. in august 2008 libyaagreed to allow third-country nationalsintercepted at sea by italian vessels to bedisembarked on its soil, and to patrol themediterranean with boats donated by italy. sincethen, arrivals of refugees, asylum-seekers andmigrants in europe have decreasedsignificantly. in 2010, for example, 28 arrivedin malta, compared to about 1,500 in 2009 and2,775 in 2008.the maltese authorities acknowledge the roleplayed by libya. for example, foreign affairsminister tonio borg was quoted in september2010 as supporting libya’s request for financialassistance to better patrol its borders.amnesty international is deeply concerned aboutthe impact of libya’s “assistance” to the euand its member states on the human rights ofrefugees, asylum-seekers and migrants.
liBya: nOWHere tO turnfOr HelpMore than three million “irregular migrants”are in Libya, according to the Libyanauthorities. They include people who havefled conflict and persecution and needinternational protection. Despite this, theLibyan authorities insist that there are norefugees in Libya and resist calls to ratifythe 1951 Convention relating to the Statusof Refugees and its 1967 Protocol. Theyalso refuse to sign a memorandum ofunderstanding with the UN HighCommissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).UNHCR’s ability to assist people in need ofinternational protection in Libya is extremelylimited, particularly after the authorities shutdown its operations in June 2010. Theauthorities have since allowed a limitedresumption of UNHCR’s operations, but itsstaff is denied access to detention centresand cannot consider new asylum claims.Libya ratified the African Union ConventionGoverning the Specific Aspects of RefugeeProblems in Africa in 1981, but has yet to
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‘The key in the reduction ofnew arrivals lies in Libya’shands.’administrator in Hal far Hangar, malta, september 2010,speaking about the arrivals of refugees, asylum-seekers andmigrants
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introduce asylum procedures despiterepeated promises over the years. Sincethere is no asylum system, nobody canapply for asylum. This leaves thousandsof asylum-seekers and refugees in Libya,including Somalis, in a legal limbo andincreases the likelihood that they will beforcibly returned to places where they facea real risk of torture or other human rightsviolations.Amnesty International opposes all forciblereturns to southern and central Somalia,and believes that the majority of Somalisshould be granted asylum or anotherform of international protection. In May2010, UNHCR stated in its Guidelines forAssessing the International ProtectionNeeds of Asylum-Seekers from Somalia:“In view of the serious and widespreadviolations of human rights and theongoing armed conflict and insecurity inmuch of southern and central Somaliaand some parts of Somaliland andPuntland, UNHCR considers that manySomali asylum-seekers are in need ofinternational protection”.
Criminalization of irregularmigration and detentionAny foreign national who enters, stays in orleaves Libya irregularly, for example withoutthe appropriate visa or through unofficialborder posts, faces prosecution. Libyanlegislation criminalizes such people withoutdistinguishing between migrants andrefugees, victims of trafficking or others inneed of international protection. In July2010, a new law – Combating IrregularMigration – was made public. It allows forthe indefinite detention, followed bydeportation, of those considered to beirregular migrants. Those detained cannotchallenge the grounds of their detention orof deportation decisions.In recent years, the Libyan authorities haveheld thousands of individuals, includingSomalis, considered to be irregular migrantsin detention centres in overcrowded andunhygienic conditions. Almost all werenever charged for breaching immigrationregulations, nor offered a way to challengetheir indefinite detention. AmnestyInternational has documented cases where
aBdi maHmOudabdi mahmoud was 23 when he reached malta inJuly 2010. He told amnesty international that heleft somalia in may 2009 after his brother waskilled by the al-shabab armed group. Hereached libya, where he lived in constant fear,particularly after he was detained in kufra in thesouth-east of the country. there, he was held ina cell with about 70 other men and routinelybeaten. Once, in response to his request forwater, the guards took him outside, forced awater hose into his mouth and turned on the tap.When he begged them to stop, he was beaten soseverely with sticks that he still has marks onhis back. after his release, he constantlyworried that police would raid his home. He didodd jobs to support himself, but was not alwayspaid by his libyan employers. He had nowhere togo to seek protection. He says that he tried toapproach the unHCr office in tripoli, but waschased away by a libyan guard. He then felt hehad little choice but to take the dangerousjourney by sea to europe, and ended up in malta.
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individuals were held for three years. Someof those detained had to bribe guards tosecure their freedom.It was only in July 2010 that the authoritiesreleased over 4,000 foreign nationals fromdetention and issued them with residencepermits valid for three months. However,the people concerned feared reneweddetention and deportation as soon as thepermits expired. Such fears weresubstantiated when the Libyan authoritiesdescribed foreign nationals as “temporaryguests” who must eventually “return to theircountries of origin”.The lack of transparency in decision-making processes in Libya and the fact thatthe most vulnerable remain outside of theprotection of the law leaves asylum-seekersin Libya uncertain and fearful about theirfuture.
Impunity for torture and otherill-treatmentTorture and other ill-treatment of refugees,asylum-seekers and migrants is systematicin Libya. Most commonly, detainees arepunched or hit with metal wires or batons.Sometimes, guards hit detainees to punishthem for requesting medical treatment orcomplaining about their conditions; at othertimes, the beatings appear to be done forno reason at all.The conditions in some detention centrescould in themselves amount to torture orother ill-treatment. Detainees are neverallowed outside. They are made to sleep onthe floor with barely room to move. They arenot provided with safe drinking water. Theyare routinely denied medical treatment.Women are particularly vulnerable. Somewomen previously detained in Libya toldAmnesty International that women in labourwere not always taken to hospital. In onecase, a woman reportedly had to cut herumbilical cord with a piece of dirty metal.Her baby was stillborn and she received nomedical care.Sa’adiya Moussa, a Somali woman, toldAmnesty International in Malta that she hada miscarriage in Ganfouda detention centrein Libya after guards beat and kicked herand pushed her to the ground, causing
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Zlitan detention centre, Libya. According totestimonies collected by Amnesty International,individuals believed to be irregular migrantsand detained in Zlitan are never allowedoutdoors, are held in overcrowded andunhygienic rooms for months on end, and arebeaten and otherwise abused by guards.
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severe bleeding. A week lapsed before shewas taken to hospital.The climate of impunity for Libyan officialsmeans that torture and other ill-treatmentare likely to continue.
At liberty to be abusedForeign nationals, particularly Sub-SaharanAfricans, rarely if ever feel secure in Libya.Racist insults such as “blacks”, “animals”and “slaves” are frequently shouted at them.They are attacked or robbed in the streetwith impunity, as their assailants know theirvictims dare not complain to the police. Inthose rare instances when foreign nationalshave approached the police, investigationsare not known to have taken place.Their sense of insecurity is deepened byfrequent police raids on their houses tomake arrests or simply to pillagebelongings. Sub-Saharan Africans are alsoat risk of exploitation by Libyan employers;many have told Amnesty International thatthey are often not paid and have no meansto claim their rights.Instead of countering the racism, Libyanofficials often publicly blame “Africans” forcrime and the spread of diseases.
aBBas aHmed saHelabbas ahmed sahel was rescued by the afmboat on 17 July and taken to malta. He toldamnesty international that he fled somalia inearly 2009 after his wife was killed and he wasinjured during an attack by armed groups. Hespent 18 months in libya, 11 of them in variousdetention centres. He said that in kufra, theguards beat him and poured boiling water onhim because he had asked for food andmedicine. He did not receive any medicaltreatment, even after his leg became swollen asa result of the burns. He had to sleep on amattress on the floor, drink water from a hose inthe toilet, and was never allowed outside.
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malta: detentiOn, pOVertyand isOlatiOnBetween 2002 and May 2009, when Italianpatrol boats started intercepting third-country nationals at sea, around 13,000individuals arrived in Malta by boat fromLibya. Most originated from Somalia, butsome were from Eritrea, Sudan and otherSub-Saharan and North African countries.According to officials, in July 2010 some4,000 foreign nationals living in Maltaoriginated from the African continent.While large migration flows pose challengesfor a small country like Malta, they do notfree Malta from its obligations underinternational and regional human rights law,including the European Convention onHuman Rights.
arriving in an irregular manner is issuedwith a removal order and subject tomandatory detention. While the maximumperiod of detention is not specified,government policy is that asylum-seekerscan be detained for up to 12 months unlesstheir claims are determined before, whilemigrants who do not apply for asylum orwhose claims are rejected can be detainedfor up to 18 months.
Above:Hal Far Tent Village, where conditionsare appalling.Right:At Hal Far Hangar, about 16 to 20people share each metal container; these lackprivacy and basics such as toilets.
‘Why am I detained? I am nota thief, a killer, a criminal. Welive like animals…’sudanese detainee in the safi barracks, malta, september2010
Maltese authorities justify mandatorydetention on security grounds. Noalternative non-custodial measures are inplace, despite international and Europeanstandards which specify that detention ofasylum-seekers and irregular migrants canbe justified only in the most exceptionalcircumstances as a last resort. Moreover,to be lawful, detention requires a thoroughassessment of the situation of eachindividual.Malta lacks effective legal remedies tochallenge detention for individuals detainedfor “immigration offences”. As a result, inJuly 2010 the European Court of HumanRights found Malta in violation of Article 5 ofthe European Convention on Human Rights,in the case ofLouled Massoud v Malta.
Mandatory detentionAfter their ordeals in Libya and dangeroussea voyages, many asylum-seekers andmigrants hoped that Malta would be a safehaven. Instead, they feel they are treatedlike criminals as they are detained onarrival. Under Maltese legislation, anyone
Vulnerable individuals, including minorsand pregnant women, are released fromdetention once the necessary arrangementsare made. However, procedures forscreening individuals with less visible“vulnerabilities”, such as people withmental health problems, are inadequate,and the needs of those identified asvulnerable are not adequately addressed.
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Open-ended removal orders are issued fromthe moment someone arrives in Maltawithout a visa or relevant documentation.Accordingly, rejected asylum-seekers canbe removed months or years after theirarrival in Malta, while their right to challengeremoval can be exercised only in a limitedtime frame. In practice, a challenge at pointof enforcement is often impossible.In mid-September 2010, 95 people weredetained in Malta for “immigrationoffences”, including nationals from Ethiopia,Somalia and Sudan. Conditions in detentionhave improved due to refurbishments andthe reduced number of arrivals since mid-2009. However, people held in the SafiBarracks, the only functioning detentioncentre for “immigration offences” in Malta,told Amnesty International that they resentbeing treated like criminals, suffer frommental health problems, and feel helplessto change their situation.
protection by the Refugee Commissionerin Malta, the official body responsible forexamining asylum claims.The decrease in the number of arrivals sincemid-2009 has reduced the time needed toprocess new asylum claims. For instance,
the 28 Somalis who arrived in Malta inJuly 2010 were all granted internationalprotection within two months.In another positive development, theRefugee Commissioner decided to reconsidera number of rejected claims of nationals
nasra Warsamenasra Warsame, a 20-year-old somali woman,was rescued by the afm boat on 17 July alongwith her baby. On arrival in malta, she was takento a hospital for a check-up and then detainedat the safi Barracks for about five days beforebeing transferred to the open Hal far receptionCentre for families. she is concerned about herfuture in malta as she thinks that she will not beable to work without day care for her child.despite this, she is glad to have escaped fromlibya, where she had been held in agdebia,Zlitan, ganfouda and az-Zawiya detentioncentres. she described conditions there as“appalling”, but singled out Zlitan which shesaid felt like a grave. she was pregnant at thetime, and shared her windowless cell with 40other women. they could not go outside, andhad to drink water and wash from the same tapin the toilet inside their cell. she said thatwomen were not provided with any medicalcare or sanitary products. nasra Warsame saidthat on one occasion her cellmates asked theguards for help because she was vomiting. theguards responded by dragging her into theyard, then insulted and beat her for about anhour. she was released after paying a guardus$1,000 with money sent by her family. aftergiving birth, she decided to leave libya but hadto travel without her husband because theycould not afford the us$1,200 passage fee forboth of them.
Inadequate asylum proceduresBetween 2002 and 2010, over 6,000individuals were granted some form of
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Above:At Hal Far Hangar, hundreds of foreignnationals were assigned places in this vastwindowless metal hangar, where conditionslacked basic hygiene. The hangar is no longerused to house people.Right:A man at Hal Far shows AmnestyInternational delegates the marks on his legsleft by rats that bit him as he slept in the largeplane hangar.Far right:Inside a tent in Hal Far Tent Village,showing holes in the canvas and the crampedliving conditions.
Further, the Refugee Appeals Board holdsits sessions behind closed doors and isreported to have reversed decisions in onlyfour cases between 2002 and 2008.
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share about 15 toilets and showers in eachcentre. The estimated 45 tents in Hal FarTent Village are torn and provide inadequateshelter from rain and cold.These conditions cannot be justified by alack of resources. Government officials toldAmnesty International that open centresshould not be “pull factors” that “entice”people to stay indefinitely and depend onhand-outs. At the same time, however, noeffort is made to integrate such people intoMaltese society.Most residents who would be allowed towork cannot find employment and areoffered few training opportunities. Theyhave to survive on a monthly allowance ofabout €130 which they receive on conditionthat they register three times a week. Sincecentres are often located far from commercialcentres, this condition further impedes theirability to search for work. In what seems tobe a punitive measure, the allowance isreduced to €80 per month for those whoreturn to Malta after attempting to applyfor asylum in other EU member states.
Open centres and poor conditionsAfter they have spent the maximum periodallowed in detention or have been grantedsome form of protection, individuals areassigned places in open centres. Mostcentres are run by the Agency for the Welfareof Asylum Seekers and include specializedfacilities for single women, families, andunaccompanied minors. None of the centresis adequately staffed; in particular, they lackmedical and social care workers. Residentsalso complain about overcrowding, poorsanitation, the lack of privacy and theabsence of recreational activities.Amnesty International saw the deplorableconditions in the Hal Far Hangar and HalFar Tent Village, which jointly house over1,000 people. Between 16 and 20 peoplelive in each metal container or tent with nodirect access to running water. There are noproper sanitation facilities and the residents
from the Democratic Republic of Congo,Ethiopia and Sudan in light of developmentsin their countries of origin.However, concerns remain around the rightof rejected asylum-seekers to appealeffectively. For instance, negative decisionsare not sufficiently reasoned, deprivingrejected asylum-seekers of the opportunityto challenge successfully the decision.Moreover, asylum-seekers and their lawyersare not granted full access to the case file.
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Although official policy stipulates thatresidents are entitled to stay in open centresfor up to a year, several Maltese officialsassured Amnesty International that noresidents are expelled, arguing that theydo not want them to become “a burdenon Maltese society”. Maltese authorities areactively trying to find resettlement places inthe USA or relocation opportunities in otherEU member states for residents recognizedas refugees or otherwise in need ofinternational protection, but do not make aneffort in ensuring their economic, social andcultural rights within Malta. Thousands areleft with a bleak future.
sOmali Human rigHts defendermohamed ismail (not his real name), a humanrights defender, left somalia in July 2008following death threats from the al-shababarmed group. He was scared because severalsomali human rights defenders had been killed.after a long journey through kenya, uganda,sudan and libya, he finally reached malta inJanuary 2009. He was rescued at sea by amaltese military patrol vessel and thentransferred to a detention centre in ta’kandja.during his seven months in detention, hesuffered from depression. He did not haveaccess to outdoor space and was trapped with48 other men in a cell equipped with threeshowers and two toilets. most nights he couldnot sleep as he was worrying about his mother,wife and six children in somalia.When he was granted protection andtransferred to Hal far Hangar, he slept on amattress on the floor inside the windowlessmetal hangar with 450 other people. He said thatsanitary conditions were so poor that rats bithim at night. now he lives in a container with 15other men. He is contesting the decision of therefugee Commissioner not to recognize him asrefugee. He told amnesty international: “idefended human rights in somalia, now i amwaiting for someone to defend my rights.”
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Front cover:An Italian patrol boat bringsrefugees, asylum-seekers and migrants back toLibya after “rescuing” them at sea. Libya hasagreed to the disembarkation on its soil ofthird-country nationals intercepted at sea,including in international waters, by Italianpatrol boats.� AP Photo/Abdel Magid al Fergany
aCtiOn neededWrite to the European Commissionerfor Home Affairs, calling on her to:ensure that agreements with Libya inthe area of migration and asylum, andimplementation of these, fully respect therights of asylum-seekers, refugees andmigrants, and that adequate protectionstandards are enshrined in such agreementsand observed in practice;ensure that Malta complies withinternational human rights standards, andwith relevant EU law, including the Charterof Fundamental Rights, with regard to legalsafeguards against arbitrary detention andremoval, to reception conditions ofasylum-seekers, and to effective asylumdetermination procedures;guarantee the rights of refugees, asylum-ensure that search and rescue operationscomply with international human rights andrefugee law and standards, in particular asregards access to asylum and protectionagainst forcible return to places where thereis a risk of persecution or other serioushuman rights abuses.Write to:Cecilia MalmströmCommissioner for Home AffairsEuropean CommissionB-1049 Brusselsdo not return, in any manner whatsoever,[email protected]Salutation: Dear Commissionerpeople in need of international protection toa country where they are at risk of persecutionor other serious human rights abuses.ensure that asylum-seekers, refugees andmigrants can exercise their economic, socialand cultural rights.protect migrants from violence, threats,intimidation and abuse; conduct full,independent and impartial investigations intoallegations of torture or other ill-treatment ofrefugees, asylum-seekers and migrants byLibyan law enforcement agents; and bring tojustice all those responsible whether they arestate officials or private individuals; andensure that decisions concerning eligibilityfor international protection comply withinternational human rights and refugee law;that appellants and their lawyers are givenaccess to the relevant documentation; andthat appeals are held in the presence of theasylum-seeker;seekers and migrants to legal counsel andinterpretation services, and ensure that theyhave the right to challenge the lawfulness oftheir detention and expulsion;provide sufficient medical staff and socialworkers in open centres to ensure that theneeds of residents, particularly vulnerableindividuals, are adequately addressed;amend legislation to guarantee that anyasylum-seeker or migrant is only detained onthe basis of an individual decision which isdemonstrably lawful and in line with relevantinternational human rights and refugee lawand standards;adopt and implement operating standardsfor detention and open residential centresthat meet relevant international standards;ratify the 1951 Convention relating to theStatus of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol,adopt asylum legislation consistent withinternational law and standards, and sign amemorandum of understanding with UNHCRwithout further delay;end the practice of mandatory detentionof asylum-seekers and irregular migrants,and ensure effective remedies to challengedetention and removal in line withinternational human rights and refugee law,as well as EU standards;Amnesty International is also makingthe following recommendations:take the necessary steps to ensure thatTo the Libyan authorities:search and rescue operations comply withinternational human rights and refugee law,in particular as regards access to asylum andprotection against return to a country wherethere is a risk of persecution or other serioushuman rights abuses;To the Maltese authorities:
amnesty internationalis a global movement of 2.8 million supporters,members and activists in more than 150 countries and territories whocampaign to end grave abuses of human rights.Our vision is for every person to enjoy all the rights enshrined in theuniversal declaration of Human Rights and other international humanrights standards.We are independent of any government, political ideology, economic interestor religion and are funded mainly by our membership and public donations.
index: Reg 01/004/2010englishdecember 2010amnesty internationalinternational secretariatPeter benenson House1 easton streetlondon WC1X 0dWunited kingdom
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