COVID-19 in Australia has done more than expose different government approaches to managing the pandemic and the challenges of our federation model. It has also exposed the way in which governments at different levels respond to policy challenges and opportunities. The federal government, its ministers and departments have been moving at pre-pandemic speed: that is…
The future of warfare is being shaped by computer algorithms that are assuming ever greater control over battlefield technology. Will this give machines the power to decide who to kill?
The United States is in a race to harness gargantuan leaps in artificial intelligence to develop new weapons systems for a new kind of warfare. Pentagon leaders call it “algorithmic warfare.” But the push to integrate AI into battlefield technology raises a big question: How far should we go in handing control of lethal weapons to machines?
We team up with The Center for Public Integrity and national security reporter Zachary Fryer-Biggs to examine how AI is transforming warfare and our own moral code.
In our first story, Fryer-Biggs and Reveal’s Michael Montgomery head to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Sophomore cadets are exploring the ethics of autonomous weapons through a lab simulation that uses miniature tanks programmed to destroy their targets.
Next, Fryer-Biggs and Montgomery talk to a top general leading the Pentagon’s AI initiative. They also explore the legendary hackers conference known as DEF CON and hear from technologists campaigning for a global ban on autonomous weapons.
Machines are getting smarter, faster and better at figuring out who to kill in battle. But should we let them?
4Mins Read Have you ever come across a delicious recipe only to find out later on that it’s not 100% plant-based? Well, a new search engine has come to the rescue for this exact situation. Launched earlier this year, EatKind is an AI-powered tool that can convert pretty much any recipe or dish vegan by recommending the […]
High flying Australian artificial intelligence startup Faethm has been acquired by British education giant Pearson less than four years after it was launched in Sydney. Faethm provides data, insights and artificial intelligence capabilities to clients to improve decision-making on workforce issues, with clients including Boston Consulting Group, Microsoft and Rio Tinto. The company also works…
Amnesty has collaborated with 11 artists, creatives and campaigners to illustrate the four basic freedoms on social mediaFour basic freedoms outlined in 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights have been reimagined as Freedom to Explore, Be, Imagine and Rebel
‘We [want to] inspire a new generation to know their rights – and claim them’– Sacha Deshmukh
Amnesty International UK has collaborated with 11 artists to help a new generation of human rights defenders to better understand the four fundamental freedoms that every person has a right to.
Outlined in 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was based on four basic freedoms – freedom of speech, freedom to worship, freedom from want and freedom from fear.
But many young people today are unaware of the human rights they are entitled to, despite living at a moment in history when many of these basic freedoms are at risk of being taken away.
Now Amnesty has reimagined these four tenets for a modern audience, redefining the broad categories as the:
Freedom to Explore
Freedom to Be
Freedom to Imagine
Freedom to Rebel
Over the coming weeks, artists, creatives and campaigners will be sharing their interpretations of what these freedoms mean to them on Instagram.
Sacha Deshmukh, CEO of Amnesty International UK, said:
“From the pandemic to the climate crisis to conflicts unfolding across the planet – we live in a world of unprecedented uncertainty. But there is hope.
“Sixty years after Amnesty International was founded, we are collaborating with 11 fantastic artists, creatives and campaigners to reimagine the four basic freedoms – inspiring a new generation to know their rights and claim them.
“Knowledge is power and at a time when many basic human rights are under threat, these artists are vital beacons of hope for their followers – and the wider world.”
11 artists who want to change the world for the better
Basma Khalifa(she/her @basmakhalifa) is a Sudanese multi-disciplinary creative and hosts the ‘Unpretty Podcast’ which discusses perceptions of beauty through the lens of people of colour. Basma has worked with BBC1, BBC3, Facebook, Apple and Vice.
Das Penman (they/she@das.penman) Das started their Instagram page during lockdown as a means of creative expression but it has since grown into a safe space for discussions about politics, mental health and everything in between. Das combines a passion for drawing with current affairs to create the “Daisy Mail”, a round-up of news stories to help followers stay informed.
Jacob V Joyce (they/them@jacobvjoyce) is a non-binary artist with a focus on queer and decolonial narratives. Joyce’s work ranges from afro-futurist world building workshops to mural painting, comic books, performance art and punk music.
Joy Yamusangie(they/them @joyyamusangie) specialises in illustration, experimenting with a range of processes to produce mixed media pieces. Joy explores themes of memory, intimacy, race and culture from a personal perspective.
Bee Illustrates (they/them@beeillustrates) is a queer illustrator who uses their art to educate, empower and inform people on a range of topics including mental health, LGBTQ+ and anti-racism.
Radam Ridwan(they/them @radamridwan) is a queer non-binary multi-disciplinary artist of Indonesian heritage. Radam’s work centres on QTIPOC empowerment and has been published internationally with features in VICE, Vogue Italia, gal-dem and Gay Times.
Tahmina Begum(she/her @tahminaxbegum) is a journalist and has featured in HuffPostUK, Women’s Health, I-D, Dazed, Refinery29, Glamour, The Independent, Metro, The i and gal-dem. She covers a wide scope of topics centring around the lives of Muslim women and women of colour.
Jaz O’Hara(she/her @theworldwidetribe) is a motivational speaker, podcaster and the founder of The Worldwide Tribe, an organisation supporting refugees and asylum seekers globally.
Anshika Khullar(they/them @aorists) also known as Aorists is an award-winning Indian, non-binary transgender artist with an interest in intersectional feminist narratives. In addition to their editorial and literary projects, Anshika has appeared as a guest speaker and created video content for the Tate.
Antony Amourdoux(he/him @antony_amourdoux) was a Great British Bake Off 2018 contestant and remains a passionate baker. Antony was born in Pondicherry, India, where he learned to bake with his father. He supports a number of causes including LGBTQ rights.
Jess (she/her@thechroniciconic) campaigns about the unseen injustices around disability, mental health and neurodiversity by sharing both her lived experience and the voices of others. Jess’ goal is to destigmatise and normalise conversations on these subjects.
The Australian Government will appeal a Federal Court decision to allow machines to be recognised as inventors on a patent application, arguing the recognition is “incompatible” with Australian patent law. Dr Stephen Thaler, a US-based developer who is part of a global project to have artificial intelligence (AI) recognised as inventors, had his patent application…
The robodebt scheme was an example of a government “beta testing” algorithms on its most vulnerable citizens and failed to properly account for fundamental principles of accuracy, accountability, and fairness, according to the former Australian human rights commissioner. Ed Santow, who spent years warning of the dangers of poorly implemented technology as Australia’s human rights…
Artificial intelligence (AI) represents a fundamental change across society and cannot be treated as a trend that will pass us by in a couple of years, according to Digital Health Cooperative Research Centre (DHCRC) Chief Innovation Officer Dr Stefan Harrer.
Digital health is an area in which AI has some of the most promising applications due to its foundation of evidence-based, data driven processes.
In clinical settings, Dr Harrer says “AI could analyse data and create insights for carers and providers to better diagnose, prognose, treat and manage diseases.”
Dr Harrer sees AI as one of the most groundbreaking technology developments of our times and encourages everyone to have an active role in the discussions around its development.
Dr Stefan Harrer: Chief Innovation Officer, Digital Health CRC
“This is not something to shy away from, it’s something to be utterly excited about. It’s only just the beginning at this point,” he told InnovationAus.
AI promises healthcare innovation
The uneasiness about the impact of AI is a natural, understandable reaction to new technology.
“It’s a healthy mechanism that ensures technology isn’t getting out of control, and that it’s developed in a way that benefits the whole of humanity,” he said.
But fears that AI would render humans redundant are unfounded. With automated, pre-defined, repetitive tasks that can predictably be executed over and over again, such as gathering data or processing data, AI can be used as an assistive system incorporated into human workflows.
With medical imaging, which has been at the forefront of using assistive AI, it can find patterns of interest in scans, easing the workload on humans.
“AI technology has been getting better and better at analysing images and then recognising patterns of interest in those images,” said Dr Harrer.
“Automatic image analysis has been one of the early applications of AI, and now we begin to see more advanced AI techniques in this field. These technologies are on the cusp of gradually finding their way into the routines of for example radiologists as they examine and analyse medical imagery.”
This is just one example of the potential of AI to augment rather than replace human understanding and analysis.
“The important thing being that AI is not substituting the clinician, the medical expert, in this particular case, but it’s actually enhancing their capabilities to make better informed, faster decisions,” he said.
“AI does not replace the human decision maker, but AI plus the human decision maker often creates a superior combination that outperforms either the human or the AI making decisions separately by themselves.”
Dr Harrer points to electronic medical record keeping as another promising health application for AI. Natural language processing, a type of AI that analyses written or spoken language, could be used to automatically analyse records such as medical reports and medical research papers to extract and present relevant pieces of information.
This would free clinicians from the time-consuming task of reviewing these records themselves.
“Clinicians have to keep these records up to date and extract information out of them. AI could ease the burden on the clinician from having to deal with these repetitive tasks, freeing them up to help patients more and develop new ways of treatment and care models,” he said.
“These assistive technologies relieve clinicians from some of the more tedious tasks dealing with repetitive data curation and analysis.”
Technologists have a mandate to broaden the message
Dr Harrer believes that scientists and technologists have a duty to promote and explain the potential of AI in a transparent, accessible and factual manner.
“Neither fear-mongering nor hyping AI is helpful. AI is a complex breakthrough technology that has triggered a lot of attention across our society.
We scientists have the responsibility to create awareness for the technical opportunities as well as the ethical aspects of developing AI technology responsibly.
No one needs to be afraid of AI – what we should be afraid of is not knowing about the game-changing opportunities that lie in responsibly developing and using AI technology to solve some of the most pressing problems of humanity,” he said.
If people have questions about life-changing new technology, and Dr Harrer is excited about how many people do have such questions about AI, it’s up to scientists to provide answers.
“It’s very important for experts in the field to communicate properly, honestly and transparently using scientific rigour,” he said.
“We want to build trust because we want AI to be adapted and used for good. That trust in AI is built by communicating, explaining, educating and spreading the enthusiasm we have from already experiencing this technology’s potential with the broader public,” he added.
“This approach should be a mandate for everyone who is working on breakthrough technologies.”
An Australian Court has ruled that a machine can be named as the inventor of a patent. The world-first decision answers a key legal question being tested in several countries, but raises many more for local inventors and the concept of creativity.
On Friday, the Federal Court ruled in favour of Dr Stephen Thaler, a US-based developer of Device for the Autonomous Bootstrapping of Unified Sentience (DABUS) in his case against the Australian Commissioner of Patents.
The Commissioner had rejected Dr Thaler’s claim that his computer program is capable of independent invention and that it has devised several new inventions.
But in the first judicial determination in the world of its type, Australian Federal Court Justice Jonathan Beach determined that an AI system can be named as the inventor of a patent.
However, he said an AI system could not be an applicant for a patent nor a grantee of a patent.
As the inventive capacity of AI evolves quickly, the question of whether the machines should be given patent protection has generated intense debate.
The Artificial Inventor Project (AIP), an initiative run by University of Surrey Professor of Law and Health Sciences Ryan Abbott, is testing the case. The AIP has filed patent applications in 17 countries, including the United States, the UK, Australia and New Zealand.
In each jurisdiction, an application has been made naming DABUS as the inventor. Each has been rejected by patent offices, with the exception of South Africa, which granted the application through an administrative decision rather than a judicial one.
Dr Thaler sought a review of the decision by Australia’s patent authority, IP Australia, which rejected the application because it failed to name a human inventor. But the Australian Patent Act does not define the term ‘inventor’, and the judge considered if the term had changed from its human conception.
“I need to grapple with the underlying idea, recognising the evolving nature of patentable inventions and their creators,” Justice Beach said in his judgement.
“We are both created and create. Why cannot our own creations also create?”
Justice Beach found the Commissioner “is incorrect in saying that you cannot have a non-human inventor” and found AI can be named as an inventor. However an AI system can not apply or receive a patent.
“In summary, in my view, an inventor as recognised under the Act can be an artificial intelligence system or device. But such a non-human inventor can neither be an applicant for a patent nor a grantee of a patent,” Justice Beach said.
Mr David Shavin QC and Ms Clare Cunliffe, instructed by international law firm Allens, appeared for Dr Thaler in the proceeding.
Australia’s Human Rights Commissioner Ed Santow will lead a University of Technology Sydney (UTS) ‘responsible technology’ initiative focused on AI when he steps down from his role at the commission later this month, with the government yet to announce his replacement.
InnovationAus understands the government will not appoint a new standalone human rights commissioner and the title will go to current commission president Professor Rosalind Croucher, who will perform both roles.
On Friday UTS announced that Mr Santow, who has led the rights organisation since 2106, would take up a position in September as Industry Professor – Responsible Technology.
In the new role he will spearhead a UTS initiative to develop Australia’s strategic capability in artificial intelligence (AI) and other emerging technology, including “bespoke leadership development” for senior government and private sector leaders.
The initiative will also provide training to employees in AI exposed sectors like financial services and general workplace training on the impact of the controversial technology.
Australian Human Rights Commissioner Ed Santow will take up a new role at UTS as Industry Professor – Responsible Technology.
Mr Santow recently told InnovationAus Australia must learn the lessons of failed AI and automation technology projects like robodebt.
“There are ways to lean into new technologies that will help drive better decisions, and more data-driven decisions. We need to make sure that basic requirements like anti-discrimination law are adhered to and we don’t have opaque forms of decision-making,” he said in May.
“If something goes wrong you need to be able to get to the bottom of what went wrong and have the decision reviewed.”
UTS Vice-Chancellor Professor Attila Brungs said the university is developing a strong reputation in the field of ethics and AI.
“Ed represents the kind of multifaceted approach UTS can bring to AI education. His work aligns with UTS’s strategic vision to be a leading public university of technology, recognised for our global impact, and our ambitious social justice goals,” Mr Brungs said.
Mr Santow was appointed to as Australia’s Human Rights Commissioner in 2016, replacing Tim Wilson, who left the role to renter politics as a Liberal MP.
The outgoing Commissioner led a three-national initiative exploring the use of emerging technologies, culminating in the Human Rights and Technology Final Report, which includes 38 recommendations to government on how to ensure new technologies are used by governments and the private sector in a fair, inclusive and accountable way.
Mr Santow will begin his new role at UTS in September and be situated in the university’s Centre for Social Justice and Inclusion.
“I am excited to work with UTS’s world-class experts on a defining challenge of our time: to ensure that the AI we increasingly rely on gives us the future we want and need, not one we fear,” Mr Santow said.
On 29 March 2021 Amnesty International announced the appointment of Dr. Agnès Callamard, a leading international human rights expert, as its new Secretary General, effective immediately.
As Secretary General, Dr. Callamard will be the Chief Executive of Amnesty’s International Secretariat and the principal spokesperson of the global Amnesty movement, which has some 10 million supporters, and offices in more than 70 countries.
“At a time when human rights are under unprecedented threat around the world, Dr. Callamard will lead, excite and rally the entire Amnesty movement to meet these challenges head-on,” said Sarah Beamish, Chair of the International Board, in announcing the appointment. “The combination of her intellectual acuity, her deep global human rights experience, and her courageous voice makes her highly qualified to front our movement. We are delighted she has accepted this challenge to take us boldly into our next phase.”
“Where governments and corporations seek to silence those who speak out against their abuses, to obfuscate the truth, and to undermine or reject human rights norms, the rigorous investigations and uncompromising campaigns of Amnesty International are more vital than ever.” Agnès Callamard
“I am honoured to take up the post of Secretary General and work alongside Amnesty’s supporters around the world so that together we defend and demand respect for all human rights for all,” Dr Callamard said.
Dr. Callamard, a French national, has built a highly distinguished career in the international human rights and humanitarian sectors, working across NGOs, academia, and the United Nations. Alongside her role as a United Nations independent human rights expert, she held the role of Director of the Global Freedom of Expression Project at Columbia University. Previously, she has been the Executive Director of the Freedom of Expression organization ARTICLE 19 and was the founder and Executive Director of HAP International (the Humanitarian Accountability Partnership).
Dr. Callamard worked with Amnesty International from 1995-2001, including as Chef de Cabinet for then-Secretary General Pierre Sané. She has led human rights investigations in more than 30 countries and published extensively on human rights, women’s rights, freedom of expression, refugee movements, and the methodology of human rights investigations.
The Victorian government has a mission of positioning the state as a “world-leading innovation hub” with significant funding in the recent budget and a new $1.5 million investment in an AI program, Innovation Minister Jaala Pulford said.
Through its innovation agency LaunchVic, the Victorian government has provided $1.5 million to the newly established artificial intelligence accelerator program Boab AI, which is also working to close a $100 million AI investment fund.
Victoria has put significant emphasis on tech and startups for its economic recovery from COVID-19, with the state budget late last year providing $626 million to digital infrastructure and $130 million for local startups. This included a new $60.5 million Victorian Startup Capital Fund and a $2 billion Breakthrough Victoria Fund.
Melbourne calling: The Victorian government targets the nation’s best AI talent
“Backing young, innovative firms and startups is how we prepare Victoria’s future economy and grow jobs for Victorians,” Victorian Minister for Innovation, Medical Research and the Digital Economy Jaala Pulford told InnovationAus.
“With investments in collaborations like Boab AI, we are positioning Victoria to be a world-leading innovation hub that attracts and develops the best talent, investment and artificial intelligence expertise.”
The Boab AI program, backed by investment firm Artesian, will put 32 artificial intelligence-focused companies through its program over four years, with each receiving a minimum of $300,000 in funding and up to $5 million in follow-on funding.
The program targets established scale-ups with a product and demonstrable traction, with assistance, investment advisory, partnerships and mentorship on offer.
The program’s managing director Andrew Lai said it will fill a significant gap in the Australian market.
“It’s quite a different offering from inception-level accelerators. They’re more about finding the product-market fit and learning about lean startups – cookie-cutter template stuff,” Mr Lai told InnovationAus. “This time around for us it’s what we call portfolio support. We examine teams as they come in and examine their strengths and weaknesses.”
“In terms of early-stage support there are about 25 accelerator programs in Victoria alone, and at the later stage there are around 100 VC funds.
“But there’s that gap in the middle of growth capital. That’s our growth thesis. There are a lot of companies seeking growth capital but finding it difficult to raise that pre-Series A round.”
The organisation is also raising a $100 million investment fund focused on AI, which will provide follow-on funding to accelerator participants along with other separate investments in about 150 companies overall.
“The intent is to go out internationally to seek talent, for companies looking to do business in Australia or that have an Australian connection. It’s exciting because it’s a way for us to deploy and support AI companies that are not just in Australia but out in the wider region where AI investment is also lacking,” Mr Lai said.
The state government funding and support is “vitally important” for the Boab program, and for Victoria to achieve its potential in the AI space, Mr Lai said.
“From our perspective it’s possibly the revolutionary technology of our lifetime and investment in AI is statistically quite low – it’s a big opportunity,” he said.
“It’s very helpful to have a government not only contribute, but its networks too, it’s very much pivotal. From our perspective Victoria is the most progressed state in terms of initiative. All around the country the latent potential of AI is yet to be reached.
“But there’s a lot more work to be done. Additional support and development within the translation and commercialisation of research, particularly from academic institutions. Australia is still statistically lagging behind in the OECD on that front.”
Boab AI has recently announced its first cohort of five startups: Pi.Exchange, Plaetos and Strongroom AI from Victoria, and Daitum and Remi AI from around the country. It is also readying to open up applications for its second round of companies.
’I have been prosecuted many times and jailed for my thoughts. I’m still here. I’m not going anywhere’ – Eren Keskin tweeted after she was sentenced.
Amnesty International has condemned the sentencing of four Turkish human rights defenders on “terrorism-related” in a case involving Özgür Gündem – a daily newspaper that was closed down in 2016. Eren Keskin, a prominent human rights defender and lawyer in Turkey – was sentenced to six years in jail for supposed “membership of an armed terrorist organisation”. See: https://www.trueheroesfilms.org/thedigest/laureates/BFDBB222-0FE0-32BF-ADD6-4D342A315C22
Zana Kaya, the newspaper’s editor-in-chief was sentenced to one year and 13 months in prison for “making propaganda for a terrorist organisation.” Özgür Gündem’s former publisher, Kemal Sancılı and the newspaper’s managing editor İnan Kızılkaya have been sentenced to six years and three months in prison for “being a member of an armed terrorist organisation” – the same sentence as Eren Keskin’s.
All four remain at liberty pending their appeals. This case is latest where anti-terrorism laws used to criminalise legitimate and peaceful activity in Turkey. Milena Buyum, Turkey Campaigner at Amnesty International said: “Today a human rights lawyer who has spoken out against injustice for more than three decades, has become the victim of injustice herself.
3Mins Read Chilean food tech The Live Green Co has expanded its plant-based portfolio, adding vegan-friendly clean-label ice creams to its line-up. The new plant-based ice creams have been developed using the firm’s AI-powered technology, which dramatically shortened the R&D process to just 90 days. Two-year-old Chilean startup The Live Green Co has added dairy-free ice creams […]
Thursday February 4 is the 22nd World Cancer Day. This is particularly significant in the current climate, given the significant challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic for cancer professionals, organisations and patients.
The community has had to rapidly adapt, faced with suspensions in elective surgeries and treatments, catalysing major shifts in the delivery of treatment to those in need.
In addition, COVID-19 restrictions have impacted recruitment for clinical trials, delaying potential breakthrough therapies that promise to benefit thousands of cancer patients.
Data dependent: The advances in AI can drive new medical technologies, but need data
On the other hand, the silver lining of this challenging year was the unparalleled and spectacular scientific achievements that have led to development of several vaccines in under 12 months which would otherwise have taken several years to achieve.
Recently, federal Health Minister Greg Hunt spoke profoundly about “what we would normally achieve in 10 years, we have done in 10 days”. The COVID-19 pandemic has informed the scientific, political and wider communities of what can be achieved with strong financial investment and the backing of public interest.
With that in mind, Australia’s small but globally leading artificial intelligence community is well positioned to capitalize on the exciting advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) to help improve patient outcomes in the oncology sphere.
To achieve this, we are calling for support from the oncology community to help clinicians, policy makers and regulatory bodies understand the unrealised benefits of using AI and ML in healthcare treatments.
The first step will be for the risk-adverse life sciences industry to embrace and adopt novel innovative technologies, guided by experts in the field to ensure safe practice. We must at all times be able to explain what’s happening with the predictions our AI/ML technology is making, a concept known as “explainability”.
This week, Max Kelsen along with a group of world leading cancer researchers, released a paper demonstrating how AI can be used to unlock the transparency of ML algorithms and increase “explainability” to better understand the accuracy and reproducibility of AI tools for predicting healthcare data.
This collaborative approach enables our team to rapidly and confidently apply AI/ML in understanding cancer, whilst ensuring safety.
Exciting new research is being done at QIMR Berghofer in Brisbane to use ML to uncover insights into skin cancer. This research involves creating ‘data stability’ at a large scale and is intended to help improve clinicians’ ability to more accurately understand the incidence and behaviour of skin cancer in 44,000 patients.
Recently, the Australian National Oncology Alliance (NOA) released their goal for a 90 per cent survival rate for all Australian Cancer patients by 2030.
This world-leading project aims to take a multidisciplinary approach to oncology, including “genomics, immuno-oncology, regenerative therapy, precision therapy, radiation oncology and artificial intelligence,” according to NOA founder and Rare Cancers Australia chief executive Richard Vines.
Every day, we engage with clinicians, healthcare providers, researchers, data experts, Cloud providers (such as Google and Amazon Web Services), and PhD students to innovate in the applications of ML in cancer treatments.
With the advent of high-definition video conferencing and other tools, the once intractable distances facing us as a community are no longer an issue. This kind of collaborative, multidisciplinary approach would be unheard of in 2000, when World Cancer Day began.
There is a long way to go to fully understand cancer at the DNA-level that could enable the development of personalised treatment and expedited drug discovery.
Our global efforts and rapid multidisciplinary responses to the COVID-19 pandemic has given the oncology community valuable insights into the benefits of balancing outcome and risk, with a strong focus on community engagement and education.
For Australia to become a real-world leader in the commercialisation of AI into clinical settings, Max Kelsen and other AI/ML experts in the field need to engage with healthcare providers and earn their trust in the capability of using this cutting-edge technology to improve patient outcomes.
We see 2021 as the year when these profound changes will accelerate, for the benefit of patients, taxpayers, and Australia’s global reputation as an innovation engine.
The Court of Appeal held on Friday 29 January 2021 that a group of activists who broke into Stansted Airport in an act of protest should “never have been prosecuted” for an “extremely serious” terror-related offence under s.1(2)(b) of the Aviation and Maritime Security Act 1990 (“AMSA”).
It overturned the Stansted 15’s convictions.
Lord Burnett said the protestors should not have been prosecuted for the extremely serious offence … because their conduct did not satisfy the various elements of the offence. “There was, in truth, no case to answer.”
This case has been controversial, drawing attention both nationally and internationally. Following the initial convictions, a joint letter was sent to the Government by UN experts, including the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, the Special Rapporteur in the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, the Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders, and the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms when countering terrorism. The UN experts urged the UK government not to use security and terrorism-related legislation to prosecute peaceful protesters.
The failure of the ground relating to necessity, duress and s.3 CLA are unlikely to surprise those with experience of defending protestors in direct action cases. Nevertheless, it is notable that the actions of the appellants did prevent the deportation of five persons on the flight who have consequently been able to establish their legal right to remain in the UK, including three on human rights grounds. One of those has been granted asylum as a victim of human trafficking. In total, of the 60 persons due to be on the deportation flight, eleven reportedly remain in the country.
Amongst the human rights group who have celebrated the ruling are Amnesty UK, who welcomed “a good day for justice” and Liberty, who hailed “a major victory for protest rights” and deprecated the now-quashed convictions, calling them “part of a sustained attack on the right to protest.”
The UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) must take urgent steps to address the worsening human rights situation in Sri Lanka, said Amnesty International, on 27 January 2021 following the release of a damning UN report on the country’s efforts to ensure accountability for crimes committed during the civil conflict.
In February 2020, the Sri Lankan government announced that it would no longer cooperate with the UNHRCs landmark resolution 30/1, which promotes reconciliation, accountability, and human rights in the country, and would instead pursue its own reconciliation and accountability process. This report lays bare Sri Lanka’s abject record on delivering justice and accountability and the decaying effect this has had on human rights in the country David Griffiths, Director of the Office of the Secretary General at Amnesty International
“This report lays bare Sri Lanka’s abject record on delivering justice and accountability and the decaying effect this has had on human rights in the country. The seriousness of these findings highlights the urgent need for the UN Human Rights Council to step up its efforts in Sri Lanka,” said David Griffiths.
“For more than a decade, domestic processes have manifestly failed thousands of victims and their families. Given the government’s decision to walk away from resolution 30/1, and regression on the limited progress that had been made, the Human Rights Council must send a clear message that accountability will be pursued with or without the cooperation of the government.”
Amnesty International is calling on the UN Human Rights Council to implement the report’s key recommendations to put in place more stringent oversight on Sri Lanka, including more robust monitoring and reporting on the human rights situation, and the collection and preservation of evidence for future prosecutions.
“UN member states should learn from past experience, and this time heed the early warning indicators identified by the UN’s top human rights official.” said David Griffiths
The OHCHR report, published on 27 January 2021, is available to download here:. The Human Rights Council will meet for its 46th session from 22 February to 23 March, during which Canada, Germany, Montenegro, North Macedonia and the UK – the current core group of states leading on Sri Lanka – are expected to present a resolution in follow-up to the OHCHR report.
Amnesty International published an assessment of the situation in Sri Lanka, setting out clear expectations for HRC action, earlier this month. The High Commissioner’s report supports the call for more robust monitoring and reporting on the situation, as well as the collection and preservation of evidence for future prosecutions.
The human rights organization Amnesty International published a scathing report on 25 January 2021 decrying the inhumane conditions in Egyptian prisons. The report comes a decade after the Arab Spring uprising.
The report detailed the experiences of 67 individuals in detention, 10 of whom died in custody and two who died shortly after being released. It was carried out primarily between February 2020 and November 2020 and focused on 16 prisons. It found that:
Prisoners were kept in squalid conditions and received unhealthy food;
There was no proper access to health care, which may have resulted in death;
Overcrowding, poor ventilation and limited access to water and toilets led inevitably to outbreaks of coronavirus.
The report also found that some prisoners were deliberately denied access to health care due to their political affiliations. Activists, politicians and human rights defenders were denied basic treatments available to other inmates. There was also evidence of prison authorities “targeting prisoners critical of the government and denying them adequate food or family visits,” Markus Beeko, Secretary General of Amnesty International in Germany, asserted. According to UN estimates, there are 114,000 people incarcerated in the north African country.
On 22 January 2021 Mary Lawlor also deplored the arrest and prolonged pre-trial detention of human rights defenders and bloggers, and their accusation of being members of a terrorist organisation, continuing Egypt’s practice to intimidate and criminalise human rights defenders, journalists and their families.
“I am extremely concerned by the seemingly unrelenting efforts of the Egyptian authorities to silence dissent and shrink civic space in the country, despite repeated calls from UN mechanisms and the international community,” said Mary Lawlor, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders.
The Special Rapporteur said she was disturbed by the detention since 2018 of human rights defender and blogger Mohamed Ibrahim Radwan, also known as ‘Mohamed Oxygen’, on charges of “membership of a terrorist organisation” and “misuse of social media” in retaliation for his posts and videos reporting on human rights issues. He was granted conditional release by the Cairo Criminal Court in November last year but was attached to a new case on charges of joining a terrorist organisation and kept in detention. He remains in pre-trial detention in Al-Aqrab Prison, south of Cairo.
Lawlor said that human rights defenders such as researcher and post-graduate student Patrick Zaki, who was arrested in February last year, have endured repeated renewals of detention without trial. “Pre-trial detention should only be used as the exception to the rule, rather than the default approach,” said Lawlor.
“Not only are these human rights defenders, journalists and other civil society actors unduly targeted for their legitimate and peaceful defence of human rights and fundamental freedoms, they are wrongfully accused of belonging to terrorist organisations and portrayed as a national security threat under vague legal provisions,” the Special Rapporteur said. “This is an issue which I and a number of UN experts have previously communicated our concern about to the Egyptian authorities.”
Ten years after the Tahrir square protests in Cairo, Egypt’s human rights record is disastrous. On the occasion of the anniversary of the 2011 revolution, several international campaigns are calling for the release of imprisoned activists writes Sofian Philip Naceur in Qantara.de Violent, authoritarian and extremely paranoid: since his bloody takeover in 2013, Egypt’s President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi has restored a regime whose brutality far outstrips even the reign of long-term ruler Hosni Mubarak. Hopes for real political and social change after the mass uprising that forced Mubarak out of office after 30 years in power have faded away, leaving a disillusionment that is omnipresent.
Egyptian opposition figures are using the current media attention around the tenth anniversary of the “25 January Revolution” to highlight the fate of those currently in prison for their political engagement. Some have been sentenced to heavy jail terms, while others are subjected to pre-trial detention lasting years by the Egyptian security forces and the country’s judiciary. European opposition politicians are also participating in corresponding campaigns.
Eight politicians from Germany’s left-wing party – Die Linke – have signed a solidarity statement calling for the immediate release of all political detainees, which explicitly highlights the fate of six detained leftist activists, journalists and trade unionists. Although the campaign specifically highlights six individual cases, it expresses solidarity not only with Egyptian leftists, but with all those “who are resisting Sisi’s dictatorship”. In addition to journalist Hishem Fouad, who advocated for striking workers and independent trade unions long before 2011, the German politicians are also calling for the release of novelist Ayman Abdel Moati, lawyer and trade union activist Haitham Mohamadeen and trade unionist Khalil Rizk. All four are detained on flimsy, terrorism-related charges.
On Wednesday morning 6 January 2021 an Israeli military court convicted Palestinian Human Rights Defender Issa Amro for peacefully protesting and civil disobedience. The Israeli military judge announced the verdict in a hearing attended by representatives of British, European, EU and Canadian consulates. Amnesty International issued a statement calling to drop all the “politically motivated” charges.
“Today Israel announced that Palestinians are not allowed to peacefully protest the Israeli occupation without a permit from the occupier,” Amro stated. “This conviction is the military system against the Palestinian nonviolent resistance. It aims to suppress my voice and end all activism against the Israeli occupation.” Amro’s Israeli lawyer Gaby Lasky added that “The military court is just an organ of occupation. The [indictment for nonviolent protest] is an example of how the courts are used in order to deter the important voices of human rights defenders.”
Amro is a founder of the Youth Against Settlements group in Hebron, which organises non-violent activism against the illegal Israeli settlements in Hebron and the discriminatory restrictions placed on Palestinians by the Israeli authorities in the city. Amro first appeared in an Israeli military court in 2016 on 18 charges, ranging from “insulting a soldier” to “participating in a march without a permit”. Some of the charges dated back to 2010.
The indictment, first presented in 2016, included 18 charges related to Amro’s community organizing deemed “baseless,” “politically motivated” or “physically impossible” by Amnesty. The military judge convicted Amro on six counts: three counts of “participating in a rally without a permit,” two counts of “obstructing a soldier,” and one count of “assault.” These surround Amro’s participation in the peaceful “Open Shuhada Street” demonstration in 2016; Amro’s participation in the nonviolent “I Have a Dream” demonstration from 2013 in which participants wore masks of Obama and Martin Luther King; one count of obstruction relates to a nonviolent sit-in protest in 2012 calling to re-open the old Hebron municipality building; one count of “assault” by “shoving someone” related to a previously-closed case from 2010, an incident for which the indictment had included an obstruction charge (acquitted) for Amro yelling “I am being assaulted” in the Israeli police station prior to Amro being carried out to an ambulance on a stretcher.
In 2019, UN Special Rapporteurs called for Amro’s protection and expressed “concern” over the charges. In 2017[see: https://humanrightsdefenders.blog/2019/04/11/un-rapporteurs-intervene-again-for-palestinian-human-rights-defender-issa-amro/]; thirty-five U.S. House Representatives and four Senators including Bernie Sanders sent letters highlighting that some charges were not internationally recognizable offenses and that Amnesty would consider Amro a “prisoner of conscience” if convicted. Issa Amro is the co-founder and former coordinator of the Hebron-based Youth Against Settlements initiative. In 2010, he was declared “Human Rights Defender of the year in Palestine” by the UN OHCHR and he is formally recognized by the European Union. He won the One World Media Award in 2009 for his involvement in B’Tselem’s camera distribution project. He was a guest of the U.S. State Department in 2011 and has spoken at the UN Human Rights Council on numerous occasions. The sentencing is scheduled for 8 February.
Saleh Higazi, Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa Deputy Director, said: “The Israeli authorities must end their campaign of persecution against Palestinian activist Issa Amro, who is a prominent voice against Israel’s regime of discrimination and systematic human rights violations against Palestinians in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, particularly in Hebron.”
Thai authorities on 1 January 2021 made their 38th arrest of a pro-democracy activist in recent weeks under the country’s tough lèse majesté law as authorities crack down on the country’s unprecedented protest movement. That law, Section 112 of the Thai criminal code, forbids defamation of the king and provides for three to 15 years’ imprisonment for violations.The law had been dormant since King Maha Vajiralongkorn succeeded his father, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who died in 2016. The Thai government, though, is now using it to try to stamp out continuing protests calling for the government to resign, a new constitution and reform of the monarchy
Thailand’s authorities must stop targeting pro-democracy protesters with draconian legal action and instead enter into dialogue, according to the UN’s special rapporteur for freedom of assembly, who warned the country risks sliding into violence. Clément Voule said he had written to the Thai government to express alarm at the use of the fierce lese-majesty law against dozens of protesters, including students as young as 16.
“It is legitimate for people to start discussing where their country is going and what kind of future they want,” Voule said of the protests. “Stopping people from raising their legitimate concerns is not acceptable.”
So far, 37 people face charges of insulting the monarchy for alleged offences ranging from wearing traditional dress deemed to be a parody of the royals to giving speeches arguing that the power and wealth of the king should be curbed.
Anti-government protesters flash a three-finger salute – a gesture used adopted by protesters from the Hunger Games films – as they gather in support of people detained under the lese-majesty law at a police station in Bangkok. Photograph: Narong Sangnak/EPA
Prominent protest leaders face an unusually high number of charges. This includes the student activists Parit Chiwarak, also known as Penguin, (12 charges) and Panusaya Sithijirawattanakul (six charges) and the human rights lawyer Anon Nampa (eight charges), who have given speeches calling for the power of the royals to be curbed.
The pro-democracy protest fundraiser Inthira Charoenpura speaks from a stage outside Bang Khen police station in Bangkok. Photograph: Gemunu Amarasinghe/AP
Protesters – who have faced various other charges over recent months, including sedition – declined to participate in a government reconciliation panel in November, rejecting it as an attempt to buy time. The recent cases come after months of demonstrations in which protesters have made unusually frank and public calls for reform to the monarchy.
Benja Apan, 21, one of 13 people facing charges over a demonstration outside the German embassy in Bangkok, said legal action was unlikely to deter protesters from coming out in the new year. “I actually think it will bring more people out, because it is not fair,” she said.
The human rights group Amnesty International has launched a campaign calling on PM Prayut Chan-o-cha to drop charges pressed on a number of activists for their role in the pro-democracy movement and to repeal, or at least amend, Thailand’s draconian lèse majesté law. According to the campaign, at least 220 people, including minors, face criminal charges for relating to their actions in the pro-democracy movement. Activists are calling on government and monarchy reform, raising issues considered taboo and unprecedented in Thai society. Thailand must amend or repeal the repressive laws it is using to suppress peaceful assembly and the expression of critical and dissenting opinions.
Amnesty International is calling on people to take action and send a letter to the prime minister, calling on the Thai government to change their approach when handing the ongoing protests to protect human rights. Sample letter by AI’s campaign calls on Prayut to:
Immediately and unconditionally drop all criminal proceedings against protesters and others charged solely for exercising their rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and expression
Cease all other measures, including harassment, aimed at dissuading public participation in peaceful gatherings or silencing voices critical of the government and social issues
Amend or repeal legislation in order to ensure it conforms with Thailand’s international human rights obligations on freedom of peaceful assembly and expression, and to train state officials to carry out their duties confirming to Thailand’s obligation to respect, protect and fulfil the peaceful exercise of the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and expression.
On Saturday 19 December 2020 Maya Taylor in The Thaiger had already reported that the United Nations High Commission for Human Rights has expressed shock and dismay at Thailand’s use of its strict lèse majesté law against a 16 year old pro-democracy activist. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights’ spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani has called on Thailand to refrain from using the law against those exercising their right to freedom of speech, as she expressed alarm that a minor was being charged under the law. “It is extremely disappointing that after a period of 2 years without any cases, we are suddenly witnessing a large number of cases, and – shockingly – now also against a minor. We also remain concerned that other serious criminal charges are being filed against protesters engaged in peaceful protests in recent months, including charges of sedition and offences under the Computer Crime Act. Again, such charges have been filed against a minor, among others.”
“The UN Human Rights Committee has found that detention of individuals solely for exercising the right to freedom of expression or other human rights constitutes arbitrary arrest or detention. We also urge the government to amend the lèse majesté law and bring it into line with Article 19 of the ICCPR on the right to freedom of expression.”
Thailand’s Foreign Ministry spokesman has played down the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights’ criticisms over the kingdom’s enforcement of the Lese Majeste law.
