View previous stories
	A grim picture of the state of corruption worldwide by Transparency International   Mar. 2021   Holding Power to Account for the Common Good, by Delia Ferreira Rubio and Rueben Lifuka.   The world faces a complex and challenging future, one thrown into sharp relief by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Far from retreating, corruption threats are growing as we experience change and instability in politics, technology, public health, the environment and human security.   Globalisation, unprecedented connectivity and fast-moving technological change have deep implications for the concentration, use and abuse of power.   Serious crises confront us all: from the climate crisis to rising inequality, from conflict and related displacement to assaults on human rights. Marked from its start by a devastating pandemic, the decade is already defined by uncertainty.   The theft and waste of vital public resources intended to save lives and help with economic recovery from the pandemic, makes obvious the human cost of corruption. It has also underlined that the fundamental frameworks for good governance and responsible business conduct cannot and must not be taken for granted.   Corruption is a human rights issue   The pandemic has also clearly shown that corruption is a human rights problem. Those countries affected by high levels of corruption were less prepared to provide adequate health care. The money lost to corruption was the same resources missing in hospitals: from ventilators to medicines. Once more, and this time on a global scale, it was clear that corruption kills.   Tragic though it has been, the pandemic has provided us with an object lesson in why ending corruption is so critical to ensuring social and economic justice around the globe.   It has also presented humanity with the challenge and the opportunity to recover better. This will only be possible and sustainable if we rebuild trust, on the basis of truth, and transparency. That is why Transparency International’s mission is more vital than ever.   Corrupt decision-making – whether in government, business, nationally or internationally – underpins the world’s greatest injustices. It deprives citizens of the rights and opportunities they need and deserve, and feeds further injustice by eroding the institutions meant to protect them.   It is timely that this year we launch our Strategy 2030: Holding Power to Account for the Common Good. It is a strategy dedicated to leading the next decade’s fight against corruption by showing what it will take to achieve a more positive future for all.   To us, corruption is the abuse of entrusted power for private gain. This includes corruption in the public and business sectors, from local to international levels.   It extends from petty corruption felt acutely by citizens every day, to kleptocracy and high-level grand corruption damaging entire societies.   It includes abuse of entrusted power for material gain, like financial bribes, but also any benefits which breach that trust – from sexual exploitation to political corruption simply for the purpose of sustaining power, status or wealth.   Too many of those in government and business, to whom communities have entrusted power, have lost sight of the social purpose for which they accepted that power.   Too many mechanisms for ensuring accountability in how decisionmakers come to power, and integrity in the conduct of officials and entrepreneurs, have not delivered, proved too weak or failed to adapt to an ever faster, more volatile world.   Together, we must confront these challenges and chart our way to a world in which transparency, integrity and the accountable use of power for the common good becomes the norm.   This includes traditional powers but also the new centres of power in the surveillance society which jeopardizes individuals’ agency.   Transparency, integrity, and accountability must be guaranteed in relation to new decision-making tools based on Artificial Intelligence algorithms which are opaque and potentially biased, unfair, and discriminatory.   New forms of power ask for new accountability mechanisms. The years to 2030 will be crucial in the global fight against corruption. Achieving a better, more just world will not be easy. It will require effort on many fronts. With commitment, support and active participation from citizens around the world, the new normal will be an era of joint action. We can and must do all in our power to secure accountability for a fair, sustainable and peaceful future.   http://www.transparency.org/en/blog/eyes-on-2030-holding-power-to-account-for-the-common-good   Jan. 2021   A grim picture of the state of corruption worldwide   This year’s Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) paints a grim picture of the state of corruption worldwide. While most countries have made little to no progress in tackling corruption in almost a decade, more than two-thirds of countries score below 50.   Our research shows corruption not only undermines the global health response to COVID-19, but also contributes to a continuing crisis of democracy.   The index, which ranks 180 countries and territories by their perceived levels of public sector corruption according to experts and businesspeople, uses a scale of zero to 100, where zero is highly corrupt and 100 is very clean.   Like previous years, more than two-thirds of countries score below 50 on this year’s CPI, with an average score of just 43. The data shows that despite some progress, most countries still fail to tackle corruption effectively.   The top countries on the CPI are Denmark and New Zealand, with scores of 88, followed by Finland, Singapore, Sweden and Switzerland, with scores of 85 each.   The bottom countries are South Sudan and Somalia, with scores of 12 each, followed by Syria (14), Yemen (15) and Venezuela (15).   Since 2012, 26 countries improved their CPI scores. In the same period, 22 countries decreased their scores, including Lebanon, Malawi and Bosnia & Herzegovina.   COVID-19 and corruption   Corruption undermines an equitable response to COVID-19 and other crises, highlighting the importance of transparency and anti-corruption measures in emergency situations.   Reports show corruption is prevalent across the COVID-19 response, from bribery for COVID-19 tests, treatment and other health services, to public procurement of medical supplies and overall emergency preparedness.   Our analysis reveals that countries that perform well on the index invest more in health care, are better able to provide universal coverage and are less likely to violate democratic norms or the rule of law when responding to a crisis. Countries that perform well on the CPI are less likely to violate democratic norms and institutions.   Regional results   The highest scoring region is Western Europe and the European Union with an average score of 66. The lowest scoring regions are Sub-Saharan Africa (32) and Eastern Europe and Central Asia (36).   Even countries with higher scores on the CPI have had their share of corruption challenges, including a lack of transparency in public spending in response to COVID-19.   To fight COVID-19 and curb corruption, it is essential for countries to:   1. Strengthen oversight institutions   The COVID-19 response exposed vulnerabilities of weak oversight and inadequate transparency. To ensure resources reach those most in need and are not subject to theft by the corrupt, anti-corruption authorities and oversight institutions must have sufficient funds, resources and independence to perform their duties.   2. Ensure open and transparent contracting   Many governments have drastically relaxed procurement processes. These rushed and opaque procedures provide ample opportunity for corruption and the diversion of public resources. Contracting processes must remain open and transparent to combat wrongdoing, identify conflicts of interest and ensure fair pricing.   3. Defend democracy, promote civic space   The COVID-19 crisis exacerbated democratic decline, with some governments exploiting the pandemic to suspend parliaments, renounce public accountability mechanisms and incite violence against dissidents. To defend civic space, civil society groups and the media must have the enabling conditions to hold governments accountable.   4. Publish relevant data, guarantee access   The publication of disaggregated data on spending and distribution of resources is particularly relevant in emergency situations, to ensure fair and equitable policy responses. Governments should also ensure people receive easy, accessible, timely and meaningful information by guaranteeing their right to access information.   http://www.transparency.org/en/news/cpi-2020-research-analysis-why-fighting-corruption-matters-in-times-of-covid-19 http://www.transparency.org/en/news/cpi-2020-global-highlights http://www.transparency.org/en/news http://www.transparency.org/en/blog http://www.icij.org/ http://www.taxjustice.net/ Visit the related web page
	Defending human rights can never be considered a threat to national security by UN Office for Human Rights, agencies   Dec. 2020   China undermining human rights by locking up rights lawyers, UN independent expert says. (UN News)   China has mounted a "shocking" five-year assault on lawyers who stand up for human rights, putting them in prison and even torturing them, an expert mandated by the UN Human Rights Council said in a statement on Wednesday.   Mary Lawlor, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, said lawyers in China continue to be “charged, detained, disappeared and tortured”, five years on from a law enacted as an apparent national security measure.   “Since the so-called ‘709 crackdown’ began on 9 July 2015, the profession of human rights lawyer has been effectively criminalised in China,” Ms. Lawlor said in the statement.   She added that although she respected and appreciated the importance of safeguarding national security, governments should not exercise their right to do so at the cost of human rights and the lives and livelihoods of citizens. There was an inherent contradiction in targeting lawyers under the pretext of protecting the rule of law, the statement said.   Lawlor said the case of Chang Weiping, a human rights defender and lawyer who was arrested and disappeared on suspicion of “subversion of state power” for 10 days, epitomised China’s efforts to silence lawyers who spoke out about human rights.   Mr. Chang’s whereabouts are unknown after he made a video message complaining about his treatment, saying he had suffered torture and ill-treatment when security officials subjected him to “residential surveillance at a designated location” (RSDL), leaving him with physical and psychological after-effects. He was later returned to RSDL because of his complaint.   “In a shocking display of disregard for human rights, the authorities have re-arrested a human rights defender for courageously sharing his experience and denouncing human rights violations, and attempted to portray him as a threat to national security,” Ms. Lawlor said.   His lawyers have been unable to contact Mr. Chang and no charges have been brought against him, the statement said.   “The fact that the lawyers initially hired by Mr. Weiping’s family to represent him have both withdrawn from his case due to pressure they received from officials is also telling of the gravity and scale of the situation faced by human rights defenders and lawyers in China”, Ms. Lawlor added.   She said lawyers who have been detained and released during the crackdown reportedly faced “security measures” in the run-up to Human Rights Day on 10 December, and human rights lawyers’ families had been harassed, threatened, summoned for questioning and subjected to surveillance by the authorities. The had also been affected by the loss of household income.   “Fundamental human rights are not a threat to any Government or society, and neither are the individuals who defend those rights. I urge the Chinese authorities to release at once Chang Weiping and all other detained and disappeared human rights defenders.”   Ms. Lawlor’s statement was supported by two other Special Rapporteurs and the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances.   http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Countries/AsiaRegion/Pages/CNIndex.aspx http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/SRHRDefenders/Pages/SRHRDefendersIndex.aspx http://news.un.org/en/story/2021/01/1081552 http://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/dec/28/wuhan-citizen-journalist-jailed-for-four-years-in-chinas-christmas-crackdown http://www.dw.com/en/china-jails-journalist-over-wuhan-covid-outbreak-reporting/a-56071570 http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-55794071   Dec. 2020   Saudi Arabia: UN experts alarmed by Loujain Al-Hathloul trial, call for immediate release.   UN human rights experts expressed alarm at the commencement of proceedings today against woman human rights defender Loujain Al-Hathloul in a Saudi Specialised Criminal Court, and called for her immediate release from jail and for the “spurious” charges against her to be dropped.   Ms. Al-Hathloul had been instrumental in the movement to allow women to drive, and the push to end male guardianship laws. She was detained in May 2018 on national security grounds.   “We are extremely alarmed to hear that Ms Al-Hathloul, who has been in detention for more than two years on spurious charges, is now being tried by a Specialized Terrorism Court for exercising her fundamental rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association,” said Elizabeth Broderick, the Chairperson of the UN Working Group on Discrimination against Women and Girls.   “We call once again on Saudi Arabia to immediately release Ms. Al-Hathloul, a woman human rights defender who has greatly contributed to advancing women’s rights in a country where gender discrimination and stereotyping are deeply entrenched in the fabric of society.”   Ms. Al-Hathloul was accused of breaching article 6 of the Anti-Cybercrime Law, which punishes the production and transmission of material deemed to impinge on public order, religious values, public morals and private life. The authorities justified the charges based on allegations that Ms. Al-Hathloul along with other defenders “communicated with people and entities hostile to the King”, “cooperated with journalists and media institutions hostile to the King”, “provided financial support to foreign adversaries” and “recruited persons for information detrimental to the security of the Kingdom”.   Ms. Al-Hathloul met the UN’s Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) in February 2018 to share her observations on the state of women’s rights in Saudi Arabia.   “The government of Saudi Arabia has a primary responsibility and duty to protect, promote and implement all human rights and fundamental freedoms and cannot turn a blind eye to the arbitrary detention and allegation of torture of a woman whose only reason for imprisonment was to advance women’s rights,” said Broderick.   Ms. Al-Hathloul has not been allowed regular contact with her family during her detention. Her trials have been frequently cancelled and rescheduled 24 hours before the actual hearings, allowing her little time to prepare her defence.   At the end of October 2020, she started a hunger strike to protest against her conditions of detention. In mid-November, she interrupted the hunger strike following continued pressure from the authorities, who reportedly kept waking her every two hours to exhaust her psychologically.   The Working Group said that passing recent amendments to reform discriminatory legislation while violating the rights of women human rights defenders is shocking and deceptive. “It is not enough to pass laws when fundamental human rights are regularly breached in practice,” said Broderick of the Working Group.   “We urge the Government to end Ms. Al-Hathloul’s detention, as well as the detention of all the other women human rights defenders, and to conduct an impartial and independent investigation into the allegations of torture while in prison. Defending human rights can never be considered a threat to national security,” she said.   UN human rights experts have raised their concerns with the Saudi Government over the crackdown on women human rights defenders on a number of occasions.   http://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/dec/16/saudi-prosecutor-seeks-maximum-jail-sentence-for-womens-rights-activist-loujain-al-hathloul   * Feb. 2021: Saudi authorities have released from prison women’s rights activist Loujain al-Hathloul. However, she is banned from travel and has a suspended sentence, which allows the authorities to return her to prison at any time.   Dec. 2020   Iran: Human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh must be freed.   UN human rights experts today condemned the return to prison of woman human rights defender and lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh, and called for her immediate release.   “We are dismayed that the authorities willingly chose to again place Nasrin Sotoudeh at heightened risk by ordering her return to prison at this time, despite her COVID-19 positive test and contrary to the opinion of medical professionals,” the experts said.   “By ordering her return to prison, the authorities have taken an action that may have life-threatening consequences for her and further extended her arbitrary imprisonment, in violation of their obligations under international human rights law.”   On 2 December, the Prosecutor’s Office ordered Nasrin Sotoudeh to return to Qarchak prison the same day, after she had been temporarily released on 7 November. Following Sotoudeh’s positive test for COVID-19, her initial five-day temporary release was extended by two weeks. On 30 November, doctors recommended a resting period of an additional two weeks due to her COVID-19 infection.   “We repeat our call to the authorities to release Nasrin Sotoudeh as a matter of urgency and to allow her to receive the health care and rest she requires. We deeply regret that despite calls by the UN and the international community, Iranian authorities continue to criminalise Nasrin Sotoudeh for her work in defence of human rights.”   On 13 November, independent experts appointed by the Human Rights Council had welcomed Sotoudeh’s temporary release, and urged the authorities to quash her convictions and ensure her release while reviewing her case.   Ms. Sotouteh, an internationally recognised human rights lawyer, is currently serving a lengthy prison sentence after being convicted on seven charges in March 2019. Her convictions relate to the exercise of her profession as a lawyer, including defending women human rights defenders. UN experts have on numerous occasions raised serious concerns that her current detention is arbitrary and called for her release.   http://www.rightlivelihoodaward.org/laureates/nasrin-sotoudeh/   Dec. 2020   UN experts: Bangladesh should release artist jailed over cartoons.   UN human rights experts today called on Bangladesh to immediately release celebrated cartoonist Ahmed Kabir Kishore due to his deteriorating health condition.   Mr. Kishore was arrested in May after his cartoons “Life in the Time of Corona,” satirising the country’s response to COVID-19, were posted on Facebook in March and April 2020. He was charged under the 2018 Digital Security Act for spreading false news and misinformation on the country’s COVID-19 response.   “Criticism of government policy, including through political satire and cartoons, is permitted under the rights to freedom of expression and cultural rights, and should not be criminalised,” the experts said.   They have repeatedly expressed serious concerns over the incompatibility of the Digital Security Act with international law and its use to silence critical voices.   In court hearings held virtually, Mr. Kishore’s bail applications have been denied five times, and no trial date has been set. An insulin-dependent diabetic, Mr. Kishore has heightened risk of COVID-19 complications.   “Around the world, COVID-19 outbreaks in prisons increase the danger of harm or death of individuals with underlying health conditions such as diabetes, hypertension and chronic respiratory conditions,” the experts said.   “Bangladeshi authorities have released thousands of individuals due to the threat that COVID-19 poses in prisons, and there seems to be no legitimate reason to refuse Mr. Kishore’s request for bail,” they said. “We urge Bangladesh to release Mr. Kishore on humanitarian grounds to avoid a further deterioration of his health.”   In addition to requesting the immediate release of Mr. Kishore, the experts called on the authorities to drop the criminal charges against him in light of Bangladesh’s obligations under international human rights law.   Earlier this year, the Cartoonists Rights Network International gave Kishore the Robert Russell Courage in Cartooning Award in recognition of his social engagement and defence of human rights.   “During the pandemic, it is more vital than ever to respect the rights of artists such as Ahmed Kabir Kishore to express dissenting views,” said the experts. “Not only are these rights internationally guaranteed, they play a vital role in promoting critical policy discussions. “Silencing their voices harms their human rights – and also puts everyone at greater risk.”   Dec. 2020   Colombia. 120 human rights defenders killed so far this year.   UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet has condemned the heightened violence being carried out by non-state armed groups, criminal groups and other armed elements in Colombia, targeting peasants, indigenous and Afro-Colombian people, and called on State authorities to take concrete actions to effectively protect the population.   So far in 2020, the UN Human Rights Office in Colombia has documented 66 massacres, in which 255 people have been killed in 18 departments. In addition, the Office has received information on the killing of 120 human rights defenders so far this year.   The Nasa community has been one of the worse affected indigenous groups with 66 of its members in Northern Cauca department reported killed in 2020. The most recent incident occurred on 5 December, when five people, including a former FARC fighter in the process of being reintegrated, were reported killed in two separate incidents in Northern Cauca. In addition, on the same day, 24 leaders and authorities of the Nasa people received death threats.   (Since the signing of the Peace Agreement in November 2016, the UN Verification Mission in Colombia has also documented 244 killings of former FARC fighters).   Another recent attack occurred on 3 December in Chocó department, where an indigenous leader, Miguel Tapí Rito, was killed causing around 900 people in his community -- mostly women and children -- to flee to a nearby town, where they have been begging the State authorities to provide them with protection.   "It is tragic to see so many people fall victim to persistent violence across the country. In addition to those killed, the victims of course include those left behind, who remain almost completely defenceless," the High Commissioner said.   "I call on the Colombian authorities to take stronger and much more effective action to protect the population from this appalling and pervasive violence," she added. "It is the State's duty to be present throughout the country, implementing a whole range of comprehensive public policies, not only to clamp down on those responsible for the violence, but also to provide basic services and safeguard the fundamental rights of the population."   Bachelet stressed the urgency for the National Commission on Security Guarantees to develop a public policy to dismantle "the criminal groups that succeeded paramilitary structures and their support networks," as specifically requested in the 2016 Peace Agreement.   The High Commissioner also urged the authorities to conduct prompt, thorough, impartial, independent and transparent investigations into all allegations of human rights abuses and violations, and to uphold the rights of victims to justice, redress and reparation.   http://www.protecting-defenders.org/en/news http://www.ohchr.org/EN/issues/SRHRDefenders/Pages/SRHRDefendersindex.aspx http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/FreedomOpinion/Pages/OpinionIndex.aspx http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Disappearances/Pages/DisappearancesIndex.aspx http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/SP/Pages/News.aspx http://ishr.ch/latest-updates/hrc48-reprisal-cases-remain-high-including-in-current-council-member-states/ http://ishr.ch/action/campaigns/endreprisals/ http://www.ishr.ch/news/supporting-human-rights-defenders http://www.frontlinedefenders.org/ http://www.martinennalsaward.org/ http://www.amnesty.org/en/what-we-do/freedom-of-expression/ http://civicus.org/state-of-civil-society-report-2021/ http://www.ids.ac.uk/publications/navigating-civic-space-in-a-time-of-covid-synthesis-report/ http://www.hrw.org/topic/free-speech http://srdefenders.org/information-received/ Visit the related web page
	View more stories