Tag: prison

The growing cost of standing up for human rights in Nicaragua and Cuba  

Posted on by cswpress in Cuba, Latin America, Nicaragua

Olesia Auxiliadora Muñoz Pavon is a choir director for the Santa Ana Parish in Niquinohomo in Nicaragua’s Masaya Department. Age 52, she has been imprisoned on false charges since 6 April 2023, having previously served a sentence from August 2018 until June 2019 – also on false charges. 

Since the middle of January this year, like several others in the Women’s Holistic Penitentiary System commonly known as La Esperanza, Ms Muñoz Pavon has been denied any time outdoors where before she was allowed out once a week. 

Her crime? Praying out loud. 

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El alto precio de defender los derechos humanos en Nicaragua y Cuba 

Posted on by cswpress in Cuba ES, español, Latin America ES, Nicaragua ES

Olesia Auxiliadora Muñoz Pavón era la directora del coro de la Parroquia Santa Ana en Niquinohomo en el Departamento de Masaya en Nicaragua. Tiene 52 años y está encarcelada por cargos falsos desde el 6 de abril de 2023, habiendo cumplido previamente una condena desde agosto de 2018 hasta junio de 2019, también por cargos falsos. 

Desde mediados de enero de este año, como a muchos otros en el Sistema Penitenciario Integral para Mujeres comúnmente conocido como La Esperanza, a la Sra. Muñoz Pavón se le ha negado cualquier tiempo al aire libre, donde antes se le permitía salir una vez por semana. 

¿Su crimen? Orar en voz alta. 

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The world must honour the memory of Cao Shunli by standing up for human rights defenders in China

Posted on by cswpress in Asia, China

Ten years ago today, Cao Shunli died in a military hospital in Beijing.

A prominent human rights activist, Ms Cao fought injustice in China for over a decade prior to her passing at the age of 53. In 2002, she was fired from a government job after she raised concerns about corruption in her department. Over the next 12 years she became a vocal advocate for human rights and anti-corruption, her work often specifically focused on the mistreatment of human rights defenders and petitioners (citizens who petition authorities for the redress of their grievances) by the Chinese authorities.

As is the case for so many others like her in China, Ms Cao’s work frequently put her at odd with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). She was regularly subjected to arbitrary detention, house arrest and enforced disappearance, and served two stints in the country’s notorious labour camps for a total of 27 months.

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缅怀曹顺利，世界必须支持中国人权捍卫者

Posted on by cswpress in Asia CN, China CN, chinese

十年前的今天，曹顺利在北京一家部队医院去世，享年 53 岁。

作为一名杰出的人权活动家，曹女士在去世前的十多年里一直与中国的不公正现象作斗争。2002 年，她因揭露所在部门的腐败现象而被政府解雇。在接下来的 12 年里，她成为人权和反腐败的积极倡导者，她的工作通常特别关注中国当局对人权捍卫者和访民（向当局上访以申冤的公民）的虐待。

与中国其他许多人权倡导者一样，曹女士的工作经常使她与中国共产党发生冲突。她经常遭到任意拘留、软禁和强迫失踪，并两次被关进中国臭名昭著的劳改营，共计27个月。

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Fang Bin with his wife and son in an undated photo.

一个破碎了24年的家庭——法轮功维权人士方斌的故事

Posted on by cswpress in Asia CN, China CN, chinese

拥挤的医院大厅、奔忙的穿戴全身防护的医护人员、躺在走廊里的病人、堆放在医院外殡葬车上的尸袋……2020 年 2 月初，57 岁的商人方斌驾车在武汉市内转悠，记录下了他在五家医院的所见所闻。他在社交媒体上发布的短视频让人们难得一见地看到疫情中心地带发生的一切。

2020 年 2 月 1 日，方斌被警方短暂拘留。获释后，他变得更加敢言。在社交媒体上广泛传播的视频中，他直言不讳地说：“病毒的根源是暴政！” 几天后，2 月 9 日，他在 YouTube（一个在中国被禁止的社交媒体平台）上呼吁“全民反抗”、要求当局“还政于民”后消失。

方斌、张展和另外至少两名公民记者的先后失踪引起了全世界媒体的关注。尽管当局知道方斌及其妻子是资深法轮功维权人士，但很多熟悉的朋友在呼吁释放方斌时，选择不提他的信仰背景。他们可能意识到中国社会仍对法轮功这一信仰团体存在某种歧视，或者担心当局对方斌抓捕判刑可能不基于其网络言论而基于其信仰，他甚至可能因之遭到当局酷刑。

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