Emergency Response Network of The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission, Action Secretariat of the International Lesbian and Gay Association. September / October 1993 Edition. NEW Brazil's Constitution up for Review: Support the movement to include amendment on sexual orientation Gay and lesbian rights groups in Brazil are convening in Sao Paulo on September 4,5,6 and 7 for the seventh national encounter for homosexual rights. The urgent issue on the agenda is the campaign to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation under the new constitution, which will be reviewed in October of this year. Race, gender and religious beliefs are already protected against discrimination under the current constitution, so the objective is to convince the Brazilian congress to simply include the term "sexual orientation". While gay & lesbian groups have been sending out newsletters and informational literature to convince the delegates to vote on the inclusion of sexual orientation in the constitution, they ask that we write as many letters as possible to support them in their efforts. Please write to any or all of the following officials and address these points: 1) That as a democratic society that enjoys an international reputation as a liberated country Brazil should make a stand in protecting the rights of "sexual minorities". 2) The occasion of the review of the Brazilian constitution is a ripe one to demonstrate Brazil's commitment to human rights, especially with the international march and rally at the U.N. coming up in June, the recent focus of the world's attention on human rights in Vienna, and the upcoming ILGA conference to be held in Rio in 1995. 3) The first occasion of political asylum granted on the basis of life-threatening homophobic persecution by the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service was awarded to a gay Brazilian man in July. The Brazilian government now has the opportunity to demonstrate to the U.S. and international press, and most importantly, to it's citizens, that efforts will be made to protect the rights of homosexuals and bisexuals in Brazil. Deputado Tuga Angerame Camara dos Deputados Commissao de Defesa do Consumidor, Meio- Ambiente e Minorias Bloco das Liderancas Sub-solo S-113 anexo II Brasilia D.F. Brazil CEP 70160-900 Dr. Nilo Batista, Vice-Governador do Estado do Rio de Janeiro Rua Senador Dantas No. 74 15to andar Rio de Janeiro, RJ Brazil CEP 20031 - 201 NEW TURKEY: FIRST GAY & LESBIAN PRIDE CELEBRATION CANCELLED BY AUTHORITIES The first gay and lesbian pride conference in Turkey was scheduled for July 2-6,1993. On July 2, the Governor of Istanbul banned the Christopher Street Day celebration, allegedly faxing all hotels in the city instructing them not to accept foreign participants of the celebration. The next day, July 3, Turkish authorities arrested and expelled 28 foreign delegates who were there to take part in the celebration. In addition, three Turkish men were arrested for their efforts to organize the event. The Turkish organizers have since been released. The Christopher Street Day celebrations had been planned as a weekend-long event examining lesbian and gay life in Turkey. Topics were to include issues such as sexuality, AIDS, and human rights. The event was organized by an Istanbul-based committee in cooperation with a Berlin-based organization, Schwule International. Prior to the event, the Turkish Interior Ministry had assured the organizers that the event could go ahead as planned. After the governor cancelled the celebrations, a press conference was organized by human rights advocates for 10 a.m., Saturday, July 3. On the way to the press conference, members of the foreign delegation were arrested by Turkish police, detained for over five hours, and threatened with possible strip searches and HIV tests. Following this humiliating and degrading treatment, the delegation was forcibly deported on a Turkish airline to Cologne, Germany. Write or fax members of the Turkish government with the following protests: -- Protest the cancellation of The Christopher Street Day Celebrations by the Governor of Istanbul. --Protest the deportation of the foreign delegates and the treatment that they received while in custody. Emphasize that their treatment in custody was clearly intended to degrade them because of their actual or presumed sexual orientation. -- Protest the arrests of the Turkish organizers of the celebration (who are not to be named in the letter because it could endanger them). --Urge the government to take steps to halt arbitrary arrests and degrading treatment because of a person's sexual orientation and/or their advocacy of lesbian and gay rights. Appeals to: The Honorable Tansu Cillar The Prime Minister Basbakanlik, Bakanliklar Ankara, TURKEY Fax: (90-4) 418-0476 The Honorable Seyfi Oktay Minister of Justice Adalet Bakanligi Bakanligi, Bakanhklar, Ankara, TURKEY Fax: (90-4)417-3954 The Honorable Hikmet Cetin Minister of Foreign Affairs Disisleri Bakanligi Yeni Hizmet, Binasi Balgat Ankara,TURKEY Fax: (90-4) 287-3869 Mr. Hayri Kozakcioglu Governor of Istanbul Istanbul Valisi Istanbul, TURKEY New BURMA: BOYCOTT PEPSI Burma groups, human rights organizations, and environmental organizations are calling for a boycott of PepsiCo over the impact of that company's investments in Burma. The State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC), the ruling military regime in Burma, has received condemnations from the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, the Asian Institute for Democracy, Amnesty International, Asia Watch, and the European Community, among others. Torture, murder, rape and other abuses by the SLORC military are widespread. Ethnic minorities are frequently subjected to forced labor. The military regime strictly controls all media. Persecution of religious and ethnic minorities is becoming worse as the government forces groups such as the Muslim Rohingyas to flee the country after suffering murder, rape, looting and destruction of mosques by the SLORC military. AIDS is reportedly being used as a weapon of war. Soldiers who are detected with HIV are given no treatment but simply told to go back to their villages and have sex with the tribe women. Many women who have either fled the country or been taken from Burma, have been forced into prostitution by Thai nationals. When these women are 'liberated' by Thai officials they are sent back to Burma where they face an uncertain and potentially deadly future, especially those who are HIV-positive. A statement made by Asia Watch, an international human rights organization based in New York, reveals that some Burmese women "who were assumed to have AIDS" were removed from the brothels of Rangong and have since "disappeared". On November 22, 1991, PepsiCo entered into a joint venture with a Burmese company to produce Pepsi Cola. While the $1 million dollar investment is considered small by U.S. standards, and will not lead to huge profits for Pepsi in the near future, PepsiCo is nonetheless economically propping up the military regime as well as providing a dangerous air of legitimacy to SLORC. Foreign investors such as Petro-Canada and Shell Oil have already pulled out of Burma in protest over human rights violations. In a letter from Pepsi's Director of Government Affairs, the director states that "a business has to deal in the long term and take a broad perspective." The letter adds that by investing in Burma, PepsiCo can "bring people and their nations closer together and ultimately toward world peace." Please write PepsiCo and include the following points: - By investing in the long term, PepsiCo turns a blind eye to the military atrocities their investment economically supports in Burma. - Insinuating PepsiCo's investment has anything to do with world peace is insulting to the hundreds of thousands Burmese who have suffered or been murdered at the hands of the SLORC military. - I will Boycott PepsiCo products until the company has fully divested from Burma and it's military regime. Appeal to: Mr. Chris Sinclair President, Pepsi Cola International Routes 100 & 35 Somers NY 10589-2202 USA NEW SUPPORT AIDS PREVENTION IN CROATIA The Croatian lesbian and gay group, LIGMA, has requested international solidarity from gay and lesbian groups in order to stop a worsening AIDS epidemic there. Lack of public information about HIV/AIDS in Croatia, in addition to a serious shortage of AIDS prevention tools such as prophylactics and clean needles (especially in light of the military conflict), has meant and will mean the increased spread of HIV-infection unless direct action is taken now. LIGMA asks groups worldwide to write to the Croatian Ministries of Health, Finance, and Culture and Education, asking them to support LIGMA's petition, which involves the following measures: (a) requiring the Croatian media to publish AIDS/HIV information at the media's own expense under the Croatian freedom of information law (b) the introduction of an improved and more complete system of education in Croatia concerning AIDS and the transmission of HIV (c) the opening of a telephone line and the publication of information leaflets for Croatian citizens addressing basic facts about AIDS/HIV (d) the abolition of taxes on prophylactic products (condoms, etc.) (e) the prevention of any form of discrimination against people infected with the HIV virus. Education and prevention are the only lines of defense at this time. Investment into this proposed campaign today will save Croatia from even greater health care burdens in the future, not to mention human suffering. Please write today and contribute to LIGMA's important campaign (a model letter is provided - please modify with your own style). Appeal to Honorable: Mr. Vesna Girardi-Jurkic Ministry of Culture and Education Trg Burze 6 41000 Zagreb, CROATIA fax: (38-41) 410-421 Dr. Juraj Njavro Ministry of Health ul. Baruna Trenka 42 41000 Zagreb, CROATIA fax: (38-41) 413-067 Zoran Jasic Ministry of Finance Katanciceva 5 41000 Zagreb, CROATIA fax: (38-41) 432-789 MODEL LETTER Honorable ________: We, organization name (your name for individuals), are writing in regard to the HIV/AIDS situation in Croatia. We understand that the association LIGMA has petitioned the government for improvements in the education and prevention programs in Croatia. Your office most certainly plays a vital role in stemming the spread of HIV in your country, and since education and prevention are currently the major line of defense against this disease, I urge you to review the program suggestions of LIGMA. As a group concerned with preventing the spread of HIV as well as protecting the fundamental human rights of people with HIV/AIDS, we completely support the steps which LIGMA has outlined and urge you to institute these changes. These steps include improving public education on HIV/AIDS through the media, creation of an AIDS telephone hotline to answer public concerns and basic questions about the disease, publication of informational leaflets on avoiding HIV transmission, and better access to prophylactics (including abolishing taxes on such). This program of action will most certainly save lives and prevent further human suffering, not to mention the cost savings of instituting this policy now rather than later. Your reply will be most appreciated, Sincerely, (signature) NEW GERMANY: LESBIAN AND GAY CENTER THREATENED WITH CLOSURE Citing a lack of funds, the health division of Berlin's city government is planning to close down the only lesbian and gay counselling center in the city. The "Lesben und Schulenberatung" counselling center has existed for 12 years and serves 5000 clients a year. Other counselling centers and institutions with primarily heterosexual clients can continue to operate in 1994 because their funding is only being cut by a few percentage points. The outrageous decision to close down the center is clearly politically motivated. It is an attempt to use increased political conservatism to cut a much needed gay institution in Berlin. The city council will be holding final debates on the issue in September. Your letter is urgently needed to reverse the decision. Letters can include the following arguments: - Shock at the increase of right-wing extremist aggression in Germany. Once again foreigners, Jews, lesbians, gays, and other minorities are being targeted for attack. Within this context it irresponsible to close down the only gay and lesbian counselling center in Berlin. - Berlin, a candidate for the Olympic games in the year 2000, has been trying to promote itself as an open-minded and tolerant city. Such a claim can not be taken seriously if the city refuses to support its minorities. - Berlin has attracted gays and lesbians from other German cities and all over the world. Making up as much as 10% of the population, they number at least 400,000. Gays and lesbians have given a lot of their energy and tax dollars to the city of Berlin, thus it is the responsibility of the city to see that their health needs are met. Appeals to: Dr. Ditmar Staffelt Fraktionsvorsitzender der SPD Abgeordnetenhaus von Berlin Niederkirchner Str.5 10117 Berlin GERMANY UPDATE BRAZIL: STILL NO JUSTICE FOR DOS SANTOS (March/April '93 Action) Five men are currently in police custody accused of the brutal kidnapping and murder of openly bisexual Brazilian town councillor Jose Renildo dos Santos. (Six people were tried but one escaped). Among them were the Mayor of Coqueiro Seco, the town where dos Santos was a councillor, the Mayor's father, and three military policemen. Key testimony was presented by a man who was out hunting and witnessed the murder. The witness is reportedly also in prison for his own protection. A sister of Jose Renildo has received death threats, and has been hiding in Rio for two months. IGLHRC still has not yet received confirmation of the nature of the indictments or sentences meted out to the accused. Please continue to write to the Minister of Justice, the Secretary of State for Public Security, and the State Governor of Alagoas, to demand that the guilty parties receive full sentences for premeditated murder and that the dos Santos family be given protection. Write to: Minister of Justice: Excelentissimo Senhor Ministro da Justica Dd. Dr. Mauricio Correa Esplanada dos Ministerios Bl.T Z Civico Administrativa 70064-900 BRASILLA - DF BRAZIL fax: 55-61-224-2448 Secretary of State for Public Security: Excelentissimo Sr. Secretario de Seguranca Publica Estado De Alagoas Dr. Wilson Perpetuo Rua Senador Mendoca 148 Edificio Walmape Centro 57.000 Maceio - AL BRAZIL fax: 55-82-221-4718 State Governor of Alagoas: Excelentissimo Senhor Governador do Estado de Alagoas Sr. Geraldo Bulhoes Palacio Marechal Floriano s/n 47.000 Maceio - AL BRAZIL fax: 55-82-221-7484 UPDATE MEXICAN PRISONERS OF CONSCIENCE RELEASED (July/Aug. '93 Action) In June of last year, Gerardo Ortega Zurita and Jose Reyes were arrested and then sentenced to over thirteen years in prison for allegedly raping a fourteen-year old boy. Ortego and Reyes, who direct the Cuilotzin Health Association and are well-known in Mexico as advocates for sex workers, were released from prison on July 9, 1993. An appeal of their initial conviction and sentence exonerated them of all charges and proved that the evidence had been fabricated. According to the Mexican gay organization Colectivo Sol, their release was due in large part to the international pressure that came to bear on the Mexican Government from many different organizations, including IGLHRC, Amnesty International, and ILGA. The outpouring of letters called attention to the case and to the appeal, which uncovered the fact that the medical report that claimed sexual contact had taken place had been falsified. Ortega is bringing suit against the doctor who filed the false report, as well as against the judge, the father of the boy, and the police. This is a victory for the lesbian, gay, and transgender community in Mexico, as it has exposed the political nature of Ortega and Reyes' arrests. It can only be hoped that this decision marks the beginning of a shift in the judicial system and law enforcement agencies from violation of the rights of sexual minorities towards upholding those rights.