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<DIV>Dear colleagues,</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>If you are interested in supporting this important initiative, please review and see instruction at the tail end.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Kind regards,<BR>DA</DIV>
<DIV><BR><BR>>>> Claire Mahon <claire.mahon@gmail.com> 13/09/12 13:55 >>><BR><SPAN><SPAN></DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt" lang=EN-US>Dear colleagues and friends,<O:P></O:P></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt" lang=EN-US>I am writing to you to ask if you would be interested in supporting an Urgent Appeal to the UN Special Procedures regarding the potential human rights violations arising from Australia’s offshore processing of asylum seekers to Manus Island?<O:P></O:P></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt" lang=EN-US>Overview of our Urgent Appeal to the Special Rapporteur on Right to Health and Special Rapporteur on Torture re Manus Island offshore processing<O:P></O:P></SPAN></B></P>
<P style="TEXT-AUTOSPACE: ; mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="COLOR: #1a1a1a; FONT-SIZE: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica" lang=EN-US>The Global Human Rights Clinic is about to send an urgent appeal to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health and the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment with respect to Australia’s offshore processing facilities for asylum seekers on Manus Island. <O:P></O:P></SPAN></P>
<P style="TEXT-AUTOSPACE: ; mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="COLOR: #1a1a1a; FONT-SIZE: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica" lang=EN-US>This urgent appeal focuses specifically on the risk of contracting </SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt" lang=EN-US>the deadliest strain of malaria, <I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Plasmodium falciparum</I>, which is endemic to Papua New Guinea and resistant to artemesinin (anti-malarial) treatments. The urgent appeal requests the Special Rapporteurs to intervene to prevent the Australian government from violating the asylum seekers’ right to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health and ensure that they are not subjected to such cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment via almost certain exposure to non-treatable deadly malaria infection. <O:P></O:P></SPAN></P>
<P style="TEXT-AUTOSPACE: ; mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class=MsoNormal><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt" lang=EN-US>What about Nauru?<O:P></O:P></SPAN></B></P>
<P style="TEXT-AUTOSPACE: ; mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt" lang=EN-US>The Global Human Rights Clinic is also in the process of drafting a more general urgent appeal which will also address the designation of Nauru as an offshore processing centre. <SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>We will be in touch about this in due course, however at the outset we are focusing on the more specific violations related to the right to health, malaria and Manus Island.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>We hope that this situation is more actionable and preventable, although of course the larger human rights objections to offshore processing in Nauru remain of grave and urgent concern. <O:P></O:P></SPAN></P>
<P style="TEXT-AUTOSPACE: ; mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class=MsoNormal><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt" lang=EN-US>What is an Urgent Appeal to the UN Special Rapporteurs?<O:P></O:P></SPAN></B></P>
<P style="TEXT-AUTOSPACE: ; mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="COLOR: #1a1a1a; FONT-SIZE: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica" lang=EN-US>As many of you are already very familiar, the UN Special Rapporteurs’ Urgent Appeals mechanisms are individual communications systems which are available free of charge for anybody to access, without a need for a direct or consensual link to victims (actual or future).<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The Special Rapporteurs are individual experts acting in an independent capacity, so this is not a political process, although it is also not a judicial mechanism (which is a good thing in this instance, as it makes it much faster and often more flexible and responsive to potential victims’ situations).<O:P></O:P></SPAN></P>
<P style="TEXT-AUTOSPACE: ; mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="COLOR: #1a1a1a; FONT-SIZE: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica" lang=EN-US>It is a very easy mechanism to use as it engages the international human rights system through the simple sending of a letter to one or more of the UN Special Procedures mandate holders. As a part of the special procedures mechanisms of the Human Rights Council, an urgent appeal does not require domestic remedies to be exhausted before it is pursued. <O:P></O:P></SPAN></P>
<P style="TEXT-AUTOSPACE: ; mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="COLOR: #1a1a1a; FONT-SIZE: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica" lang=EN-US>It is a confidential procedure, and the names and identities of those submitting the communications will not be disclosed to the Australian government or members of the Human Rights Council, or tabled at the United Nations, but will be available only to the members of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights’ secretariat supporting the Special Procedures Branch and the Special Rapporteurs relevant to the topic of concern.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><O:P></O:P></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="COLOR: rgb(26,26,26); FONT-SIZE: 11pt" lang=EN-US><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Why bother with the UN?<BR><BR></SPAN>Once the Special Rapporteurs receive the urgent appeal, and if they decide to action it, they can request the state concerned to provide further information on the allegations or even request preventative measures to be undertaken. This requires states to recognise (at least internally) there is concern being expressed from the international human rights system, and may lead to contemplation as to whether there are alternative means of implementing their desired policy objectives without having the same negative impacts upon human rights. <BR></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="COLOR: rgb(26,26,26); FONT-SIZE: 11pt" lang=EN-US>In the past, the use of such mechanisms by human rights defenders has led to various examples of positive remedial action being taken by states after requests from the Special Procedures. Of course, there are also many examples of states that have simply ignored communications from the Special Rapporteurs, or whose responses have been perfunctory at best.<SPAN><BR></SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="COLOR: rgb(26,26,26); FONT-SIZE: 11pt" lang=EN-US><SPAN></SPAN></SPAN>We are not promising that this will offer a solution in this instance - we do however hope that this urgent appeal will complement the many forms of domestic level advocacy already being undertaken by many of you, and the various attempts to seek policy change, mount legal challenges, and change hearts and minds, that are currently being undertaken in Australia. <BR></P>
<P class=MsoNormal>An appeal to the UN human rights mechanisms is just another tool in our human rights advocates tool-box, and one that we hope may be worthwhile using in this particular instance where there is an unreasonably high risk of non-treatable, deadly malaria infection that the asylum seekers will be arbitrarily and unnecessarily subjected to if sent to Manus Island. This action may result in a response from the Australian government, but it may not: It may result in some form of outcome (i.e. greater measures being taken to protect the health of those being sent to Manus Island), but like all advocacy, it is not on its own likely to be a magic bullet. <BR></P>
<P class=MsoNormal>Nonetheless, we do not subscribe to the cynicism that many attribute to the UN system and do not think it inutile to spend a relatively small amount of time preparing and submitting information to a mechanism which is designed to save lives - it could have a big impact. <BR></P>
<P style="TEXT-AUTOSPACE: ; mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class=MsoNormal>We urge you to take a few minutes also to have a quick read of this email and the attachment, and if you don't object to the contents, please add your name to the cause.<BR><SPAN style="COLOR: #1a1a1a; FONT-SIZE: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica" lang=EN-US><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"></SPAN><O:P></O:P></SPAN></P>
<P style="TEXT-AUTOSPACE: ; mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class=MsoNormal><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN style="COLOR: #1a1a1a; FONT-SIZE: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica" lang=EN-US>Who is behind this appeal?<O:P></O:P></SPAN></B></P>
<P style="TEXT-AUTOSPACE: ; mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="COLOR: #1a1a1a; FONT-SIZE: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica" lang=EN-US>The Global Human Rights Clinic is a newly formed international collaborative which aims to provide opportunities for students, recent graduates and new practitioners to gain practical experience in human rights work.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><O:P></O:P></SPAN></P>
<P style="TEXT-AUTOSPACE: ; mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="COLOR: #1a1a1a; FONT-SIZE: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica" lang=EN-US>Did you just go google us and get no results?<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Not surprising – we don’t have a website yet, it is still under development!<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>We do have a Facebook page, so if you want to join in the conversation, interact and keep up to date with our activities, please join us at:<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New
Roman'" lang=EN-US><A href="https://www.facebook.com/GlobalHumanRightsClinic">www.facebook.com/GlobalHumanRightsClinic</A></SPAN><SPAN style="COLOR: #1a1a1a; FONT-SIZE: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica" lang=EN-US><O:P></O:P></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="COLOR: rgb(26,26,26); FONT-SIZE: 11pt" lang=EN-US>The Global Human Rights Clinic aims to build collaborative teams that include participants from a variety of different universities, to encourage cross-institutional learning and skill-sharing.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The initial focuses of the Global Human Rights Clinic are to:<BR></SPAN></P>
<P style="TEXT-AUTOSPACE: ; mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="COLOR: rgb(26,26,26); FONT-SIZE: 11pt" lang=EN-US>* </SPAN>build on its pre-existing competencies and develop participants’ skills and experience in the UN human rights mechanisms;<O:P></O:P><BR>* enhance the capacities of law schools’ international human rights programs to teach and understand the role of the international human rights system in relation to domestic human rights advocacy and law reform; and<O:P></O:P><SPAN style="COLOR: #1a1a1a; FONT-SIZE: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica" lang=EN-US><BR>* work with NGOs and other advocates to facilitate and expand their access to the international system.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><O:P></O:P></SPAN><SPAN></SPAN></P></SPAN></SPAN><SPAN></SPAN><SPAN><SPAN>
<P style="TEXT-AUTOSPACE: ; mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="COLOR: #1a1a1a; FONT-SIZE: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica" lang=EN-US>Through relationships between experienced human rights advocates, international lawyers, UN experts and others, and the students, researchers, and other learners in the Global Human Rights Clinic, the Clinic aims to facilitate connections and networks that will deepen and expand the possibilities for many of the advanced participants to contribute to their field, and open doors and expand opportunities for the newer participants to learn and gain ‘hands on’ mentoring and practice in their chosen profession.<O:P></O:P></SPAN></P>
<P style="TEXT-AUTOSPACE: ; mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class=MsoNormal><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN style="COLOR: #1a1a1a; FONT-SIZE: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica" lang=EN-US>Our request to you<O:P></O:P></SPAN></B></P>
<P style="TEXT-AUTOSPACE: ; mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="COLOR: rgb(26,26,26); FONT-SIZE: 11pt" lang=EN-US>The Global Human Rights Clinic requests your support for this Urgent Appeal by way of ‘sign on’ to our letter to the UN Special Rapporteurs. <SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>You can see our full letter attached, or you can access it via </SPAN><SPAN><A class=copy_short_url title="" href="http://bitly.com/#"><B>http://</B>bit.ly/TLZ5BH</A> </SPAN><SPAN style="COLOR: #1a1a1a; FONT-SIZE: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica" lang=EN-US><O:P></O:P></SPAN></P>
<P style="TEXT-AUTOSPACE: ; mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="COLOR: #1a1a1a; FONT-SIZE: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica" lang=EN-US>It will help to ensure that this request to these UN independent experts will be taken seriously, and enhance the likelihood that they will take action and raise the matter at the highest levels with the Australian government, if we can showing that this communication is supported by well-respected experts on the issue, such as yourself. <O:P></O:P></SPAN></P>
<P style="TEXT-AUTOSPACE: ; mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class=MsoNormal><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN style="COLOR: #1a1a1a; FONT-SIZE: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica" lang=EN-US>To sign on and support this communication to the UN Special Rapporteurs regarding the specific human rights concerns mentioned in the attached letter, simply indicate your interest by emailing Claire Mahon (</SPAN></B><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica" lang=EN-US><A href="mailto:claire.mahon@gmail.com">claire.mahon@gmail.com</A><SPAN style="COLOR: #1a1a1a">) by the close of business (Australian Eastern Standard time) on Monday 17 September 2012. Please specify whether you would like to be added in either your individual or organizational capacity, and if you would like your identity to be kept confidential. <O:P></O:P></SPAN></SPAN></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="COLOR: rgb(26,26,26); FONT-SIZE: 11pt" lang=EN-US>At this stage, the Global Human Rights Clinic has no plans to do any publicity regarding the identity of those who sign on to this communication, and indeed the fact we are submitting this communication (short of this email and a Facebook message or two calling for sign-ons). However, if this situation changes in the future, you have my assurances that permission would be sought first by all supporters before any future publicity was pursued, and requests that participation be kept confidential would be honored.<BR></SPAN></P>
<P style="TEXT-AUTOSPACE: ; mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="COLOR: #1a1a1a; FONT-SIZE: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica" lang=EN-US><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">If you know of anyone else who would be interested in signing on to this Urgent Appeal, please feel free to forward this email to them and encourage them to contact us. </SPAN><O:P></O:P></SPAN></P>
<P style="TEXT-AUTOSPACE: ; mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="COLOR: #1a1a1a; FONT-SIZE: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica" lang=EN-US><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">We look forward to hearing from you. If you wish to keep up-to-date with what we are doing, please “like” our Facebook group – </SPAN><A style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold" href="http://www.facebook.com/GlobalHumanRightsClinic">http://www.facebook.com/GlobalHumanRightsClinic</A><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"> </SPAN>– where we will slowly but surely keep you in the loop, without inundating you with too much information.<O:P></O:P></SPAN></P>
<P style="TEXT-AUTOSPACE: ; mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="COLOR: #1a1a1a; FONT-SIZE: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica" lang=EN-US>With our enormous gratitude for all the hard and necessary work you are each doing to protect and promote human rights in our communities,<O:P></O:P></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt" lang=EN-US>The team behind the Global Human Rights Clinic’s Urgent Appeal to the UN Special Rapporteur on Right to Health and Special Rapporteur on Torture and Australia’s Offshore Processing of Asylum Seekers on Manus Island (September 2012)<O:P></O:P></SPAN></I></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt" lang=EN-US><O:P></O:P></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt" lang=EN-US>How to support the Urgent Appeal:<O:P></O:P></SPAN></B></P>
<P style="TEXT-INDENT: -18pt; MARGIN-LEFT: 18pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2" class=MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Lucida Bright'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Lucida
Bright'; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU" lang=EN-AU><SPAN style="mso-list: Ignore">1.<SPAN style="FONT: 7pt 'Times New Roman'"> </SPAN></SPAN></SPAN></B><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU" lang=EN-AU>Send email to Claire Mahon at <A href="mailto:claire.mahon@gmail.com">claire.mahon@gmail.com</A> <O:P></O:P></SPAN></B></P>
<P style="TEXT-INDENT: -18pt; MARGIN-LEFT: 18pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2" class=MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Lucida Bright'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Lucida
Bright'; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU" lang=EN-AU><SPAN style="mso-list: Ignore">2.<SPAN style="FONT: 7pt 'Times New Roman'"> </SPAN></SPAN></SPAN></B><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU" lang=EN-AU>State whether your support should be listed as individual or organisational (include your name, title, full proper name of organisation etc)<O:P></O:P></SPAN></B></P>
<P style="TEXT-INDENT: -18pt; MARGIN-LEFT: 18pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2" class=MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Lucida Bright'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Lucida
Bright'; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU" lang=EN-AU><SPAN style="mso-list: Ignore">3.<SPAN style="FONT: 7pt 'Times New Roman'"> </SPAN></SPAN></SPAN></B><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU" lang=EN-AU>State if you want your individual or organizational identity kept confidential<O:P></O:P></SPAN></B></P>
<P style="TEXT-INDENT: -18pt; MARGIN-LEFT: 18pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2" class=MsoListParagraphCxSpLast><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Lucida Bright'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Lucida
Bright'; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU" lang=EN-AU><SPAN style="mso-list: Ignore">4.<SPAN style="FONT: 7pt 'Times New Roman'"> </SPAN></SPAN></SPAN></B><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU" lang=EN-AU>Your email must be received by COB AEST Monday 17 September 2012<O:P></O:P></SPAN></B></P> </SPAN> </SPAN><SPAN></SPAN><FONT color=#666666><SMALL><FONT face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"></FONT></SMALL></FONT>
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