[Onthebarricades] Gender and sexuality protests, Dec-Jan 07/08

[Andy]

*  KENYA:  Women protest killing of politician, problem of gender violence
*  INDIA/SAUDI ARABIA:  Protests in Mumbai target Saudi Arabia over sentence 
of rape victim
*  CHIAPAS:  Zapatistas organise women's gathering
*  SPAIN:  Abortion clinics stage strike over crackdown, harassment
*  US:  Protest over ban on openly gay men in the military
*  INDONESIA:  Transvestites protest after fatal police raid, allege police 
murder

http://allafrica.com/stories/200712030121.html

Kenya: Women Protest At Killing of Politician

The Nation (Nairobi)
3 December 2007
Posted to the web 3 December 2007
Kenneth Ogosia
Nairobi
Women's lobby groups yesterday reacted angrily to the killing of a Lugari 
politician in Nairobi and accused the police of doing nothing to prevent 
gender violence in the elections.
Ms Alice Onduto, who contested the Lugari ODM nominations and lost, was shot 
dead outside her sister's house in South B at 1 am on Sunday.

She was being driven there by a friend after attending a party meeting in 
Hurlingham.
Reports said gunmen who shot her trailed her from Hurlingham and struck as 
she waited for the gate to be opened.
Police believe it was an assassination because nothing was stolen from her.
On Sunday, the Kenya Women Political Caucus led the groups in condemning the 
murder.
They said over 156 cases of gender violence and discrimination in politics 
had been reported to the rapid response centre run by the Coalition on 
Violence Against Women in Kenya and the police had not acted on any of them.
The Press conference was addressed by Prof Jacqueline Oduol of the ODM 
Women's caucus, Dr M. J. Hutchinson of Education Centre for Women in 
Democracy, Ms Daisy Amdany of Women's Political Alliance, Ms Irene Oloo, 
executive director, League of Kenya Women Voters and Ms Deborah Okumu, the 
executive director of the KWPC.
They accused the Government of applying double standards in tackling 
violence matters.
The women appealed to the Electoral Commission of Kenya, police and 
political parties to ensure safety of candidates and voters.
"We know the electoral violence is meant to intimidate and instil fear into 
the women who have come out very strongly this time round and will also have 
serious repercussions to the voter turnout on the election day," they added.
Relevant Links
They urged the media to open hot lines and partnership with women's 
organisations to respond to cases of violence and electioneering process.
They cited the failure to prosecute those found ferrying machetes and 
dangerous weapons to Western Province.

http://www.hindu.com/2007/11/23/stories/2007112355861700.htm

"Inhuman" interpretation of laws resulted in penalising a victim of gang 
rape

Taking up an issue: Teesta Setalvad of the Citizens for Justice protesting 
outside the Saudi Arabian Consulate in Mumbai against the alleged inhuman 
punishment of a rape victim.
MUMBAI: The Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP) and other groups staged a 
silent demonstration at the Saudi Arabian consulate here on Thursday to 
protest against that country's "inhuman" interpretation of laws that 
resulted in penalising a victim of gang rape.
In a memorandum submitted to the Saudi consulate, the CJP said, "We write to 
express our deep concern at the fate of the 19-year-old female victim of 
gang rape, initially ordered to undergo 90 lashes for 'being in the car of 
an unrelated male at the time of the rape,' now further sentenced to '200 
lashes and six months in jail for telling her story to the news media.'"
The CJP said it was equally dismayed that her attorney, Abdulrahman al-Lahim's 
licence was first revoked because he disclosed the case to the 
Saudi-controlled media and now faced a possible three-year suspension and 
disbarment.
The court last year sentenced the six armed men who attacked the Shiite 
woman to imprisonment between one and five years. Following a retrial, the 
jail terms of the six men were increased to between two and nine years' 
imprisonment, while the woman was further punished for "her attempt to 
aggravate and influence the judiciary through the media."
The CJP is running an international campaign against this incident which 
took place in Riyadh.
The Saudi authorities say the trial and sentences are in keeping with the 
provisions of the Sharia and, therefore, fair.
Under the present system, Saudi Arabia enforces a strict Islamic doctrine 
that forbids unrelated men and women from associating with each other and 
bans women from driving. They have to cover themselves head-to-toe in 
public. Women are required to get a man's permission to travel or have 
surgery. Women are not allowed to testify in court unless it is about a 
private matter that was not observed by a man, and they are not allowed to 
vote.
On September 7, 2000, Saudi Arabia had become a party to the Convention on 
the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, albeit with 
reservations.

http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2007/12/388599.html

First day of the Women´s Gathering in La Garrucha

Compañeras from the five Zapatista Caracoles, among them children, shared 
their testimonies of how they were living under the landlords rule before 
they got organized. They spoke about the process of the struggle to gain 
more participation in all areas; in education, health, community 
responsibilities, and high level military ranks. They also commemorated the 
important work of Comandanta Ramona as an example of struggle to be 
followed.

December 29th - Morning session

The Gathering began with the participation of the compañeras from the 
Zapatista communities, authorities of the Good Government Committee and 
comandantas and insurgentas from the Caracol of La Garrucha.

The exposition started with the Zapatista women explaining how life was 
before and how it is now. The 5 minutes for questions were not enough and 
there was only time to answer a few. This dynamic carried on all morning.

Two compañeras follow on to explain their organisational process.

After a break we came back to listen to the words of the health and 
education promoters from the same caracol, who described all the advances 
that have been achieved throughout the last years in each one of their areas 
of work and about the difficulties they have found along the way as women.

The auditorium was filled with women from all areas of the autonomous and 
rebellious Zapatista municipalities, women from other places as well, in 
addition to a large number of photograph and video takers. The only ones 
using the equipment were women as the men were not permitted to film or even 
be present in the auditorium. All of the men were standing outside and 
listening close to the windows and through the cracks between the wooden 
boards but keeping their distance. They were more than expected, and it is 
surprising given the small presence of men in other movements when it comes 
to listening to the voice of their compañeras.

Afternoon...

After lunch came the participation of the compañeras of the Good Government 
Committee, the Autonomous (advisory) Council, and two compañeras, receiving 
the most vibrant applause, who talked about how their lives are thanks to 
the struggle of their elders.

Next, a compañera spoke carrying the voice of the Zapatista mothers and 
concluded the participation of the representatives of the Caracol of La 
Garrucha. She spoke on the subject of woman and the Other Campaign and 
highlighted the situation of the persecuted, repressed, and incarcerated 
compañeras of struggle. The women made clear that they are not against men; 
"agreement has to be reached from both sides, the man and the woman, and the 
family, otherwise we cannot struggle. Unity is necessary for a better life 
for all".

At one point they announced that the men who had come to work on media 
coverage could come in to document the participation of the women. They were 
not allowed to do interviews, but they were permitted to film and record, " 
if they respect u s", said the Zapatista compañeras.

After the participation of the compañeras of Caracol III, we listened to the 
women from the Zapatista support communities, promoters of health and 
education, different committee members, comandantas and insurgentas, and 
children from the Caracol IV, Morelia.

As the compañeras of La Garrucha did, many women from the Zapatista support 
communities began to talk about how they used to live before the uprising of 
1994 and how they are living now.

Comandanta Sandra described their organizing process and what kind of 
difficulties they had to overcome. On the inequality between men and women 
she underlined: "we don´t blame the compañeros, the damn system has to be 
blamed, women without men cannot struggle and men without women can't 
either". Sandra thanked "our warriors", the first women of the Zapatista 
struggle, the ones who have fallen, she thanked the legacy they have left 
behind.

One comandanta talked briefly on how the work of the compañeras is organized 
at regional and local levels.

Comandanta Míriam, when answering a question from the public regarding the 
meaning of the Revolutionary Women´s Law, stated that it encourages a new 
space for the participation for the compañeras.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article3155991.ece

January 9, 2008
Clinics suspend abortions in protest at 'harassment'
Thomas Catan in Madrid

Abortion clinics in Spain started a nationwide strike yesterday to protest 
against what they called a campaign of "systematic harassment" by local 
authorities and activists after a crackdown on illegal abortions.

In an unprecedented move, more than 30 clinics suspended all their 
appointments for this week, forcing an estimated 2,000 women to postpone 
their abortions. Almost all of the 100,000 annual terminations in Spain are 
carried out at private clinics.

"The health professionals working in the sector have been subjected to a 
campaign of persecution and harassment," a spokesman for the Association of 
Accredited Clinics for Interruption of Pregnancy (Acai), an industry body, 
said.

It claimed that many clinics, particularly in Madrid, had been subjected to 
repeated and arbitrary inspections since the November arrest of the owner of 
a chain of abortion clinics in Barcelona. Two clinics in Madrid have since 
been closed over alleged administrative irregularities and some employees 
have allegedly received death threats. Abortion clinics in the Spanish 
capital have been subjected to "far more inspections than is strictly 
necessary", Santiago Barambio, a director of Acai, said. "It is not normal 
for a clinic to be inspected nine times in less than a year."

The Madrid regional government is controlled by the opposition Popular 
Party, a conservative party with close links to the Roman Catholic Church.

"Neither the Government nor the Madrid regional authorities are guaranteeing 
womens' right to an abortion," Dr Barambio said.

"We feel threatened and criminalised, as do the women who have had an 
abortion," Dr Barambio said. Acai said that it may call a further stoppage 
if authorities did not heed its calls.

In November four abortion clinics in Barcelona run by Carlos Morín, a 
millionaire Peruvian doctor, were raided by police. Dr Morín and two 
employees were arrested on charges of carrying out illegal abortions. Police 
wiretaps reportedly found them willing to perform abortions on women into 
their eighth month of pregnancy, when the foetus is almost fully grown.

Police searching the premises of one clinic, Ginemedex, were horrified to 
find purpose-built machines, to break up the foetuses, attached to the 
public drains. Hundreds of British and other European women are thought to 
have used the clinics. Until recently, the British Pregnancy Advisory 
Service referred British women beyond the 24-week legal limit in the UK to 
Dr Morín's clinics.

Under Spanish law, pregnancies can be terminated only until the 12th week in 
cases of rape or until the 22nd week in cases of severe foetal malformation. 
However, there is no time limit on abortions if there is a risk to the 
mother's physical or mental health.

The vast majority of abortions are carried out alleging a risk to the 
mother's mental health - something that opponents point to as a flagrant 
abuse of the law.

Birth control

- Spanish law has been modelled historically on the Catholic Church's 
teachings on abortion. Before 1983 abortion, the sale of contraceptives and 
giving access to birth control information were criminal acts

- In 1985 courts legalised abortion in cases of rape, severe foetal 
abnormality and serious risk to a woman's mental or physical health

- Despite this many physicians have been unwilling to operate openly owing 
to fear of harassment. Abortion has been confined largely to private clinics

- In 1994 the Spanish Government proposed legislation that would permit 
abortion during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy if the woman was suffering 
grave personal or economic problems

- The abortion would require a three-day waiting period after counselling on 
alternatives

- The law was rejected three times by parliament, in 1998 by one vote

- In 1991 the Supreme Court said that it could determine instances in which 
abortion could be sanctioned on social grounds on a case-by-case basis

Sources: Canadian Federation for Sexual Health; Pew Forum

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,320959,00.html

Spanish Abortion Clinics Strike to Protest Raids, Arrests

Tuesday, January 08, 2008

MADRID, Spain -  Private clinics that conduct more than 90 percent of the 
abortions in Spain began a five-day strike Tuesday to protest a crackdown on 
centers accused of carrying out illegal operations.

The strike, backed by some 50 clinics across Spain, is a response to raids 
late last year of clinics in Barcelona and Madrid in which more than a dozen 
people were arrested.

Spain allows abortion in the first 12 weeks in cases of rape and within the 
first 22 weeks if there is a risk of fetal deformation. It is also allowed 
at any time when a pregnant woman's physical or mental health is deemed as 
being in danger, with a doctor's certification.

Some clinics were accused of carrying out abortions using fake medical 
certificates.

The Association of Clinics Accredited for the Interruption of Pregnancies 
said in a statement it was launching the strike to protest the raids.

"It's incomprehensible that while the option of abortion is provided for and 
recognized by the national health system and facilitated by accredited 
clinics, authorities allow the persecution of women and professionals 
involved,"

The association said it had sought talks with regional and national 
authorities to resolve the matter in recent weeks but to no avail. It did 
not rule out further strike action in the future.

The organization said women who had appointments for abortions during the 
strike had either been tended to before the stoppage or were given new 
appointments.

The strike was estimated to affect some 2,000 women.

Just over 100,000 abortions were carried out in Spain in 2007.

The clinic association called for the government to reform the law so that 
women may end pregnancies up to 12 or 16 weeks on demand.

The governing Socialists had such a clause in their 2004 electoral program 
but quietly dropped the issue upon taking office.

Last month, Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said he would open 
discussions with interested groups to see how the law that legalized 
abortion 22 years ago might be brought up to date.

But he said abortion would not be in the party platform for the March 
general elections.

The Health Ministry refused to comment Tuesday on the strike.

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=3942817&page=1

Foes Protest 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'
Fourteen-Year-Old Policy Sparked Weekend Protests

Brad Howard, of Van Buren, Ark., an intern with the Human Rights Campaign, 
straightens fallen flags on display on the National Mall in Washington, 
Friday, Nov. 30, 2007, to mark the 14th anniversary of the "Don't Ask, Don't 
Tell" law which allows gay men and lesbians to serve in the military, but 
only if they kept their orientation secret. (AP Photos/Susan Walsh)

By SARAH ULREY
Dec. 2, 2007

Twelve thousand miniature flags are fluttering on the National Mall through 
today to represent the men and women discharged from the military since Bill 
Clinton in 1993 signed off on the "don't ask, don't tell" compromise -- a 
policy that requires gays and lesbians conceal their sexual orientation or 
leave the military.
The flags, placed by volunteers, cover six football fields of space in view 
of the Capitol building and the Washington monument.
Nov. 30 marked the anniversary of "don't ask, don't tell," and the start of 
a weekend of demonstrations in Washington.
"It's time to have a visual example of how many people that we've lost," 
said Antonio Agnone, primary organizer of the events and former U.S. Marine 
who voluntarily left his post because of the stress of serving under 'don't 
ask, don't tell.' "And [it's] also [time] to say thank you to all these men 
and women for their service."
The weekend events, organized by the Human Rights Campaign, Servicemembers 
United, the Log Cabin Republicans, the Liberty Education Forum and the 
Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, was to conclude today with a military 
chaplain's prayer service on the National Mall at 11 a.m.
On Friday, 28 retired admirals and generals released a letter calling on 
Congress to rethink "don't ask, don't tell."
"We respectfully urge Congress to repeal the 'don't ask, don't tell' 
policy," read the letter, which was read as part of this weekend's 
ceremonies. "Those of us signing this letter have dedicated our lives to 
defending the rights of our citizens to believe whatever they wish."
It claims "scholarly data" counts 65,000 gays and lesbians currently serving 
in the armed forces and references Britain and Israel, two places where gay 
and lesbian soldiers serve openly.
The signers are in company with Gen. John M. Shalikashvili, who argued 
against "don't ask, don't tell" in a Jan. 2 opinion piece in The New York 
Times. Shalikashvili was chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff when the 
policy was adopted.

http://www.mediaisland.org/en/transvestites-protest-fatal-raid

Transvestites protest fatal raid
Submitted by pirate on Sat, 12/08/2007 - 08:35.
Australia and Oceania
Gender and Sexuality
Intimidation
State Violence
The State
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta December 08, 2007
Dozens of transvestites and activists staged a peaceful protest at City Hall 
on Wednesday, demanding the city administration investigate the death of a 
transvestite following a raid by public order officers.
The protesters, including members of the Arus Pelangi Organization, the 
Indonesian Transvestites Communication Forum and the Poor People's Alliance, 
accused public order officers of abusing Elly "Sayep" Susanna during the 
raid on Jl. Latuharhari, Central Jakarta, last month.
They said the officers pushed her into the nearby river and then threw 
stones at her until she drowned.
"The city administration must investigate the case and take strict action 
against those responsible for the death," said Rido Triawan, director of 
Arus Pelangi.
Public order officer deployment needed to be reviewed as they often violated 
human rights and conducted aggressive raids, he said.
"The governor must tell the public order officers to use a persuasive 
approach, not a violent one, because they can become more brutal than the 
police," he said.
He also said that his team would push the Central Jakarta Police to 
investigate the case.
According to Freddy Simanungkalit, the advocacy division head of Arus 
Pelangi, the incident happened on Nov. 17 at around 9:30 p.m. when several 
public order officers tried to arrest transsexuals they alleged were sex 
workers along Jl. Laturharhari and its surroundings, known as the Taman 
Lawang area.
Some of the transsexuals jumped into the river to escape, but Elly was 
unable to swim. Her friends said they saw her fighting with some of the 
officers.
"They saw the officers push Elly into the water and throw stones at her," 
Freddy said.
Her body was found on the next day in Cideng River, Central Jakarta.
Freddy also said his team later checked with the subdistrict office and was 
told that no official raid had been planned for that day.
"It was only a routine patrol. So the crackdown was illegal," he said, 
adding that Elly's family had not received an apology from the public order 
officers.
It is not the first time public order officers have been accused of abusing 
civilians during raids.
A few months ago, a three-in-one jockey, Irfan Maulan died in Kebayoran 
Lama, South Jakarta. Activists alleged that he had been beaten by public 
order officers but the case was never solved.
Yuli Rettoblaut, head of the Indonesian Transvestites Communication Forum, 
said public order officers often take the cell phones of people caught in 
raids, as well as extorting money from them and sexually harassing them.
"Crackdowns are only used as excuses for them to take our money and cell 
phones," she said.
She said that when Elly's body had been found her underwear was missing, 
indicating that the officers had tried to undress her during the fight.
Dudung Supriadi, a city official from the social welfare agency, said he 
would take the groups' complaints to the Governor Fauzi Bowo, who was not 
present during the protest.
Central Jakarta public order agency head Subandi denied the allegations his 
officers had chased the transsexuals or pushed Elly into the river.
"They were afraid when they saw my men, so they ran away. And Elly jumped 
into the river," he told The Jakarta Post.
He added that his team had begun patrolling the area every night after 
receiving complaints from people in the neighborhood, saying they were 
disturbed by the transsexuals' activities.
"Every night the transvestites play loud music and offer sexual services, 
causing discomfort in the neighborhood." (dia)