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	Oxfam concerned over rising harassment of activists addressing impact of oil and mining in Africa by Oxfam International   February 2007   The detention of another anti-corruption campaigner in Angola over the weekend emphasizes the vulnerable situation of many economic and social rights activists in Africa and the need for stronger international engagement by the African Union and home governments of mining and oil companies to support the protection of the human rights of campaigners.   London-based Sarah Wykes, the Africa oil campaigner for anti-corruption group Global Witness, an Oxfam partner, was arrested on Sunday, February 18th in the oil-rich province of Cabinda, Angola. She was released on February 21, although charges against her remain pending and it remains unclear when she will be allowed to leave the country.   Oxfam, Global Witness and other international and African organizations and networks work together in the global "Publish What You Pay" campaign to promote disclosure of revenue payments and contracts between host governments and international oil, gas and mining companies.   Host governments in Africa along with home governments of transnational extractive industry companies have come under scrutiny by the global Publish What You Pay movement which demands stronger regulations in the sector. Increased transparency of financial aspects of oil, gas and mining investments can help curb corruption and increase the fair distribution of the large revenues accompanying oil and mining booms.   Oil and mining activities in Africa account for increasing export revenue, but the majority of those living in most “resource-rich” countries still live in extreme poverty. The recently launched Oxfam America report on gold mining in Mali, "Hidden Treasure? In Search of Mali’s Gold-Mining Revenues", provides the latest example of this tragic trend.   Sarah Wykes’ detention in Cabinda is the latest in a continuously increasing number of similar cases. In late 2006, community-based leaders in Ghana and one Oxfam America staff person were put under arrest when having an information-sharing meeting in a mining community close to a huge Newmont gold mine in Ghana. Earlier last year, Christian Mounzeo and Brice Mackosso, the two coordinators of the "Publish What You Pay" coalition in Congo-Brazzaville were jailed and have been subject to judicial and political harassment since April 2006 in Congo Brazzaville. Christian Mounzeo, a board member of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), has been prevented from attending the first board meeting of EITI and otherwise leaving the country.   Around the world, Oxfam supports community-based organizations in many countries so that they may be articulate their demands and protect their rights in the face of large-scale oil and mining developments.   With this latest detention underlining an extremely concerning trend, Oxfam makes a strong call to the authorities of Angola, Ghana, Congo Brazzaville and other resource-rich countries to fully respect the rights of its citizens, including those who are campaigning for better management of natural resource wealth. The Angolan government should drop all charges against Sarah Wykes.   Oxfam urges resource-rich governments, the African Union, the home governments of mining and oil companies and the EITI board to take a clear and strong stance on the protection of economic justice and social rights activists. All actors share the same goal, namely to manage natural resource wealth in a way that benefits the population as a whole and not a select few. Visit the related web page
	European Parliament calls for EU rendition probe by Agence France Presse (AFP) European Union   15.2.2007.   The European Parliament has condemned EU member states who turned a "blind eye" to secret CIA flights to transport terror suspects.   The parliament approved a report that implicated several members, including Britain, Germany and Sweden, and called for an "independent inquiry" to be considered plus compensation for the "innocent victims."   The parliament''s members (MEPs) regretted "that European countries have been relinquishing their control over their airspace and airports by turning a blind eye or admitting flights operated by the CIA."   The MEPs also concluded that "temporary secret detention facilities in European countries may have been located at US military bases," although there was no firm evidence of such ad-hoc prisons.   The report was endorsed, after sifting through 270 proposed amendments, by 382 MEPs, with 256 voting against and 74 abstentions.   As well as condemning "the acceptance and concealing" of the clandestine prisoner transfers by the secret services and governments of certain European countries, it expressed grave doubts over assertions by nations that they were unaware of the practice.   The parliament, the only directly elected European body, called for pressure to be put on the concerned EU governments "to give full and true information" about the operations and "where necessary to start hearings and commission an independent investigation without delay."   The US administration acknowledged last September that the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) was operating a secret detention program outside the United States.   The program was begun in late 2001, following the September 11 terror attacks, and continued, according to the report, until late 2005, when questions began to be asked in the press and elsewhere.   Rapporteur Giovanni Fava, who headed the parliamentary inquiry, cited at least 1,245 CIA flights to and from European airports, or over European airspace.   The report notes that the renditions investigated by the committee "in the majority of cases involved incommunicado detention and torture" during interrogations.   According to the testimony of former British ambassador to Uzbekistan Craig Murray, the exchange of intelligence obtained under torture by third countries'' secret services to the British services was a practice known and tolerated by the British government.   The report mentions 21 well-documented cases of "extraordinary rendition" and "calls on the countries of Europe to compensate innocent victims."   MEPs also deplored "the lack of cooperation of many member states and of the Council of the EU towards the temporary committee" adding that "the serious lack of concrete answers to the questions raised by victims, NGOs, media and parliamentarians has only strengthened the validity of already well-documented allegations."   The national governments specifically criticised for their unwillingness to cooperate with the parliament''s investigations were those of Austria, Britain, Italy, Poland and Portugal.   The report also gives detailed evidence of investigations of illegal rendition or CIA flight cases involving Germany, Sweden, Spain, Ireland, Greece, Cyprus, Denmark, Turkey, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Bosnia and Romania.   Among the specific criticisms levelled were that Italian military security services officials played an "active role" in the 2003 abduction of a Muslim cleric known as Abu Omar in Milan.   Also the Polish government failed to cooperate with the enquiry and the German government did not accept a US offer, made in 2002, to release rendition victim Murat Kurnaz from the prison camp in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, according to the MEPs.   Over six months, the parliamentary commission took evidence from 130 people, including government officials, secret service agents, judges, lawyers, journalists and NGO representatives.   EU Justice Commissioner Franco Frattini urged member states to hold national inquiries into the matter. "The governments need to reveal the truth, even if the truth is disturbing," he told the parliament.
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