On behalf of Persian-speaking community in the Netherlands and around the world, specially those who are suffering the situation inside the country of Iran, we thank you for your contribution.
You are awesome and we love you!
Thank you
We stand with Indonesian LGBTIQ
JoopeA has been joined the international coalition calls for public support to end increasing persecution of LGBTIQ people in Indonesia.
Link to main statement: https://goo.gl/yWbSD1
We appeal to the people of Indonesia and our friends and supporters around the world to help protect the rights and health of all Indonesian citizens by supporting efforts to end the growing mistreatment of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in Indonesia.
Our appeal follows several cases of human rights and privacy abuses over the last two months against over 150 men who have been unjustly detained, arrested and/or charged – and in two cases severely punished – simply because they allegedly had sex with other men or facilitated men to have sex with other men. The cases we refer to involve the caning of two young men in Aceh as well as two recent police raids, one at a hotel in Surabaya and another at a leisure establishment in Jakarta.
Our appeal also follows an anti-LGBT campaign over the last 12 months by government officials and conservative community groups in Indonesia which encourages this kind of violence, harassment and state-sponsored discrimination against LGBT people across Indonesia.
Firstly, the mistreatment of the men involves violations of natural justice, privacy and human rights not only in relation to the alleged sexual activity, but also in relation to forced HIV testing and the subsequent dissemination of test results to local media. These violations contravene not only many Indonesian laws but also Indonesia’s commitment to a range of international legal frameworks protecting the rights of individuals as well as members of cultural minorities.
Secondly, these violations threaten the privacy and human rights of all Indonesians. If local police are permitted to target one group of people in this way, then other individuals and groups in Indonesia are also potentially at risk of the same kind of treatment. If the law does not protect everyone, then ultimately it protects no one.
Thirdly, this campaign of persecution is also affecting the provision of HIV prevention, testing and treatment services to gay men and men who have sex with men (MSM). Fear of being targeted by police, other authorities and even neighbours is driving gay and MSM communities underground, making it much harder to deliver information and support to an already vulnerable group of people. This is a public health issue that should concern all Indonesians due to the growing impact that HIV is having on Indonesia’s health system.
Further to this, we note that the Indonesia Health Law (UU No 39 Year 2009) guarantees that implementation of health services shall be carried out with responsibility, safety and quality, and distributed evenly and non-discriminatively to all Indonesian people. In addition, the Indonesian government has a stated plan to cover the whole population with Universal Health Coverage (Jaminan Kesehatan Nasional) by 2019 with the following objectives as stated by Indonesia’s Minister of Health on 28/08/14:
- To enable people accessing healthcare services without financial hardship
- To perform cost contained and quality controlled healthcare services.
- To strengthen healthcare services at primary and referral health facilities
- To prioritize preventive and promotive measures in rendering healthcare services to reduce prevalence of diseases, lower the numbers of sick-people with efficient healthcare services.
Finally, responding to the plight of others with empathy and benevolence is an essential part of our common humanity. Imagine being subjected to the trauma and humiliation these men have endured, or the discrimination and exclusion that Indonesia’s LGBT community is experiencing, simply for expressing love or a gender identity.
The unwarranted treatment of these men, and the increasingly virulent campaign against Indonesia’s LGBT community, seeks to position LGBT people as ‘outsiders’ and a ‘threat to society’. However, LGBT people are just like everyone else – everyday people and fellow citizens who work hard to create a better life for themselves, their families and their community. As such we appeal to the people of Indonesia and our supporters across the world to join our efforts to ensure these men and all LGBT Indonesians are afforded the legal rights and health services to which they are entitled as citizens, and the compassion and dignity to which they are entitled as human beings.
HOW YOU CAN HELP:
- Share this statement with family, friends and colleagues to create awareness about this issue.
- Contact Indonesian government representatives or embassies to protest against the treatment of the men and the campaign against Indonesia’s LGBT community.
- Donate to GAYa NUSANTARA (www.gayanusantara.or.id) or GWL-INA (www.gwl-ina.or.id) to fund their efforts to protect the rights of these men and to fight LGBT discrimination in Indonesia.
ISSUED BY:
- GAYa NUSANTARA – Indonesian LGBT rights organisation
- GWL-INA – Indonesian organisation working on HIV, health and rights issues for gay men, transgender people and men who have sex with men
- APCOM – community network advocating on issues which affect HIV, human rights, health and well-being of gender and sexual minorities in Asia and the Pacific
- Australian Federation of AIDS Organisations (AFAO) – national organization representing Australia’s network of HIV-related organisations
- All Out – non-profit organisation that mobilises local organisations and activists around the world to push for equality for LGBT people
- ARC International – organisation with a full-time presence in Geneva committed to advancing LGBT issues within the UN human rights system
- ASEAN SOGIE Caucus – Southeast Asian community network advocating on issues related to sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression
- Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network – international organisation working to defend the rights of people affected by HIV, from women, newcomers, and gay men, to prisoners, people who use drugs, sex workers, and MSM
- COC – Dutch LGBTI organisation with a special consultative status with the United Nations
- Council for Global Equality – US advocacy organisation seeking to US foreign policy that’s inclusive of sexual orientation and gender identity
- Coalition for Sexual and Bodily Rights in Muslim Societies – international solidarity network of organizations working on advocacy around sexual and reproductive health and rights
- CODIVA – national network for the CBOs working for MSM and transgender people throughout Timor Leste
- Centre for Human Rights Education at Curtin University – Perth-based Curtin University’s centre for research, postgraduate teaching, critical scholarship and advocacy on human rights
- EGALE Canada Human Rights Trust – Canada’s only national charity promoting LGBT human rights through research, education and community engagement.
- Gays Without Borders – international network of LGBT advocacy activists and organisations
- The Global Forum on MSM & HIV (MSMGF) – international organisation focused on HIV, health and rights for gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men and transgender people
- Global Interfaith Network on Sex, Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Expression (GIN-SSOGIE)
- Human Rights Campaign – the largest U.S. lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer civil rights organization with more than 1.5 million members and supporters
- The Global Committee of International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia
- ILGA Asia – Asian chapter of International Lesbian and Gay Association
- ILGA Oceania – Pacific chapter of International Lesbian and Gay Association
- International HIV/AIDS Alliance – alliance to support community groups in over 40 countries to take local, national and global action on HIV, health and human rights
- JoopeA Foundation – Netherlands-based organisation working to defend the rights of LGBTIQ people in Iran
- Kaleidoscope Trust – international LGBT rights advocacy organisation
- NAZ Pakistan – community-based organisation working for sexual health and rigths of gay and trans people in Pakitan
- Outright Action International – international LGBT rights advocacy organisation
- Réseau Indonésie – cultural exchange association for Indonesian and French actors
- Samoa Faafafine Association – Samoan transgender and LGB support and advocacy organisation
- Sosaiete O Faafafine In American Samoa (SOFIAS) – American Samoan transgender and LGB support and advocacy organisation
- Stonewall UK – Britain’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans equality charity
- Swedish Federation for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Rights (RFSL)
- Andreas Harsono (Jakarta)
- Michael Petrelis (San Francisco)
- Mulyandari Alisyah (Paris)
International day against homo/trans/bi-phobia
Today is IDAHOT 2017.
We at JoopeA celebrate this day by publishing full-version of “Iran in Amsterdam Pride Parade” video.
Please don’t hesitate to share your opinion with us.
Btw, JNews publishes several articles today on subject of IDAHOT. Don’t miss it if you can read Persian.
Persian LGBTI Rights Workshop
In preparations for Queer Of Persia (First Iran Boat in Amsterdam Canal Pride Parade) Humanity in Action Nederland and JoopeA hold “Persian LGBTI Rights” workshop.
There would be two speakers to talk about the history of LGBTI Rights and current situation for LGBTI in the Netherlands and Iran.
Workshop is in English with Persian translations
Date: May 11, 2017 – 14:00 to 17:00
Attending only through registration: https://goo.gl/vq26ox
Workshop is free, including snacks and soft drinks.
Iran’s position on Internet Freedom: second worst!
“Not all countries are equal when it comes to cyber security and internet freedom. Many are poorly equipped to handle cyber attacks, while others are better equipped but more frequently targeted. Some countries boast free and open internet, while others impose strict censorship systems that block access to the web and punish citizens for what they post.” – said by Richard Patterson
When it comes to topic of Internet Freedom, no one expects to hear lot of good stories about Iran! Iranian government has been providing one of the most limited, low speed, bad quality and highly censored internet in the world.
New info-graphic from CompriTech pulled together data from 10 different sources to provide a comprehensive picture of which countries have the best and worst track record in terms of Internet freedom and cybersecurity in which Iran has been rated as second worst country in the field of Internet Freedom.
For complete info-graphic, please visit this link.
Queer of Persia
Iran Boat in Amsterdam Canal Pride Parade 2017
For the very first time, Iran is going to be represented in Amsterdam Canal Pride Parade 2017. This would be the first time that “Iran” is going to be any LGBTI pride parade in Europe.
JoopeA who is one of the main organizers of this event, has started a registration form for those who would like to come on the boat and show that “We are rock and this is our pride!”
The registration is open to Persian-speaking community all over the world from now to June 10th, 2017. Capacity of the boat is limited. Don’t forget to register as soon as possible.
You can sent your RSVP to [email protected] in case you are not Persian-speaking but you would like to come on the boat.
To register please visit this link. To read more about the event please visit this link.
We Are On Fire!
An extra-ordinary experience about an extra-ordinary evening
On March 3rd, 2017, JoopeA office has been attacked. Here is a personal experience of Elham and Iman who were among witnesses.
Elham: That day was the first day in the entire existence of JoopeA and our professional work that we eventually have had somewhere we could name it as our office and we were able to sit back, be cool and have some guests to have a small talk about what we are doing and what we are hoping to be able to do.
I was in my out days of study but of course not in so-called Holidays because I was counted on those days to go to the office, manage and finish some works and run some workshops for some of the possible volunteers who wants to join us.
That day was a busy day between those days. Since noon Raham and I were in office to work. When we reached to the office we could recognise the smell of burning. and the smell became stronger while we were behind our door.
We set, we did talk with the first volunteer and between two meetings we had a short conversation and we had about an hour to work. We had our second guest and the conversion was going well while our new guests have arrived.
One of our guests was queer and also she was politically and socially active in the area and as she explained later she wanted to work together with us to make a friendly and safe place for LGBTQ people in the neighbourhood and of course we were enthusiastic and we wanted to know more about her ideas and how she wanted to negotiate with the municipality of district. We were five sitting around and having drinks, common interest to speak out and common concern to work together and another two of us came later.
We were in the middle of the conversation when we heard someone is shouting loudly and after we denied him, he made it harder and louder. We continued the conversation but he did not stop and he started to damage and break some furnish and later on expensive work stuff which was absolutely out of control. We preferred to be calm and do not respond to the stimulation and incitement from him until he threw something heavy to our window.
We were on the topic about what should we do when he opened the door carefully and sprinkled few drops of dirty red water to Raham’s face. we took Raham back, I collected my stuff while another one called the police and explained to them the situation. I had to go to tell our friend as well but in the meanwhile, I was worried about that moment and others which I went to leave behind. I said goodbye to the guests and Raham came with me to the entrance door. I was mostly worried about one of us who was not in the good circumstance to stay there that’s why I asked Raham to send him out before everything is getting more complicated.
I was worried, I could hear the sirens of police cars and was thinking about any possible incident which could be happened. We’ve survived from this harmful experience and even though we could remember the struggling and frightful situation we passed when we were working in Iran. And this day just reminds us again the standard of safe work which we need to provide anywhere and anytime.
Iman: That evening was the second time which I went to JoopeA’s newest office to have a meeting with five other colleagues and two guests. As we were busy discussing some issues related to LGBTIQ community, I could hear someone in another room of the office was destroying the furniture while shouting and screaming. My colleagues tried to talk to him and calm him down, but that didn’t stop him.
I have never been in a same situation before. I was so scared. I felt extremely unsafe in that moment, my body was shaking, I was afraid of him coming to our room and hurt us which he came while his hand was bleeding. I tried to take distance from him and then someone took him out of the room and we contacted the police.
I left the office with a colleague and went to our friend’s apartment which was nearby and the rest locked themselves in that room to take care of the office until the police came. I was really worried about them the whole time, because you never know how far a violent person like him can go.
We couldn’t continue our meeting that night and after what happened, I don’t know how we can feel safe in that office again, especially the ones who work there every day.
Queer of Persia
Queens, Princess and Princes of Persia are getting ready for first ever Iran Boat in Amsterdam Canal Pride Parade.
JoopeA’s office has been attacked!
Last Friday, March 3rd, 2017 was indeed a huge shock to JoopeA’s members in the Netherlands.
There was a meeting hold in JoopeA’s office on LGBTIQ issues with six JoopeA’s members and two guests last Friday around 9:00pm that the unit has been attacked by an unconscious man. While the man was busy destroying tables, furnitures and computers in other rooms, we’ve contacted police. Police forces has arrived when the man was trying to force himself into our room by pouring red liquid on people.
Police forces captured the man into their custody. Hopefully, no one has been injured physically during the accident.
Regarding to police, there is no information about the identity of the man and his motivation for the attack. Police is still investigating about it.
JoopeA group has been moved to this new donated office which is located in shared community unit in Amsterdam since December 2016. While this office is great help toward our work, it lacks basic security equipments. JoopeA has contacted several larger organizations to attract their support for securing this office for LGBTIQ Rights works way before this accident. But unfortunately, it wasn’t successful so far.
To light a candle
A writing from Elham Malekpoor (EL)
You believe or not we are living in the darkest time of the human history and one of the reason is because we simply do not believe it, even though the bare fact is front of our eyes.
How they let this tragedy happen? I’ve asked this question all the time when I was confronting with the history we passed. In which condition human being is able to be indifference about one another? I’ve questioned when can be seen the fatal indifference of those of us who think I do nothing and no blood is on my hands. we are living in the darkest time of the human being history the time when we lose our hope to light a candle because we lost the flame of our hopes and our dreams because we do not believe we are related. I have still the faith in human being and the way which makes us be able to light our torch again is being conscious, compassionate and responsible.