4 October 2012
Memorandum
To whom it may concern
The truth about farm attacks in South Africa
This letter is part of a campaign by the South African civil rights organisation AfriForum to raise international awareness of the phenomenon of South African farm murders and highlight the government's failure to take action. We hope that, once you are made aware of the situation, you will assist a targeted minority group by putting diplomatic pressure on our government to act.
In South Africa many farmers, in disproportionately large numbers compared to the general population, are being attacked and murdered. These attacks are often accompanied by horrific acts of violence and even torture. Despite this, the South African government and police service in particular refuse to declare these attacks a priority crime and to release any statistics on the matter. Based on news reports and civil research (which are by no means comprehensive) leading criminologists estimate that:
- it is more dangerous to be a farmer in South Africa than a police officer on active duty;
- one farmer is murdered every five days; and
- the number of farm attacks in South Africa is approximately 700% higher than in the rest of the world.
In 2010, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime estimated the global murder rate to be 6,9 / 100 000 people per year. The South African farm murder rate is estimated to be well over ten times as much.
Our campaign is aimed at convincing our government to declare farm murders a priority crime and to implement rural safety structures to address the matter. A book, Land of Sorrow, is included with this memorandum. It contains details of all the farm attacks that took place in the last 20 years that we know of. A documentary, War of the Flea, that analyses the matter, is also included.
Ernst Roets
Deputy CEO: AfriForum
List of identified international organisations, news outlets and embassies:
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African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights |
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Anti-Defamation League |
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Amnesty International South Africa |
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Al Jazeera English |
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BBC |
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US State Department: Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labour. |
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Clinton Foundation |
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CNN |
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Commonwealth of Nations |
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European Union Delegation to South Africa |
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European Court of Human Rights |
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· European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) |
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The European Roma Rights Centre |
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German Institute for Human Rights |
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Global Witness |
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Genocide Watch |
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The Heritage Foundation |
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Human Rights Information and Documentation Systems, International (HURIDOCS) |
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Human Rights First |
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Human Rights Watch |
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International centre for the legal protection of human rights |
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International Court of Justice |
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International Alert |
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International Centre for Transitional Justice |
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International League of Human Rights |
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Institute for Security Studies |
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Minority Rights Group International |
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Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights |
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· Committee against Torture |
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· Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture |
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· Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination |
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Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights |
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· Committee against Torture |
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· Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture |
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· Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination |
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Russia Today RT |
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Open Society Foundations |
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South African Institute of International Affairs |
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Simon Wiesenthal Centre |
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South African Human Rights Commission |
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Sky News |
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United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation |
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South African National Commission for UNESCO |
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World Food Programme |
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World Council of Churches |
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World Organisation Against Torture |
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Angola |
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Argentine |
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Apostolic Nunciature of Holy See |
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Australia |
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Austria |
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Belgium |
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Botswana |
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Brazil |
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Bulgaria |
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Canada |
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Chile |
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Democratic Republic of the Congo |
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Colombia |
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Croatia |
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Cyprus |
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Czech Republic |
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Denmark |
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Estonia |
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Ethiopia |
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France |
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Finland |
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Fiji |
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Germany |
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Georgia |
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Greece |
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Ghana |
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Hungary |
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India |
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Ireland |
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Indonesia |
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Italian |
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Israel |
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Japan |
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Kenya |
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Korea |
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Latvia |
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Lebanon |
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Lithuania |
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Luxemburg |
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Malta |
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Malaysia |
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Mozambique |
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Monaco |
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Mexico |
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New Zealand |
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Namibia |
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Nederland |
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Philippines |
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Nigeria |
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Norway |
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Peru |
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Portugal |
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Poland |
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Romania |
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Russian |
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Serbia |
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Slovenia |
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Slovak |
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Singapore |
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Swede |
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Spain |
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Switzerland |
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Tanzania |
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Thailand |
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Turkey |
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Ukraine |
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United Arab Emirates |
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United Kingdom |
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United States of America (USA) |
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Rwanda |
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Zambia |
Issued by AfriForum, October 4 2012
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