AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL REPORT 2016/17

In June, the government introduced
further restrictions to its “tolerated stay”
regime, which applied to individuals it
excluded from protection because they had
committed a felony in Denmark or were
believed to have committed war crimes or
non-political crimes elsewhere, but who
could not be deported to their country of
origin as they faced a real risk of human
rights violations there. The government
declared its intention to make their stay “as
intolerable as possible”. The new restrictions
included compulsory overnight stay at
Kærshovedgård centre, about 300km outside
Copenhagen, to separate individuals from
their families. Those who breached their
“tolerated stay” obligations faced potential
custodial sentences in regular prisons. At the
end of the year, 68 people were on “tolerated
stay”.
In October, the government deferred
implementing the agreement with UNHCR
to receive 500 refugees annually for
resettlement from refugee camps around
the world.
DISCRIMINATION – TRANSGENDER
PEOPLE
Procedural rules set by the Danish Health
Authority on access to hormone treatment
and gender-affirming surgery unreasonably
prolonged the gender recognition process for
transgender people. The tests and
questionnaires required focused on sexual
conduct which many transgender people
reported finding humiliating. Only one clinic
was authorized to prescribe hormone
treatment to transgender people. The Health
Authority’s procedural guidelines for genderaffirming
treatment were under review at the
end of the year.
In May, the Parliament adopted a
landmark resolution to end the
pathologization of transgender identities as a
“mental disorder” by the beginning of 2017.
COUNTER-TERROR AND SECURITY
In August, the UN Human Rights Committee
expressed concern about Denmark’s overly
broad definition of terrorism in the Criminal
Code and about police powers to intercept
communications which may result in mass
surveillance. The Committee urged the
government to conduct a comprehensive
review of its counter-terrorism powers to
ensure compliance with international human
rights law.
TORTURE AND OTHER ILL-TREATMENT
In August, the Eastern High Court ruled
admissible a civil damages lawsuit brought
against the Ministry of Defence by 11 Iraqi
nationals. They alleged they were tortured by
Iraqi soldiers during a military operation run
by Danish soldiers in Basra, Iraq, in 2004. A
substantive hearing was expected to take
place in 2017.
DOMINICAN
REPUBLIC
Dominican Republic
Head of state and government: Danilo Medina Sánchez
A law to reform the police finally entered
into force. A reform to the Criminal Code
that maintained the criminalization of
abortion in almost all circumstances was
approved by Congress. Many people
remained stateless. Consultations were held
on a draft anti-discrimination bill.
BACKGROUND
Legislative, presidential and local elections
were held in May. Danilo Medina Sánchez of
the ruling Dominican Liberation Party (PLD)
was re-elected as President. The PLD
maintained its control over the two chambers
of Congress. A number of openly lesbian,
gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex
(LGBTI) candidates ran for seats in legislative
and local elections to increase their political
visibility and participation.
In January the Dominican Republic took
over the presidency of the Community of
Latin American and Caribbean States. The
General Assembly of the Organization of
142 Amnesty International Report 2016/17