URGENT ACTION APPEAL
- From Amnesty International USA
To read the current Urgent Action newsletter, go to
http://www.amnestyusa.org/urgent/newslett.html
----------------------------------
For a print-friendly version of this Urgent Action (PDF):
http://www.amnestyusa.org/actioncenter/actions/uaa16509.pdf
23 June 2009
UA 165/09 Forced eviction
BRAZIL Over 200 homeless families
Over 400 families were forcibly evicted from a government building on 16 June 2009; more
than 200 families are now encamped in extremely precarious conditions in an enclosed space
under a viaduct in the centre of Sao Paulo. Supported by local NGOs, the families plan to
stay under the viaduct until the authorities offer them adequate alternative housing.
The families, who were all homeless, had been occupying a government building owned by the
INSS (Brazilian social security) which according to the the Movimento Sem-Teto do Centro,
Homeless Movement of Central Sao Paulo (MSTC) had been empty for over 20 years and was
earmarked to be used for social housing. They were served with an eviction order but were
not given adequate notice; there was no consultation or attempts to identify alternatives
to the eviction; they were not told when the eviction would take place, nor were they
offered any alternative accommodation. To avoid being removed by force, they left the
building peacefully. Roughly half went to stay with relatives or friends. With no other
option the others – over 200 families - set up a makeshift encampment by the side of a main
road in central Sao Paulo, Avenida Nove de Julho.
The municipal authorities subsequently offered them places in council hostels, which the
families rejected on the grounds that the accommodation was short-term, would break up the
families, separating women and children from their husbands, and that there were
insufficient places for the whole group.
On the night of 18 June riot police arrived, giving the families 40 minutes to leave the
area. When the families refused to move, the riot police advanced on them using teargas,
pepper spray and batons. The homeless people set fire to furniture and mattresses and made
them into a roadblock, then fled. Council trucks then came and took away the rest of their
belongings, including blankets, pots, pans and stoves. According to the MSTC, five homeless
people were injured during the operation, including a child. Police allege that the
homeless people threw stones at them and that four of their officers were slightly injured,
a claim disputed by the MSTC.
The group, which includes elderly people and babies as young as nine months, returned to
the encampment completely destitut, fearing further police action and sleeping in shifts to
keep watch. On 22 June, the riot police returned to clear the area once more. After
negotiations the group was moved to a closed-off space under a viaduct, with no water or
electricity. NGOs are now working to make the space habitable.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Sao Paulo has a chronic shortage of housing for low-income families, who are often forced
to live in the shanty towns on the outskirts. The municipal government is regenerating the
center of the city, and in the process further reducing the supply of housing to the city’s
poor. At the same time, scores of buildings sit empty, many owing more in back-taxes and
utility bills that the value of the buildings themselves. With the help of local NGOs, poor
families have begun squatting these buildings.
The Prestes Maia building, which had been empty for eight years, was squatted by over 400
families in 2002 and became the homeless movement’s cause celebre. After international
pressure, in 2007 the municipal government rehoused some of the families and gave rent
assistance to others in what was seen as a victory for the movement, although since then
the authorities have withdrawn their support from 300 of the families.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
- expressing concern that over 400 families were forcibly evicted from the INSS building on
16 June and left homeless, and that more than 200 families are living in completely
inadequate conditions in an enclosed space under a viaduct;
- calling on the municipal authorities to immediately provide emergency relief including
food, water and access to medical assistance to people who have been made homeless as a
result of the forced eviction;
- calling on the authorities to ensure that all the families who were forcibly evicted are
provided with adequate alternative accommodation and compensation for all losses and
guaranteed the right to an effective remedy;
- expressing concern that riot police appear to have used excessive force on 18 June, and
asking the authorities to order an immediate, thorough and independent investigation;
- calling on the authorities to cease all forced evictions immediately, and implement a
long-term, detailed housing policy to address homelessness in Sao Paulo.
APPEALS TO:
Mayor of Sao Paulo
Exmo. Prefeito de Sao Paulo, Sr. Gilberto Kassab
Viaduto do Cha 15, Centro - Edificio Matarazo
01002-020 - Sao Paulo/SP
BRAZIL
Fax: 011 55 11 3113.8015
Salutation: Vossa Excelencia/ Your Excellency
Federal Human Rights Secretary
Exmo. Ministro da Secretaria
Especial de Direitos Humanos
Sr. Paulo Vannuchi, Esplanada dos Ministerios
Bloco T, 70064-900 - Brasilia – DF
BRAZIL
Fax: 011 55 61 3226 7980
Salutation: Vossa Excelencia/ Your Excellency
Public Security Secretary
Exmo. Secretario de Estado Sr. Antonio Ferreira Pinto
Rua Libero Badaro, 39
12° andar - Centro 01.009-000 - Sao Paulo/SP
BRAZIL
Fax: 011 55 11 3291-6834
Salutation: Vossa Excelencia/ Your Excellency
COPIES TO:
President of the Municipal Commission of Human Rights
Exmo. Presidente da Comissao
Municipal dos Direitos Humanos Dr. Jose Gregori
Patio do Colegio, 5 – Centro – Sao Paulo – SP, CEP 01016-040
BRAZIL
Fax: 011 55 11 3106 0030
The Homeless Movement of Central Sao Paulo
Movimento Sem-Teto do Centro
Avenida Sao Joao, 1495 - 2ยบ andar, Metro Santa Cecilia
Sao Paulo, SP, CEP 01211-000
BRAZIL
Ambassador Antonio de Aguiar Patriota
Brazilian Embassy
3006 Massachusetts Avenue NW
Washington, D.C. 20008
Fax: 1 202 238 2827
Email: ambassador@brasilemb.org
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.
Check with the AIUSA Urgent Action office if sending appeals after 4 August 2009.
----------------------------------
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Amnesty International is a worldwide grassroots movement that promotes and defends human
rights.
This Urgent Action may be reposted if kept intact, including contact information and stop
action date (if applicable). Thank you for your help with this appeal.
Urgent Action Network
Amnesty International USA
600 Pennsylvania Ave SE 5th fl
Washington DC 20003
Email: uan@aiusa.org
http://www.amnestyusa.org/urgent/
Phone: 202.544.0200
Fax: 202.675.8566
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Urgent Action 6-18-09
To read the current Urgent Action newsletter, go to
http://www.amnestyusa.org/urgent/newslett.html
----------------------------------
For a print-friendly version of this Urgent Action (PDF):
http://www.amnestyusa.org/actioncenter/actions/uaa15509.pdf
17 June 2009
UA 155/09 Prisoner of conscience
VIET NAM
Human rights lawyer Le Cong Dinh was arrested at his office in Ho Chi Minh City on 13 June by Public Security police. He has been charged with "conducting propaganda" against the state, under Article 88 of the Penal Code. If convicted, he faces a three- to 20-year prison sentence. He is a prisoner of conscience, detained solely for the peaceful exercise of his right to freedom of expression.
The Investigation Agency of the Ministry of Public Security told a press conference the day he was arrested that Le Cong Dinh had "connived with overseas subversives to publish documents distorting the socio-economic policies" of the government. Officials also accused him of communicating with international media, including the BBC and Radio Free Asia, and of conveying "distorted" information about the rule of law in Viet Nam in the course of his work as a defense lawyer.
Le Cong Dinh is a prominent lawyer and former deputy president of the Ho Chi Minh City Bar Association. He runs a private law firm in Ho Chi Minh City. In November 2007 he represented human rights lawyers Nguyen Van Dai and Le Thi Cong Nhan, two other prominent prisoners of conscience, at the appeal court hearing against their sentences. At the hearing he and other lawyers argued that Article 88, under which the two were charged, is unconstitutional and contravenes international human rights treaties that Viet Nam has ratified, such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), and should therefore be reviewed. He also represented Nguyen Hoang Hai, a blogger known as Dieu Cay, who was tried in September 2008 on politically motivated criminal charges for writing critical articles and calling for human rights.
Le Cong Dinh has also been an outspoken critic of recent bauxite-extraction in the Central Highlands, as well as calling for political reform in Viet Nam.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The Vietnamese authorities have sentenced at least 30 dissidents, including a number of lawyers, to long prison terms since 2006 in an attempt to stifle freedom of expression and association. Most are supporters of an internet-based pro-democracy movement, Bloc 8406, or other unauthorized groups calling for democracy and human rights. The majority have been sentenced to imprisonment under the national security section of the 1999 Penal Code, with additional sentences of up to five years of house arrest on release from prison. An unknown number of dissidents are in custody awaiting trial.
Articles of the Penal Code used to criminalize peaceful political dissent include Article 80 (Spying), 87 (Undermining the unity policy), and 88 (Conducting propaganda against the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam).
In May 2009, the UN Human Rights Council considered Viet Nam under the Universal Periodic Review (UPR). Viet Nam rejected the recommendations of other states to allow greater freedom of expression and to reform national security laws which limit freedom of expression, among others.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
- expressing concern that lawyer and human rights advocate Le Cong Dinh has been arrested under Article 88 of the Penal Code solely for the peaceful exercise of his right to freedom of expression, and is therefore a prisoner of conscience;
- calling on the authorities to release him immediately and unconditionally, and drop the charges against him;
- calling on them to ensure that he is allowed immediate access to a lawyer of his choosing and his family, and that he is provided with any medical attention he may require;
- calling on the authorities to either repeal or amend provisions in the 1999 Penal Code which criminalize peaceful political dissent;
- calling on the authorities to uphold the rights to freedom of expression and association, in line with human rights treaties Viet Nam has ratified.
APPEALS TO:
Le Hong Anh
Minister of Public Security
Ministry of Public Security
44 Yet Kieu Street
Ha Noi
VIET NAM
Fax: 011 8443 942 0223
Salutation: Dear Minister
Pham Gia Khiem
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
1 Ton That Dam Street
Ba Dinh District
Ha Noi
VIET NAM
Fax: 011 8443 823 1872
Email: bc.mfa@mofa.gov.vn
Salutation: Dear Minister
COPIES TO:
Ambassador Le Cong Phung
Embassy of Vietnam
1233 20th St NW #400
Washington DC 20036
Fax: 1 202 861 0917
Email: info@vietnamembassy.us OR consular@vietnamembassy.us
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.
Check with the AIUSA Urgent Action office if sending appeals after 29 July 2009.
----------------------------------
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To Canada:
$0.75 - Postcards
$0.75 - Airmail Letters and Cards (up to 1 oz.)
To Mexico:
$0.79 - Postcards
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To all other destination countries:
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Amnesty International is a worldwide grassroots movement that promotes and defends human rights.
This Urgent Action may be reposted if kept intact, including contact information and stop action date (if applicable). Thank you for your help with this appeal.
Urgent Action Network
Amnesty International USA
600 Pennsylvania Ave SE 5th fl
Washington DC 20003
Email: uan@aiusa.org
http://www.amnestyusa.org/urgent/
Phone: 202.544.0200
Fax: 202.675.8566
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END OF URGENT ACTION APPEAL
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Monday, June 15, 2009
MORE Good News!
15 June 2009
Further information on UA 350/08 (December 2008) and follow-up (20 February 2009) – Health concern/Legal concern
USA Ahmed Zaid Salem Zuhair (m), Saudi Arabian national, aged 44
Ahmed Zuhair was released from Guantanamo and flown to Saudi Arabia on 12 June. He had been held without charge or trial in Guantanamo since June 2002, and had been on hunger strike and a force feeding regime since 2005.
In a news release announcing the transfer of Ahmed Zuhair and two other Saudi Arabian nationals, Khalid Saad Mohammed and Abdalaziz Kareem Salim Al Noofayaee, the US Department of Justice said that "All individuals transferred to Saudi Arabia are subject to judicial review in Saudi Arabia before they undergo a rehabilitation program. While in a rehabilitation program, they will be under the control of the Saudi Government. The US and Saudi Governments are working closely together on all matters related to the transfer of Saudi detainees from Guantanamo to Saudi Arabia."
The Justice Department emphasized that the transfers were the result of the review by the Guantanamo Review Task Force set up under an executive order signed by President Barack Obama on 22 January 2009 (see: The promise of real change: President Obama’s executive orders on detentions and interrogations, 30 January 2009, http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/AMR51/015/2009/en). The press release also noted that these three detainees had been cleared for transfer under the Bush administration. As noted in the 20 February Urgent Action update, Ahmed Zuhair had been approved for transfer to Saudi Arabia in December 2008, six months ago.
Ahmed Zuhair has been in detention for more than seven years without charge or trial. According to his 2008 petition for habeas corpus, in late December 2001 he had been seized in a market in Lahore, Pakistan, by a dozen men in civilian clothes. He had been blindfolded and taken to a house in a residential area of Lahore, where, he said, he was tortured and otherwise ill-treated. In early January 2002, he had been transferred to a military facility in the capital, Islamabad, and held incommunicado there for about 10 weeks; in mid-March 2002 he had been handed over to US custody and held in Bagram air base in Afghanistan. In June 2002 he had been transferred to detention in Kandahar, where he was held for two weeks. He said he had been ill-treated in US custody in Afghanistan, including forced prolonged kneeling and stripping during interrogations. He was transported to Guantanamo in June 2002. Ahmed Zuhair began his hunger strike in mid- 2005, to protest at his indefinite detention without charge and the conditions in which he was detained. He was force fed from August 2005.
Seven other detainees have recently been released from indefinite military detention in Guantanamo. On 11 June, four Uighur detainees were transferred to Bermuda, an Iraqi national was transferred to Iraq, and a Chadian national to Chad (see http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/AMR51/074/2009/en). On 9 June, Tanzanian national Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani was transferred to New York to face trial in federal court there. He had previously been facing trial by military commission in Guantanamo. Earlier, two other detainees were released from the base: Ethiopian national and former UK resident Binyam Mohammed was transferred to the UK in February and Algerian national Lakhdar Boumediene was transferred to France in mid-May.
There are reported to be 229 detainees still held in Guantanamo. Amnesty International remains concerned by the slow pace at which the detainees' cases are being resolved.
Ahmed Zuhair and the other two Saudi Arabian men were released on the first anniversary of the US Supreme Court's decision in Boumediene v. Bush, finding that the Guantanamo detainees have the constitutional right to challenge the lawfulness of their detention in US federal court. To date, only a handful of detainees have had hearings on the merits of their challenges. Ahmed Zuhair was due to receive such a hearing on 30 June 2009.
A number of those who have made successful challenges, obtaining rulings that their detentions are unlawful, have remained in indefinite detention for months. For example, 13 Uighur men are still in indefinite detention at Guantanamo more than eight months after a US federal judge ruled that their detention was unlawful and ordered their immediate release into the USA. The US authorities appealed successfully, and the case is now pending before the Supreme Court. The administration has continued to hold the Uighur detainees, arguing that it is for the political branches of government to decide who should be allowed into the USA. For further information, see USA: Detainees continue to bear costs of delay and lack of remedy, April 2009, http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/AMR51/050/2009/en.
No further action by the UA Network is requested. Ahmed Zuhair's US lawyers have thanked Amnesty International for its action on his case. They have said that they will continue to seek a judicial determination in the US courts that his detention was "unlawful and unjustified from the very beginning."
----------------------------------
Amnesty International is a worldwide grassroots movement
that promotes and defends human rights.
This Urgent Action may be reposted if kept intact, including
contact information and stop action date (if applicable).
Thank you for your help with this appeal.
Urgent Action Network
Amnesty International USA
600 Pennsylvania Ave SE 5th fl
Washington DC 20003
Email: uan@aiusa.org
http://www.amnestyusa.org/urgent/
Phone: 202.544.0200
Fax: 202.675.8566
Further information on UA 350/08 (December 2008) and follow-up (20 February 2009) – Health concern/Legal concern
USA Ahmed Zaid Salem Zuhair (m), Saudi Arabian national, aged 44
Ahmed Zuhair was released from Guantanamo and flown to Saudi Arabia on 12 June. He had been held without charge or trial in Guantanamo since June 2002, and had been on hunger strike and a force feeding regime since 2005.
In a news release announcing the transfer of Ahmed Zuhair and two other Saudi Arabian nationals, Khalid Saad Mohammed and Abdalaziz Kareem Salim Al Noofayaee, the US Department of Justice said that "All individuals transferred to Saudi Arabia are subject to judicial review in Saudi Arabia before they undergo a rehabilitation program. While in a rehabilitation program, they will be under the control of the Saudi Government. The US and Saudi Governments are working closely together on all matters related to the transfer of Saudi detainees from Guantanamo to Saudi Arabia."
The Justice Department emphasized that the transfers were the result of the review by the Guantanamo Review Task Force set up under an executive order signed by President Barack Obama on 22 January 2009 (see: The promise of real change: President Obama’s executive orders on detentions and interrogations, 30 January 2009, http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/AMR51/015/2009/en). The press release also noted that these three detainees had been cleared for transfer under the Bush administration. As noted in the 20 February Urgent Action update, Ahmed Zuhair had been approved for transfer to Saudi Arabia in December 2008, six months ago.
Ahmed Zuhair has been in detention for more than seven years without charge or trial. According to his 2008 petition for habeas corpus, in late December 2001 he had been seized in a market in Lahore, Pakistan, by a dozen men in civilian clothes. He had been blindfolded and taken to a house in a residential area of Lahore, where, he said, he was tortured and otherwise ill-treated. In early January 2002, he had been transferred to a military facility in the capital, Islamabad, and held incommunicado there for about 10 weeks; in mid-March 2002 he had been handed over to US custody and held in Bagram air base in Afghanistan. In June 2002 he had been transferred to detention in Kandahar, where he was held for two weeks. He said he had been ill-treated in US custody in Afghanistan, including forced prolonged kneeling and stripping during interrogations. He was transported to Guantanamo in June 2002. Ahmed Zuhair began his hunger strike in mid- 2005, to protest at his indefinite detention without charge and the conditions in which he was detained. He was force fed from August 2005.
Seven other detainees have recently been released from indefinite military detention in Guantanamo. On 11 June, four Uighur detainees were transferred to Bermuda, an Iraqi national was transferred to Iraq, and a Chadian national to Chad (see http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/AMR51/074/2009/en). On 9 June, Tanzanian national Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani was transferred to New York to face trial in federal court there. He had previously been facing trial by military commission in Guantanamo. Earlier, two other detainees were released from the base: Ethiopian national and former UK resident Binyam Mohammed was transferred to the UK in February and Algerian national Lakhdar Boumediene was transferred to France in mid-May.
There are reported to be 229 detainees still held in Guantanamo. Amnesty International remains concerned by the slow pace at which the detainees' cases are being resolved.
Ahmed Zuhair and the other two Saudi Arabian men were released on the first anniversary of the US Supreme Court's decision in Boumediene v. Bush, finding that the Guantanamo detainees have the constitutional right to challenge the lawfulness of their detention in US federal court. To date, only a handful of detainees have had hearings on the merits of their challenges. Ahmed Zuhair was due to receive such a hearing on 30 June 2009.
A number of those who have made successful challenges, obtaining rulings that their detentions are unlawful, have remained in indefinite detention for months. For example, 13 Uighur men are still in indefinite detention at Guantanamo more than eight months after a US federal judge ruled that their detention was unlawful and ordered their immediate release into the USA. The US authorities appealed successfully, and the case is now pending before the Supreme Court. The administration has continued to hold the Uighur detainees, arguing that it is for the political branches of government to decide who should be allowed into the USA. For further information, see USA: Detainees continue to bear costs of delay and lack of remedy, April 2009, http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/AMR51/050/2009/en.
No further action by the UA Network is requested. Ahmed Zuhair's US lawyers have thanked Amnesty International for its action on his case. They have said that they will continue to seek a judicial determination in the US courts that his detention was "unlawful and unjustified from the very beginning."
----------------------------------
Amnesty International is a worldwide grassroots movement
that promotes and defends human rights.
This Urgent Action may be reposted if kept intact, including
contact information and stop action date (if applicable).
Thank you for your help with this appeal.
Urgent Action Network
Amnesty International USA
600 Pennsylvania Ave SE 5th fl
Washington DC 20003
Email: uan@aiusa.org
http://www.amnestyusa.org/urgent/
Phone: 202.544.0200
Fax: 202.675.8566
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Good News on past action!
To read the current Urgent Action newsletter, go to
http://www.amnestyusa.org/urgent/newslett.html
----------------------------------
12 June 2009
Further information on UA 49/09 (19 February 2009) and update (20 March 2009) – Legal concern/Ill-treatment
USA Mohammed el Gharani (m), Chadian national, aged 22
Mohammed el Gharani was transferred from Guantanamo Bay to Chad on 11 June, almost five months after a US federal judge ordered that he be released. Detained when he was 14 years old, he had been in US custody for more than seven years.
Amnesty International has no further details of Mohammed el Gharani’s transfer or his current condition.
The US Justice Department’s announcement of the transfer did not explain why it had taken so long since the judicial order to release Mohammed el Gharani. The announcement noted the federal judge’s ruling, but also said that the transfer was the result of the executive review of Guantanamo cases ordered by President Barack Obama on 22 January 2009 (see: The promise of real change. President Obama’s executive orders on detentions and interrogations, 30 January 2009, http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/AMR51/015/2009/en).
District Court Judge Richard Leon had ruled on 14 January that Mohammed el Gharani’s detention was unlawful and that he should be released immediately. El Gharani, a Chadian national who was born and brought up in Saudi Arabia, had been held at Guantanamo since February 2002. He was taken into custody by Pakistani forces in Pakistan in late 2001, at the age of 14, handed over to the US authorities and taken to Kandahar air base in Afghanistan, before being transferred to Guantanamo. He was ill-treated in US custody (see USA: Judge orders release of detainee held in Guantanamo as child ‘enemy combatant’, 15 January 2009, http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/AMR51/006/2009/en).
Under international law and standards, detention and imprisonment of a child must be used only as a measure of last resort and for the shortest appropriate period of time. Every child deprived of liberty shall be treated with humanity and respect for the inherent dignity of the human person, and in a manner which takes into account the needs of persons of his or her age. Under international law, states must adhere to the principle that the best interests of the child are to be a primary consideration in all actions concerning children who come into conflict with the law. However, the USA’s treatment of children labeled under the Bush administration as “enemy combatants” has been conducted in accordance with its own perceived national security interests rather than the best interests of the child. The USA has apparently never taken into account the fact that Mohammed el Gharani was taken into custody as a child.
Six other detainees have recently been released from indefinite military detention in Guantanamo. On 11 June, four Uighur detainees were transferred to Bermuda, and an Iraqi national was transferred to Iraq. On 9 June, Tanzanian national Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani was transferred to New York to face trial in federal court there. He had previously been facing trial by military commission in Guantanamo. Earlier, two other detainees were released from the base: Ethiopian national and former UK resident Binyam Mohammed was transferred to the UK in February and Algerian national Lakhdar Boumediene was transferred to France in mid-May.
There are reported to be 232 detainees still held in Guantanamo. Amnesty International remains concerned by the slow pace at which the detainees’ cases are being resolved.
Today marks one year since the US Supreme Court ruled in Boumediene v. Bush that the Guantanamo detainees have the constitutional right to challenge the lawfulness of their detention in US federal court. To date, only a handful of detainees have had hearings on the merits of their challenges. A number of those who have made successful challenges, obtaining rulings that their detentions are unlawful, have remained in indefinite detention for months. For example, 13 Uighur men remain in indefinite detention at Guantanamo more than eight months after a US federal judge ruled that their detention was unlawful and ordered their immediate release into the USA. The US authorities appealed successfully, and the case is now pending before the Supreme Court. The administration has continued to hold the Uighur detainees, arguing that it is a matter for the political branches of government to decide who should be allowed into the USA. For further information, see USA: Detainees continue to bear costs of delay and lack of remedy, April 2009, http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/AMR51/050/2009/en.
No further action by the UA Network is requested. Many thanks to all who sent appeals.
http://www.amnestyusa.org/urgent/newslett.html
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12 June 2009
Further information on UA 49/09 (19 February 2009) and update (20 March 2009) – Legal concern/Ill-treatment
USA Mohammed el Gharani (m), Chadian national, aged 22
Mohammed el Gharani was transferred from Guantanamo Bay to Chad on 11 June, almost five months after a US federal judge ordered that he be released. Detained when he was 14 years old, he had been in US custody for more than seven years.
Amnesty International has no further details of Mohammed el Gharani’s transfer or his current condition.
The US Justice Department’s announcement of the transfer did not explain why it had taken so long since the judicial order to release Mohammed el Gharani. The announcement noted the federal judge’s ruling, but also said that the transfer was the result of the executive review of Guantanamo cases ordered by President Barack Obama on 22 January 2009 (see: The promise of real change. President Obama’s executive orders on detentions and interrogations, 30 January 2009, http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/AMR51/015/2009/en).
District Court Judge Richard Leon had ruled on 14 January that Mohammed el Gharani’s detention was unlawful and that he should be released immediately. El Gharani, a Chadian national who was born and brought up in Saudi Arabia, had been held at Guantanamo since February 2002. He was taken into custody by Pakistani forces in Pakistan in late 2001, at the age of 14, handed over to the US authorities and taken to Kandahar air base in Afghanistan, before being transferred to Guantanamo. He was ill-treated in US custody (see USA: Judge orders release of detainee held in Guantanamo as child ‘enemy combatant’, 15 January 2009, http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/AMR51/006/2009/en).
Under international law and standards, detention and imprisonment of a child must be used only as a measure of last resort and for the shortest appropriate period of time. Every child deprived of liberty shall be treated with humanity and respect for the inherent dignity of the human person, and in a manner which takes into account the needs of persons of his or her age. Under international law, states must adhere to the principle that the best interests of the child are to be a primary consideration in all actions concerning children who come into conflict with the law. However, the USA’s treatment of children labeled under the Bush administration as “enemy combatants” has been conducted in accordance with its own perceived national security interests rather than the best interests of the child. The USA has apparently never taken into account the fact that Mohammed el Gharani was taken into custody as a child.
Six other detainees have recently been released from indefinite military detention in Guantanamo. On 11 June, four Uighur detainees were transferred to Bermuda, and an Iraqi national was transferred to Iraq. On 9 June, Tanzanian national Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani was transferred to New York to face trial in federal court there. He had previously been facing trial by military commission in Guantanamo. Earlier, two other detainees were released from the base: Ethiopian national and former UK resident Binyam Mohammed was transferred to the UK in February and Algerian national Lakhdar Boumediene was transferred to France in mid-May.
There are reported to be 232 detainees still held in Guantanamo. Amnesty International remains concerned by the slow pace at which the detainees’ cases are being resolved.
Today marks one year since the US Supreme Court ruled in Boumediene v. Bush that the Guantanamo detainees have the constitutional right to challenge the lawfulness of their detention in US federal court. To date, only a handful of detainees have had hearings on the merits of their challenges. A number of those who have made successful challenges, obtaining rulings that their detentions are unlawful, have remained in indefinite detention for months. For example, 13 Uighur men remain in indefinite detention at Guantanamo more than eight months after a US federal judge ruled that their detention was unlawful and ordered their immediate release into the USA. The US authorities appealed successfully, and the case is now pending before the Supreme Court. The administration has continued to hold the Uighur detainees, arguing that it is a matter for the political branches of government to decide who should be allowed into the USA. For further information, see USA: Detainees continue to bear costs of delay and lack of remedy, April 2009, http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/AMR51/050/2009/en.
No further action by the UA Network is requested. Many thanks to all who sent appeals.
Monday, June 8, 2009
UI June 8th 2009
URGENT ACTION APPEAL
- From Amnesty International USA
To read the current Urgent Action newsletter, go to
http://www.amnestyusa.org/urgent/newslett.html
----------------------------------
For a print-friendly version of this Urgent Action (PDF):
http://www.amnestyusa.org/actioncenter/actions/uaa31208.pdf
Note: Please write on behalf of these persons even though you may not have received the original UA when issued on November 11, 2008. Thanks!
08 June 2009
Further Information on UA 312/08 (11 November 2008) - Fear of Torture and other ill treatment – New concern: Health concern and Prisoners of Conscience
SAUDI ARABIA
Sulieman al-Rushudi (m), retired judge
Dr Saud al-Hashimi (m), medical doctor
Al-Sharif Saif Al-Ghalib (m)
Dr Musa al-Qirni (m), university professor
Dr 'Abdel Rahman al-Shumayri (m), university professor
Fahd al-Qirshi (m)
'Abdel Rahman Khan (m)
'Abdelaziz al-Khariji (m)
Released Dr Matrouk al-Faleh (m), university professor and human rights activist
Dr Saud al-Hashimi has been on hunger strike at Dhahban prison in western Saudi Arabia since 1 June 2009. On 5 and 6 June he is reported to have been tortured or otherwise ill-treated for refusing to consume food; he was stripped of all his clothes, except his underwear, shackled and dragged from his cell and placed in a severely cold cell for about five hours. He is now reported to be in need of medical treatment.
Dr Matrouk al-Faleh was released on 10 January 2009 after more than seven months in detention without charge or trial. He was arrested in the Saudi Arabian capital, Riyadh, on 19 May 2008 and held at al-Ha'ir prison for political detainees in Riyadh. The Saudi Arabian authorities have not disclosed the reason for Dr Matrouk al-Faleh's arrest and detention, but it is believed to have been related to his publication of an article that he wrote on 17 May 2008 about his visit to a prison to see two prisoners of conscience, who have since been released.
With the exception of Dr Matrouk al-Faleh, all those named above continue to be detained without charge or trial. They were arrested in February 2007 in the cities of Jeddah and Madinah. They have since been held in solitary confinement at Dhahban prison and remain at risk of torture and other ill-treatment. Amnesty International considers them to be prisoners of conscience detained for their advocacy of peaceful political change and the protection and promotion of human rights. They were targeted by the authorities after they circulated a petition calling for political reform and discussed a proposal to establish and independent human rights organization in Saudi Arabia. They had also challenged the impunity enjoyed by Ministry of Interior officials who carry out arrests and detentions. The Ministry of Interior claimed in a statement that they were arrested because they were collecting money to support terrorism; the detainees deny this.
Dozens of human rights activists in Saudi Arabia participated in a hunger strike on 6 and 7 November 2008, to protest against the detention and solitary confinement of the prisoners of conscience.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Critics of the state are subject to gross violations of their rights at the hands of various security forces under the control of the Ministry of Interior. They are often held incommunicado without charge or trial, denied access to lawyers and the courts to challenge the legality of their detention, and tortured. Trials fall far short of international standards for fair trial: defendants are generally denied legal counsel, and in many cases they and their families are not informed of the progress of legal proceedings against them. Court hearings are often held behind closed doors.
The Saudi Arabian authorities have used the so-called "war on terror" to justify the arrest and detention of thousands of government critics and opponents without charge or trial. In a statement in 2007 the Ministry of Interior announced that they were holding at least 3,000 suspects on counter-terrorism grounds. It also disclosed that that they were among 9,000 people detained between 2003 and 2007 as part of the counter-terrorism measures. More recently, the Ministry of Interior announced that 991 detainees were being tried. The trials are being held in secret with no legal assistance provided for the defendants, including defendants being tried on capital charges.
Incommunicado detention and solitary confinement are routine practices in Saudi Arabia. Both are used, along with torture and other ill-treatment, to extract confessions from detainees, to punish them for refusing to repent, or to force them to make undertakings not to criticize the government. Incommunicado detention in Saudi Arabia often lasts until a confession is obtained, which can take months and occasionally years.
The UN Human Rights Committee has commented that routine prolonged solitary confinement is inconsistent with the obligation on states to ensure prisoners are treated with humanity and with respect for their inherent dignity. (General comment 21/44, 6 April 1992).
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
- expressing concern about reports that Dr Saud al-Hashimi was tortured or otherwise ill-treated while held at Dhahban prison in western Saudi Arabia;
- asking for the allegations of torture to be investigated by an independent and impartial body and for anyone found responsible to be brought to justice;
- calling on the authorities to provide Dr Saud al-Hashimi with all necessary medical treatment without delay;
- expressing concern that he and the seven other men are being held in solitary confinement;
- calling on the authorities to release the men immediately and unconditionally as they are held solely for the peaceful exercise of their right to express their conscientiously held beliefs;
- urging the authorities to ensure that all the detainees are protected from torture and other ill-treatment, and given regular access to their families, their lawyers and any medical attention they may require.
APPEALS TO:
His Majesty King 'Abdullah Bin 'Abdul 'Aziz Al-Saud
The Custodian of the two Holy Mosques
Office of His Majesty the King, Royal Court
Riyadh, KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA
Fax: (via Ministry of the Interior) 011 966 1 403 1185 (please keep trying)
Salutation: Your Majesty
His Royal Highness Prince Naif bin 'Abdul 'Aziz Al-Saud
Second Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior
Ministry of the Interior
P.O. Box 2933, Airport Road,
Riyadh 11134,
KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA
Fax: 011 966 1 403 1185 (please keep trying)
Salutation: Your Royal Highness
COPIES TO:
Mr Bandar Mohammed Abdullah Al Aiban
President, Human Rights Commission
P.O. Box 58889, King Fahad Road, Building No. 373
Riyadh 11515
KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA
Fax: 011 966 1 4612061
Ambassador Adel A. Al-Jubeir
Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia
601 New Hampshire Ave. NW
Washington DC 20037
Fax: 1 202 944 5983
Email: info@saudiembassy.net
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.
Check with the AIUSA Urgent Action office if sending appeals after 20 July 2009.
----------------------------------
Tip of the Month:
Write as soon as you can. Try to write as close as possible
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To Mexico:
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To all other destination countries:
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Amnesty International is a worldwide grassroots movement
that promotes and defends human rights.
This Urgent Action may be reposted if kept intact, including
contact information and stop action date (if applicable).
Thank you for your help with this appeal.
Urgent Action Network
Amnesty International USA
600 Pennsylvania Ave SE 5th fl
Washington DC 20003
Email: uan@aiusa.org
http://www.amnestyusa.org/urgent/
Phone: 202.544.0200
Fax: 202.675.8566
- From Amnesty International USA
To read the current Urgent Action newsletter, go to
http://www.amnestyusa.org/urgent/newslett.html
----------------------------------
For a print-friendly version of this Urgent Action (PDF):
http://www.amnestyusa.org/actioncenter/actions/uaa31208.pdf
Note: Please write on behalf of these persons even though you may not have received the original UA when issued on November 11, 2008. Thanks!
08 June 2009
Further Information on UA 312/08 (11 November 2008) - Fear of Torture and other ill treatment – New concern: Health concern and Prisoners of Conscience
SAUDI ARABIA
Sulieman al-Rushudi (m), retired judge
Dr Saud al-Hashimi (m), medical doctor
Al-Sharif Saif Al-Ghalib (m)
Dr Musa al-Qirni (m), university professor
Dr 'Abdel Rahman al-Shumayri (m), university professor
Fahd al-Qirshi (m)
'Abdel Rahman Khan (m)
'Abdelaziz al-Khariji (m)
Released Dr Matrouk al-Faleh (m), university professor and human rights activist
Dr Saud al-Hashimi has been on hunger strike at Dhahban prison in western Saudi Arabia since 1 June 2009. On 5 and 6 June he is reported to have been tortured or otherwise ill-treated for refusing to consume food; he was stripped of all his clothes, except his underwear, shackled and dragged from his cell and placed in a severely cold cell for about five hours. He is now reported to be in need of medical treatment.
Dr Matrouk al-Faleh was released on 10 January 2009 after more than seven months in detention without charge or trial. He was arrested in the Saudi Arabian capital, Riyadh, on 19 May 2008 and held at al-Ha'ir prison for political detainees in Riyadh. The Saudi Arabian authorities have not disclosed the reason for Dr Matrouk al-Faleh's arrest and detention, but it is believed to have been related to his publication of an article that he wrote on 17 May 2008 about his visit to a prison to see two prisoners of conscience, who have since been released.
With the exception of Dr Matrouk al-Faleh, all those named above continue to be detained without charge or trial. They were arrested in February 2007 in the cities of Jeddah and Madinah. They have since been held in solitary confinement at Dhahban prison and remain at risk of torture and other ill-treatment. Amnesty International considers them to be prisoners of conscience detained for their advocacy of peaceful political change and the protection and promotion of human rights. They were targeted by the authorities after they circulated a petition calling for political reform and discussed a proposal to establish and independent human rights organization in Saudi Arabia. They had also challenged the impunity enjoyed by Ministry of Interior officials who carry out arrests and detentions. The Ministry of Interior claimed in a statement that they were arrested because they were collecting money to support terrorism; the detainees deny this.
Dozens of human rights activists in Saudi Arabia participated in a hunger strike on 6 and 7 November 2008, to protest against the detention and solitary confinement of the prisoners of conscience.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Critics of the state are subject to gross violations of their rights at the hands of various security forces under the control of the Ministry of Interior. They are often held incommunicado without charge or trial, denied access to lawyers and the courts to challenge the legality of their detention, and tortured. Trials fall far short of international standards for fair trial: defendants are generally denied legal counsel, and in many cases they and their families are not informed of the progress of legal proceedings against them. Court hearings are often held behind closed doors.
The Saudi Arabian authorities have used the so-called "war on terror" to justify the arrest and detention of thousands of government critics and opponents without charge or trial. In a statement in 2007 the Ministry of Interior announced that they were holding at least 3,000 suspects on counter-terrorism grounds. It also disclosed that that they were among 9,000 people detained between 2003 and 2007 as part of the counter-terrorism measures. More recently, the Ministry of Interior announced that 991 detainees were being tried. The trials are being held in secret with no legal assistance provided for the defendants, including defendants being tried on capital charges.
Incommunicado detention and solitary confinement are routine practices in Saudi Arabia. Both are used, along with torture and other ill-treatment, to extract confessions from detainees, to punish them for refusing to repent, or to force them to make undertakings not to criticize the government. Incommunicado detention in Saudi Arabia often lasts until a confession is obtained, which can take months and occasionally years.
The UN Human Rights Committee has commented that routine prolonged solitary confinement is inconsistent with the obligation on states to ensure prisoners are treated with humanity and with respect for their inherent dignity. (General comment 21/44, 6 April 1992).
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
- expressing concern about reports that Dr Saud al-Hashimi was tortured or otherwise ill-treated while held at Dhahban prison in western Saudi Arabia;
- asking for the allegations of torture to be investigated by an independent and impartial body and for anyone found responsible to be brought to justice;
- calling on the authorities to provide Dr Saud al-Hashimi with all necessary medical treatment without delay;
- expressing concern that he and the seven other men are being held in solitary confinement;
- calling on the authorities to release the men immediately and unconditionally as they are held solely for the peaceful exercise of their right to express their conscientiously held beliefs;
- urging the authorities to ensure that all the detainees are protected from torture and other ill-treatment, and given regular access to their families, their lawyers and any medical attention they may require.
APPEALS TO:
His Majesty King 'Abdullah Bin 'Abdul 'Aziz Al-Saud
The Custodian of the two Holy Mosques
Office of His Majesty the King, Royal Court
Riyadh, KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA
Fax: (via Ministry of the Interior) 011 966 1 403 1185 (please keep trying)
Salutation: Your Majesty
His Royal Highness Prince Naif bin 'Abdul 'Aziz Al-Saud
Second Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior
Ministry of the Interior
P.O. Box 2933, Airport Road,
Riyadh 11134,
KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA
Fax: 011 966 1 403 1185 (please keep trying)
Salutation: Your Royal Highness
COPIES TO:
Mr Bandar Mohammed Abdullah Al Aiban
President, Human Rights Commission
P.O. Box 58889, King Fahad Road, Building No. 373
Riyadh 11515
KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA
Fax: 011 966 1 4612061
Ambassador Adel A. Al-Jubeir
Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia
601 New Hampshire Ave. NW
Washington DC 20037
Fax: 1 202 944 5983
Email: info@saudiembassy.net
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.
Check with the AIUSA Urgent Action office if sending appeals after 20 July 2009.
----------------------------------
Tip of the Month:
Write as soon as you can. Try to write as close as possible
to the date a case is issued.
** POSTAGE RATES **
Within the United States:
$0.28 - Postcards
$0.44 - Letters and Cards (up to 1 oz.)
To Canada:
$0.75 - Postcards
$0.75 - Airmail Letters and Cards (up to 1 oz.)
To Mexico:
$0.79 - Postcards
$0.79 - Airmail Letters and Cards (up to 1 oz.)
To all other destination countries:
$0.98 - Postcards
$0.98 - Airmail Letters and Cards (up to 1 oz.)
Amnesty International is a worldwide grassroots movement
that promotes and defends human rights.
This Urgent Action may be reposted if kept intact, including
contact information and stop action date (if applicable).
Thank you for your help with this appeal.
Urgent Action Network
Amnesty International USA
600 Pennsylvania Ave SE 5th fl
Washington DC 20003
Email: uan@aiusa.org
http://www.amnestyusa.org/urgent/
Phone: 202.544.0200
Fax: 202.675.8566
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
UA Imminent Execution 6-3-09
URGENT ACTION APPEAL
- From Amnesty International USA
To read the current Urgent Action newsletter, go to
http://www.amnestyusa.org/urgent/newslett.html
----------------------------------
For a print-friendly version of this Urgent Action (PDF):
http://www.amnestyusa.org/actioncenter/actions/uaa10309.pdf
Note: Please write on behalf of these persons even though you may not have received the original UA when issued on April 21, 2009. Thanks!
03 June 2009
Further Information on 103/09 ( 21 April 2009) and follow-up (6 May 2009) - Torture/Threats/Legal Concern/Medical concern
MEXICO
Jeronimo Gomez Saragos, ]
Antonio Gomez Saragos, ] Members of the Tzeltal Indigenous community
Miguel Demeza Jimenez, ]
Sebastian Demeza Deara, ]
Pedro Demeza Deara ]
Jeronimo Moreno Deara, ]
Alfredo Gomez Moreno, ]
Miguel Vazquez Moreno ]
Eric Bautista Gomez, Member of grassroots farmers' organization
On 8 May, 8 men of the Tzeltal indigenous community of San Sebastian Bachajon, Chiapas state, were committed for trial. Since then charges against one of the men, Miguel Vazquez Moreno, have been dropped. However the remaining 7 men may be tried on the basis of statements taken after they had been tortured and threatened. The local human rights organization representing the 7 men have filed an appeal against their committal for trial.
All 8 men have stated that they were beaten at the time of their arrest and tortured while in the "Quinta Pitiquito" informal detention centre and then forced to give preliminary statements to representatives of the State Attorney General's Office implicating them in crimes of robbery. They did not have access to adequate legal representation, nor were they provided with an interpreter that speaks their indigenous language.
The 7 men who remain in prison claim that other inmates in "El Amate" prison, where they are now detained, are threatening them, with the acquiescence of prison officials. Three of the men, Jeronimo Gomez Saragos, Miguel Demeza Jimenez and Jeronimo Moreno Deara, have not received adequate medical attention for the injuries sustained when tortured and ill-treated whilst in pre-charge detention between 7 and 30 April.
The indigenous men were arrested in police operations in April. They are from the Tzeltal Indigenous community of San Sebastian Bachajon, Chilon municipality and are believed to be sympathisers of the National Zapatista Liberation Army (Ejercito Zapatista de Liberacion Nacional, EZLN). They were formally charged with violent robbery and organised crime (robo con violencia y delincuencia organizada) and moved to "El Amate" state prison in Tuxtla Gutierrez on 1 May.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
In the previous UA and FU on this case we also asked you to take action on the case of Eric Bautista Gomez, member of grassroots farmers’ organisation, MOCRI-CNPA-MN, who was arrested in Tuxtla Gutierrez on 7 April and was held for three weeks in Quinta Pitiquito informal detention centre, where he was beaten and threatened. On 1 May he was charged with murder, fraud and criminal association (homicidio, fraude y asociacion delictuosa), and was remanded to "El Amate" state prison in Tuxtla Gutierrrez, where he reported that he was ill-treated by prison officials and other inmates for refusing to confess to the charges.
Since our last update, Eric Bautista was moved to Copanaila prison, Chiapas state, on 7th May. Amnesty International will continue to monitor his situation however no further action is required on his case at present.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
- calling for the authorities to ensure that the seven men are not subject to ill-treatment by prison officials or other prisoners acting with the complicity of prison authorities;
- calling on the authorities to provide appropriate medical treatment Jeronimo Gomez Saragos, Miguel Demeza Jimenez and Jeronimo Moreno Deara, for the physical injuries they sustained when tortured and ill-treated whilst in pre-charge detention between 7 and 30 April.
- requesting that the authorities order a prompt, impartial and thorough investigation into allegations of torture and ill treatment against suspects named above detained initially in pre-charge detention (arraigo) and subsequently in "El Amate" state prison in Tuxtla Gutierrez, for the findings to be made public and for those responsible to be held to account;
- urging the authorities to guarantee the right of all those in detention to a fair trial, including the exclusion of evidence from trial proceedings of any statements obtained under duress or through other violations of due process guarantees, such as statements rendered without access to adequate legal representation or appropriate interpreters.
APPEALS TO:
Governor of Chiapas State
Lic. Juan Jose Sabines Guerrero
Gobernador del Estado de Chiapas
Palacio de Gobierno, 1o piso, Col. Centro,
C.29000, Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas, MEXICO
Fax: 011 52 961 618 8088
Email: juansabines@chiapas.gob.mx
Salutation: Dear Governor/Senor Gobernador
Chiapas State Prosecutor
Mtro. Raciel Lopez Salazar
Procurador General de Justicia del Estado de Chiapas
Libramiento Norte y Rosa del Oriente, no. 2010,
Col. El Bosque,
Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas, CP 29000, MEXICO
Fax: 011 52 961 616 5724
Email: raciel.lopez@mje.chiapas.gob.mx
Salutation: Dear Attorney / Senor Procurador
Interior Minister
Lic. Fernando Francisco Gomez-Mont Urueta
Secretaria de Gobernacion
Bucareli 99, Col. Juarez, Del. Cuauhtemoc
Mexico D.F., C.P.06600, MEXICO
Fax: 011 52 55 5093 3414
Salutation: Senor Secretario / Dear Minister
E-mail: secretario@segob.gob.mx
COPIES TO:
Centro de Derechos Humanos ‘‘Fray Bartolome de las Casas’‘ A.C.
Brasil, no. 14 Barrio Mexicanos, CP 29240
San Cristobal de las Casas, MEXICO
Email: accionurgente@frayba.org.mx
Ambassador Arturo Sarukhan Casamitjana
Embassy of Mexico
1911 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington DC 20006
Fax: 1 202 728 1698
Email: mexembusa@sre.gob.mx
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.
Check with the AIUSA Urgent Action office if sending appeals after 15 July.
----------------------------------
Tip of the Month:
Write as soon as you can. Try to write as close as possible
to the date a case is issued.
** POSTAGE RATES **
Within the United States:
$0.28 - Postcards
$0.44 - Letters and Cards (up to 1 oz.)
To Canada:
$0.75 - Postcards
$0.75 - Airmail Letters and Cards (up to 1 oz.)
To Mexico:
$0.79 - Postcards
$0.79 - Airmail Letters and Cards (up to 1 oz.)
To all other destination countries:
$0.98 - Postcards
$0.98 - Airmail Letters and Cards (up to 1 oz.)
Amnesty International is a worldwide grassroots movement that
promotes and defends human rights.
This Urgent Action may be reposted if kept intact, including
contact information and stop action date (if applicable).
Thank you for your help with this appeal.
Urgent Action Network
Amnesty International USA
600 Pennsylvania Ave SE 5th fl
Washington DC 20003
Email: uan@aiusa.org
http://www.amnestyusa.org/urgent/
Phone: 202.544.0200
Fax: 202.675.8566
----------------------------------
- From Amnesty International USA
To read the current Urgent Action newsletter, go to
http://www.amnestyusa.org/urgent/newslett.html
----------------------------------
For a print-friendly version of this Urgent Action (PDF):
http://www.amnestyusa.org/actioncenter/actions/uaa10309.pdf
Note: Please write on behalf of these persons even though you may not have received the original UA when issued on April 21, 2009. Thanks!
03 June 2009
Further Information on 103/09 ( 21 April 2009) and follow-up (6 May 2009) - Torture/Threats/Legal Concern/Medical concern
MEXICO
Jeronimo Gomez Saragos, ]
Antonio Gomez Saragos, ] Members of the Tzeltal Indigenous community
Miguel Demeza Jimenez, ]
Sebastian Demeza Deara, ]
Pedro Demeza Deara ]
Jeronimo Moreno Deara, ]
Alfredo Gomez Moreno, ]
Miguel Vazquez Moreno ]
Eric Bautista Gomez, Member of grassroots farmers' organization
On 8 May, 8 men of the Tzeltal indigenous community of San Sebastian Bachajon, Chiapas state, were committed for trial. Since then charges against one of the men, Miguel Vazquez Moreno, have been dropped. However the remaining 7 men may be tried on the basis of statements taken after they had been tortured and threatened. The local human rights organization representing the 7 men have filed an appeal against their committal for trial.
All 8 men have stated that they were beaten at the time of their arrest and tortured while in the "Quinta Pitiquito" informal detention centre and then forced to give preliminary statements to representatives of the State Attorney General's Office implicating them in crimes of robbery. They did not have access to adequate legal representation, nor were they provided with an interpreter that speaks their indigenous language.
The 7 men who remain in prison claim that other inmates in "El Amate" prison, where they are now detained, are threatening them, with the acquiescence of prison officials. Three of the men, Jeronimo Gomez Saragos, Miguel Demeza Jimenez and Jeronimo Moreno Deara, have not received adequate medical attention for the injuries sustained when tortured and ill-treated whilst in pre-charge detention between 7 and 30 April.
The indigenous men were arrested in police operations in April. They are from the Tzeltal Indigenous community of San Sebastian Bachajon, Chilon municipality and are believed to be sympathisers of the National Zapatista Liberation Army (Ejercito Zapatista de Liberacion Nacional, EZLN). They were formally charged with violent robbery and organised crime (robo con violencia y delincuencia organizada) and moved to "El Amate" state prison in Tuxtla Gutierrez on 1 May.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
In the previous UA and FU on this case we also asked you to take action on the case of Eric Bautista Gomez, member of grassroots farmers’ organisation, MOCRI-CNPA-MN, who was arrested in Tuxtla Gutierrez on 7 April and was held for three weeks in Quinta Pitiquito informal detention centre, where he was beaten and threatened. On 1 May he was charged with murder, fraud and criminal association (homicidio, fraude y asociacion delictuosa), and was remanded to "El Amate" state prison in Tuxtla Gutierrrez, where he reported that he was ill-treated by prison officials and other inmates for refusing to confess to the charges.
Since our last update, Eric Bautista was moved to Copanaila prison, Chiapas state, on 7th May. Amnesty International will continue to monitor his situation however no further action is required on his case at present.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
- calling for the authorities to ensure that the seven men are not subject to ill-treatment by prison officials or other prisoners acting with the complicity of prison authorities;
- calling on the authorities to provide appropriate medical treatment Jeronimo Gomez Saragos, Miguel Demeza Jimenez and Jeronimo Moreno Deara, for the physical injuries they sustained when tortured and ill-treated whilst in pre-charge detention between 7 and 30 April.
- requesting that the authorities order a prompt, impartial and thorough investigation into allegations of torture and ill treatment against suspects named above detained initially in pre-charge detention (arraigo) and subsequently in "El Amate" state prison in Tuxtla Gutierrez, for the findings to be made public and for those responsible to be held to account;
- urging the authorities to guarantee the right of all those in detention to a fair trial, including the exclusion of evidence from trial proceedings of any statements obtained under duress or through other violations of due process guarantees, such as statements rendered without access to adequate legal representation or appropriate interpreters.
APPEALS TO:
Governor of Chiapas State
Lic. Juan Jose Sabines Guerrero
Gobernador del Estado de Chiapas
Palacio de Gobierno, 1o piso, Col. Centro,
C.29000, Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas, MEXICO
Fax: 011 52 961 618 8088
Email: juansabines@chiapas.gob.mx
Salutation: Dear Governor/Senor Gobernador
Chiapas State Prosecutor
Mtro. Raciel Lopez Salazar
Procurador General de Justicia del Estado de Chiapas
Libramiento Norte y Rosa del Oriente, no. 2010,
Col. El Bosque,
Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas, CP 29000, MEXICO
Fax: 011 52 961 616 5724
Email: raciel.lopez@mje.chiapas.gob.mx
Salutation: Dear Attorney / Senor Procurador
Interior Minister
Lic. Fernando Francisco Gomez-Mont Urueta
Secretaria de Gobernacion
Bucareli 99, Col. Juarez, Del. Cuauhtemoc
Mexico D.F., C.P.06600, MEXICO
Fax: 011 52 55 5093 3414
Salutation: Senor Secretario / Dear Minister
E-mail: secretario@segob.gob.mx
COPIES TO:
Centro de Derechos Humanos ‘‘Fray Bartolome de las Casas’‘ A.C.
Brasil, no. 14 Barrio Mexicanos, CP 29240
San Cristobal de las Casas, MEXICO
Email: accionurgente@frayba.org.mx
Ambassador Arturo Sarukhan Casamitjana
Embassy of Mexico
1911 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington DC 20006
Fax: 1 202 728 1698
Email: mexembusa@sre.gob.mx
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.
Check with the AIUSA Urgent Action office if sending appeals after 15 July.
----------------------------------
Tip of the Month:
Write as soon as you can. Try to write as close as possible
to the date a case is issued.
** POSTAGE RATES **
Within the United States:
$0.28 - Postcards
$0.44 - Letters and Cards (up to 1 oz.)
To Canada:
$0.75 - Postcards
$0.75 - Airmail Letters and Cards (up to 1 oz.)
To Mexico:
$0.79 - Postcards
$0.79 - Airmail Letters and Cards (up to 1 oz.)
To all other destination countries:
$0.98 - Postcards
$0.98 - Airmail Letters and Cards (up to 1 oz.)
Amnesty International is a worldwide grassroots movement that
promotes and defends human rights.
This Urgent Action may be reposted if kept intact, including
contact information and stop action date (if applicable).
Thank you for your help with this appeal.
Urgent Action Network
Amnesty International USA
600 Pennsylvania Ave SE 5th fl
Washington DC 20003
Email: uan@aiusa.org
http://www.amnestyusa.org/urgent/
Phone: 202.544.0200
Fax: 202.675.8566
----------------------------------
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