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/uaa25709.pdf
Note: Please write on behalf of these persons even though you may not have received the original UA when issued on September 25, 2009. Thanks!
27 November 2009
Further information on UA 257/09 (25 September 2009) – Enforced Disappearance/Risk of Torture
SYRIA Berzani Karro (m)
Berzani Karro, a Syrian Kurdish man and possible prisoner of conscience, is reported to have been tortured while being held incommunicado for three months after his forcible return to Syria from Cyprus in June. He is now known to be in ‘Adra prison in Damascus, the capital of Syria.
Berzani Karro, aged 20, was reportedly subjected to prolonged beatings while in the custody of the al-Fayha Political Security Branch in Damascus, after his arrest on 27 June at Damascus airport. Political Security is one of several security services operating in Syria, all of which regularly detain individuals on even the slightest suspicion of opposition to the regime. Towards the end of September, after three months of incommunicado detention, with no access to his family or legal representation, Berzani Karro was moved to ‘Adra prison. His family are being allowed to visit him every two to three weeks.
On 10 November a military court charged Berzani Karro with “attempting to sever part of the Syrian territory and annex it to a foreign state” and involvement in an unauthorized organization. Amnesty International believes that Berzani Karro may be a prisoner of conscience, held due to his perceived political opinion. The charges against him are commonly used against Kurds who are deemed to be politically active and critical of the state.
Prior to his current detention, Berzani Karro was detained for around two and a half months when he was 15 years old. He was accused of attending an unauthorized demonstration and destroying state property, including a statue of President Bashar al-Assad. His family say he was at home at the time of the protest. He was held for at least some of that time in the Military Intelligence-run Palestine Branch detention centre, where detainees are regularly tortured. At the Palestine Branch, he was subjected to the dulab (the tyre), whereby he was forced through a car tire suspended from the ceiling and beaten. There were 10 others detained with him, all of them under 18.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
In Syria anyone perceived as being in any way associated with Kurdish political parties or groups that raise concerns about the treatment of Kurds in Syria are vulnerable to arbitrary arrest and detention and in many cases to torture or other ill-treatment.
Berzani Karro left Syria in October 2006 and traveled to Cyprus where he claimed asylum. His application was rejected and he was detained in September 2008, on the grounds that he had no legal right to remain in the country. On his forcible return to Syria, Cypriot officials escorted him on the plane, and handed him over to the Syrian authorities at Damascus airport. Amnesty International wrote to the Cypriot Ministers of Foreign Affairs in October expressing concern about Berzani Karro’s case and requesting information concerning his access to administrative and judicial proceedings relating to his asylum application and his forcible return to Syria. The organization also asked the Cypriot authorities to seek information from the Syrian authorities as to Berzani Karro’s whereabouts after his arrest and assurances that he was not being tortured or otherwise ill-treated. To date, there has been no response.
Amnesty International has serious concerns about the fairness of trials before military courts in Syria. Cases are often based on vaguely worded charges that are interpreted extremely broadly by the Syrian authorities, and “confessions” obtained through torture or other ill-treatment are frequently accepted as evidence. In addition, the rights of the defendant to attend the trial and to present a defense with or without the assistance of legal representation are often not respected.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
- Urging the authorities to release Berzani Karro immediately and unconditionally, if he is held solely due to his perceived political opinion;
- Expressing concern that Berzani Karro faces a trial before a military court, particularly given that trial proceedings before such courts routinely breach international fair standards;
- Calling for an independent investigation into the allegation that Berzani Karro was tortured during incommunicado detention, for the results to be made public and those responsible to be brought to justice.
APPEALS TO:
President
Bashar al-Assad
Presidential Palace
Al-Rashid Street
Damascus
SYRIAN ARAB REPUBLIC
Fax: 011 963 11 332 3410
Salutation: Your Excellency
Minister of Interior
Major Sa’id Mohammed Sammour Ministry of Interior
‘Abd al-Rahman Shahbandar Street
Damascus
SYRIAN ARAB REPUBLIC
Fax: 011 963 11 222 3428
Email: somi@net.sy
Salutation: Your Excellency
COPIES TO:
Minister of Defense
Lieutenant-General Ali Ben-Mohammed
Ministry of Defense
Omayyad Square
Damascus
SYRIAN ARAB REPUBLIC
Fax: 011 963 11 211 9729 OR 011 963 11 223 7842
Salutation: Your Excellency
Ambassador Dr Imad Moustapha
Embassy of the Syrian Arab Republic
2215 Wyoming Ave. NW
Washington DC 20008
Fax: 1 202 234 9548 OR 1 202 265 4585 OR 1 202 232 4357
Email: info@syrembassy.net
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.
Check with the AIUSA Urgent Action office if sending appeals after 08 January 2010.
----------------------------------
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Amnesty International is a worldwide grassroots movement that promotes and defends human rights.
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http://www.amnestyusa.org/urgent/
Phone: 202.544.0200
Fax: 202.675.8566
----------------------------------
END OF URGENT ACTION APPEAL
----------------------------------
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Urgent Action 11-25-09
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/uaa12809.pdf
Note: Please write on behalf of these persons even though you may not have received the original UA when issued on May 18, 2009. Thanks!
24 November 2009
Further Information on UA 128/09 (18 May 2009) and follow-up (19 August 2009) – Torture/unfair trial
RUSSIAN FEDERATION Aleksei Sokolov (m), human rights defender
Aleksei Sokolov, a male human rights defender, is unlawfully detained in the city of Yekaterinburg, near the Ural Mountains in Russia. The court order to keep him in pre-trial detention expired on 6 November and no further order has been issued. Amnesty International is concerned that the treatment of Aleksei Sokolov is aimed at putting him under pressure to withdraw from his human rights work. He remains at risk of torture or other ill-treatment.
Aleksei Sokolov has been in custody since 13 May, when he was detained on suspicion of robbery. When the Sverdlovsk Regional Court ruled on 31 July that he should be released pending trial, the police charged him with theft and he remained in custody. His pre-trial detention has been extended several times by the Leninskii district court in Yekaterinburg. On 20 October, a judge in the same court ordered that he be detained until 6 November. On 2 November, another judge ruled that Aleksei Sokolov’s case should be transferred to a different district court and upheld a previous order to detain Aleksei Sokolov until 6 November. The judge did not indicate whether the detention should continue after that date. Despite this, Aleksei Sokolov remains in detention in violation of Russian law. The decision on 2 November was made without a defense lawyer being present, which is an additional violation of Russian law. Aleksei Sokolvo is still held in a pre-trial detention center in Yekaterinburg without knowing how long he might be kept there. A further hearing about the lawfulness of his detention will take place on 25 November.
Since Aleksei Sokolov was detained in May, Amnesty International has noted a number of violations of Russian criminal procedural law in this case, including the public being excluded from a hearing and the judge failing to provide sufficient explanation for an extension of his detention. This leads to concerns that he may not receive a fair trial.
Aleksei Sokolov told his lawyer that police had threatened him soon after he was detained in May that they “could not beat him but would know how to torture him”. Aleksei Sokolov also told his lawyer that police said, “You thought you could control us, nobody can control the police. You’ve got what you deserved as a human rights defender.”
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Aleksei Sokolov is the head of the non-governmental organization Pravovaia Osnova (Legal Basis), which campaigns against torture and other ill-treatment of people held in Russia’s prisons and detention centers.
In 2006 Aleksei Sokolov distributed a film about torture and other ill-treatment in prison colony IK-2 in Yekaterinburg. Part of the prison colony had been used as a temporary holding center for people under arrest, and here, according to the film, people were tortured. The film received wide coverage, both in Russia and internationally, and led to the closure of the temporary holding center. The work of Legal Basis brought about several investigations into police and prison colony staff, accused of crimes including the use of torture to force suspects to confess.
On 13 May 2009 Aleksei Sokolov was detained on suspicion that he had taken part in a 2004 robbery. The investigation into this robbery had been closed several times because of failure to identify a suspect. On 23 April 2009 the investigation was reopened yet again: according to police, one suspect, already in prison for another crime, had confessed to committing the robbery together with Aleksei Sokolov.
According to a decision of 29 October 2009 of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation, judges should issue orders of detention during investigation only in exceptional cases and only after considering other measures of restraint in order to ensure that the suspect of a crime does not continue to commit crimes or goes into hiding.
Aleksei Sokolov has a wife and a small children, is officially registered in Yekaterinburg. In one decision, justifying his detention, the judge argued that Aleksei Sokolov could use his position as a member of the public commission for the control of of places of detention in order to influence those witnesses in his case, who are already imprisoned. Aleksei Sokolov’s membership of the public commission has been suspendedhalted while he is under investigation and he would have no access to detainees.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
- Urging the authorities to release Aleksei Sokolov to await trial, in line with the Supreme Court ruling of 29 October 2009;
- Demanding that they grant Aleksei Sokolov a prompt and fair trial;
- While he is in custody, urging the authorities to ensure that he is not tortured or otherwise ill-treated;
- Calling on them to demonstrate respect for the lawful work of human rights defenders, and ensure they are free to pursue their lawful activities without fear of repercussions.
APPEALS TO:
Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation
Yurii Ya. Chaika
Ul Bolshaia Dmitrovka 15a
Moscow GSP-3
125993 RUSSIAN FEDERATION
Fax: 011 7 495 692 17 25
Salutation: Dear Prosecutor General
Prosecutor of the Sverdlovsk Region
Yurii A. Ponomarev
Ul. Moskovskaia 21
Yekaterinburg
GSP 1036
Sverdlovsk Region
620219 RUSSIAN FEDERATION
Fax: 011 7 343 377 02 41
Salutation: Dear Prosecutor
Ombudsperson for the Russian Federation
Vladimir P. Lukin
ul. Miasnitskaia 47
Moscow
107048 RUSSIAN FEDERATION
Fax: 011 7 495 607 74 70
Salutation: Dear Mr. Lukin
COPIES TO:
Ambassador Sergey I. Kislyak
Embassy of the Russian Federation
2650 Wisconsin Ave NW
Washington DC 20007
Fax: 1 202 298 5735
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.
Check with the AIUSA Urgent Action office if sending appeals after 05 January 2010.
----------------------------------
Tip of the Month:
Write as soon as you can. Try to write as close as possible to the date a case is issued.
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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
----------------------------------
END OF 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/uaa12809.pdf
Note: Please write on behalf of these persons even though you may not have received the original UA when issued on May 18, 2009. Thanks!
24 November 2009
Further Information on UA 128/09 (18 May 2009) and follow-up (19 August 2009) – Torture/unfair trial
RUSSIAN FEDERATION Aleksei Sokolov (m), human rights defender
Aleksei Sokolov, a male human rights defender, is unlawfully detained in the city of Yekaterinburg, near the Ural Mountains in Russia. The court order to keep him in pre-trial detention expired on 6 November and no further order has been issued. Amnesty International is concerned that the treatment of Aleksei Sokolov is aimed at putting him under pressure to withdraw from his human rights work. He remains at risk of torture or other ill-treatment.
Aleksei Sokolov has been in custody since 13 May, when he was detained on suspicion of robbery. When the Sverdlovsk Regional Court ruled on 31 July that he should be released pending trial, the police charged him with theft and he remained in custody. His pre-trial detention has been extended several times by the Leninskii district court in Yekaterinburg. On 20 October, a judge in the same court ordered that he be detained until 6 November. On 2 November, another judge ruled that Aleksei Sokolov’s case should be transferred to a different district court and upheld a previous order to detain Aleksei Sokolov until 6 November. The judge did not indicate whether the detention should continue after that date. Despite this, Aleksei Sokolov remains in detention in violation of Russian law. The decision on 2 November was made without a defense lawyer being present, which is an additional violation of Russian law. Aleksei Sokolvo is still held in a pre-trial detention center in Yekaterinburg without knowing how long he might be kept there. A further hearing about the lawfulness of his detention will take place on 25 November.
Since Aleksei Sokolov was detained in May, Amnesty International has noted a number of violations of Russian criminal procedural law in this case, including the public being excluded from a hearing and the judge failing to provide sufficient explanation for an extension of his detention. This leads to concerns that he may not receive a fair trial.
Aleksei Sokolov told his lawyer that police had threatened him soon after he was detained in May that they “could not beat him but would know how to torture him”. Aleksei Sokolov also told his lawyer that police said, “You thought you could control us, nobody can control the police. You’ve got what you deserved as a human rights defender.”
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Aleksei Sokolov is the head of the non-governmental organization Pravovaia Osnova (Legal Basis), which campaigns against torture and other ill-treatment of people held in Russia’s prisons and detention centers.
In 2006 Aleksei Sokolov distributed a film about torture and other ill-treatment in prison colony IK-2 in Yekaterinburg. Part of the prison colony had been used as a temporary holding center for people under arrest, and here, according to the film, people were tortured. The film received wide coverage, both in Russia and internationally, and led to the closure of the temporary holding center. The work of Legal Basis brought about several investigations into police and prison colony staff, accused of crimes including the use of torture to force suspects to confess.
On 13 May 2009 Aleksei Sokolov was detained on suspicion that he had taken part in a 2004 robbery. The investigation into this robbery had been closed several times because of failure to identify a suspect. On 23 April 2009 the investigation was reopened yet again: according to police, one suspect, already in prison for another crime, had confessed to committing the robbery together with Aleksei Sokolov.
According to a decision of 29 October 2009 of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation, judges should issue orders of detention during investigation only in exceptional cases and only after considering other measures of restraint in order to ensure that the suspect of a crime does not continue to commit crimes or goes into hiding.
Aleksei Sokolov has a wife and a small children, is officially registered in Yekaterinburg. In one decision, justifying his detention, the judge argued that Aleksei Sokolov could use his position as a member of the public commission for the control of of places of detention in order to influence those witnesses in his case, who are already imprisoned. Aleksei Sokolov’s membership of the public commission has been suspendedhalted while he is under investigation and he would have no access to detainees.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
- Urging the authorities to release Aleksei Sokolov to await trial, in line with the Supreme Court ruling of 29 October 2009;
- Demanding that they grant Aleksei Sokolov a prompt and fair trial;
- While he is in custody, urging the authorities to ensure that he is not tortured or otherwise ill-treated;
- Calling on them to demonstrate respect for the lawful work of human rights defenders, and ensure they are free to pursue their lawful activities without fear of repercussions.
APPEALS TO:
Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation
Yurii Ya. Chaika
Ul Bolshaia Dmitrovka 15a
Moscow GSP-3
125993 RUSSIAN FEDERATION
Fax: 011 7 495 692 17 25
Salutation: Dear Prosecutor General
Prosecutor of the Sverdlovsk Region
Yurii A. Ponomarev
Ul. Moskovskaia 21
Yekaterinburg
GSP 1036
Sverdlovsk Region
620219 RUSSIAN FEDERATION
Fax: 011 7 343 377 02 41
Salutation: Dear Prosecutor
Ombudsperson for the Russian Federation
Vladimir P. Lukin
ul. Miasnitskaia 47
Moscow
107048 RUSSIAN FEDERATION
Fax: 011 7 495 607 74 70
Salutation: Dear Mr. Lukin
COPIES TO:
Ambassador Sergey I. Kislyak
Embassy of the Russian Federation
2650 Wisconsin Ave NW
Washington DC 20007
Fax: 1 202 298 5735
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.
Check with the AIUSA Urgent Action office if sending appeals after 05 January 2010.
----------------------------------
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
----------------------------------
END OF URGENT ACTION APPEAL
----------------------------------
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Urgent Action 11-11-09
URGENT ACTION APPEAL
- From Amnesty International USA
To read the current Urgent Action newsletter, go to
http://www.amnestyusa.org/urgent/newslett.html
----------------------------------
11 November 2009
Further information on UA 291/09 (29 October 2009) – Imminent execution
USA John Allen Muhammad (m)
John Allen Muhammad was executed in Virginia on the evening of 10 November. He had been convicted in 2003 of capital murder in relation to a series of shootings that occurred across a number of jurisdictions in 2002. He made no final statement before being put to death.
There were a series of 16 shootings between 5 September and 22 October 2002 in Maryland, Alabama, Louisiana, Washington, DC and Virginia, leaving 10 people dead and another six seriously wounded. John Allen Muhammad and Lee Boyd Malvo were arrested by federal agents in Maryland on 24 October 2002. Among the items found in the car was a Bushmaster rifle which was linked to many of the shootings through
ballistics testimony.
After the arrests, which jurisdiction would be best placed to obtain and carry out the death penalty rapidly became a disturbing part of the authorities’ discussions about the case. Then US Attorney General John Ashcroft, an ardent advocate of capital punishment, announced on 7 November 2002 that Virginia should conduct the initial prosecutions. He emphasized at a press conference that it was “imperative that the ultimate sanction be available for those who have committed these crimes”. Virginia was and remains one of the most ‘efficient’ executing jurisdictions, with a reputation for moving cases swiftly through the appeals system. John Muhammad was tried in Virginia in 2003 for the murder of Dean Meyers, who had been shot while fuelling his car at a petrol station in Manassas, Virginia, on 9 October 2002. He was sentenced to death.
On 9 November, the US Supreme Court refused to stay the execution of John Muhammad. However, three of the Court’s judges argued that the case “highlights once again the perversity of executing inmates before their appeals process
has been fully concluded”. They wrote that because Virginia had scheduled the execution to be carried out two weeks before the case would otherwise be reviewed by the Court, “we must resolve the petition on an expedited basis unless we grant a temporary stay”. By denying this stay, the three continued, “we have allowed Virginia to truncate our deliberative process on a matter – involving a death row inmate – that demands the most careful attention”. They did not mention that pursuit of the speediest possible retributive killing was the reason Virginia had been handed the case in the first place.
On 10 November, Virginia’s Governor, Tim Kaine, denied clemency. In a statement, he said: “Muhammad’s trial, verdict, and sentence have been reviewed by state and federal courts, including the Supreme Court of Virginia, United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, and the United States Supreme Court. Having carefully reviewed the petition for clemency and judicial opinions regarding this case, I find no compelling reason to set aside the sentence that was recommended by the jury and then imposed and affirmed by the courts. Accordingly, I decline to intervene.”
John Muhammad’s lawyers had appealed for clemency on the grounds that he had serious mental impairments, a claim based on expert evidence never heard by the jurors who sentenced him to death. Governor Kaine’s statement denying clemency did not specifically refer to this claim.
There have been 45 executions in the USA this year, bringing to 1,181 the number of people put to death there since judicial killing resumed in 1977. Virginia accounts for 104 of these executions, second only to Texas which also carried out another execution last night.
No further action by the UA Network is requested. Many thanks to all who sent appeals
----------------------------------
END OF URGENT ACTION APPEAL
----------------------------------
- From Amnesty International USA
To read the current Urgent Action newsletter, go to
http://www.amnestyusa.org/urgent/newslett.html
----------------------------------
11 November 2009
Further information on UA 291/09 (29 October 2009) – Imminent execution
USA John Allen Muhammad (m)
John Allen Muhammad was executed in Virginia on the evening of 10 November. He had been convicted in 2003 of capital murder in relation to a series of shootings that occurred across a number of jurisdictions in 2002. He made no final statement before being put to death.
There were a series of 16 shootings between 5 September and 22 October 2002 in Maryland, Alabama, Louisiana, Washington, DC and Virginia, leaving 10 people dead and another six seriously wounded. John Allen Muhammad and Lee Boyd Malvo were arrested by federal agents in Maryland on 24 October 2002. Among the items found in the car was a Bushmaster rifle which was linked to many of the shootings through
ballistics testimony.
After the arrests, which jurisdiction would be best placed to obtain and carry out the death penalty rapidly became a disturbing part of the authorities’ discussions about the case. Then US Attorney General John Ashcroft, an ardent advocate of capital punishment, announced on 7 November 2002 that Virginia should conduct the initial prosecutions. He emphasized at a press conference that it was “imperative that the ultimate sanction be available for those who have committed these crimes”. Virginia was and remains one of the most ‘efficient’ executing jurisdictions, with a reputation for moving cases swiftly through the appeals system. John Muhammad was tried in Virginia in 2003 for the murder of Dean Meyers, who had been shot while fuelling his car at a petrol station in Manassas, Virginia, on 9 October 2002. He was sentenced to death.
On 9 November, the US Supreme Court refused to stay the execution of John Muhammad. However, three of the Court’s judges argued that the case “highlights once again the perversity of executing inmates before their appeals process
has been fully concluded”. They wrote that because Virginia had scheduled the execution to be carried out two weeks before the case would otherwise be reviewed by the Court, “we must resolve the petition on an expedited basis unless we grant a temporary stay”. By denying this stay, the three continued, “we have allowed Virginia to truncate our deliberative process on a matter – involving a death row inmate – that demands the most careful attention”. They did not mention that pursuit of the speediest possible retributive killing was the reason Virginia had been handed the case in the first place.
On 10 November, Virginia’s Governor, Tim Kaine, denied clemency. In a statement, he said: “Muhammad’s trial, verdict, and sentence have been reviewed by state and federal courts, including the Supreme Court of Virginia, United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, and the United States Supreme Court. Having carefully reviewed the petition for clemency and judicial opinions regarding this case, I find no compelling reason to set aside the sentence that was recommended by the jury and then imposed and affirmed by the courts. Accordingly, I decline to intervene.”
John Muhammad’s lawyers had appealed for clemency on the grounds that he had serious mental impairments, a claim based on expert evidence never heard by the jurors who sentenced him to death. Governor Kaine’s statement denying clemency did not specifically refer to this claim.
There have been 45 executions in the USA this year, bringing to 1,181 the number of people put to death there since judicial killing resumed in 1977. Virginia accounts for 104 of these executions, second only to Texas which also carried out another execution last night.
No further action by the UA Network is requested. Many thanks to all who sent appeals
----------------------------------
END OF URGENT ACTION APPEAL
----------------------------------
Monday, November 9, 2009
Urgent Action 11-9-09
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/uaa30109.pdf
9 November 2009
UA 301/09 - Fear for safety
COLOMBIA Ingrid Vergara (f), human rights defender
Cendy Torres Vergara (f), age 14
Female human rights defender Ingrid Vergara has received death threats and her daughter, 14-year-old Cendy Torres Vergara, has been followed by unknown individuals in the city of Sincelejo, northern Colombia. Ingrid Vergara documents and exposes human rights violations committed by paramilitary groups. Her life and that of her daughter may be at risk.
On 26 October at around 1:15pm Cendy Torres noticed a white car with tinted windows and without license plates following her while she was walking to school in Sincelejo. The car slowed down and two children who were walking past went up to it. The children then approached Cendy Torres and told her: "They want you to let your mom know that she must shut up if she wants to reach the new year" (te mandan decir que le digas a tu mama que se quede callada si quiere llegar a ano nuevo). The car then drove away.
Cendy Torres had noticed the same car following her on the afternoon of 19 October, the morning of 20 October and the afternoon of 21 October. On 21 October, neighbors told Ingrid Vergara that a white pick-up truck with tinted windows had driven past her house several times. The vehicle slowed down every time it passed her house.
Ingrid Vergara is a member of the National Movement of Victims of State Crimes (Movimiento Nacional de Victimas de Crimenes de Estado, MOVICE), a coalition of civil society organizations campaigning for truth, justice and reparation for the victims of human rights violations committed during Colombia's long-running armed conflict. Ingrid Vergara is one of the leaders of MOVICE in Sucre department, northern Colombia, and has drawn public attention to enforced disappearances and killings committed by paramilitary forces.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
On 2 April 2008, Cendy Torres was approached outside her school by four unknown men who threatened: "we are going to kill you because of what your mother is doing" (te vamos a matar por lo que tu madre esta haciendo). Ingrid Vergara has suffered a number of death threats and acts of intimidation before. The latest one was an anonymous email that she received on 2 July 2009, inviting her to her own funeral and referring to her as a guerrilla. Although some protection measures have been agreed, the authorities have not fully implemented them. No one has been brought to justice for any of these threats.
During Colombia's 40-year-old armed conflict, members of human rights organizations, trade unions and other social organizations have often been labeled as guerrilla collaborators or supporters by the security forces and paramilitaries. As a result they often suffer threats, enforced disappearance or killings. Guerrilla groups have also threatened or killed human rights defenders they consider to be siding with the enemy.
In September 2009, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, Margaret Sekaggya, visited Colombia and concluded that "patterns of harassment and persecution against human rights defenders, and often their families, continue to exist in Colombia… I am in particular deeply concerned about the widespread phenomenon of threats from unknown authors against human rights defenders and their families". She also expressed her "serious concern about the arbitrary arrests and detention (sometimes on a massive scale) of human rights defenders, as well as unfounded criminal proceedings brought against them."
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
- Expressing concern for the safety of Ingrid Vergara and Cendy Torres and urging the authorities to guarantee their safety in strict accordance with their wishes;
- Calling on the authorities to carry out a full and impartial investigation into these and previous death threats against Ingrid Vergara and Cendy Torres, to make the results public and bring those responsible to justice;
- Reminding the authorities to adhere to their obligations regarding the situation of human rights defenders, as laid out in the 1998 UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders.
APPEALS TO:
Vice-President of the Republic
Dr. Francisco Santos Calderon
Vicepresidencia de la Republica
Carrera 8A No 7-27
Bogota, COLOMBIA
Fax: 011 57 1 565 7682 (ask: "me da tono de fax por favor")
Salutation: Dear Mr Vice-president/Estimado Sr. Vicepresidente
Acting Attorney General
Dr. Guillermo Mendoza Diago
Fiscal General de la Nacion (e)
Fiscalia General de la Nacion
Diagonal 22B (Av. Luis Carlos Galan No. 52-01) Bloque C
Piso 4, Bogota, COLOMBIA
Fax: 011 57 1 414 9108
Salutation: Dear Attorney General/Estimado Sr. Fiscal General
COPIES:
National Human Rights Organization
Comision Intereclesial de Justicia y Paz
Calle 61A No 17-26
Bogota, COLOMBIA
Ambassador Carolina Barco Isakson
Embassy of Colombia
2118 Leroy Place, NW
Washington DC 20008
Fax: 1 202 232 8643
Email: embassyofcolombia@colombiaemb.org
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.
Check with the AIUSA Urgent Action office if sending appeals after 21 December 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.
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Amnesty International is a worldwide grassroots movement
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This Urgent Action may be reposted if kept intact, including
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Thank you for your help with this appeal.
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Email: uan@aiusa.org
http://www.amnestyusa.org/urgent/
Phone: 202.544.0200
Fax: 202.675.8566
----------------------------------
END OF 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/uaa30109.pdf
9 November 2009
UA 301/09 - Fear for safety
COLOMBIA Ingrid Vergara (f), human rights defender
Cendy Torres Vergara (f), age 14
Female human rights defender Ingrid Vergara has received death threats and her daughter, 14-year-old Cendy Torres Vergara, has been followed by unknown individuals in the city of Sincelejo, northern Colombia. Ingrid Vergara documents and exposes human rights violations committed by paramilitary groups. Her life and that of her daughter may be at risk.
On 26 October at around 1:15pm Cendy Torres noticed a white car with tinted windows and without license plates following her while she was walking to school in Sincelejo. The car slowed down and two children who were walking past went up to it. The children then approached Cendy Torres and told her: "They want you to let your mom know that she must shut up if she wants to reach the new year" (te mandan decir que le digas a tu mama que se quede callada si quiere llegar a ano nuevo). The car then drove away.
Cendy Torres had noticed the same car following her on the afternoon of 19 October, the morning of 20 October and the afternoon of 21 October. On 21 October, neighbors told Ingrid Vergara that a white pick-up truck with tinted windows had driven past her house several times. The vehicle slowed down every time it passed her house.
Ingrid Vergara is a member of the National Movement of Victims of State Crimes (Movimiento Nacional de Victimas de Crimenes de Estado, MOVICE), a coalition of civil society organizations campaigning for truth, justice and reparation for the victims of human rights violations committed during Colombia's long-running armed conflict. Ingrid Vergara is one of the leaders of MOVICE in Sucre department, northern Colombia, and has drawn public attention to enforced disappearances and killings committed by paramilitary forces.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
On 2 April 2008, Cendy Torres was approached outside her school by four unknown men who threatened: "we are going to kill you because of what your mother is doing" (te vamos a matar por lo que tu madre esta haciendo). Ingrid Vergara has suffered a number of death threats and acts of intimidation before. The latest one was an anonymous email that she received on 2 July 2009, inviting her to her own funeral and referring to her as a guerrilla. Although some protection measures have been agreed, the authorities have not fully implemented them. No one has been brought to justice for any of these threats.
During Colombia's 40-year-old armed conflict, members of human rights organizations, trade unions and other social organizations have often been labeled as guerrilla collaborators or supporters by the security forces and paramilitaries. As a result they often suffer threats, enforced disappearance or killings. Guerrilla groups have also threatened or killed human rights defenders they consider to be siding with the enemy.
In September 2009, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, Margaret Sekaggya, visited Colombia and concluded that "patterns of harassment and persecution against human rights defenders, and often their families, continue to exist in Colombia… I am in particular deeply concerned about the widespread phenomenon of threats from unknown authors against human rights defenders and their families". She also expressed her "serious concern about the arbitrary arrests and detention (sometimes on a massive scale) of human rights defenders, as well as unfounded criminal proceedings brought against them."
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
- Expressing concern for the safety of Ingrid Vergara and Cendy Torres and urging the authorities to guarantee their safety in strict accordance with their wishes;
- Calling on the authorities to carry out a full and impartial investigation into these and previous death threats against Ingrid Vergara and Cendy Torres, to make the results public and bring those responsible to justice;
- Reminding the authorities to adhere to their obligations regarding the situation of human rights defenders, as laid out in the 1998 UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders.
APPEALS TO:
Vice-President of the Republic
Dr. Francisco Santos Calderon
Vicepresidencia de la Republica
Carrera 8A No 7-27
Bogota, COLOMBIA
Fax: 011 57 1 565 7682 (ask: "me da tono de fax por favor")
Salutation: Dear Mr Vice-president/Estimado Sr. Vicepresidente
Acting Attorney General
Dr. Guillermo Mendoza Diago
Fiscal General de la Nacion (e)
Fiscalia General de la Nacion
Diagonal 22B (Av. Luis Carlos Galan No. 52-01) Bloque C
Piso 4, Bogota, COLOMBIA
Fax: 011 57 1 414 9108
Salutation: Dear Attorney General/Estimado Sr. Fiscal General
COPIES:
National Human Rights Organization
Comision Intereclesial de Justicia y Paz
Calle 61A No 17-26
Bogota, COLOMBIA
Ambassador Carolina Barco Isakson
Embassy of Colombia
2118 Leroy Place, NW
Washington DC 20008
Fax: 1 202 232 8643
Email: embassyofcolombia@colombiaemb.org
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.
Check with the AIUSA Urgent Action office if sending appeals after 21 December 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:
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To Mexico:
$0.79 - Postcards
$0.79 - Airmail Letters and Cards (up to 1 oz.)
To all other destination countries:
$0.98 - Postcards
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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
----------------------------------
END OF URGENT ACTION APPEAL
----------------------------------
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Urgent Action 11-3-09
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/uaa29509.pdf
3 November 2009
UA 295/09 - Fear of torture
TUNISIA Mohammed Soudani (m), student
Male student activist Mohammed Soudani is at risk of torture and other ill-treatment in custody in Tunisia. He was arrested on 22 October after meeting with two French journalists. His family and lawyer have been unable to obtain any information about him. He is believed to be held at the State Security Department of the Ministry of Interior in the capital, Tunis, where torture is common.
Mohammed Soudani was last seen on 22 October in a hotel in Tunis, where he met with two French radio journalists who were covering the presidential and legislative elections that took place in Tunisia on 25 October. Amnesty International believes that they were interviewing Mohammed Soudani because he is an active member within the student movement, the General Union of Tunisian Students (UGET). That evening, Mohammed Soudani phoned his lawyers and friends and told them that there were a number of security officers outside the hotel, and that if they did not hear from him after 10pm it was likely that he had been arrested. A short time later, his mobile phone was switched off.
On 23 October, unable to find out any information on the whereabouts of his client, Mohammed Soudani's lawyer filed a complaint with the Public Prosecutor in Tunis about the enforced disappearance of Mohammed Soudani. Mohammed Soudani's family has not been informed of his arrest or whereabouts as required under Tunisian law and his father was unable to obtain any information on him from police in the city of Mehdia, 200km south of Tunis, where Mohammed Soudani lives.
Mohammed Soudani was expelled from university in 2007 because of his activities within the UGET. He told Amnesty International during a meeting in October 2009 that he was previously arrested on 29 June 2007 and detained for 12 days, during which he said he was tortured, and then sentenced to six month suspended prison sentence. He also said he was again detained for another six days in October 2008, stripped of his clothes and beaten. He has been prosecuted several times, and has served a two-month prison term. He believes that the charges brought against him are related to his activism for the UGET.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Amnesty International has received numerous reports of torture and other ill-treatment by the Tunisian security forces. In virtually all cases, allegations of torture are not investigated and the perpetrators are not brought to justice. Individuals are most at risk of torture when held incommunicado. The most commonly reported methods of torture are beatings on the body, especially the soles of the feet; suspension by the ankles or in contorted positions; electric shocks; and burning with cigarettes. There are also reports of mock executions, sexual abuse, including rape with bottles and sticks, and threats of sexual abuse of female relatives.
As a state party to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, Tunisia is under an obligation to prevent torture and to "ensure that its competent authorities proceed to a prompt and impartial investigation, wherever there is reasonable ground to believe that an act of torture has been committed in any territory under its jurisdiction".
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
- urging the authorities to disclose Mohammed Soudani's whereabouts immediately, and give him access to a lawyer of his choice, his family and any medical attention he may require;
- urging them to ensure that he is not tortured or otherwise ill-treated;
- urging them to release Mohammed Soudani immediately and unconditionally, unless he is promptly charged with a recognizably criminal offense and brought to trial in proceedings that meet international standards for fair trial.
APPEALS TO:
Minister of Interior
Rafik Haj Kacem
Ministry of Interior
Avenue Habib Bourguiba
1000 Tunis
TUNISIA
Fax: 011 216 71 340 888
Salutation: Your Excellency
Minister of Justice and Human Rights
Bechir Tekkari
Ministry of Justice and Human Rights
31 Boulevard Bab Benat
1006 Tunis - La Kasbah
TUNISIA
Fax: 011 216 71 568 106
Salutation: Your Excellency
COPIES TO:
Ridha Khemakhem
General Coordinator for Human Rights
Ministry of Justice and Human Rights
31 Boulevard Bab Benat
1006 Tunis - La Kasbah
TUNISIA
Ambassador Hebib Manssour
Embassy of Tunisia
1515 Massachusetts Ave. NW
Washington DC 20005
Fax: 1 202 862 1858
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.
Check with the AIUSA Urgent Action office if sending appeals after 15 December 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
----------------------------------
END OF 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/uaa29509.pdf
3 November 2009
UA 295/09 - Fear of torture
TUNISIA Mohammed Soudani (m), student
Male student activist Mohammed Soudani is at risk of torture and other ill-treatment in custody in Tunisia. He was arrested on 22 October after meeting with two French journalists. His family and lawyer have been unable to obtain any information about him. He is believed to be held at the State Security Department of the Ministry of Interior in the capital, Tunis, where torture is common.
Mohammed Soudani was last seen on 22 October in a hotel in Tunis, where he met with two French radio journalists who were covering the presidential and legislative elections that took place in Tunisia on 25 October. Amnesty International believes that they were interviewing Mohammed Soudani because he is an active member within the student movement, the General Union of Tunisian Students (UGET). That evening, Mohammed Soudani phoned his lawyers and friends and told them that there were a number of security officers outside the hotel, and that if they did not hear from him after 10pm it was likely that he had been arrested. A short time later, his mobile phone was switched off.
On 23 October, unable to find out any information on the whereabouts of his client, Mohammed Soudani's lawyer filed a complaint with the Public Prosecutor in Tunis about the enforced disappearance of Mohammed Soudani. Mohammed Soudani's family has not been informed of his arrest or whereabouts as required under Tunisian law and his father was unable to obtain any information on him from police in the city of Mehdia, 200km south of Tunis, where Mohammed Soudani lives.
Mohammed Soudani was expelled from university in 2007 because of his activities within the UGET. He told Amnesty International during a meeting in October 2009 that he was previously arrested on 29 June 2007 and detained for 12 days, during which he said he was tortured, and then sentenced to six month suspended prison sentence. He also said he was again detained for another six days in October 2008, stripped of his clothes and beaten. He has been prosecuted several times, and has served a two-month prison term. He believes that the charges brought against him are related to his activism for the UGET.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Amnesty International has received numerous reports of torture and other ill-treatment by the Tunisian security forces. In virtually all cases, allegations of torture are not investigated and the perpetrators are not brought to justice. Individuals are most at risk of torture when held incommunicado. The most commonly reported methods of torture are beatings on the body, especially the soles of the feet; suspension by the ankles or in contorted positions; electric shocks; and burning with cigarettes. There are also reports of mock executions, sexual abuse, including rape with bottles and sticks, and threats of sexual abuse of female relatives.
As a state party to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, Tunisia is under an obligation to prevent torture and to "ensure that its competent authorities proceed to a prompt and impartial investigation, wherever there is reasonable ground to believe that an act of torture has been committed in any territory under its jurisdiction".
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
- urging the authorities to disclose Mohammed Soudani's whereabouts immediately, and give him access to a lawyer of his choice, his family and any medical attention he may require;
- urging them to ensure that he is not tortured or otherwise ill-treated;
- urging them to release Mohammed Soudani immediately and unconditionally, unless he is promptly charged with a recognizably criminal offense and brought to trial in proceedings that meet international standards for fair trial.
APPEALS TO:
Minister of Interior
Rafik Haj Kacem
Ministry of Interior
Avenue Habib Bourguiba
1000 Tunis
TUNISIA
Fax: 011 216 71 340 888
Salutation: Your Excellency
Minister of Justice and Human Rights
Bechir Tekkari
Ministry of Justice and Human Rights
31 Boulevard Bab Benat
1006 Tunis - La Kasbah
TUNISIA
Fax: 011 216 71 568 106
Salutation: Your Excellency
COPIES TO:
Ridha Khemakhem
General Coordinator for Human Rights
Ministry of Justice and Human Rights
31 Boulevard Bab Benat
1006 Tunis - La Kasbah
TUNISIA
Ambassador Hebib Manssour
Embassy of Tunisia
1515 Massachusetts Ave. NW
Washington DC 20005
Fax: 1 202 862 1858
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.
Check with the AIUSA Urgent Action office if sending appeals after 15 December 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
----------------------------------
END OF URGENT ACTION APPEAL
----------------------------------
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