URGENT ACTION APPEAL
- From Amnesty International USA
To learn about recent Urgent Action successes and updates, go to
http://www.amnestyusa.org/iar/success
----------------------------------
For a print-friendly version of this Urgent Action (PDF):
http://www.amnestyusa.org/actioncenter/actions/uaa22910.pdf
29 October 2010
UA 229/10 Risk of Forced Eviction
BRAZIL Community of Restinga
The community of Restinga is in imminent risk of forced eviction due to the construction of a highway in Recreio dos Bandeirantes, Rio de Janeiro. After months of threats, on 22 October at 9:00am council workers accompanied by heavily armed civil and military police began bulldozing a commercial district that has existed for over twenty years, destroying five shops.
The community was not given any prior warning of the operation, which involved over a hundred state functionaries including heavily armed police. When they challenged council workers to produce a judicial order for the demolitions, they were told this was not needed and that they should "keep quiet" and "not interfere". Residents demanded that the workers produce identification, but were threatened with arrest.
Council workers told residents that they would return by 5 November to demolish houses and that if there was any resistance they would use force and take away their belongings. One resident told Amnesty International that on 22 October council workers destroyed his shop without warning, forcing him to construct a make-shift stall to protect his goods and machinery. Three days later, the council returned and removed his stall, taking his merchandise away.
Since the announcement of the intention to build the Transoeste highway and the release of lists of communities effected , including Restinga, residents of the 153 family-strong community which was established over 50 years ago, have never received any notification of the council's plans or opportunities to discuss the matter with officials. Residents told Amnesty International that on a previous attempt to carry out the eviction on 22 July, council workers arrived unannounced and sprayed "SMH" (Secretaria Municipal de Habitação) on the houses to be removed. They were told that their houses would be demolished in five days and council workers tried to make residents sign documents without allowing them to read them, offering them apartments in housing estates 30 kms away. They were also told if they tried to judicially challenge the decision they would be left with nothing. Only after the intervention of the Public Defenders Office was the eviction averted.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The city of Rio de Janerio is currently undergoing extensive infrastructural works to prepare for the hosting of the World Cup in 2014 and the Olympic Games in 2016. Three transport corridors for express bus services are planned, the TransOlímpica, TransOeste e TransCarioca. Many communities are now threatened with eviction along these routes. According to Rio de Janeiro’s Public Defenders Office (Defensoria Pública) in many cases the municipal authorities have been acting illegally by denying basic information to the communities affected, failing to negotiate with communities or explore alternatives to evictions, and not offering adequate alternative housing.
Many of the residents Amnesty International has spoken to said that the council was pressuring them to leave their homes. They also said that the level of compensation was inadequate for them to buy a similar house in their area and that the only alternative had been small apartments in housing estates 30-40 kilometres from where they were currently living. Many of these estates are in Campo Grande, the west zone of the city, which is currently dominated by mafia-like para-policing groups, and is unsuitable for resettlement.
Amnesty International visited the community of Restinga in October 2010. During the visit, residents gave Amnesty International delegates a statement which read: "we are suffering constant pressure, living in fear, without being able to sleep peacefully, frightened by the idea that we will be forced out without respect for our rights guaranteed in the constitution… we don’t have anywhere to go, many of us are elderly, retired, without family; others have children and grandchildren who study and work in the region… the council’s idea is for us to abandon our houses, our businesses and our social life in exchange for a miniscule apartment a long way from our region… we want the council to respect the laws… which give us the right to just compensation. We want to live in our neighbourhood, where we have set down roots."
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
- Calling for an immediate moratorium on forced evictions of communities affected by the construction of the Transoeste highway, including Restinga;
- Urging that the authorities to fulfill their obligations under the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, municipal law and the Brazilian Constitution, giving residents full and timely information about government proposals affecting their community, engaging in a genuine negotiation with the community to explore all alternatives to eviction, and where necessary offering full compensation or alternative, adequate housing close to the existing community;
Calling on the authorities to investigate all alleged illegal actions, threats and intimidation on the part of the authorities against communities allocated for eviction.
APPEALS TO:
Prefeito
Eduardo Paes
Prefeitura Municipal do Rio de Janeiro
Centro Administrativo São Sebastião
Rua Afonso Cavalcanti, 455
Cidade Nova (Estácio)
20.211-110 - Rio de Janeiro/RJ –
BRASIL
Fax: 011 55 21 2273 9977
Salutation: Exmo. Sr. Prefeito
Secretário Municipal de Habitação
Pierre Batista
Secretaria Municipal de Habitação – SMH
Rua Afonso Cavalcanti, 455 / 4º andar - Anexo – Cidade Nova
Cep: 20.211 - 110
Fax: 011 55 21 2293-8694
Salutation: Exmo. Sr. Secretário
COPIES TO:
Dr. Alexandre Mendes
Núcleo de Terras e Habitação
Defensoria Pública Geral do Estado
Av. Marechal Câmara, 314, 2º andar – Centro
20.020-080 - Rio de Janeiro/RJ –
BRASIL
Ambassador Antonio de Aguiar Patriota
Brazilian Embassy
3006 Massachusetts Ave. NW
Washington DC 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 10 December 2010.
----------------------------------
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Amnesty International is a worldwide grassroots movement that promotes and defends human rights.
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Urgent Action Network
Amnesty International USA
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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
----------------------------------
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
SECOND Urgent Action 10-27-10
URGENT ACTION APPEAL
- From Amnesty International USA
To learn about recent Urgent Action successes and updates, go to
http://www.amnestyusa.org/iar/success
----------------------------------
For a print-friendly version of this Urgent Action (PDF):
http://www.amnestyusa.org/actioncenter/actions/uaa17507.pdf
Note: Please write on behalf of these persons even though you may not have received the original UA when issued on July 5, 2007. Thanks!
27 October 2010
Further Information on UA 175/07 (05 July 2007) and follow-up (08 February 2008) – Imminent Execution
SAUDI ARABIA Rizana Nafeek (f), aged 22, Sri Lankan national
Rizana Nafeek, a 22-year-old Sri Lankan domestic worker, has had her death sentence upheld by the Supreme Court in Saudi Arabia for a crime she allegedly committed while under the age of 18. If the death sentence is ratified by the King, she would be at imminent risk of execution.
Rizana Nafeek was arrested in May 2005 on charges of murdering an infant in her care. She was 17 years old at the time. On 16 June 2007, she was sentenced to death by a court in Dawadmi, a town west of the capital Riyadh. The sentence was subsequently upheld by the Court of Cassation and sent for ratification by the Supreme Judicial Council. However, the Council sent it back to the lower court for further clarification. The case then went back and forth between the courts until on or around 25 October 2010, when the Supreme Court in Riyadh upheld the death sentence. The case was then sent to the King for ratification of the death sentence; if the King does ratify the death sentence, Rizana Nafeek will be at imminent risk of execution by beheading.
Rizana Nafeek had no access to lawyers either during her pre-trial interrogation or at her first trial. She initially “confessed” to the murder during interrogation but has since retracted her confession, which she says she was forced to make under duress following a physical assault. The man who translated Rizana’s statement was not an officially recognized translator and it appears that he may not have been able adequately to translate between Tamil and Arabic. He has since left Saudi Arabia.
Rizana Nafeek arrived in Saudi Arabia in May 2005 to work as a housemaid. The passport she used to enter Saudi Arabia gives her date of birth as February 1982 but according to her birth certificate she was born six years later, in February 1988. This would make her 17 years old at the time of the murder for which she has been convicted. According to Amnesty International’s information, she was not allowed to present her birth certificate or other evidence of her age to the court, which relied instead on her passport and so considered her to be 23 years old at the time of the crime. Saudi Arabia is a state party to the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), which prohibits the execution of offenders for crimes committed when they were under 18 years old.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Saudi Arabia is a state party to the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), which expressly prohibits the execution of juvenile offenders – those convicted of crimes committed when they were under 18. However, Saudi Arabia does execute juvenile offenders in breach of their obligations under the CRC.
At least 158 people, including 76 foreign nationals, were executed by the Saudi Arabian authorities in 2007, and at least 102 people, including almost 40 foreign nationals, were executed in 2008. In 2009, at least 69 people are known to have been executed, including 19 foreign nationals. Since the beginning of 2010, at least 21 people have been executed, including 5 foreign nationals.
Saudi Arabia applies the death penalty for a wide range of offenses. Court proceedings fall far short of international standards for fair trial. Defendants are rarely allowed formal representation by a lawyer, and in many cases are not informed of the progress of legal proceedings against them. They may be convicted solely on the basis of confessions obtained under duress or deception.
Saudi Arabia is a state party to the Convention against Torture, which prohibits the use of evidence extracted under torture or other ill-treatment. Article 15 states: “Each State Party shall ensure that any statement which is established to have been made as a result of torture shall not be invoked as evidence in any proceedings, except against a person accused of torture as evidence that the statement was made.”
In a report on the use of the death penalty in Saudi Arabia, Amnesty International highlighted the extensive use of the death penalty as well as the disproportionately high number of executions of foreign nationals from developing countries. For further information please see Saudi Arabia: Affront to Justice: Death Penalty in Saudi Arabia, 14 October 2008: http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/report/saudi-arabia-executions-target-foreign-nationals-20081014
The Supreme Court began to function in February 2009 as the final court of appeal. This is part of a new court system introduced by the 2007 Law of the Judiciary. The Court of Cassation, which used to handle appeals, has since been replaced by courts of appeal. The Supreme Judicial Council continues to exist and has been allocated responsibilities such as the supervision of the organization of the Judiciary, including the appointment, promotion and disciplining of judges. For more information regarding the judicial reforms, please see Saudi Arabia: Affront to Justice: Death Penalty in Saudi Arabia, 14 October 2008: http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/report/saudi-arabia-executions-target-foreign-nationals-20081014
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
- Urging the King to prevent the execution of Rizana Nafeek who is believed to have been under 18 at the time of the crime for which she has been convicted;
- Calling on the King to commute this death sentence, particularly given Saudi Arabia’s obligations as a state party to the Convention on the Rights of the Child and having regard to the uncertainty over Rizana Nafeek’s age;
- Reminding the authorities that they should act in accordance with international law, particularly Article 37 of the Convention of the Rights of the Child, and end the use of the death penalty against juvenile offenders.
APPEALS TO:
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
Second Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior
His Royal Highness Prince Naif bin ‘Abdul ‘Aziz Al-Saud
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:
President, Human Rights Commission
Bandar Mohammed ‘Abdullah al- Aiban
Human Rights Commission
P.O. Box 58889, King Fahad Road, Building No. 373
Riyadh 11515
KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA
Fax: 011 966 1 461 2061
Email: hrc@haq-ksa.org
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 8 December 2010.
----------------------------------
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Use shortcuts: Do whatever is necessary to make your
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working file and edited as needed.
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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 learn about recent Urgent Action successes and updates, go to
http://www.amnestyusa.org/iar/success
----------------------------------
For a print-friendly version of this Urgent Action (PDF):
http://www.amnestyusa.org/actioncenter/actions/uaa17507.pdf
Note: Please write on behalf of these persons even though you may not have received the original UA when issued on July 5, 2007. Thanks!
27 October 2010
Further Information on UA 175/07 (05 July 2007) and follow-up (08 February 2008) – Imminent Execution
SAUDI ARABIA Rizana Nafeek (f), aged 22, Sri Lankan national
Rizana Nafeek, a 22-year-old Sri Lankan domestic worker, has had her death sentence upheld by the Supreme Court in Saudi Arabia for a crime she allegedly committed while under the age of 18. If the death sentence is ratified by the King, she would be at imminent risk of execution.
Rizana Nafeek was arrested in May 2005 on charges of murdering an infant in her care. She was 17 years old at the time. On 16 June 2007, she was sentenced to death by a court in Dawadmi, a town west of the capital Riyadh. The sentence was subsequently upheld by the Court of Cassation and sent for ratification by the Supreme Judicial Council. However, the Council sent it back to the lower court for further clarification. The case then went back and forth between the courts until on or around 25 October 2010, when the Supreme Court in Riyadh upheld the death sentence. The case was then sent to the King for ratification of the death sentence; if the King does ratify the death sentence, Rizana Nafeek will be at imminent risk of execution by beheading.
Rizana Nafeek had no access to lawyers either during her pre-trial interrogation or at her first trial. She initially “confessed” to the murder during interrogation but has since retracted her confession, which she says she was forced to make under duress following a physical assault. The man who translated Rizana’s statement was not an officially recognized translator and it appears that he may not have been able adequately to translate between Tamil and Arabic. He has since left Saudi Arabia.
Rizana Nafeek arrived in Saudi Arabia in May 2005 to work as a housemaid. The passport she used to enter Saudi Arabia gives her date of birth as February 1982 but according to her birth certificate she was born six years later, in February 1988. This would make her 17 years old at the time of the murder for which she has been convicted. According to Amnesty International’s information, she was not allowed to present her birth certificate or other evidence of her age to the court, which relied instead on her passport and so considered her to be 23 years old at the time of the crime. Saudi Arabia is a state party to the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), which prohibits the execution of offenders for crimes committed when they were under 18 years old.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Saudi Arabia is a state party to the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), which expressly prohibits the execution of juvenile offenders – those convicted of crimes committed when they were under 18. However, Saudi Arabia does execute juvenile offenders in breach of their obligations under the CRC.
At least 158 people, including 76 foreign nationals, were executed by the Saudi Arabian authorities in 2007, and at least 102 people, including almost 40 foreign nationals, were executed in 2008. In 2009, at least 69 people are known to have been executed, including 19 foreign nationals. Since the beginning of 2010, at least 21 people have been executed, including 5 foreign nationals.
Saudi Arabia applies the death penalty for a wide range of offenses. Court proceedings fall far short of international standards for fair trial. Defendants are rarely allowed formal representation by a lawyer, and in many cases are not informed of the progress of legal proceedings against them. They may be convicted solely on the basis of confessions obtained under duress or deception.
Saudi Arabia is a state party to the Convention against Torture, which prohibits the use of evidence extracted under torture or other ill-treatment. Article 15 states: “Each State Party shall ensure that any statement which is established to have been made as a result of torture shall not be invoked as evidence in any proceedings, except against a person accused of torture as evidence that the statement was made.”
In a report on the use of the death penalty in Saudi Arabia, Amnesty International highlighted the extensive use of the death penalty as well as the disproportionately high number of executions of foreign nationals from developing countries. For further information please see Saudi Arabia: Affront to Justice: Death Penalty in Saudi Arabia, 14 October 2008: http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/report/saudi-arabia-executions-target-foreign-nationals-20081014
The Supreme Court began to function in February 2009 as the final court of appeal. This is part of a new court system introduced by the 2007 Law of the Judiciary. The Court of Cassation, which used to handle appeals, has since been replaced by courts of appeal. The Supreme Judicial Council continues to exist and has been allocated responsibilities such as the supervision of the organization of the Judiciary, including the appointment, promotion and disciplining of judges. For more information regarding the judicial reforms, please see Saudi Arabia: Affront to Justice: Death Penalty in Saudi Arabia, 14 October 2008: http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/report/saudi-arabia-executions-target-foreign-nationals-20081014
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
- Urging the King to prevent the execution of Rizana Nafeek who is believed to have been under 18 at the time of the crime for which she has been convicted;
- Calling on the King to commute this death sentence, particularly given Saudi Arabia’s obligations as a state party to the Convention on the Rights of the Child and having regard to the uncertainty over Rizana Nafeek’s age;
- Reminding the authorities that they should act in accordance with international law, particularly Article 37 of the Convention of the Rights of the Child, and end the use of the death penalty against juvenile offenders.
APPEALS TO:
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
Second Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior
His Royal Highness Prince Naif bin ‘Abdul ‘Aziz Al-Saud
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:
President, Human Rights Commission
Bandar Mohammed ‘Abdullah al- Aiban
Human Rights Commission
P.O. Box 58889, King Fahad Road, Building No. 373
Riyadh 11515
KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA
Fax: 011 966 1 461 2061
Email: hrc@haq-ksa.org
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 8 December 2010.
----------------------------------
Tip of the Month:
Use shortcuts: Do whatever is necessary to make your
letter writing as quick and easy as possible. This way,
letters will not be put off and they can be sent out sooner.
Start by making a generic file for each type of concern;
paragraphs on torture, the death penalty, disappearances,
denial of medical care and so on, can be copied into your
working file and edited as needed.
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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
----------------------------------
END OF URGENT ACTION APPEAL
----------------------------------
Urgent Action 10-27-10
URGENT ACTION APPEAL
- From Amnesty International USA
To learn about recent Urgent Action successes and updates, go to
http://www.amnestyusa.org/iar/success
----------------------------------
For a print-friendly version of this Urgent Action (PDF):
http://www.amnestyusa.org/actioncenter/actions/uaa07110.pdf
Note: Please write on behalf of these persons even though you may not have
received the original UA when issued on March 26, 2010. Thanks!
26 October 2010
Further information on UA 71/10 (26 March 2010) – Death penalty
BAHRAIN Russell Mezan (m)
On 24 October, the Supreme Appeal Court of Bahrain upheld the death sentence of Russell Mezan, a Bangladeshi man sentenced to death after being convicted of murdering a Kuwaiti man.
Russell Mezan was sentenced to death on 23 March 2010 by the High Criminal Court of Bahrain. He was convicted of the premeditated murder of a Kuwaiti man in a hotel in Manama, the capital of Bahrain, on 7 March 2009. Russell Mezan’s lawyer lodged an appeal against the sentence on the same day it was issued, as Russell Mezan said that he and the Kuwaiti man were drunk on the night of the murder and that he did not intend to kill him.
The case was heard before the Supreme Appeal Court of Bahrain on 24 October and the death sentence was upheld. Amnesty International delegates visiting Bahrain met Russell Mezan’s lawyer on 25 October, who confirmed that he will appeal to the Court of Cassation within 45 days. If the appeal fails, the death sentence will then pass to the King for final ratification within two or three months. If the death sentence is ratified by the King, Russell Mezan will face execution, probably by firing squad.
In July 2010 another Bangladeshi national, Jassim Abdulmanan, was executed after his death sentence was upheld in April 2009.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
- Calling for His Majesty Shaikh Hamad bin Issa Al Khalifa not to ratify the death sentence of Russell Mezan;
- Acknowledging that the government has the right and responsibility to bring to justice those responsible for criminal offences, but expressing unconditional opposition to the death penalty as it is the ultimate cruel, inhumane and degrading punishment.
- Urging the King to commute the sentences of all those facing possible execution in Bahrain.
APPEALS TO:
The King
His Majesty Shaikh Hamad bin Issa Al Khalifa
King of Bahrain
Office of His Majesty the King
P. O. Box 555
Rifa’a Palace,
KINGDOM OF BAHRAIN
Fax: 011 973 176 64 587
Salutation: Your Majesty
COPIES TO:
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh to the Kingdom of Bahrain
His Excellency Md. Ali Akbar
House 674; Road 3213; Area 332;
Al Mahooz, Manama,
KINGDOM OF BAHRAIN
Tel: 011 973 17741976
Fax: 011 973 177 41 927 OR 011 973 178 22 532
Salutation: His Excellency
Minister of Justice
His Excellency
Shaikh Khalid bin Ali bin Abdullah Al Khalifa
Ministry of Justice and Social Affairs
P.O. Box 13
Al-Manama
KINGDOM OF BAHRAIN
Salutation: His Excellency
Ambassador Houda Ezra Ebrahim Nonoo
Embassy of the Kingdom of Bahrain
3502 International Dr. NW
Washington DC 20008
Fax: 1 202 362 2192
Email: ambsecretary@bahrainembassy.org
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.
Check with the AIUSA Urgent Action office if sending appeals after 7 December 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/uan
Phone: 202.509.8193
Fax: 202.675.8566
----------------------------------
END OF URGENT ACTION APPEAL
----------------------------------
- From Amnesty International USA
To learn about recent Urgent Action successes and updates, go to
http://www.amnestyusa.org/iar/success
----------------------------------
For a print-friendly version of this Urgent Action (PDF):
http://www.amnestyusa.org/actioncenter/actions/uaa07110.pdf
Note: Please write on behalf of these persons even though you may not have
received the original UA when issued on March 26, 2010. Thanks!
26 October 2010
Further information on UA 71/10 (26 March 2010) – Death penalty
BAHRAIN Russell Mezan (m)
On 24 October, the Supreme Appeal Court of Bahrain upheld the death sentence of Russell Mezan, a Bangladeshi man sentenced to death after being convicted of murdering a Kuwaiti man.
Russell Mezan was sentenced to death on 23 March 2010 by the High Criminal Court of Bahrain. He was convicted of the premeditated murder of a Kuwaiti man in a hotel in Manama, the capital of Bahrain, on 7 March 2009. Russell Mezan’s lawyer lodged an appeal against the sentence on the same day it was issued, as Russell Mezan said that he and the Kuwaiti man were drunk on the night of the murder and that he did not intend to kill him.
The case was heard before the Supreme Appeal Court of Bahrain on 24 October and the death sentence was upheld. Amnesty International delegates visiting Bahrain met Russell Mezan’s lawyer on 25 October, who confirmed that he will appeal to the Court of Cassation within 45 days. If the appeal fails, the death sentence will then pass to the King for final ratification within two or three months. If the death sentence is ratified by the King, Russell Mezan will face execution, probably by firing squad.
In July 2010 another Bangladeshi national, Jassim Abdulmanan, was executed after his death sentence was upheld in April 2009.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
- Calling for His Majesty Shaikh Hamad bin Issa Al Khalifa not to ratify the death sentence of Russell Mezan;
- Acknowledging that the government has the right and responsibility to bring to justice those responsible for criminal offences, but expressing unconditional opposition to the death penalty as it is the ultimate cruel, inhumane and degrading punishment.
- Urging the King to commute the sentences of all those facing possible execution in Bahrain.
APPEALS TO:
The King
His Majesty Shaikh Hamad bin Issa Al Khalifa
King of Bahrain
Office of His Majesty the King
P. O. Box 555
Rifa’a Palace,
KINGDOM OF BAHRAIN
Fax: 011 973 176 64 587
Salutation: Your Majesty
COPIES TO:
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh to the Kingdom of Bahrain
His Excellency Md. Ali Akbar
House 674; Road 3213; Area 332;
Al Mahooz, Manama,
KINGDOM OF BAHRAIN
Tel: 011 973 17741976
Fax: 011 973 177 41 927 OR 011 973 178 22 532
Salutation: His Excellency
Minister of Justice
His Excellency
Shaikh Khalid bin Ali bin Abdullah Al Khalifa
Ministry of Justice and Social Affairs
P.O. Box 13
Al-Manama
KINGDOM OF BAHRAIN
Salutation: His Excellency
Ambassador Houda Ezra Ebrahim Nonoo
Embassy of the Kingdom of Bahrain
3502 International Dr. NW
Washington DC 20008
Fax: 1 202 362 2192
Email: ambsecretary@bahrainembassy.org
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.
Check with the AIUSA Urgent Action office if sending appeals after 7 December 2010.
----------------------------------
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Thank you for your help with this appeal.
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Amnesty International USA
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Email: uan@aiusa.org
http://www.amnestyusa.org/uan
Phone: 202.509.8193
Fax: 202.675.8566
----------------------------------
END OF URGENT ACTION APPEAL
----------------------------------
Sunday, October 24, 2010
TWO Urgent Action Updates 10-23-10
URGENT ACTION APPEAL
- From Amnesty International USA
To learn about recent Urgent Action successes and updates, go to
http://www.amnestyusa.org/iar/success
----------------------------------
For a print-friendly version of this Urgent Action (PDF):
http://www.amnestyusa.org/actioncenter/actions/uaa16309.pdf
Note: Please write on behalf of these persons even though you may not have
received the original UA when issued on June 19, 2009. Thanks!
22 October 2010
Further information on UA 163/09 (19 June 2009) and follow up (9 October 2009 and 28 May 2010) - Fear of torture, ill-treatment/Prisoner of Conscience/ Medical Concern
CHINA Yan Dongfei (f), aged 60
Qiao Yongfang (m), aged 60, her husband
Qiao Yongfang, who is in prison in China relating to his peaceful practice of Falun Gong, is in need of medical attention. In September, he was transferred to a special prison unit, heightening Amnesty International's concern that he is at risk of torture and ill-treatment.
Qiao Yongfang is an elderly practitioner of Falun Gong, aged around 60. On 6 August, he was sentenced to 3 years’ imprisonment on charges of "using a heretical organization to subvert the law." He is imprisoned in the Hohhot ("Huhehaote" in Chinese) No 1 Men's Prison, but was transferred in September to a separate unit within the prison referred to as a ‘prison training team’. While it is not clear what the nature of this unit is, according to numerous accounts, Falun Gong practitioners are often held in separate facilities where they are compelled to relinquish their beliefs, including through torture and ill-treatment.
People who have visited him recently report that he is currently in poor health, including suffering from diabetes, for which he is not receiving adequate medical treatment. Qiao Yongfang’s lawyers have previously noted that he had been tortured while in detention, resulting in injuries to his head, for which he is not known to have received adequate medical treatment.
Qiao Yongfang's wife, Yan Donfei, also aged 60, was also sentenced on 6 August on the same charges to 14 months imprisonment. Because she had been held in detention for 14 months at the time the sentences were determined, she was released within a few days. Both had been tried at the Huimin District People's Court on 3 June 2010, having been held at No 1 Detention Center in Hohhot since 8 June 2009.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Falun Gong is a spiritual movement which gained large numbers of supporters in China during the 1990s. After it staged a peaceful gathering in Tiananmen Square in July 1999, the government outlawed the group and launched a long-term campaign of intimidation and persecution, directed by a special organization called the 610 Office. Tens of thousands of Falun Gong practitioners have been arbitrarily detained since the spiritual movement was banned as a "threat to social and political stability". Practitioners have been held in psychiatric hospitals, in Re-education Through Labor (RTL) facilities, a form of administrative detention imposed without charge, trial or judicial review, or sentenced to long prison terms.
Torture and other ill-treatment are endemic in all forms of detention, despite China’s ratification of the UN Convention against Torture in 1988. Falun Gong sources report numerous deaths of practitioners in custody, many caused by torture, in a variety of state institutions, including prisons, RTL facilities and police detention centers.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
- Urging the authorities to immediately and unconditionally release Qiao Yongfang, as he is a prisoner of conscience, imprisoned solely because of his beliefs;
- Calling on the authorities to protect Qiao Yongfang from torture and ill-treatment;
- Calling on the authorities to ensure that he is given any medical attention and treatment he may require;
- Calling on the authorities to end the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners.
APPEALS TO:
Huimin District People's Court
Huiminqu Renmin Fayuan
Yun Zhangsheng
Jin Chuan Kaifa qu
Huhehaote Shi 0471-3606010
Nei Menggu Zizhiqu
PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA
Salutation: Dear Head of the Court
Huimin District People's Procuratorate
Huiminqu Renmin Jiancha Yuan
Yan Zhengwei
Gang tie lu 298 hao
Huhehaote Shi 010000
Nei Menggu Zizhiqu
PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA
Salutation: Dear Head of the Procuratorate
COPIES TO:
Political and Legal Committee
Zhengzhi Falu Weiyuanwei
Li He Shuji
Bei Mashenmiao Jie
Huhehaote Shi 010000
Nei Menggu Zizhiqu
PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA
Salutation: Dear Secretary
Ambassador Yesui Zhang
Embassy of the People's Republic of China
3505 International Place NW
Washington DC 20522
Phone: 202 495 2000
Fax: 1 202 465-2138
Email: chinaembassy_us@fmprc.gov.cn
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.
Check with the AIUSA Urgent Action office if sending appeals after 3 December 2010.
----------------------------------
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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: 202.509.8193
Fax: 202.675.8566
----------------------------------
END OF URGENT ACTION APPEAL
----------------------------------
========================================================
URGENT ACTION APPEAL
- From Amnesty International USA
To read the current Urgent Action newsletter, go to
http://www.amnestyusa.org/iar/success
----------------------------------
For a print-friendly version of this Urgent Action (PDF):
http://www.amnestyusa.org/actioncenter/actions/uaa14410.pdf
Note: Please write on behalf of these persons even though you may not have received the original UA when issued on July 1, 2010. Thanks!
22 October 2010
Further information on UA 144/10 (1 July 2010) and follow ups (3 August and 16 August 2010) - Prisoner of conscience/Legal concern/Health Concern
KYRGYZSTAN Ulugbek Abdusalamov (m)
Prisoner of conscience, Ulugbek Abdusalamov, has suffered a stroke while under arrest in hospital in Kyrgyzstan. Amnesty International is concerned that his current hospital has insufficient expertise to treat him and believes he should be moved to the capital, Bishkek, in order to receive adequate medical treatment.
Ulugbek Abdusalamov suffered a stroke on 17 September, following repeated statements from national and international organizations that he has not been receiving adequate medical care in detention. His trial, which was due to start on 22 September, was postponed. He had been transferred to hospital in the southern city of Jalal-Abad just days before he had the stroke.
According to sources close to Ulugbek Abdusalamov, he is unable to speak or move one side of his body. He remains in hospital under house arrest. He is not handcuffed or under police supervision. Amnesty International is concerned that the hospital is inadequately equipped and that staff have insufficient expertise to treat his current medical needs. Ulugbek Abdusalamov should be transferred to a hospital in Bishkek in order for him to receive adequate medical care.
Ulugbek Abdusalamov was due to stand trial with two co-defendants but the trial was postponed due to his ill-health. While the trial of his co-defendants was resumed, Ulugbek Abdusalamov"s trial is expected to only continue once his health has sufficiently recovered.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
On 10 August, following almost two months of investigations, Ulugbek Abdusalamov was charged according to four Articles of the Kyrgyzstani Criminal Code, including "organizing and participating in mass disorder", "inciting ethnic hatred" and "separatist activities aimed at destroying the territorial integrity of the state." Ulugbek Abdusalamov risks being sentenced to between three and 12 years imprisonment.
Amnesty International maintains that the charges against Ulugbek Abdusalamov are unfounded and constitute part of a broader pattern of obstruction and harassment by the Kyrgyzstani authorities, predominantly of active members of the ethnic Uzbek community, following the violence which broke out on 10 June in southern Kyrgyzstan.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
- Reiterate that Ulugbek Abdusalamov is a prisoner of conscience and that the charges against him should be dropped immediately and unconditionally;
- Call on the authorities to move Ulugbek Abdusalmov to a hospital in Bishkek so that he can receive adequate medical treatment;
- Call on the authorities not to return Ulugbek Abdusalamov to police detention under any circumstances.
APPEALS TO:
Minister of Internal Affairs
Zarylbek Rysaliev
Frunze Street, 469
Bishkek 720040,
KYRGYZSTAN
Fax: 011 996 312 62 38 53
Email: pressa429@gmail.com
Salutation: Dear Minister
General Prosecutor
Kubatbek Baibolov
72, Orozbekova Street
Bishkek 720040,
KYRGYZSTAN
Fax: 011 996 312 66 54 11
Salutation: Dear General Prosecutor
COPIES TO:
President
Roza Otunbaeva
Dom Pravitelstva
Bishkek 720003,
KYRGYZSTAN
Fax: 011 996 312 62 50 12
Email: admin@kyrgyz-el.kg
Mr. Arslan Anarbaev
Charge d'affaires, Minister-Counselor
Embassy of the Kyrgyz Republic
2360 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington DC 20008
Phone: 202 449 9822 OR 202 449 9823
Fax: 1 202 386 7550
Email: consul@kgembassy.org OR kgembassyusa@gmail.com
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.
Check with the AIUSA Urgent Action office if sending appeals after 3 December 2010.
----------------------------------
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To Mexico:
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$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: 202.509.8193
Fax: 202.675.8566
----------------------------------
END OF URGENT ACTION APPEAL
----------------------------------
- From Amnesty International USA
To learn about recent Urgent Action successes and updates, go to
http://www.amnestyusa.org/iar/success
----------------------------------
For a print-friendly version of this Urgent Action (PDF):
http://www.amnestyusa.org/actioncenter/actions/uaa16309.pdf
Note: Please write on behalf of these persons even though you may not have
received the original UA when issued on June 19, 2009. Thanks!
22 October 2010
Further information on UA 163/09 (19 June 2009) and follow up (9 October 2009 and 28 May 2010) - Fear of torture, ill-treatment/Prisoner of Conscience/ Medical Concern
CHINA Yan Dongfei (f), aged 60
Qiao Yongfang (m), aged 60, her husband
Qiao Yongfang, who is in prison in China relating to his peaceful practice of Falun Gong, is in need of medical attention. In September, he was transferred to a special prison unit, heightening Amnesty International's concern that he is at risk of torture and ill-treatment.
Qiao Yongfang is an elderly practitioner of Falun Gong, aged around 60. On 6 August, he was sentenced to 3 years’ imprisonment on charges of "using a heretical organization to subvert the law." He is imprisoned in the Hohhot ("Huhehaote" in Chinese) No 1 Men's Prison, but was transferred in September to a separate unit within the prison referred to as a ‘prison training team’. While it is not clear what the nature of this unit is, according to numerous accounts, Falun Gong practitioners are often held in separate facilities where they are compelled to relinquish their beliefs, including through torture and ill-treatment.
People who have visited him recently report that he is currently in poor health, including suffering from diabetes, for which he is not receiving adequate medical treatment. Qiao Yongfang’s lawyers have previously noted that he had been tortured while in detention, resulting in injuries to his head, for which he is not known to have received adequate medical treatment.
Qiao Yongfang's wife, Yan Donfei, also aged 60, was also sentenced on 6 August on the same charges to 14 months imprisonment. Because she had been held in detention for 14 months at the time the sentences were determined, she was released within a few days. Both had been tried at the Huimin District People's Court on 3 June 2010, having been held at No 1 Detention Center in Hohhot since 8 June 2009.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Falun Gong is a spiritual movement which gained large numbers of supporters in China during the 1990s. After it staged a peaceful gathering in Tiananmen Square in July 1999, the government outlawed the group and launched a long-term campaign of intimidation and persecution, directed by a special organization called the 610 Office. Tens of thousands of Falun Gong practitioners have been arbitrarily detained since the spiritual movement was banned as a "threat to social and political stability". Practitioners have been held in psychiatric hospitals, in Re-education Through Labor (RTL) facilities, a form of administrative detention imposed without charge, trial or judicial review, or sentenced to long prison terms.
Torture and other ill-treatment are endemic in all forms of detention, despite China’s ratification of the UN Convention against Torture in 1988. Falun Gong sources report numerous deaths of practitioners in custody, many caused by torture, in a variety of state institutions, including prisons, RTL facilities and police detention centers.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
- Urging the authorities to immediately and unconditionally release Qiao Yongfang, as he is a prisoner of conscience, imprisoned solely because of his beliefs;
- Calling on the authorities to protect Qiao Yongfang from torture and ill-treatment;
- Calling on the authorities to ensure that he is given any medical attention and treatment he may require;
- Calling on the authorities to end the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners.
APPEALS TO:
Huimin District People's Court
Huiminqu Renmin Fayuan
Yun Zhangsheng
Jin Chuan Kaifa qu
Huhehaote Shi 0471-3606010
Nei Menggu Zizhiqu
PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA
Salutation: Dear Head of the Court
Huimin District People's Procuratorate
Huiminqu Renmin Jiancha Yuan
Yan Zhengwei
Gang tie lu 298 hao
Huhehaote Shi 010000
Nei Menggu Zizhiqu
PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA
Salutation: Dear Head of the Procuratorate
COPIES TO:
Political and Legal Committee
Zhengzhi Falu Weiyuanwei
Li He Shuji
Bei Mashenmiao Jie
Huhehaote Shi 010000
Nei Menggu Zizhiqu
PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA
Salutation: Dear Secretary
Ambassador Yesui Zhang
Embassy of the People's Republic of China
3505 International Place NW
Washington DC 20522
Phone: 202 495 2000
Fax: 1 202 465-2138
Email: chinaembassy_us@fmprc.gov.cn
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.
Check with the AIUSA Urgent Action office if sending appeals after 3 December 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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Within the United States:
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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
$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: 202.509.8193
Fax: 202.675.8566
----------------------------------
END OF URGENT ACTION APPEAL
----------------------------------
========================================================
URGENT ACTION APPEAL
- From Amnesty International USA
To read the current Urgent Action newsletter, go to
http://www.amnestyusa.org/iar/success
----------------------------------
For a print-friendly version of this Urgent Action (PDF):
http://www.amnestyusa.org/actioncenter/actions/uaa14410.pdf
Note: Please write on behalf of these persons even though you may not have received the original UA when issued on July 1, 2010. Thanks!
22 October 2010
Further information on UA 144/10 (1 July 2010) and follow ups (3 August and 16 August 2010) - Prisoner of conscience/Legal concern/Health Concern
KYRGYZSTAN Ulugbek Abdusalamov (m)
Prisoner of conscience, Ulugbek Abdusalamov, has suffered a stroke while under arrest in hospital in Kyrgyzstan. Amnesty International is concerned that his current hospital has insufficient expertise to treat him and believes he should be moved to the capital, Bishkek, in order to receive adequate medical treatment.
Ulugbek Abdusalamov suffered a stroke on 17 September, following repeated statements from national and international organizations that he has not been receiving adequate medical care in detention. His trial, which was due to start on 22 September, was postponed. He had been transferred to hospital in the southern city of Jalal-Abad just days before he had the stroke.
According to sources close to Ulugbek Abdusalamov, he is unable to speak or move one side of his body. He remains in hospital under house arrest. He is not handcuffed or under police supervision. Amnesty International is concerned that the hospital is inadequately equipped and that staff have insufficient expertise to treat his current medical needs. Ulugbek Abdusalamov should be transferred to a hospital in Bishkek in order for him to receive adequate medical care.
Ulugbek Abdusalamov was due to stand trial with two co-defendants but the trial was postponed due to his ill-health. While the trial of his co-defendants was resumed, Ulugbek Abdusalamov"s trial is expected to only continue once his health has sufficiently recovered.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
On 10 August, following almost two months of investigations, Ulugbek Abdusalamov was charged according to four Articles of the Kyrgyzstani Criminal Code, including "organizing and participating in mass disorder", "inciting ethnic hatred" and "separatist activities aimed at destroying the territorial integrity of the state." Ulugbek Abdusalamov risks being sentenced to between three and 12 years imprisonment.
Amnesty International maintains that the charges against Ulugbek Abdusalamov are unfounded and constitute part of a broader pattern of obstruction and harassment by the Kyrgyzstani authorities, predominantly of active members of the ethnic Uzbek community, following the violence which broke out on 10 June in southern Kyrgyzstan.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
- Reiterate that Ulugbek Abdusalamov is a prisoner of conscience and that the charges against him should be dropped immediately and unconditionally;
- Call on the authorities to move Ulugbek Abdusalmov to a hospital in Bishkek so that he can receive adequate medical treatment;
- Call on the authorities not to return Ulugbek Abdusalamov to police detention under any circumstances.
APPEALS TO:
Minister of Internal Affairs
Zarylbek Rysaliev
Frunze Street, 469
Bishkek 720040,
KYRGYZSTAN
Fax: 011 996 312 62 38 53
Email: pressa429@gmail.com
Salutation: Dear Minister
General Prosecutor
Kubatbek Baibolov
72, Orozbekova Street
Bishkek 720040,
KYRGYZSTAN
Fax: 011 996 312 66 54 11
Salutation: Dear General Prosecutor
COPIES TO:
President
Roza Otunbaeva
Dom Pravitelstva
Bishkek 720003,
KYRGYZSTAN
Fax: 011 996 312 62 50 12
Email: admin@kyrgyz-el.kg
Mr. Arslan Anarbaev
Charge d'affaires, Minister-Counselor
Embassy of the Kyrgyz Republic
2360 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington DC 20008
Phone: 202 449 9822 OR 202 449 9823
Fax: 1 202 386 7550
Email: consul@kgembassy.org OR kgembassyusa@gmail.com
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.
Check with the AIUSA Urgent Action office if sending appeals after 3 December 2010.
----------------------------------
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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
$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: 202.509.8193
Fax: 202.675.8566
----------------------------------
END OF URGENT ACTION APPEAL
----------------------------------
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Urgent Action 10-21-10
URGENT ACTION APPEAL
- From Amnesty International USA
To learn about recent Urgent Action successes and updates, go to
http://www.amnestyusa.org/iar/success
----------------------------------
For a print-friendly version of this Urgent Action (PDF):
http://www.amnestyusa.org/actioncenter/actions/uaa11010.pdf
Note: Please write on behalf of these persons even though you may not have received the original UA when issued on May 10, 2010. Thanks!
20 October 2010
Further information on UA 110/10 (10 May 2010) and follow ups (10 September 2010 and 25 May 2010) – Fear for safety
MEXICO 2 Indigenous Triqui men and 1 woman
Five members of an Indigenous people’s organization in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca were ambushed by armed men on 16 October. Two of the victims were killed and two others were wounded. The three survivors could be at risk of further attacks.
Armed men believed to have links with local authorities ambushed and opened fire against five members of the Independent Movement for Triqui Unity and Struggle (Movimiento de Unificacion y Lucha Triqui Independiente, MULTI) in the afternoon of 16 October. Two of the MULTI members, Teresa Ramirez Sanchez and Serafin Ubaldo Zurita, were killed. Two men and a woman, whose names are withheld to protect them, survived the attack. The two men were wounded and one of them remains in hospital. The three survivors could be at risk of further attacks and have not been provided with protection.
The ambush took place near the village of Tres Cruces on the road between the towns of Santiago Juxtlahuaca and Yosoyuxi in the Triqui region of Oaxaca.
MULTI supported the 700 Indigenous Triqui inhabitants of San Juan Copala and other nearby Triqui communities who established the autonomous municipality of San Juan Copala on 1 January 2007. In September 2010, armed members of two Indigenous people’s organizations, the Social Welfare Union for the Triqui Region (Union para el Bienestar Social de la Region Triqui, UBISORT) and the Unified Movement of Triqui Struggle (Movimiento Unificado de Lucha Triqui, MULT), took over the local government of San Juan Copala and occupied the town. All residents identified as belonging to MULTI fled the town and relocated to neighbouring areas such as Yosoyuxi.
MULT, UBISORT and MULTI have come into conflict over control of the San Juan Copala area for many years. Armed groups belonging to UBISORT and MULT have operated in the area with impunity and are alleged to have links with local authorities. To date the authorities have failed to take action to disarm the groups, to protect these communities or to hold to account those responsible for the attacks.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The Indigenous community of San Juan Copala was under siege from November 2009 to September 2010. Armed groups surrounded it and fired into the streets on a daily basis in an attempt to intimidate local residents. Most of the residents had supported the MULTI in its attempt to run the local government independently.
According to the State Attorney General Office, none of those responsible for the killings or acts of violence against MULTI supporters which have taken place in the last three years, including sexual violence against women and girls, have been brought to justice. On 27 April 2010, armed men ambushed a humanitarian convoy near San Juan Copala and killed human rights defenders Alberta Carino Trujillo, also known as Bety, and Jyri Antero Jaakkola. On 7 September, armed men attacked and wounded two Indigenous women from San Juan Copala. Nobody has been brought to justice for these crimes. On 7 October, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights called on the Mexican authorities to protect the communities.
The mainly Indigenous Triqui region is one of the poorest and most troubled in the country. For more than 30 years armed groups believed to have links with local and state authorities have harassed and killed Triqui Indigenous people because of their affiliation or perceived affiliation with one of the local Indigenous organizations. The situation has deteriorated since November 2009. The state and federal authorities have rarely taken action to hold those responsible to account and the ruling political party in the state, the Revolutionary Institutional Party (Partido de la Revolucion Institucional, PRI) has been accused of exacerbating conflict in the region via the creation of violent, armed political groups.
The UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples states that “Indigenous peoples have the collective right to live in freedom, peace and security as distinct peoples and shall not be subjected to any form of […] violence.”
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
- Urging the authorities to provide the three people with effective protection in strict accordance with their wishes;
- Calling on the authorities to carry out a full, prompt and impartial investigation into this incident and into other killings and attacks which have taken place in the Triqui region, to make the results public and to bring those responsible to justice;
- Calling on the authorities to investigate alleged links between armed groups operating in the Triqui region and local authorities.
APPEALS TO:
Minister of the Interior
Lic. Jose Francisco Blake Mora
Secretaria de Gobernacion
Bucareli 99, 1er. piso, Col. Juarez
Delegacion Cuauhtemoc
Mexico D.F., C.P.06600
MEXICO
Fax: 011 52 55 5093 3414
Email: secretario@segob.gob.mx
Salutation: Dear Minister/Estimado Senor Secretario
State Attorney General
Lic. Maria de la Luz Candelaria Chinas
Procuradora General de Justicia del Estado de Oaxaca
Centro Administrativo del Poder Ejecutivo y Judicial
Edificio Jesús “Chu” Rasgado A, ala 2, 2do nivel
Reyes Mantecon, San Bartolo Coyotepec
C.P. 71257
Oaxaca
MEXICO
Fax: 011 52 951 501 6900 ext. 20635
Email: lpedroarenag@hotmail.com
Salutation: Dear Attorney General/Estimada Procuradora
COPIES TO:
Local human rights organization
Centro Regional de Derechos Humanos “Bartolome Carrasco”
Email: barcadh09@gmail.com
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 1 December 2010.
----------------------------------
** 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: 202.509.8193
Fax: 202.675.8566
----------------------------------
END OF URGENT ACTION APPEAL
----------------------------------
- From Amnesty International USA
To learn about recent Urgent Action successes and updates, go to
http://www.amnestyusa.org/iar/success
----------------------------------
For a print-friendly version of this Urgent Action (PDF):
http://www.amnestyusa.org/actioncenter/actions/uaa11010.pdf
Note: Please write on behalf of these persons even though you may not have received the original UA when issued on May 10, 2010. Thanks!
20 October 2010
Further information on UA 110/10 (10 May 2010) and follow ups (10 September 2010 and 25 May 2010) – Fear for safety
MEXICO 2 Indigenous Triqui men and 1 woman
Five members of an Indigenous people’s organization in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca were ambushed by armed men on 16 October. Two of the victims were killed and two others were wounded. The three survivors could be at risk of further attacks.
Armed men believed to have links with local authorities ambushed and opened fire against five members of the Independent Movement for Triqui Unity and Struggle (Movimiento de Unificacion y Lucha Triqui Independiente, MULTI) in the afternoon of 16 October. Two of the MULTI members, Teresa Ramirez Sanchez and Serafin Ubaldo Zurita, were killed. Two men and a woman, whose names are withheld to protect them, survived the attack. The two men were wounded and one of them remains in hospital. The three survivors could be at risk of further attacks and have not been provided with protection.
The ambush took place near the village of Tres Cruces on the road between the towns of Santiago Juxtlahuaca and Yosoyuxi in the Triqui region of Oaxaca.
MULTI supported the 700 Indigenous Triqui inhabitants of San Juan Copala and other nearby Triqui communities who established the autonomous municipality of San Juan Copala on 1 January 2007. In September 2010, armed members of two Indigenous people’s organizations, the Social Welfare Union for the Triqui Region (Union para el Bienestar Social de la Region Triqui, UBISORT) and the Unified Movement of Triqui Struggle (Movimiento Unificado de Lucha Triqui, MULT), took over the local government of San Juan Copala and occupied the town. All residents identified as belonging to MULTI fled the town and relocated to neighbouring areas such as Yosoyuxi.
MULT, UBISORT and MULTI have come into conflict over control of the San Juan Copala area for many years. Armed groups belonging to UBISORT and MULT have operated in the area with impunity and are alleged to have links with local authorities. To date the authorities have failed to take action to disarm the groups, to protect these communities or to hold to account those responsible for the attacks.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The Indigenous community of San Juan Copala was under siege from November 2009 to September 2010. Armed groups surrounded it and fired into the streets on a daily basis in an attempt to intimidate local residents. Most of the residents had supported the MULTI in its attempt to run the local government independently.
According to the State Attorney General Office, none of those responsible for the killings or acts of violence against MULTI supporters which have taken place in the last three years, including sexual violence against women and girls, have been brought to justice. On 27 April 2010, armed men ambushed a humanitarian convoy near San Juan Copala and killed human rights defenders Alberta Carino Trujillo, also known as Bety, and Jyri Antero Jaakkola. On 7 September, armed men attacked and wounded two Indigenous women from San Juan Copala. Nobody has been brought to justice for these crimes. On 7 October, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights called on the Mexican authorities to protect the communities.
The mainly Indigenous Triqui region is one of the poorest and most troubled in the country. For more than 30 years armed groups believed to have links with local and state authorities have harassed and killed Triqui Indigenous people because of their affiliation or perceived affiliation with one of the local Indigenous organizations. The situation has deteriorated since November 2009. The state and federal authorities have rarely taken action to hold those responsible to account and the ruling political party in the state, the Revolutionary Institutional Party (Partido de la Revolucion Institucional, PRI) has been accused of exacerbating conflict in the region via the creation of violent, armed political groups.
The UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples states that “Indigenous peoples have the collective right to live in freedom, peace and security as distinct peoples and shall not be subjected to any form of […] violence.”
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
- Urging the authorities to provide the three people with effective protection in strict accordance with their wishes;
- Calling on the authorities to carry out a full, prompt and impartial investigation into this incident and into other killings and attacks which have taken place in the Triqui region, to make the results public and to bring those responsible to justice;
- Calling on the authorities to investigate alleged links between armed groups operating in the Triqui region and local authorities.
APPEALS TO:
Minister of the Interior
Lic. Jose Francisco Blake Mora
Secretaria de Gobernacion
Bucareli 99, 1er. piso, Col. Juarez
Delegacion Cuauhtemoc
Mexico D.F., C.P.06600
MEXICO
Fax: 011 52 55 5093 3414
Email: secretario@segob.gob.mx
Salutation: Dear Minister/Estimado Senor Secretario
State Attorney General
Lic. Maria de la Luz Candelaria Chinas
Procuradora General de Justicia del Estado de Oaxaca
Centro Administrativo del Poder Ejecutivo y Judicial
Edificio Jesús “Chu” Rasgado A, ala 2, 2do nivel
Reyes Mantecon, San Bartolo Coyotepec
C.P. 71257
Oaxaca
MEXICO
Fax: 011 52 951 501 6900 ext. 20635
Email: lpedroarenag@hotmail.com
Salutation: Dear Attorney General/Estimada Procuradora
COPIES TO:
Local human rights organization
Centro Regional de Derechos Humanos “Bartolome Carrasco”
Email: barcadh09@gmail.com
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 1 December 2010.
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Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Urgent Action 10-19-10
URGENT ACTION APPEAL
- From Amnesty International USA
To learn about recent Urgent Action successes and updates, go to
http://www.amnestyusa.org/iar/success
----------------------------------
For a print-friendly version of this Urgent Action (PDF):
http://www.amnestyusa.org/actioncenter/actions/uaa22310.pdf
19 October 2010
UA 223/10 Risk of Torture/ Ill-treatment
SYRIA Sheikh Hassan Mchaymech
Sheikh Hassan Mchaymech, a 46-year-old Lebanese Shi’a cleric and political analyst, has been held incommunicado in an unknown location since his arrest by the Syrian Political Security on 7 July. He is at risk of torture and other ill-treatment.
According to the family of Hassan Mchaymech, he was arrested on the Syrian side of the Jdeidet Yabous border crossing with Lebanon. He was traveling by car with his wife and her mother to Saudi Arabia to make the pilgrimage to Mecca. The family told Amnesty International that on the day of the arrest the Syrian authorities informed the Lebanese Armed Forces that he was in their custody.
The Syrian authorities have not revealed the reasons for the arrest of Hassan Mchaymech, where he is being detained, or any charges brought against him, despite several requests by the Lebanese authorities, which were made in response to his family’s tireless lobbying.
According to the family, since Hassan Mchaymech’s arrest the Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has written to the Syrian authorities on more than one occasion to request clarifications of the reason of the arrest but never received a response.
His family also published three appeals in Lebanese newspapers to Lebanese President Michele Suleiman, Prime Minister Sa’ad al-Hariri and Speaker of the National Assembly Nabih Berri, calling for them to pressure the Syrian authorities to reveal Hassan Mchaymech’s fate. No response was received. The family also met with the heads of the offices of the officials mentioned above, who told them that the Syrian authorities did not respond to their demands for information.
Hassan Mchaymech suffers from a slipped disc in his back and a stomach ulcer, for which he requires regular medication. It is not known if he has access to medication.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Political Security is one of several branches of the Syrian security forces, all of which regularly detain people on the slightest suspicion of opposition to the government, and are known for torture and other ill-treatment. In 2009, at least seven people have been reported to have died as a result of abuses in custody. The authorities have taken no action to investigate these allegations. “Confessions” extracted under duress are systematically used as evidence in Syrian courts, and the defendants’ claims that they have been tortured or otherwise ill-treated are almost never investigated.
Hassan Mchaymech was a member of Hizbullah, an influential Shi’a political and military organization in Lebanon that is supported by Syria and Iran, but left in 1998 following internal disagreements. He then created and edited a monthly online magazine (http://difaf.org), in which he wrote articles calling for, among other things, tolerance of differences between the various religious sects in Lebanon and the separation of religion and politics. In August 2009, he co-founded, along with a group of other Lebanese Shi’a religious figures, the Independent Scientists’ Forum, a non-governmental organization that calls for the respect of intellectual and religious diversity and considers itself independent of government and political parties.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
- Expressing concern that Hassan Mchaymech has been detained incommunicado in an unknown location since his arrest on 7 July 2010;
- Urging the authorities to release him unless he is to be charged with a recognizable criminal offense and tried in full conformity with international fair trial standards;
- Calling on the authorities to ensure that Hassan Mchaymech is not tortured or otherwise ill-treated;
- Urging the authorities to immediately allow him visits from his family, access to a lawyer of his choosing and any medical treatment he may require.
APPEALS TO:
President
Bashar al-Assad
Presidential Palace
al-Rashid Street
Damascus,
SYRIAN ARAB REPUBLIC
Fax: 001 963 11 332 3410
Salutation: Your Excellency
Minister of Interior
Major Sa’id Mohamed Samour
Ministry of Interior
‘Abd al-Rahman Shahbandar Street
Damascus,
SYRIAN ARAB REPUBLIC
Fax: 001 963 11 222 3428
Salutation: Your Excellency
COPIES TO:
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants
Dr Ali Hussein al-Chami
Rue Sursock, Achrafiye
Beirut,
LEBANON
Fax: 001 961 1 204 895
Salutation: Your Excellency
Ambassador Dr Imad Moustapha
Embassy of the Syrian Arab Republic
2215 Wyoming Ave. NW
Washington DC 20008
Phone: 202 232 6316
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 30 November 2010.
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Amnesty International is a worldwide grassroots movement that promotes and defends human rights.
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----------------------------------
END OF URGENT ACTION APPEAL
----------------------------------
- From Amnesty International USA
To learn about recent Urgent Action successes and updates, go to
http://www.amnestyusa.org/iar/success
----------------------------------
For a print-friendly version of this Urgent Action (PDF):
http://www.amnestyusa.org/actioncenter/actions/uaa22310.pdf
19 October 2010
UA 223/10 Risk of Torture/ Ill-treatment
SYRIA Sheikh Hassan Mchaymech
Sheikh Hassan Mchaymech, a 46-year-old Lebanese Shi’a cleric and political analyst, has been held incommunicado in an unknown location since his arrest by the Syrian Political Security on 7 July. He is at risk of torture and other ill-treatment.
According to the family of Hassan Mchaymech, he was arrested on the Syrian side of the Jdeidet Yabous border crossing with Lebanon. He was traveling by car with his wife and her mother to Saudi Arabia to make the pilgrimage to Mecca. The family told Amnesty International that on the day of the arrest the Syrian authorities informed the Lebanese Armed Forces that he was in their custody.
The Syrian authorities have not revealed the reasons for the arrest of Hassan Mchaymech, where he is being detained, or any charges brought against him, despite several requests by the Lebanese authorities, which were made in response to his family’s tireless lobbying.
According to the family, since Hassan Mchaymech’s arrest the Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has written to the Syrian authorities on more than one occasion to request clarifications of the reason of the arrest but never received a response.
His family also published three appeals in Lebanese newspapers to Lebanese President Michele Suleiman, Prime Minister Sa’ad al-Hariri and Speaker of the National Assembly Nabih Berri, calling for them to pressure the Syrian authorities to reveal Hassan Mchaymech’s fate. No response was received. The family also met with the heads of the offices of the officials mentioned above, who told them that the Syrian authorities did not respond to their demands for information.
Hassan Mchaymech suffers from a slipped disc in his back and a stomach ulcer, for which he requires regular medication. It is not known if he has access to medication.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Political Security is one of several branches of the Syrian security forces, all of which regularly detain people on the slightest suspicion of opposition to the government, and are known for torture and other ill-treatment. In 2009, at least seven people have been reported to have died as a result of abuses in custody. The authorities have taken no action to investigate these allegations. “Confessions” extracted under duress are systematically used as evidence in Syrian courts, and the defendants’ claims that they have been tortured or otherwise ill-treated are almost never investigated.
Hassan Mchaymech was a member of Hizbullah, an influential Shi’a political and military organization in Lebanon that is supported by Syria and Iran, but left in 1998 following internal disagreements. He then created and edited a monthly online magazine (http://difaf.org), in which he wrote articles calling for, among other things, tolerance of differences between the various religious sects in Lebanon and the separation of religion and politics. In August 2009, he co-founded, along with a group of other Lebanese Shi’a religious figures, the Independent Scientists’ Forum, a non-governmental organization that calls for the respect of intellectual and religious diversity and considers itself independent of government and political parties.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
- Expressing concern that Hassan Mchaymech has been detained incommunicado in an unknown location since his arrest on 7 July 2010;
- Urging the authorities to release him unless he is to be charged with a recognizable criminal offense and tried in full conformity with international fair trial standards;
- Calling on the authorities to ensure that Hassan Mchaymech is not tortured or otherwise ill-treated;
- Urging the authorities to immediately allow him visits from his family, access to a lawyer of his choosing and any medical treatment he may require.
APPEALS TO:
President
Bashar al-Assad
Presidential Palace
al-Rashid Street
Damascus,
SYRIAN ARAB REPUBLIC
Fax: 001 963 11 332 3410
Salutation: Your Excellency
Minister of Interior
Major Sa’id Mohamed Samour
Ministry of Interior
‘Abd al-Rahman Shahbandar Street
Damascus,
SYRIAN ARAB REPUBLIC
Fax: 001 963 11 222 3428
Salutation: Your Excellency
COPIES TO:
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants
Dr Ali Hussein al-Chami
Rue Sursock, Achrafiye
Beirut,
LEBANON
Fax: 001 961 1 204 895
Salutation: Your Excellency
Ambassador Dr Imad Moustapha
Embassy of the Syrian Arab Republic
2215 Wyoming Ave. NW
Washington DC 20008
Phone: 202 232 6316
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 30 November 2010.
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Amnesty International is a worldwide grassroots movement that promotes and defends human rights.
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Thank you for your help with this appeal.
Urgent Action Network
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Fax: 202.675.8566
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Friday, October 15, 2010
Urgent Action 10-15-10
URGENT ACTION APPEAL
- From Amnesty International USA
To learn about recent Urgent Action successes and updates, go to
http://www.amnestyusa.org/iar/success
----------------------------------
For a print-friendly version of this Urgent Action (PDF):
http://www.amnestyusa.org/actioncenter/actions/uaa22110.pdf
Or take action online at:
http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/siteapps/advocacy/index.aspx?c=jhKPIXPCIoE&b=2590179&template=x.ascx&action=14829
14 October 2010
UA 221/10 Imminent Execution
USA (TN) Stephen West (m)
Stephen West is due to be executed in Tennessee, USA, at 10pm on 9 November. He was sentenced to death for two murders committed in 1986 when he was aged 23. He is now 48, having spent 23 years on death row, where he has been diagnosed with serious mental illness.
Wanda Romines and her 15-year-old daughter Sheila were murdered in their home in eastern Tennessee on 17 March 1986. Both had been stabbed multiple times and Sheila Romines had been raped. Stephen West and 17-year-old Ronald Martin were charged with the murders. It is not disputed that both were present at the crime. They were tried separately, with Stephen West being brought to trial first. His lawyers argued that Ronald Martin was the architect of the crime and that Stephen West had failed to stop the crime under threats of violence from the younger man. Stephen West was sentenced to death in March 1987. Ronald Martin was ineligible for the death penalty under state law because he was under 18 at the time of the crime. He was sentenced to life imprisonment. While he was in pre-trial custody, he had discussed the crime with a cellmate. In a conversation captured on audiotape, he said that Stephen West did not kill the two victims, but that he, Ronald Martin, had done it. At Stephen West’s trial, the judge ruled that the tape was inadmissible on the grounds that it was hearsay.
Stephen West was represented at trial by two lawyers, neither of whom had worked on a death penalty case before. Their failure to investigate and present evidence of severe parental abuse in Stephen West’s childhood has been one of the main issues on appeal. Several mental health experts have concluded that childhood abuse had left Stephen West with a serious mental disorder that affected his conduct at the time of the crime, and that this was an issue that could have been relevant at the trial as a defense against his conviction for capital murder or in mitigation against the death penalty (see overleaf).
In May 2010, a doctor retained by Stephen West’s lawyers reviewed the prisoner’s medical records. He found that Stephen West, whose family has a history of mental illness, has been diagnosed on death row as suffering from various serious mental illnesses, including major depression, paranoid schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
In 1998 Stephen West’s father signed an affidavit stating “his mother and I severely abused Stephen from the time he was born in a mental institution in Indiana until he left home to join the army. We physically abused him by hitting him with our hands, sticks, bottles or anything else we had. This abuse was extreme and always very violent. Stephen was slammed against a wall so hard when he was a baby that he was knocked cross-eyed and required surgery.” In 2001, a forensic psychologist stated “it is clear that Mr West suffered from intense psychological trauma and anxiety as a child directly due to the severe physical and emotional abuse of his parents”. She concluded that he likely suffered from Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and that the “extreme trauma and anxiety during childhood set the stage for Mr West’s having an acute stress response [during the crime] and becoming emotionally overwhelmed by the situation”. In 2002, another doctor specializing in clinical and forensic psychiatry noted that Stephen West’s family has a “significant history of mental illness”, including bipolar disorder, and that his mother attempted suicide when pregnant with him. The expert wrote that “Stephen survived prolonged, life threatening maltreatment at the hands of his mother and her husband”, including being beaten, kicked, punched and thrown into walls, and that the boy was also subjected to other “acts of cruelty”, including public humiliation, degradation, captivity and isolation. He concluded that this kind of abuse “breaks the bonds that children need to develop into healthy adults” and from it Stephen West had developed an “insidious progressive form” of PTSD that “controlled and constricted his entire life”, and that affected his conduct at the time of the crime. A third mental health expert drew similar conclusions, also in 2002.
The trial jury heard no evidence of such abuse or expert opinion about the effects it might have had on Stephen West. In 2008, a three-judge panel of the US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit upheld the death sentence. The two judges in the majority wrote that if Stephen West’s trial lawyers had discovered the evidence of his childhood abuse, they might have chosen to portray him “as the product of an unstable and abusive home” and that the jury “might have believed that the abuse made West the kind of person who was psychologically unable to confront or disobey strong, threatening people such as [Ronald] Martin” and might have chosen to spare his life. The two judges further speculated, however, that “the very same evidence may have had the opposite effect on the jury”; that the jurors “might have believed that violence begets violence and that West’s past abuse made him the kind of person” who could have committed such a crime; and that they “might have despised West and sentenced him to death with greater zeal”. The third judge dissented, accusing her two colleagues of taking an approach that “flies in the face of Supreme Court precedent”. She concluded that had the trial lawyers “presented evidence of abuse and its effects on West, it is extremely likely that at least one juror would have determined that West’s explanation for what happened to him while the crime took place – essentially that he froze – was plausible, making the death penalty unwarranted”.
A review in May 2010 of Stephen West’s prison records revealed that from 2001 to 2006 he had been diagnosed with major depressive disorder with psychotic features. In 2006, the diagnosis was changed to one of chronic paranoid schizophrenia”, and it was noted that he was suffering “anxiety, depression and auditory hallucinations”. In 2008, the diagnosis was again changed, this time to schizoaffective disorder, reflecting the prison doctor’s view of Stephen West as having symptoms of schizophrenia – delusions and hallucinations – and of bipolar disorder – mania and depression. Stephen West has been prescribed various medications on death row, including high doses of the anti-psychotic drug Thorazine. Stephen West had no criminal record prior to the crimes for which he is facing execution. He is reported to have committed no acts of violence in his 23 years on death row.
Amnesty International opposes the death penalty unconditionally in all cases. The USA has carried out 1,229 executions since it resumed judicial killing in 1977, 41 of them this year.
(See also http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/AMR51/095/2010/en).
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
- Acknowledging the seriousness of the crime for which Stephen West was sentenced to death;
- Expressing concern that his jury heard no evidence of the severe abuse to which he was allegedly subjected as a child, or any expert opinion on the effects this may have had on him at the time of the crime;
- Noting that the jury never heard the tape of his co-defendant stating that Stephen West did not kill either victim;
- Welcoming the fact that Tennessee law did not allow the death penalty against Ronald Martin because he was under 18 at the time of the crime, but drawing attention to the fact that Stephen West received a more severe punishment than the person who may have been the actual murderer;
- Noting that on death row, Stephen West has been diagnosed as suffering from serious mental illness;
- Calling on the Governor to grant clemency to Stephen West.
APPEALS TO:
Governor
Phil Bredesen
Governor's Office
Tennessee State Capitol
Nashville, TN 37243-0001
USA
Fax: 1 615 532 9711
Email: Phil.Bredesen@tn.gov
Salutation: Dear Governor
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.
Check with the AIUSA Urgent Action office if sending appeals after 9 November 2010.
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Amnesty International is a worldwide grassroots movement that promotes and defends human rights.
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Urgent Action Network
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Fax: 202.675.8566
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----------------------------------
Friday, October 8, 2010
Urgent Action 10-8-10
URGENT ACTION APPEAL
- From Amnesty International USA
To learn about recent Urgent Action successes and updates, go to
http://www.amnestyusa.org/iar/success
----------------------------------
For a print-friendly version of this Urgent Action (PDF):
http://www.amnestyusa.org/actioncenter/actions/uaa19510.pdf
Note: Please write on behalf of these persons even though you may not have received the original UA when issued on September 7, 2010. Thanks!
8 October 2010
Further information on UA 195/10 (7 September 2010) - Risk of torture/ ill-treatment/ Legal concern
BAHRAIN
Abdul Jalil al-Singace
Muhammad Saeed
Abdulghani al-Khanjar
Abdulhadi al-Mokhoder
Mohammad Habib al-Miqdad
Ali Abdulemam
Hassain Meshaima’
Sa’eed al-Shehabi
15 other opposition activists, Shi’a political and human rights activists
230 other Shi’a individuals
Around 250 individuals in Bahrain are believed to have been detained as part of a clampdown against Shi’a political opposition and activism ahead of parliamentary elections on 23 October.
Since the arrest of 23 Shi’a political and human rights activists in August, the government has arrested what Bahraini activists estimate to be a further 230 individuals, all of them said to be Shi’a, in connection with anti-government demonstrations and riots held in Shi’a towns and villages. Official figures have not been made public. During these events some demonstrators set fire to tyres and threw Molotov cocktails at security forces.
During the first few weeks all detainees were held incommunicado; however, some have now been allowed visits by family members. Some in the first group of 23 detainees have seen their lawyers only once, when they were brought to the Public Prosecutor several weeks ago, but were not allowed to talk to them. The rest of the detainees have had no access to lawyers at all. This denial of contact exacerbates the risk of possible torture and other ill-treatment and the families and lawyers of some of the 23 men arrested in August have alleged that the detainees have been tortured. The government has denied this and has prohibited the publication of any information on the cases of the around 250 detainees. The ban is enforceable with a penalty of up to one year’s imprisonment.. Human Rights Watch requested access to some of the detainees, but the authorities have rejected these in the past few days.
Since the first arrests took place, the Bahraini authorities have arbitrarily restricted the activities of a number of human rights activists and organizations. In September the Bahraini government suspended the board of the legally registered Bahrain Human Rights Society (BHRS), accusing it of "legal and administrative irregularities" and co-operating with "illegal organizations", after it had publicly criticized the government for violating the human rights of the 23 people arrested in August. An official from the Ministry of Social Development has been appointed as a temporary administrator. In recent weeks three human rights activists were temporarily prevented from traveling abroad to attend meetings and workshops on human rights, among other things, but were later told they could travel without restriction.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Bahrain is a constitutional monarchy headed by the King, Sheikh Hamad bin Issa Al Khalifa. The head of government is the Prime Minister, Sheikh Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa. He presides over a cabinet of 20 members, 80 per cent of whom belong to the Sunni Muslim royal family.
Bahrain has two legislative bodies: the Chamber of Deputies, elected by popular vote and the Shura Council, appointed by the King. In 2006 parliamentary elections for the Chamber of Deputies took place, with the opposition Shi’a Islamist group, al Wifaq, winning 17 out of 40 seats in a new chamber dominated by Shi’a and Sunni Islamist groups. The 2006 elections took place amid reports of human rights violations.
Since 2006, riots against the government have taken place in predominantly Shi’a villages. Police are alleged to have used excessive force on some occasions in the context of these riots and other disturbances.
The next parliamentary elections are scheduled to take place on 23 October 2010.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
- Urging the Bahraini authorities to allow detainees regular access to their lawyers in private and to their families;
- Calling on the Bahraini authorities to carry out a prompt and thorough independent investigation into the allegations of torture and other ill-treatment made by the families and lawyers on behalf of some of the detainees;
- Urging that any officials or others found responsible for torturing or otherwise ill-treating detainees be brought to justice in line with international human rights law;
- Urging the Bahraini government to lift all arbitrary restrictions on human rights organizations and activists in Bahrain.
APPEALS TO:
Prime Minister
Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa
Prime Minister
Office of the Prime Minister
P.O. Box 1000, al-Manama
BAHRAIN
Fax: 011 973 17533033
Salutation: Your Excellency
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Shaikh Khalid Bin Ahmed Bin Mohamed Al Khalifa
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
P.O. Box 547, al-Manama
BAHRAIN
Fax: 011 973 17212603
Salutation: Your Excellency
Minister of Justice and Islamic Affairs
Shaikh Khaled bin Ali al-Khalifa
Ministry of Justice and Islamic affairs
P. O. Box 450, Manama
BAHRAIN
Fax: 011 973 17536343
Salutation: Your Excellency
COPIES TO:
Ambassador Houda Ezra Ebrahim Nonoo
Embassy of the Kingdom of Bahrain
3502 International Dr. NW
Washington DC 20008
Fax: 1 202 362 2192
Email: ambsecretary@bahrainembassy.org
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.
Check with the AIUSA Urgent Action office if sending appeals after November 19, 2010.
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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/uan
Phone: 202.509.8193
Fax: 202.675.8566
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END OF URGENT ACTION APPEAL
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