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/uaa00311.pdf
31 January 2011
Further information on UA 3/11 (7 January 2011) - Legal concern/ possible prisoners of conscience
IRAN Fatemeh Masjedi (f),
Maryam Bidgoli (f)
Women's rights activist Fatemeh Masjedi was arrested on 28 January while travelling from Qom to Tehran. Her current place of detention is unknown, but it is feared she may have been arrested to begin serving a six-month prison sentence imposed for her peaceful collection of signatures for a petition demanding an end to discrimination against women in law in Iran. If so, she is a prisoner of conscience who should be released immediately and unconditionally.
Fatemeh Masjedi is a member of the One Million Signatures Campaign (also known as the Campaign for Equality), a grass-roots movement working towards an end to discrimination against women in Iranian law. On 29 December 2010, she and Maryam Bidgoli were summoned to report within three days to prison officials in Qom to begin serving a six-month prison sentence, but they remained free after submitting a further legal challenge against their convictions and sentences. Maryam Bidgoli, though currently free, could also be imprisoned at any moment.
Both women were arrested on 7 May 2009 for peacefully gathering signatures in support of ending discriminatory laws against women in Iran and were released after two weeks in detention. They were sentenced to one year's imprisonment by Branch Two of the Revolutionary Court in Qom on 29 August 2010 for "spreading propaganda against the system in favor of a feminist group (the Campaign) by distributing and collecting signatures for a petition to change laws discriminating against women, and for publication of materials in support of a feminist group opposed to the system". This was reduced to six months on appeal by Branch Three of the provincial appeal court.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The One Million Signatures Campaign, also known as the Campaign for Equality, launched in 2006, is a grass-roots initiative composed of a network of people committed to ending discrimination against women in Iranian law. The Campaign gives basic legal training to volunteers, who travel around the country promoting the Campaign. They talk with women in their homes, as well as in public places, telling them about their rights and the need for legal reform. The volunteers are also aiming to collect one million signatures of Iranian nationals for a petition demanding an end to legal discrimination against women in Iran. Dozens of the Campaign's activists have been arrested or harassed for their activities for the Campaign for Equality, some while collecting signatures for the petition.
This case is the first in which a court in Iran has ruled that the Campaign constitutes a group which "aims to harm national security". In all previous cases, individuals charged with security offenses relating to their collection of signatures for the Campaign were acquitted either by lower or by appeal courts. Fatemeh Masjedi and Maryam Bidgoli had asked for a further judicial review on these grounds.
Article 19 of the Iranian Constitution provides for equal rights for all Iranians. Article 21 requires the rights of women to be protected and Article 26 allows the "formation of parties, societies, political or professional associations… provided they do not violate the principles of independence, freedom, national unity, the criteria of Islam, or the basis of the Islamic republic." Members of the One Million Signatures Campaign have always stressed that their activities fully conform to Iranian law.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
-Asking to be informed of the reason for Fatemeh Masjedi's arrest and her current place of detention, and calling for her to be granted immediate access to her family and her lawyer;
-If she has been arrested to begin serving her six-month prison sentence, urging that she be released immediately and unconditionally, as she is a prisoner of conscience imprisoned solely for the peaceful exercise of her right to freedom of expression and association, including human rights activities such as gathering signatures for a petition to end discrimination against women in Iranian law;
-Urging the Iranian authorities not to imprison Maryam Bidgoli, as she would also be a prisoner of conscience;
-Reminding the authorities that the peaceful gathering of signatures to petitions demanding changes in the law is not a crime and is covered by the right to freedom of expression, provided for by Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Iran is a state party.
APPEALS TO:
Leader of the Islamic Republic
Ayatollah Sayed 'Ali Khamenei
The Office of the Supreme Leader
Islamic Republic Street - End of Shahid Keshvar Doust Street
Tehran,
ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN
Email: Via website:
http://www.leader.ir/langs/en/index.php?p=letter (English)
http://www.leader.ir/langs/fa/index.php?p=letter (Persian)
Head of the Qom Provincial Judiciary
Mr Hamzeh Khalili
Office of the Head of the Judiciary
PO Box 184-37195, Azadegan Square, Shahid Abedi Boulevard,
Qom
ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN
Email: ryasat@dadgostariqom.ir OR
In Persian and English, send via feedback form on the website: http://www.dadgostariqom.ir/tabid/85/Default.aspx
Salutation: Your Excellency
COPIES TO:
Secretary General, High Council for Human Rights
Mohammad Javad Larijani
High Council for Human Rights
C/O Office of the Head of the Judiciary
Pasteur St, Vali Asr Ave., south of Serah-e Jomhuri
Tehran 1316814737
ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN
Email: info@humanrights-iran.ir (In subject line: FAO Mohammad Javad Larijani)
Iran does not presently have an embassy in the United States. Instead, please send copies to:
Iranian Interests Section
2209 Wisconsin Ave NW
Washington DC 20007
Fax: 1 202 965 1073
Email: requests@daftar.org
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.
Check with the AIUSA Urgent Action office if sending appeals after 14 March 2011.
----------------------------------
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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
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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
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Email: uan@aiusa.org
http://www.amnestyusa.org/urgent/
Phone: 202.509.8193
Fax: 202.675.8566
----------------------------------
END OF URGENT ACTION APPEAL
----------------------------------
Monday, January 31, 2011
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Urgent Action 1-27-11
URGENT ACTION APPEAL
- From Amnesty International USA
To learn about recent Urgent Action successes and updates, go to
http://www.amnestyusa.org/iar/success
----------------------------------
26 January 2011
Further information on UA 6/11 - (17 January 2011) - Risk of forcible return
SWEDEN Several Iraqi asylum-seekers
On 19 January, Swedish police confirmed that Sweden had forcibly returned 20 Iraqis to Baghdad, on a charter flight organized with Danish authorities, who also forcibly returned a further six Iraqis. Amnesty International considers that their lives could be at real risk in Iraq.
Amnesty International believes that it is not safe to forcibly return anyone to the Iraqi provinces of Ninewa (Mosul), Kirkuk, Diyala, Salah al-Din and Baghdad, and to other particularly dangerous areas such as parts of Al Anbar province. Anyone facing forced return to any of these areas, regardless of whether they originate from those areas, should be granted asylum or alternative forms of protection. In those regions of Iraq serious risks, including the ongoing indiscriminate threats to life, physical integrity or personal freedom, arising from violence or events seriously disturbing public order are all valid grounds for international protection.
The authorities in Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway and the United Kingdom have maintained a policy of enforcing returns of Iraqis whose asylum claims have been dismissed, claiming that it is “sufficiently safe” to return people to Iraq, despite clear guidelines from the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) to the contrary. The UNHCR has repeatedly reiterated its objection to such forced returns by European states.
UNHCR officials reportedly met with several of those forcibly returned on 19 January from Sweden and Denmark, and continued to express concern about the practice of enforcing returns to Iraq.
Amnesty International continues to monitor the issue of forced returns to Iraq from Europe. In this instance, action taken by activists was unsuccessful, and the Swedish authorities proceeded notwithstanding any appeals they received. We hope, however, that in future the action taken by the UA network will prove decisive in stopping forced returns to Iraq.
No further action is needed on this appeal at the moment from the UA network. Many thanks to all who took action.
----------------------------------
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 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/uaa10210.pdf
Note: Please write on behalf of these persons even though you may not have received the original UA when issued on April 30, 2010. Thanks!
26 January 2011
Further information on UA 102/10 (30 April 2010) and follow up (21 May 2010 and 5 August 2010 and 5 January 2011) – Imminent risk of execution
IRAN
Abdloreza Ghanbari (m),
Ahmad Daneshpour Moghaddam (m),
Mohsen Daneshpour Moghaddam (m)
Javad Lari (m)
Farah (or Elmira) Vazehan
Ali Saremi (or Sarami) (m), executed
Ja’far Kazemi (m), aged 47, executed
Mohammad Ali Haj Aghaei (m), executed
Ja’far Kazemi and Mohammad Ali Haj Aghaei were executed on 24 January in Evin Prison, Tehran. They were convicted of moharebeh (enmity against God) for links with the banned political group, the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI), and “propaganda against the system”. Arrested in 2009 their death sentences were confirmed in 2010. Four others remain at risk of imminent execution.
Ja’far Kazemi and Mohammad Ali Haj Aghaei were arrested in September 2009 at a time of mass protests and tried together. Both men had visited relatives at Camp Ashraf in Iraq, where 3,400 PMOI supporters reside in exile. Ja’far Kazemi had previously been imprisoned in Iran for PMOI membership. He may have been tortured while being interrogated at Evin Prison after his arrest in 2009 and is said to have been pressured to make a televised “confession”, but to have refused. He and Mohammad Ali Haj Aghaei were sentenced to death in April 2010.For more information, please see http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/iran-hangs-two-activists-detained-during-2009-unrest-2011-01-24
Another prisoner, Ali Saremi (or Sarami) was executed without warning on 28 December. He was sentenced to death in December 2009 for “enmity against God” because of his alleged membership of the PMOI. According to media reports the death sentence on Farah (also known as Elmira) Vazehan was overturned on 19 January and her case was referred to Branch 28 of the Revolutionary Court for re-examination. However, four men remain at risk of imminent execution: Abdolreza Ghanbari (or Qanbari), father and son Ahmad and Mohsen Daneshpour Moghaddam, and Javad Lari.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Teacher Abdolreza Ghanbari, aged 42, and father and son Ahmad and Mohsen Daneshpour Moghaddam, were all arrested after demonstrations which took place in Iran in late December 2009 marking the Ashoura religious commemorations. All three were sentenced after “show trials” in January and February 2010.
Tehran’s prosecutor announced on 15 May that the death sentences of,Abdolreza Ghanbari and father and son, Ahmad and Mohsen Daneshpour Moghaddam, were upheld by the Appeal Court after they were found guilty of "enmity against God" in relation to their alleged links to the PMOI. The death sentences of Ja’far Kazemi and Mohammad Ali Haj Aghaei, both executed on 24 January 2011; and Mohammad Ali Saremi (or Sarami), executed on 28 December 2010 were also confirmed at the same time.In August 2010, Amnesty International received reports that another man, Javad Lari, a Tehran bazaar merchant in his 50s, had been sentenced to "death without pardon" for "enmity against God and corruption on earth". He is also held in Evin prison, where he was reportedly tortured and forced to ‘confess’.
Farah (also known as Elmira) Vazehan was arrested two days after the December 2009 Ashoura protests. She was sentenced to death for “enmity against God” in August 2010, after conviction of participation in the protests, including taking photographs and sending them abroad and support for the PMOI. A report on 19 January 2011 stated that her physical condition is poor, noting that in November 2010 she had complained of chest pains.
The execution of these two men are amongst the latest in a wave of executions which has seen the Iranian authorities execute at least 71 prisoners since the beginning of this year – an average of more than 20 each week, including Ali Saremi. Kurdish political prisoner Hossein Khezri, is believed to have been executed on 15 January (see: http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/MDE13/009/2011/en) .Three other men were hanged in Tehran on 24 January after they had been convicted of male rape while thousands more prisoners are on death row.
Two members of the Kurdish minority, known only as Ayoub and Mosleh, are among those reportedly facing execution. They are alleged to have taken part in and filmed sexual acts between men. Amnesty International wrote to the Head of Iran's Judiciary last week seeking clarification of their current legal situation and urging him to prevent their execution if they have been sentenced to death.
Ali Saremi, executed 28 December 2010, then aged about 63, has a son in the PMOI who lives in Camp Ashraf, Iraq, whom he visited. He was arrested on his return and sentenced to a year in prison, and was released in May 2007. Ali Saremi had previously spent 20 years in prison for his political activities both before and after the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran (see Iran: Halt executions of Kurdish and other political prisoners, MDE 13/007/2010, 12 January 2010 http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/MDE13/007/2010/en). He was arrested in September 2007 after speaking at an event commemorating the summary executions of thousands of people in Iranian prisons in 1988 (see UA 286/07: http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/MDE13/128/2007/en ). In May 2010 he told Amnesty International from prison:
“I was tried in October 2008 before Branch 15 of the Revolutionary Court, on the charge of “enmity against God” for membership of PMOI. I again denied this and defended myself as they had no evidence against me to prove the charge. I was sentenced to death in December 2009 and appealed through my lawyer. I only learnt about the confirmation of my sentence via the Tehran Prosecutor’s press conference [on 15 May]. Even though I have a lawyer, they do not recognize him. They do not communicate legal proceedings to him and do not notify him.” His lawyer has said publicly that he was never served with the execution verdict and had never received any information concerning his client’s case after the initial trial, including about appeals. He was not informed of the execution 48 hours in advance, as is required by Iranian law.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
- Deploring the executions of Ja’far Kazemi and Mohammad Haj Aghaei, and urging the Iranian authorities not to execute, Abdolreza Ghanbari (or Qanbari),Ahmad and Mohsen Daneshpour Moghaddam, and Javad Lari.;
- Reminding the Iranian authorities that under international law, the death penalty can only be carried out for “the most serious crimes”, which must be “intentional crimes with lethal or other extremely grave consequences."
- Urging that any person held solely on account of their family links to the PMOI should be released immediately and unconditionally. Any others sentenced after unfair trials should have their convictions and sentences reviewed as a matter of urgency, and none should face the death penalty.
APPEALS TO:
Leader of the Islamic Republic
Ayatollah Sayed ‘Ali Khamenei
The Office of the Supreme Leader
Islamic Republic Street – End of Shahid Keshvar Doust Street,
Tehran,
ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN
Email Via website:
http://www.leader.ir/langs/en/index.php?p=letter (English);
http://www.leader.ir/langs/fa/index.php?p=letter (Persian)
Salutation: Your Excellency
Head of the Judiciary
Ayatollah Sadegh Larijani
Office of the Head of the Judiciary
Pasteur St., Vali Asr Ave., south of Serah-e Jomhouri,
Tehran, 1316814737,
ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN
Email: info@dadiran.ir or bia.judi@yahoo.com
Salutation: Your Excellency
COPIES TO:
Secretary General, High Council for Human Rights
Mohammad Javad Larijani
High Council for Human Rights
[Care of] Office of the Head of the Judiciary
Pasteur St, Vali Asr Ave., south of Serah-e Jomhuri
Tehran 1316814737
ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN
Email: info@humanrights-iran.ir
(In subject line: FAO Mohammad Javad Larijani)
Iran does not presently have an embassy in the United
States. Instead, please send copies to:
Iranian Interests Section
2209 Wisconsin Ave NW
Washington DC 20007
Fax: 1 202 965 1073
Email: requests@daftar.org
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.
Check with the AIUSA Urgent Action office if sending appeals after 25 February 2011.
----------------------------------
Tip of the Month:
Write as soon as you can. Try to write as close as possible
to the date a case is issued.
** POSTAGE RATES **
Within the United States:
$0.28 - Postcards
$0.44 - Letters and Cards (up to 1 oz.)
To Canada:
$0.75 - Postcards
$0.75 - Airmail Letters and Cards (up to 1 oz.)
To Mexico:
$0.79 - Postcards
$0.79 - Airmail Letters and Cards (up to 1 oz.)
To all other destination countries:
$0.98 - Postcards
$0.98 - Airmail Letters and Cards (up to 1 oz.)
Amnesty International is a worldwide grassroots movement
that promotes and defends human rights.
This Urgent Action may be reposted if kept intact, including contact information and stop action date (if applicable).
Thank you for your help with this appeal.
Urgent Action Network
Amnesty International USA
600 Pennsylvania Ave SE 5th fl
Washington DC 20003
Email: uan@aiusa.org
http://www.amnestyusa.org/urgent/
Phone: 202.509.8193
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
----------------------------------
26 January 2011
Further information on UA 6/11 - (17 January 2011) - Risk of forcible return
SWEDEN Several Iraqi asylum-seekers
On 19 January, Swedish police confirmed that Sweden had forcibly returned 20 Iraqis to Baghdad, on a charter flight organized with Danish authorities, who also forcibly returned a further six Iraqis. Amnesty International considers that their lives could be at real risk in Iraq.
Amnesty International believes that it is not safe to forcibly return anyone to the Iraqi provinces of Ninewa (Mosul), Kirkuk, Diyala, Salah al-Din and Baghdad, and to other particularly dangerous areas such as parts of Al Anbar province. Anyone facing forced return to any of these areas, regardless of whether they originate from those areas, should be granted asylum or alternative forms of protection. In those regions of Iraq serious risks, including the ongoing indiscriminate threats to life, physical integrity or personal freedom, arising from violence or events seriously disturbing public order are all valid grounds for international protection.
The authorities in Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway and the United Kingdom have maintained a policy of enforcing returns of Iraqis whose asylum claims have been dismissed, claiming that it is “sufficiently safe” to return people to Iraq, despite clear guidelines from the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) to the contrary. The UNHCR has repeatedly reiterated its objection to such forced returns by European states.
UNHCR officials reportedly met with several of those forcibly returned on 19 January from Sweden and Denmark, and continued to express concern about the practice of enforcing returns to Iraq.
Amnesty International continues to monitor the issue of forced returns to Iraq from Europe. In this instance, action taken by activists was unsuccessful, and the Swedish authorities proceeded notwithstanding any appeals they received. We hope, however, that in future the action taken by the UA network will prove decisive in stopping forced returns to Iraq.
No further action is needed on this appeal at the moment from the UA network. Many thanks to all who took action.
----------------------------------
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 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/uaa10210.pdf
Note: Please write on behalf of these persons even though you may not have received the original UA when issued on April 30, 2010. Thanks!
26 January 2011
Further information on UA 102/10 (30 April 2010) and follow up (21 May 2010 and 5 August 2010 and 5 January 2011) – Imminent risk of execution
IRAN
Abdloreza Ghanbari (m),
Ahmad Daneshpour Moghaddam (m),
Mohsen Daneshpour Moghaddam (m)
Javad Lari (m)
Farah (or Elmira) Vazehan
Ali Saremi (or Sarami) (m), executed
Ja’far Kazemi (m), aged 47, executed
Mohammad Ali Haj Aghaei (m), executed
Ja’far Kazemi and Mohammad Ali Haj Aghaei were executed on 24 January in Evin Prison, Tehran. They were convicted of moharebeh (enmity against God) for links with the banned political group, the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI), and “propaganda against the system”. Arrested in 2009 their death sentences were confirmed in 2010. Four others remain at risk of imminent execution.
Ja’far Kazemi and Mohammad Ali Haj Aghaei were arrested in September 2009 at a time of mass protests and tried together. Both men had visited relatives at Camp Ashraf in Iraq, where 3,400 PMOI supporters reside in exile. Ja’far Kazemi had previously been imprisoned in Iran for PMOI membership. He may have been tortured while being interrogated at Evin Prison after his arrest in 2009 and is said to have been pressured to make a televised “confession”, but to have refused. He and Mohammad Ali Haj Aghaei were sentenced to death in April 2010.For more information, please see http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/iran-hangs-two-activists-detained-during-2009-unrest-2011-01-24
Another prisoner, Ali Saremi (or Sarami) was executed without warning on 28 December. He was sentenced to death in December 2009 for “enmity against God” because of his alleged membership of the PMOI. According to media reports the death sentence on Farah (also known as Elmira) Vazehan was overturned on 19 January and her case was referred to Branch 28 of the Revolutionary Court for re-examination. However, four men remain at risk of imminent execution: Abdolreza Ghanbari (or Qanbari), father and son Ahmad and Mohsen Daneshpour Moghaddam, and Javad Lari.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Teacher Abdolreza Ghanbari, aged 42, and father and son Ahmad and Mohsen Daneshpour Moghaddam, were all arrested after demonstrations which took place in Iran in late December 2009 marking the Ashoura religious commemorations. All three were sentenced after “show trials” in January and February 2010.
Tehran’s prosecutor announced on 15 May that the death sentences of,Abdolreza Ghanbari and father and son, Ahmad and Mohsen Daneshpour Moghaddam, were upheld by the Appeal Court after they were found guilty of "enmity against God" in relation to their alleged links to the PMOI. The death sentences of Ja’far Kazemi and Mohammad Ali Haj Aghaei, both executed on 24 January 2011; and Mohammad Ali Saremi (or Sarami), executed on 28 December 2010 were also confirmed at the same time.In August 2010, Amnesty International received reports that another man, Javad Lari, a Tehran bazaar merchant in his 50s, had been sentenced to "death without pardon" for "enmity against God and corruption on earth". He is also held in Evin prison, where he was reportedly tortured and forced to ‘confess’.
Farah (also known as Elmira) Vazehan was arrested two days after the December 2009 Ashoura protests. She was sentenced to death for “enmity against God” in August 2010, after conviction of participation in the protests, including taking photographs and sending them abroad and support for the PMOI. A report on 19 January 2011 stated that her physical condition is poor, noting that in November 2010 she had complained of chest pains.
The execution of these two men are amongst the latest in a wave of executions which has seen the Iranian authorities execute at least 71 prisoners since the beginning of this year – an average of more than 20 each week, including Ali Saremi. Kurdish political prisoner Hossein Khezri, is believed to have been executed on 15 January (see: http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/MDE13/009/2011/en) .Three other men were hanged in Tehran on 24 January after they had been convicted of male rape while thousands more prisoners are on death row.
Two members of the Kurdish minority, known only as Ayoub and Mosleh, are among those reportedly facing execution. They are alleged to have taken part in and filmed sexual acts between men. Amnesty International wrote to the Head of Iran's Judiciary last week seeking clarification of their current legal situation and urging him to prevent their execution if they have been sentenced to death.
Ali Saremi, executed 28 December 2010, then aged about 63, has a son in the PMOI who lives in Camp Ashraf, Iraq, whom he visited. He was arrested on his return and sentenced to a year in prison, and was released in May 2007. Ali Saremi had previously spent 20 years in prison for his political activities both before and after the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran (see Iran: Halt executions of Kurdish and other political prisoners, MDE 13/007/2010, 12 January 2010 http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/MDE13/007/2010/en). He was arrested in September 2007 after speaking at an event commemorating the summary executions of thousands of people in Iranian prisons in 1988 (see UA 286/07: http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/MDE13/128/2007/en ). In May 2010 he told Amnesty International from prison:
“I was tried in October 2008 before Branch 15 of the Revolutionary Court, on the charge of “enmity against God” for membership of PMOI. I again denied this and defended myself as they had no evidence against me to prove the charge. I was sentenced to death in December 2009 and appealed through my lawyer. I only learnt about the confirmation of my sentence via the Tehran Prosecutor’s press conference [on 15 May]. Even though I have a lawyer, they do not recognize him. They do not communicate legal proceedings to him and do not notify him.” His lawyer has said publicly that he was never served with the execution verdict and had never received any information concerning his client’s case after the initial trial, including about appeals. He was not informed of the execution 48 hours in advance, as is required by Iranian law.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
- Deploring the executions of Ja’far Kazemi and Mohammad Haj Aghaei, and urging the Iranian authorities not to execute, Abdolreza Ghanbari (or Qanbari),Ahmad and Mohsen Daneshpour Moghaddam, and Javad Lari.;
- Reminding the Iranian authorities that under international law, the death penalty can only be carried out for “the most serious crimes”, which must be “intentional crimes with lethal or other extremely grave consequences."
- Urging that any person held solely on account of their family links to the PMOI should be released immediately and unconditionally. Any others sentenced after unfair trials should have their convictions and sentences reviewed as a matter of urgency, and none should face the death penalty.
APPEALS TO:
Leader of the Islamic Republic
Ayatollah Sayed ‘Ali Khamenei
The Office of the Supreme Leader
Islamic Republic Street – End of Shahid Keshvar Doust Street,
Tehran,
ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN
Email Via website:
http://www.leader.ir/langs/en/index.php?p=letter (English);
http://www.leader.ir/langs/fa/index.php?p=letter (Persian)
Salutation: Your Excellency
Head of the Judiciary
Ayatollah Sadegh Larijani
Office of the Head of the Judiciary
Pasteur St., Vali Asr Ave., south of Serah-e Jomhouri,
Tehran, 1316814737,
ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN
Email: info@dadiran.ir or bia.judi@yahoo.com
Salutation: Your Excellency
COPIES TO:
Secretary General, High Council for Human Rights
Mohammad Javad Larijani
High Council for Human Rights
[Care of] Office of the Head of the Judiciary
Pasteur St, Vali Asr Ave., south of Serah-e Jomhuri
Tehran 1316814737
ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN
Email: info@humanrights-iran.ir
(In subject line: FAO Mohammad Javad Larijani)
Iran does not presently have an embassy in the United
States. Instead, please send copies to:
Iranian Interests Section
2209 Wisconsin Ave NW
Washington DC 20007
Fax: 1 202 965 1073
Email: requests@daftar.org
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.
Check with the AIUSA Urgent Action office if sending appeals after 25 February 2011.
----------------------------------
Tip of the Month:
Write as soon as you can. Try to write as close as possible
to the date a case is issued.
** POSTAGE RATES **
Within the United States:
$0.28 - Postcards
$0.44 - Letters and Cards (up to 1 oz.)
To Canada:
$0.75 - Postcards
$0.75 - Airmail Letters and Cards (up to 1 oz.)
To Mexico:
$0.79 - Postcards
$0.79 - Airmail Letters and Cards (up to 1 oz.)
To all other destination countries:
$0.98 - Postcards
$0.98 - Airmail Letters and Cards (up to 1 oz.)
Amnesty International is a worldwide grassroots movement
that promotes and defends human rights.
This Urgent Action may be reposted if kept intact, including contact information and stop action date (if applicable).
Thank you for your help with this appeal.
Urgent Action Network
Amnesty International USA
600 Pennsylvania Ave SE 5th fl
Washington DC 20003
Email: uan@aiusa.org
http://www.amnestyusa.org/urgent/
Phone: 202.509.8193
Fax: 202.675.8566
----------------------------------
END OF URGENT ACTION APPEAL
----------------------------------
Urgent Action 1-26-11
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/uaa23610.pdf
Note: Please write on behalf of these persons even though you may not have
received the original UA when issued on November 12, 2010. Thanks!
25 January 2011
Further information on UA 236/10 (12 November 2010) and follow-ups (24 November 2010, 23 December 2010) – Risk of Forced Eviction/Fear for safety
ISRAEL 250 Residents, including 1/3 children
The Bedouin village of al-‘Araqib in the Negev, southern Israel, was destroyed for the ninth time. As residents were forcibly evicted, police fired rubber bullets and tear gas at them and their supporters, and arrested 13 people for protesting the demolitions and trying to rebuild homes.
The latest devastation to al-‘Araqib village is an escalation in the Israeli authorities’ attempts to forcibly evict villagers from their land. Israeli Land Administration (ILA) bulldozers arrived before 9am on 16 January, with between 30 and 40 police in full riot gear, and demolished the entire village, including approximately 20 temporary structures rebuilt since the last destruction on 23 December. On 17 January, ILA bulldozers and trucks returned, accompanied by police in riot gear, and destroyed temporary structures rebuilt overnight by residents.
Eyewitnesses report that on both days police fired tear gas and rubber-coated and sponge-tipped bullets, in some cases directly at residents and their supporters at close range. Although police claim that only paint balls and pepper spray were used, photos confirm the use of rubber-coated and sponge-tipped bullets, and that police beat protesters with batons. At least 10 people, including five children aged between 16 and 17 years, were injured. At least five were hospitalized. Thirteen people were arrested and later released, four of whom, including Haia Noach, the Director of the Negev Coexistence Forum (NCF), were charged with disobeying a court order against rebuilding in the village, among other offenses. Another person was charged with harming a police officer.
Residents and their supporters were confined to the village cemetery during the demolitions. The Jewish National Fund (JNF) plans to plant a forest in al-‘Araqib, and has recently moved bulldozers and other equipment closer to the village. A court injunction preventing foresting and rebuilding of the village was not renewed on its expiry on 23 January. Although the judge recommended that there should be no further foresting, the JNF may commence tree-planting at any time. The Israeli authorities have failed to engage in genuine consultations with residents to resolve their situation, instead claiming that they are “illegal squatters” and that the ILA is merely enforcing Israeli law.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The village of al-‘Araqib is one of more than 40 Palestinian villages in Israel not recognized by the Israeli authorities, despite the residents’ Israeli citizenship and long-established claims to their lands. Residents of these “unrecognized” villages, many of which are located in Israel’s Negev desert, lack security of tenure and services including water and electricity.
Al-‘Araqib village was first demolished by the authorities on 27 July 2010, when residents were forcibly evicted by more than 1,000 riot police officers, and at least 46 homes and other structures were destroyed. Thousands of olive and other trees were uprooted, destroying the villagers’ livelihood, and the villagers’ possessions were confiscated by the police. On 4 and 10 August, makeshift shelters that the villagers had built were demolished and buried by bulldozers, supported by a large police force in riot gear. During Ramadan, on 17 August, while the residents were fasting, the authorities demolished the village. On 12 September at dawn, dozens of police arrived again at al-‘Araqib with bulldozers and destroyed newly erected tents and other structures. On 13 October the entire village was again razed, and the director of the Negev Coexistence Forum was arrested and banned from entering al-‘Araqib for 10 days. On 22 November approximately 30 structures were demolished in the village and some 1,600 olive trees located 2km away from the village and belonging to relatives of al-‘Araqib residents were uprooted by the Israeli authorities. On 23 December, approximately 30 makeshift structures were again demolished, and the residents’ water tank was confiscated.
In its concluding observations in July 2010, the UN Human Rights Committee stated its concern about “allegations of forced evictions of the Bedouin population based on the Public Land Law (Expulsion of Invaders) of 1981 as amended in 2005” and about what it described as the Israeli authorities’ “inadequate consideration” of the agricultural and other traditional needs of the Bedouin population of the Negev, and the difficulties that they face in accessing “health structures, education, water and electricity” due to Israeli policies. The Committee called for the Israeli authorities to “respect the Bedouin population’s right to their ancestral land and their traditional livelihood based on agriculture” and to “guarantee the Bedouin population’s access to health structures, education, water and electricity, irrespective of their whereabouts” in Israel. The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination has also expressed concern about Israel’s relocation of Bedouin residents of “unrecognized” villages to towns and called for their villages to be officially recognized, and for Israel to “enhance its efforts to consult” the villagers and seek their agreement or consent in advance of any process of relocation.
Despite an apparent governmental plan to regularize the status of some of the “unrecognized” villages, it was reported in the Israeli media in early 2010 that the Interior Ministry, the Israel Land Administration (ILA) and the police had decided to triple the demolition rate of Bedouin construction in the Negev, and the marked increase in the number of demolitions and demolition orders this year accords with such reports. ILA Development Director Shlomo Zeiser told Hebrew-language media on 16 January: “we are preparing the ground for planting… and making an effort to find a final solution to what’s happening in al-‘Araqib”.
In addition to the demolitions in al-‘Araqib and other Palestinian communities inside Israel, during 2010 the Israeli authorities intensified demolitions of Palestinian homes located in the occupied West Bank. According to figures from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), over 430 Palestinian structures – homes, animal shelters, commercial structures, and water cisterns – in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, were demolished by the Israeli authorities during 2010, a 60 per cent increase in demolitions compared with 2009. These demolitions in the occupied West Bank left almost 600 Palestinians homeless, half of them children, and affected a further 14,000 people who lost parts of their homes or structures crucial to their livelihoods.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
- Condemning the demolitions and forced evictions of al-‘Araqib residents, and urging the Israeli authorities to ensure that residents are allowed to remain in the village and rebuild their homes pending resolution of their land claims in the Israeli courts;
- Urging a moratorium on JNF foresting operations, evictions and demolitions in the area, pending resolution of relevant land claims and a solution reached through genuine consultations with residents that guarantees their right to safe and adequate housing and enables them to continue their traditional livelihoods;
- Urging the Israeli authorities to respect the Bedouin population’s right to their ancestral land and to take steps to officially recognize al-‘Araqib and other “unrecognized” villages.
APPEALS TO:
Director-General of the Israel Lands Administration (ILA)
Yaron Bibi
Israel Lands Administration
6 Shamai Street
P.O. Box 2600
Jerusalem 94631,
ISRAEL
Fax: 011 972 2 620 8427
Email: natalil@mmi.gov.il
Salutation: Dear Director-General
Chairman of the JNF
Effie Stenzler
Keren Kayemet Yisrael Street
PO Box 7283, Jerusalem 91072, Israel
Fax: 011 972-2-6707500
Email: efis@kkl.org.il
Salutation: Dear Chairman
COPIES TO:
Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu
Office of the Prime Minister
3 Kaplan Street
Kiryat Ben-Gurion, Hakirya
PO Box 187, Jerusalem,
ISRAEL
Fax: 011 972 2 566 4838
Email: pm_eng@pmo.gov.il
Salutation: Dear Prime Minister
Ambassador Michael Oren
Embassy of Israel
3514 International Dr. NW
Washington DC 20008
Fax: 1 202 364 5607
Email: info@israelemb.org OR info@washington.mfa.gov.il
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.
Check with the AIUSA Urgent Action office if sending appeals after 8 March 2011.
----------------------------------
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 **
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$0.28 - Postcards
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To Canada:
$0.75 - Postcards
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To Mexico:
$0.79 - Postcards
$0.79 - Airmail Letters and Cards (up to 1 oz.)
To all other destination countries:
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$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/uaa23610.pdf
Note: Please write on behalf of these persons even though you may not have
received the original UA when issued on November 12, 2010. Thanks!
25 January 2011
Further information on UA 236/10 (12 November 2010) and follow-ups (24 November 2010, 23 December 2010) – Risk of Forced Eviction/Fear for safety
ISRAEL 250 Residents, including 1/3 children
The Bedouin village of al-‘Araqib in the Negev, southern Israel, was destroyed for the ninth time. As residents were forcibly evicted, police fired rubber bullets and tear gas at them and their supporters, and arrested 13 people for protesting the demolitions and trying to rebuild homes.
The latest devastation to al-‘Araqib village is an escalation in the Israeli authorities’ attempts to forcibly evict villagers from their land. Israeli Land Administration (ILA) bulldozers arrived before 9am on 16 January, with between 30 and 40 police in full riot gear, and demolished the entire village, including approximately 20 temporary structures rebuilt since the last destruction on 23 December. On 17 January, ILA bulldozers and trucks returned, accompanied by police in riot gear, and destroyed temporary structures rebuilt overnight by residents.
Eyewitnesses report that on both days police fired tear gas and rubber-coated and sponge-tipped bullets, in some cases directly at residents and their supporters at close range. Although police claim that only paint balls and pepper spray were used, photos confirm the use of rubber-coated and sponge-tipped bullets, and that police beat protesters with batons. At least 10 people, including five children aged between 16 and 17 years, were injured. At least five were hospitalized. Thirteen people were arrested and later released, four of whom, including Haia Noach, the Director of the Negev Coexistence Forum (NCF), were charged with disobeying a court order against rebuilding in the village, among other offenses. Another person was charged with harming a police officer.
Residents and their supporters were confined to the village cemetery during the demolitions. The Jewish National Fund (JNF) plans to plant a forest in al-‘Araqib, and has recently moved bulldozers and other equipment closer to the village. A court injunction preventing foresting and rebuilding of the village was not renewed on its expiry on 23 January. Although the judge recommended that there should be no further foresting, the JNF may commence tree-planting at any time. The Israeli authorities have failed to engage in genuine consultations with residents to resolve their situation, instead claiming that they are “illegal squatters” and that the ILA is merely enforcing Israeli law.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The village of al-‘Araqib is one of more than 40 Palestinian villages in Israel not recognized by the Israeli authorities, despite the residents’ Israeli citizenship and long-established claims to their lands. Residents of these “unrecognized” villages, many of which are located in Israel’s Negev desert, lack security of tenure and services including water and electricity.
Al-‘Araqib village was first demolished by the authorities on 27 July 2010, when residents were forcibly evicted by more than 1,000 riot police officers, and at least 46 homes and other structures were destroyed. Thousands of olive and other trees were uprooted, destroying the villagers’ livelihood, and the villagers’ possessions were confiscated by the police. On 4 and 10 August, makeshift shelters that the villagers had built were demolished and buried by bulldozers, supported by a large police force in riot gear. During Ramadan, on 17 August, while the residents were fasting, the authorities demolished the village. On 12 September at dawn, dozens of police arrived again at al-‘Araqib with bulldozers and destroyed newly erected tents and other structures. On 13 October the entire village was again razed, and the director of the Negev Coexistence Forum was arrested and banned from entering al-‘Araqib for 10 days. On 22 November approximately 30 structures were demolished in the village and some 1,600 olive trees located 2km away from the village and belonging to relatives of al-‘Araqib residents were uprooted by the Israeli authorities. On 23 December, approximately 30 makeshift structures were again demolished, and the residents’ water tank was confiscated.
In its concluding observations in July 2010, the UN Human Rights Committee stated its concern about “allegations of forced evictions of the Bedouin population based on the Public Land Law (Expulsion of Invaders) of 1981 as amended in 2005” and about what it described as the Israeli authorities’ “inadequate consideration” of the agricultural and other traditional needs of the Bedouin population of the Negev, and the difficulties that they face in accessing “health structures, education, water and electricity” due to Israeli policies. The Committee called for the Israeli authorities to “respect the Bedouin population’s right to their ancestral land and their traditional livelihood based on agriculture” and to “guarantee the Bedouin population’s access to health structures, education, water and electricity, irrespective of their whereabouts” in Israel. The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination has also expressed concern about Israel’s relocation of Bedouin residents of “unrecognized” villages to towns and called for their villages to be officially recognized, and for Israel to “enhance its efforts to consult” the villagers and seek their agreement or consent in advance of any process of relocation.
Despite an apparent governmental plan to regularize the status of some of the “unrecognized” villages, it was reported in the Israeli media in early 2010 that the Interior Ministry, the Israel Land Administration (ILA) and the police had decided to triple the demolition rate of Bedouin construction in the Negev, and the marked increase in the number of demolitions and demolition orders this year accords with such reports. ILA Development Director Shlomo Zeiser told Hebrew-language media on 16 January: “we are preparing the ground for planting… and making an effort to find a final solution to what’s happening in al-‘Araqib”.
In addition to the demolitions in al-‘Araqib and other Palestinian communities inside Israel, during 2010 the Israeli authorities intensified demolitions of Palestinian homes located in the occupied West Bank. According to figures from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), over 430 Palestinian structures – homes, animal shelters, commercial structures, and water cisterns – in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, were demolished by the Israeli authorities during 2010, a 60 per cent increase in demolitions compared with 2009. These demolitions in the occupied West Bank left almost 600 Palestinians homeless, half of them children, and affected a further 14,000 people who lost parts of their homes or structures crucial to their livelihoods.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
- Condemning the demolitions and forced evictions of al-‘Araqib residents, and urging the Israeli authorities to ensure that residents are allowed to remain in the village and rebuild their homes pending resolution of their land claims in the Israeli courts;
- Urging a moratorium on JNF foresting operations, evictions and demolitions in the area, pending resolution of relevant land claims and a solution reached through genuine consultations with residents that guarantees their right to safe and adequate housing and enables them to continue their traditional livelihoods;
- Urging the Israeli authorities to respect the Bedouin population’s right to their ancestral land and to take steps to officially recognize al-‘Araqib and other “unrecognized” villages.
APPEALS TO:
Director-General of the Israel Lands Administration (ILA)
Yaron Bibi
Israel Lands Administration
6 Shamai Street
P.O. Box 2600
Jerusalem 94631,
ISRAEL
Fax: 011 972 2 620 8427
Email: natalil@mmi.gov.il
Salutation: Dear Director-General
Chairman of the JNF
Effie Stenzler
Keren Kayemet Yisrael Street
PO Box 7283, Jerusalem 91072, Israel
Fax: 011 972-2-6707500
Email: efis@kkl.org.il
Salutation: Dear Chairman
COPIES TO:
Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu
Office of the Prime Minister
3 Kaplan Street
Kiryat Ben-Gurion, Hakirya
PO Box 187, Jerusalem,
ISRAEL
Fax: 011 972 2 566 4838
Email: pm_eng@pmo.gov.il
Salutation: Dear Prime Minister
Ambassador Michael Oren
Embassy of Israel
3514 International Dr. NW
Washington DC 20008
Fax: 1 202 364 5607
Email: info@israelemb.org OR info@washington.mfa.gov.il
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.
Check with the AIUSA Urgent Action office if sending appeals after 8 March 2011.
----------------------------------
Tip of the Month:
Write as soon as you can. Try to write as close as possible
to the date a case is issued.
** POSTAGE RATES **
Within the United States:
$0.28 - Postcards
$0.44 - Letters and Cards (up to 1 oz.)
To Canada:
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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
----------------------------------
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Urgent Action 1-22-11
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/uaa01211.pdf
21 January 2011
UA 12/11 Fear for safety
HONDURAS Alexander David Sánchez Álvarez (m)
Human rights defender Alexander David Sánchez Álvarez was threatened by unknown individuals using pistols on two occasions in the last week. Amnesty International believes that he has been targeted because of his human rights work on behalf of LGBT persons, and that his life is at risk.
On 14 January Alex David Sánchez Álvarez, a nurse and LGBT rights activist was standing with fellow LGBT activists outside the office of the Colectivo Violeta, an LGBT organization, when a white car with the number plate PCC1964 pulled up. A man got out and walked towards Alex and took out a pistol. He pointed the pistol at Alex and his friend and said “Ustedes nos faltan” (“You are the ones we are missing”). They reported the incident to the local police.
On 19 January, Alex David Sánchez Álvarez was walking to work at the Centro de Prevención, Tratamiento y Rehabilitación de las Víctimas de la Tortura y sus Familiares (Centre for the Prevention, Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture Victims and their Families, CPTRT) where he works as a nurse. As he crossed the road just two and half blocks away from the office a motorbike pulled up with two men on the back of it. As they drove past, one of the men struck Alex across the face with a pistol, leaving a mark just below his right eye. The two men then drove off at speed. Alex reported the incident to the Special Prosecutor for Human Rights the same day. No protection has been offered to Alex, despite concerns for his safety.
Alex David Sánchez Álvarez has been very active in the LGBT community, working and volunteering for a number of LGBT and human rights organizations. He has also participated in protests against the coup d’etat of 28 June 2009.
According to local organizations, since 7 January alone, 3 persons belonging to the LGBT community have been killed. The murders of at least 11 LGBT persons were documented by Honduran NGOs last year. On 20 January 2011, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) stated it is “deeply concerned about serious threats, acts of violence and murders against members of the transgender community in Honduras, in particular the rising number of killings of members of the LGBT community”. In December 2009 LGBT activist Walter Trochez was murdered following repeated threats and surviving a previous attempt on his life.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Amnesty International in its 2010 report on Honduras highlighted the sharp rise in the number of killings of transgender women following the June 2009 coup. Between 2003 and March 2009, human rights organizations had registered 17 cases of killings of transgender women. Between the end of June and December 2009, 12 such cases were reported by local human rights organizations. No data was available at the time about investigations into these killings.
In a case documented by Amnesty International, in December 2009, the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender human rights activist Walter Trochez was murdered in Tegucigalpa. Nine days earlier, he had escaped after being abducted by several masked men demanding the names and addresses of members of the movement opposing the coup d’etat. His captors reportedly told him they had orders to kill him. The investigations on this case have not brought to indictments or convictions.
In April 2010, Amnesty expressed its concern on the situation of LGBT people in Honduras in its Submission to the UN Universal Periodic Review – Ninth Session of the UPR Working Group of the Human Rights Council (AI Index: AMR 37/005/2010). The document is available at: http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/AMR37/005/2010/en/79e58f10-220d-40ff-ab81-464b56aa439b/amr370052010en.pdf
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
- Calling for an independent, thorough and impartial investigation into the threats made against Alex David Sánchez Álvarez, with the results made public and those responsible brought to justice;
- Urging that the authorities take immediate steps to fully provide appropriate protection to Alex David Sánchez Álvarez in accordance with his wishes;
- Reminding the authorities that human rights defenders have a right to carry out their activities without any unfair restrictions or fear of reprisals, as set out in the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders.
APPEALS TO:
Minister for Justice and Human Rights
Ana Pineda
Ministra de Justicia y Derechos Humanos
Casa Presidencial
Boulevard Juan Pablo Segundo
Palacio José Cecilio del Valle
Tegucigalpa, M.D.C.
HONDURAS
Fax: 011 504 2290 5129
Salutation: Estimada Sra. Ministra
Sr. Luis Alberto Rubí
Fiscal General de la República
Lomas del Guijarro, Avenida República Dominicana
Edificio Lomas Plaza II
Tegucigalpa, HONDURAS
Fax: 011 504 221 5667
Salutation: Dear Attorney General
COPIES TO:
NGO
Centro de Prevención, Tratamiento y Rehabilitación de las Victimas de Torturas y sus Familiares (CPTRT)
Colonia Palmira,
Avenida República de Brasil, Casa #2340
E-mail: cptrt@cablecolor.hn
Fax: 011 504 22367273
Ambassador Roberto Flores Bermudez
Embassy of Honduras
3007 Tilden St. NW Suite 4M
Washington DC 20008
Fax: 1 202 966 9751
Email: lprado@hondurasemb.org
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.
Check with the AIUSA Urgent Action office if sending appeals after 02 March 2011.
----------------------------------
Tip of the Month:
Write as soon as you can. Try to write as close as possible
to the date a case is issued.
** POSTAGE RATES **
Within the United States:
$0.28 - Postcards
$0.44 - Letters and Cards (up to 1 oz.)
To Canada:
$0.75 - Postcards
$0.75 - Airmail Letters and Cards (up to 1 oz.)
To Mexico:
$0.79 - Postcards
$0.79 - Airmail Letters and Cards (up to 1 oz.)
To all other destination countries:
$0.98 - Postcards
$0.98 - Airmail Letters and Cards (up to 1 oz.)
Amnesty International is a worldwide grassroots movement
that promotes and defends human rights.
This Urgent Action may be reposted if kept intact, including contact information and stop action date (if applicable).
Thank you for your help with this appeal.
Urgent Action Network
Amnesty International USA
600 Pennsylvania Ave SE 5th fl
Washington DC 20003
Email: uan@aiusa.org
http://www.amnestyusa.org/urgent/
Phone: 202.509.8193
Fax: 202.675.8566
----------------------------------
END OF URGENT ACTION APPEAL
----------------------------------
URGENT ACTION APPEAL
- From Amnesty International USA
To learn about recent Urgent Action successes and updates, go to
http://www.amnestyusa.org/iar/success
----------------------------------
21 January 2011
Further information of on UA 139/10 (23 June 2010) and follow up (28 September 2010) – Legal Concern
RUSSIA Yurii Samodurov (m)
Andrei Yerofeev (m)
On 4 October 2010, the Moscow City Court upheld on appeal the decision made by the Taganskii court on 12 July to convict Yurii Samodurov and Andrei Yerofeev for “inciting hatred or enmity” and “denigration of human dignity” and to fine them 200,000 and 150,000 roubles (USD$6.673,21 and USD$5,004,90) respectively.
Yurii Samodurov, former director of the Sakharov Museum, and Andrei Yerofeev, former head of the department for contemporary art at the State Tretiakov Gallery, were charged under Article 282(2) of the Russian Criminal Code and put on trial in Taganskii District Court for organizing a contemporary art exhibition in Moscow in 2007.
The exhibition Forbidden Art 2006 gathered together a number of works of art that had been refused inclusion at various exhibitions in 2006. It contained works by some of Russia’s most well-known contemporary artists, such as Ilya Kabakov, Alexander Kosolapov, the group Blue Noses, Aleksandr Savko and Mikhail Roginskii. The art presented included a photomontage of a photograph of a frame of an icon and a photo of caviar inside the icon. Other examples incorporated reproductions of religious paintings with the figure of Mickey Mouse inserted.
The prosecution claimed that Yuri Samodurov and Andrei Yerofeev had arranged the exhibition in such a way that it denigrates Christianity, and especially the Russian Orthodox faith, and incites hatred against Orthodox and other Christians. Amnesty International believes that the exhibition Forbidden Art 2006 does not incite hatred. The organizers of the exhibition were peacefully exercising their right to freedom of expression and they should not have been prosecuted.
Following the Moscow City Court decision, the sentence has come into force and the men’s lawyer has indicated that they intend to appeal the decision further at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.
As the judicial process appears to have been exhausted locally within the Russian Federation, no further action is required from the UA network at this stage.
Many thanks to all who sent appeals. No further action is requested from the UA network.
----------------------------------
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/uaa01211.pdf
21 January 2011
UA 12/11 Fear for safety
HONDURAS Alexander David Sánchez Álvarez (m)
Human rights defender Alexander David Sánchez Álvarez was threatened by unknown individuals using pistols on two occasions in the last week. Amnesty International believes that he has been targeted because of his human rights work on behalf of LGBT persons, and that his life is at risk.
On 14 January Alex David Sánchez Álvarez, a nurse and LGBT rights activist was standing with fellow LGBT activists outside the office of the Colectivo Violeta, an LGBT organization, when a white car with the number plate PCC1964 pulled up. A man got out and walked towards Alex and took out a pistol. He pointed the pistol at Alex and his friend and said “Ustedes nos faltan” (“You are the ones we are missing”). They reported the incident to the local police.
On 19 January, Alex David Sánchez Álvarez was walking to work at the Centro de Prevención, Tratamiento y Rehabilitación de las Víctimas de la Tortura y sus Familiares (Centre for the Prevention, Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture Victims and their Families, CPTRT) where he works as a nurse. As he crossed the road just two and half blocks away from the office a motorbike pulled up with two men on the back of it. As they drove past, one of the men struck Alex across the face with a pistol, leaving a mark just below his right eye. The two men then drove off at speed. Alex reported the incident to the Special Prosecutor for Human Rights the same day. No protection has been offered to Alex, despite concerns for his safety.
Alex David Sánchez Álvarez has been very active in the LGBT community, working and volunteering for a number of LGBT and human rights organizations. He has also participated in protests against the coup d’etat of 28 June 2009.
According to local organizations, since 7 January alone, 3 persons belonging to the LGBT community have been killed. The murders of at least 11 LGBT persons were documented by Honduran NGOs last year. On 20 January 2011, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) stated it is “deeply concerned about serious threats, acts of violence and murders against members of the transgender community in Honduras, in particular the rising number of killings of members of the LGBT community”. In December 2009 LGBT activist Walter Trochez was murdered following repeated threats and surviving a previous attempt on his life.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Amnesty International in its 2010 report on Honduras highlighted the sharp rise in the number of killings of transgender women following the June 2009 coup. Between 2003 and March 2009, human rights organizations had registered 17 cases of killings of transgender women. Between the end of June and December 2009, 12 such cases were reported by local human rights organizations. No data was available at the time about investigations into these killings.
In a case documented by Amnesty International, in December 2009, the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender human rights activist Walter Trochez was murdered in Tegucigalpa. Nine days earlier, he had escaped after being abducted by several masked men demanding the names and addresses of members of the movement opposing the coup d’etat. His captors reportedly told him they had orders to kill him. The investigations on this case have not brought to indictments or convictions.
In April 2010, Amnesty expressed its concern on the situation of LGBT people in Honduras in its Submission to the UN Universal Periodic Review – Ninth Session of the UPR Working Group of the Human Rights Council (AI Index: AMR 37/005/2010). The document is available at: http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/AMR37/005/2010/en/79e58f10-220d-40ff-ab81-464b56aa439b/amr370052010en.pdf
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
- Calling for an independent, thorough and impartial investigation into the threats made against Alex David Sánchez Álvarez, with the results made public and those responsible brought to justice;
- Urging that the authorities take immediate steps to fully provide appropriate protection to Alex David Sánchez Álvarez in accordance with his wishes;
- Reminding the authorities that human rights defenders have a right to carry out their activities without any unfair restrictions or fear of reprisals, as set out in the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders.
APPEALS TO:
Minister for Justice and Human Rights
Ana Pineda
Ministra de Justicia y Derechos Humanos
Casa Presidencial
Boulevard Juan Pablo Segundo
Palacio José Cecilio del Valle
Tegucigalpa, M.D.C.
HONDURAS
Fax: 011 504 2290 5129
Salutation: Estimada Sra. Ministra
Sr. Luis Alberto Rubí
Fiscal General de la República
Lomas del Guijarro, Avenida República Dominicana
Edificio Lomas Plaza II
Tegucigalpa, HONDURAS
Fax: 011 504 221 5667
Salutation: Dear Attorney General
COPIES TO:
NGO
Centro de Prevención, Tratamiento y Rehabilitación de las Victimas de Torturas y sus Familiares (CPTRT)
Colonia Palmira,
Avenida República de Brasil, Casa #2340
E-mail: cptrt@cablecolor.hn
Fax: 011 504 22367273
Ambassador Roberto Flores Bermudez
Embassy of Honduras
3007 Tilden St. NW Suite 4M
Washington DC 20008
Fax: 1 202 966 9751
Email: lprado@hondurasemb.org
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.
Check with the AIUSA Urgent Action office if sending appeals after 02 March 2011.
----------------------------------
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----------------------------------
END OF URGENT ACTION APPEAL
----------------------------------
URGENT ACTION APPEAL
- From Amnesty International USA
To learn about recent Urgent Action successes and updates, go to
http://www.amnestyusa.org/iar/success
----------------------------------
21 January 2011
Further information of on UA 139/10 (23 June 2010) and follow up (28 September 2010) – Legal Concern
RUSSIA Yurii Samodurov (m)
Andrei Yerofeev (m)
On 4 October 2010, the Moscow City Court upheld on appeal the decision made by the Taganskii court on 12 July to convict Yurii Samodurov and Andrei Yerofeev for “inciting hatred or enmity” and “denigration of human dignity” and to fine them 200,000 and 150,000 roubles (USD$6.673,21 and USD$5,004,90) respectively.
Yurii Samodurov, former director of the Sakharov Museum, and Andrei Yerofeev, former head of the department for contemporary art at the State Tretiakov Gallery, were charged under Article 282(2) of the Russian Criminal Code and put on trial in Taganskii District Court for organizing a contemporary art exhibition in Moscow in 2007.
The exhibition Forbidden Art 2006 gathered together a number of works of art that had been refused inclusion at various exhibitions in 2006. It contained works by some of Russia’s most well-known contemporary artists, such as Ilya Kabakov, Alexander Kosolapov, the group Blue Noses, Aleksandr Savko and Mikhail Roginskii. The art presented included a photomontage of a photograph of a frame of an icon and a photo of caviar inside the icon. Other examples incorporated reproductions of religious paintings with the figure of Mickey Mouse inserted.
The prosecution claimed that Yuri Samodurov and Andrei Yerofeev had arranged the exhibition in such a way that it denigrates Christianity, and especially the Russian Orthodox faith, and incites hatred against Orthodox and other Christians. Amnesty International believes that the exhibition Forbidden Art 2006 does not incite hatred. The organizers of the exhibition were peacefully exercising their right to freedom of expression and they should not have been prosecuted.
Following the Moscow City Court decision, the sentence has come into force and the men’s lawyer has indicated that they intend to appeal the decision further at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.
As the judicial process appears to have been exhausted locally within the Russian Federation, no further action is required from the UA network at this stage.
Many thanks to all who sent appeals. No further action is requested from the UA network.
----------------------------------
END OF URGENT ACTION APPEAL
----------------------------------
Friday, January 21, 2011
Urgent Action 1-21-11
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/uaa01111.pdf
20 January 2011
UA 11/11 Fear for safety
VENEZUELA Néstor Caudi Barrios (m) and his family
Two men tried to kill Néstor Caudi Barrios on 2 January. He and his family have been subjected to a campaign of intimidation by the police in northern Venezuela since 2003, during which five male members of the family have been killed, allegedly by the police.
Néstor Caudi Barrios was shot by two men on motorbikes on 2 January. The men were wearing civilian clothes and motorcycle helmets. This took place outside the house of Néstor Caudi Barrios’ aunt Eloisa Barrios, in the town of Guanayén, in Aragua State, northern Venezuela. He is currently in hospital, awaiting an operation on his arm. According to reports, he has not been provided any protection. The attempted killing was reported to the prosecutor’s office in the State of Aragua on 13 January.
The Barrios family has been subjected to a harassment and intimidation from the police since they reported the 12 December 2003 killing of Narciso Barrios, allegedly by police officers. At the request of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, members of the Barrios Family have been receiving police protection since June 2004. The protection given to the family has been sporadic and ineffective: four members of the Barrios family have been killed in this time. Prior to the attempted killing of Néstor Caudi Barrios, Wilmer José Flores Barrios was killed in September 2010, Oscar Barrios was killed in October 2009, Luis Barrios was killed in September 2004 and Rigoberto Barrios was killed in January 2005.
The family had reported that one of the police officers accused of the killing of Narciso Barrios was seen outside the house of Eloisa Barrios on 29 November 2010. They reported the incident to the Public Prosecutor’s Unit for Victims’ Care (Unidad de Atención a la Víctima) on 17 December 2010, but no action was taken.
Néstor Caudi Barrios was a witness to the killing of Narciso Barrios and received multiple death threats by police officers. Néstor Caudi Barrios reported the threats to the authorities who apparently failed to provide him any protection.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
A campaign of intimidation has been waged against the Barrios family since 12 December 2003, when Narciso Barrios was, according to reports, killed by police officers, days after an argument between Narciso and Aragua State police officers on 30 November 2003. Members of the Barrios family have been arbitrarily arrested, threatened, harassed and subjected to torture and other ill-treatment.
Four other members of the family, were also allegedly killed by police officers. Luis Barrios was shot dead at his home by two hooded men on 20 September 2004. Two days prior to his killing the family had been told by police officers not to be surprised if hooded men paid them a visit. On 9 January 2005, Rigoberto Barrios was shot eight times by two men who were allegedly wearing Aragua State police uniform hats and trousers. Rigoberto Barrios died in hospital ten days later from his wounds.
Oscar Barrios was killed on 28 October 2009. He was shot dead by two armed men who were wearing similar clothes to those worn by police officers. Oscar Barrios had survived an attempt on his life on 18 June 2005, when five unidentified armed men, wearing civilian clothes, reportedly pursued Oscar Barrios and attempted to shoot him as he was leaving the home of Luis Barrios' widow.
On 1 September, 2010, Wilmer José Flores Barrios became the fifth member of the Barrios family to be killed in circumstances suggesting the involvement of members of the Aragua State Police.
Between March and September 2005, members of the Barrios family, including Rigoberto Barrios and Oscar Barrios were detained and ill-treated by police officers before being released with no charge.
Amnesty International is unaware of any progress in the investigations into the murders of Narciso Barrios, Luis Barrios, Wilmer José Flores Barrios and Rigoberto Barrios, nor of investigations into complaints made by the family regarding death threats and intimidation from state police officers.
On 26 July 2010, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights submitted the case of the Barrios family to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. The Inter-American Commission concluded that the Venezuelan State had violated the rights to life, physical integrity and freedom of several members of the Barrios family.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
- Demanding that the authorities take decisive action to guarantee the protection of Néstor Caudi Barrios and the Barrios family, in accordance with their wishes;
- Urging the authorities to order a full and impartial investigation into the attempted killing of Néstor Caudi Barrios;
- Calling on the authorities to reveal what progress has been made in the investigations into the killings of Narciso, Luis and Rigoberto, Oscar and Wilmer José Barrios and into the intimidation and threats reported by the family.
APPEALS TO:
Ministro de Interior y Justicia
Tareck El Aissami
Ministerio del Interior y Justicia
Avenida Urdaneta Esquina de Platanal
Edificio Interior y Justicia Despacho del Ministro,
Piso 3,Caracas,
VENEZUELA
Fax: 011 58 (0) 212 506 1557
Salutation: Señor Ministro/Dear Minister
Sr. Gobernador del Estado de Aragua
Sr. Rafael Isea
Palacio de Gobierno
Avenida de Miranda, Maracay
Estado de Aragua,
VENEZUELA
Fax: 011 58 (0)243 233 6186
Salutation: Señor Gobernador/Dear Governor
COPIES TO:
Comisión de Derechos Humanos de Justicia y Paz del Estado Aragua
Calle Negro Primero, Oeste
N 98, frente al Liceo ‘Valentin Espinal’,
Cruce con Av. Ayacucho
Maracay, Estado Aragua,
VENEZUELA
Fax:011 58 243 233 6363 (if voice answers, say ‘tono de fax, por favor')
Ambassador Bernardo Alvarez Herrera
Embassy of the Republic of Venezuela
1099 30th St. NW
Washington DC 20007
Fax: 1 202 342 6820
Email: prensa@embavenez-us.org
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.
Check with the AIUSA Urgent Action office if sending appeals after 3 March 2011.
----------------------------------
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Amnesty International is a worldwide grassroots movement
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Email: uan@aiusa.org
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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/uaa01111.pdf
20 January 2011
UA 11/11 Fear for safety
VENEZUELA Néstor Caudi Barrios (m) and his family
Two men tried to kill Néstor Caudi Barrios on 2 January. He and his family have been subjected to a campaign of intimidation by the police in northern Venezuela since 2003, during which five male members of the family have been killed, allegedly by the police.
Néstor Caudi Barrios was shot by two men on motorbikes on 2 January. The men were wearing civilian clothes and motorcycle helmets. This took place outside the house of Néstor Caudi Barrios’ aunt Eloisa Barrios, in the town of Guanayén, in Aragua State, northern Venezuela. He is currently in hospital, awaiting an operation on his arm. According to reports, he has not been provided any protection. The attempted killing was reported to the prosecutor’s office in the State of Aragua on 13 January.
The Barrios family has been subjected to a harassment and intimidation from the police since they reported the 12 December 2003 killing of Narciso Barrios, allegedly by police officers. At the request of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, members of the Barrios Family have been receiving police protection since June 2004. The protection given to the family has been sporadic and ineffective: four members of the Barrios family have been killed in this time. Prior to the attempted killing of Néstor Caudi Barrios, Wilmer José Flores Barrios was killed in September 2010, Oscar Barrios was killed in October 2009, Luis Barrios was killed in September 2004 and Rigoberto Barrios was killed in January 2005.
The family had reported that one of the police officers accused of the killing of Narciso Barrios was seen outside the house of Eloisa Barrios on 29 November 2010. They reported the incident to the Public Prosecutor’s Unit for Victims’ Care (Unidad de Atención a la Víctima) on 17 December 2010, but no action was taken.
Néstor Caudi Barrios was a witness to the killing of Narciso Barrios and received multiple death threats by police officers. Néstor Caudi Barrios reported the threats to the authorities who apparently failed to provide him any protection.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
A campaign of intimidation has been waged against the Barrios family since 12 December 2003, when Narciso Barrios was, according to reports, killed by police officers, days after an argument between Narciso and Aragua State police officers on 30 November 2003. Members of the Barrios family have been arbitrarily arrested, threatened, harassed and subjected to torture and other ill-treatment.
Four other members of the family, were also allegedly killed by police officers. Luis Barrios was shot dead at his home by two hooded men on 20 September 2004. Two days prior to his killing the family had been told by police officers not to be surprised if hooded men paid them a visit. On 9 January 2005, Rigoberto Barrios was shot eight times by two men who were allegedly wearing Aragua State police uniform hats and trousers. Rigoberto Barrios died in hospital ten days later from his wounds.
Oscar Barrios was killed on 28 October 2009. He was shot dead by two armed men who were wearing similar clothes to those worn by police officers. Oscar Barrios had survived an attempt on his life on 18 June 2005, when five unidentified armed men, wearing civilian clothes, reportedly pursued Oscar Barrios and attempted to shoot him as he was leaving the home of Luis Barrios' widow.
On 1 September, 2010, Wilmer José Flores Barrios became the fifth member of the Barrios family to be killed in circumstances suggesting the involvement of members of the Aragua State Police.
Between March and September 2005, members of the Barrios family, including Rigoberto Barrios and Oscar Barrios were detained and ill-treated by police officers before being released with no charge.
Amnesty International is unaware of any progress in the investigations into the murders of Narciso Barrios, Luis Barrios, Wilmer José Flores Barrios and Rigoberto Barrios, nor of investigations into complaints made by the family regarding death threats and intimidation from state police officers.
On 26 July 2010, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights submitted the case of the Barrios family to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. The Inter-American Commission concluded that the Venezuelan State had violated the rights to life, physical integrity and freedom of several members of the Barrios family.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
- Demanding that the authorities take decisive action to guarantee the protection of Néstor Caudi Barrios and the Barrios family, in accordance with their wishes;
- Urging the authorities to order a full and impartial investigation into the attempted killing of Néstor Caudi Barrios;
- Calling on the authorities to reveal what progress has been made in the investigations into the killings of Narciso, Luis and Rigoberto, Oscar and Wilmer José Barrios and into the intimidation and threats reported by the family.
APPEALS TO:
Ministro de Interior y Justicia
Tareck El Aissami
Ministerio del Interior y Justicia
Avenida Urdaneta Esquina de Platanal
Edificio Interior y Justicia Despacho del Ministro,
Piso 3,Caracas,
VENEZUELA
Fax: 011 58 (0) 212 506 1557
Salutation: Señor Ministro/Dear Minister
Sr. Gobernador del Estado de Aragua
Sr. Rafael Isea
Palacio de Gobierno
Avenida de Miranda, Maracay
Estado de Aragua,
VENEZUELA
Fax: 011 58 (0)243 233 6186
Salutation: Señor Gobernador/Dear Governor
COPIES TO:
Comisión de Derechos Humanos de Justicia y Paz del Estado Aragua
Calle Negro Primero, Oeste
N 98, frente al Liceo ‘Valentin Espinal’,
Cruce con Av. Ayacucho
Maracay, Estado Aragua,
VENEZUELA
Fax:011 58 243 233 6363 (if voice answers, say ‘tono de fax, por favor')
Ambassador Bernardo Alvarez Herrera
Embassy of the Republic of Venezuela
1099 30th St. NW
Washington DC 20007
Fax: 1 202 342 6820
Email: prensa@embavenez-us.org
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.
Check with the AIUSA Urgent Action office if sending appeals after 3 March 2011.
----------------------------------
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Write as soon as you can. Try to write as close as possible
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Amnesty International is a worldwide grassroots movement
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Thank you for your help with this appeal.
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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, January 20, 2011
URGENT ACTION 1-20-11
Dear friends,
The Pennsylvania Acting Attorney General was named yesterday. There are now only a few days before the Pennsylvania Superior Court hears the oral arguments in its review of Jordan Brown's appeal (Urgent Action 97/10), and this is great opportunity to target the new Attorney General. Please make sure to include the new Attorney General's name when sending your appeals:
SEND APPEALS BEFORE 25 JANUARY 2011 TO:
Pennsylvania Acting Attorney General
William H. Ryan Jr.
Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General
16th Floor, Strawberry Square
Harrisburg, PA 17120, USA
Fax: 1 717 787-8242
Email: http://www.attorneygeneral.gov/contactus/
Salutation: Dear Acting Attorney General
Please note that the address remains the same, but the name of the Attorney General has changed.
In solidarity,
Individuals at Risk Team
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/uaa09710.pdf
Note: Please write on behalf of these persons even though you may not have received the original UA when issued on April 28, 2010. Thanks!
07 January 2010
Further information on UA 97/10 (28 April 2010) and follow-up (10 August 2010) – Legal concern/Juvenile at risk of life without parole
USA Jordan Brown (m)
On 25 January 2011, the Pennsylvania Superior Court will hear oral arguments in its review of Jordan Brown’s appeal against a court decision to try him as an adult for the killing of Kenzie Houk, his father’s fiancée. If tried in an adult court, the 13-year-old boy could be sentenced to life imprisonment without parole. This sentence, when imposed on anyone who was under 18 years old at the time of the crime, violates international law.
On 27 July 2010, the Pennsylvania Superior Court issued an order granting a review of the appeal. Jordan Brown’s lawyers had filed the appeal following a judge’s decision to deny the transfer of the trial to juvenile court. The boy's lawyers filed their written arguments on 23 September. The state Attorney General was granted a delay and filed his written arguments on 29 November, in which he defended the original decision to try the boy in adult court. On 25 January 2011, oral arguments from both the state Attorney General and Jordan Brown’s lawyers will be heard.
Jordan Brown, who was 11 at the time of the crime, has been automatically charged for trial in adult court, as required by Pennsylvania law for cases involving murder. He has been charged with two counts of homicide, because the victim was eight and a half months pregnant and her unborn child also died. If convicted of first-degree murder in an adult court, Jordan Brown would be sentenced to life imprisonment with no possibility of parole.
The Superior Court’s review of the appeal remains a crucial step in the future of Jordan Brown’s case. Amnesty International is deeply concerned that the state Attorney General continues to seek an adult trial for Jordan Brown.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
A life without parole sentence when imposed on a defendant who was under 18 at the time of the crime violates international law and standards which are almost universally accepted around the world. These standards recognize that, however serious the crime, children, who are still developing physically, mentally and emotionally, do not have the same level of culpability as adults and require special treatment in the criminal justice system appropriate to their youth and immaturity. The standards emphasize that when children come into conflict with the law, the primary objectives should be the child's best interests and the potential for his or her successful reintegration into society. Life imprisonment without parole clearly is inconsistent with this international obligation.
The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which the USA ratified in 1992, specifically acknowledges the need for special treatment of children in the criminal justice system and emphasizes the importance of their rehabilitation. Article 14(4) of the ICCPR states: “In the case of juvenile persons, the procedure shall be such as will take account of their age and the desirability of promoting their rehabilitation”. In 2006, the UN Human Rights Committee, the expert body established by the ICCPR to oversee implementation of the treaty, reminded the USA that sentencing children to life imprisonment without parole is incompatible with the ICCPR. It called on the USA to ensure that no children were subjected to this sentence.
The 193 countries which have ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) have further agreed to be bound by the principle, enshrined in Article 37(a), that no person under the age of 18 at the time of the offence should be sentenced to “life imprisonment without the possibility of release”. The USA is the only country apart from Somalia not to have ratified the CRC. However, the USA has signed the Convention and as a signatory, the USA is bound under international law to do nothing which would defeat the object and purpose of the treaty. Article 37(b) of the Convention also calls upon states to use imprisonment against a child “only as a measure of last resort and for the shortest appropriate period of time.”
In a General Comment on children’s rights in juvenile justice issued in 2007, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, the expert body established under the CRC, emphasised that no children should be sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. The Committee reminded those countries which sentence children to life imprisonment with the possibility of parole that this punishment must “fully comply with and strive for the realization of the aims of juvenile justice”, including that the child should receive “education, treatment, and care aiming at his/her release, reintegration and ability to assume a constructive role in society”.
The USA is believed to stand alone in sentencing children to life without parole. Although several countries technically permit the practice, Amnesty International knows of no cases outside the USA where such a sentence has been imposed in recent years. Jordan Brown is the youngest person that Amnesty International knows of who is currently at risk of being sentenced to life without parole. However, there are at least 2,500 people in the USA serving life imprisonment without the possibility of parole for crimes committed when they were under 18. Jordan Brown's case is therefore starkly illustrative of a wider problem, and the organization is taking this action as part of its efforts to persuade authorities in the USA to bring their country into line with international standards on the treatment of child offenders (see USA: The rest of their lives: Life without Parole for Child Offenders in the United States: a joint Human Rights Watch/Amnesty International Report http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/AMR51/162/2005/en). In such cases, Amnesty International does not specify in detail what sentence is appropriate, only that it should conform to international standards.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
- Explaining that you are not seeking to excuse the killing of Kenzie Houk;
- Pointing out that international law prohibits life imprisonment without the possibility of parole for anyone who was under 18 years old at the time of the crime, and that this principle of international law is recognized and respected around the world;
- Expressing concern that the state is seeking to have Jordan Brown tried in adult court which would expose him upon conviction for first-degree murder to a mandatory life imprisonment without the possibility of parole;
- Calling on the prosecution to meet its international obligation to ensure that Jordan Brown not be sentenced to life imprisonment without parole;
- Renewing appeals for the prosecution to take the opportunity of the Superior Court’s review to reconsider its position and drop its pursuit of a trial in adult court.
APPEALS TO:
Pennsylvania Attorney General
William H. Ryan Jr.
Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General
16th Floor, Strawberry Square
Harrisburg, PA 17120
Fax: 1 717 787 8242
Email: http://www.attorneygeneral.gov/contactus/
Salutation: Dear Attorney General
COPIES TO:
Jordan Brown’s lawyer
David H. Acker, Esquire
414 N. Jefferson Street
New Castle, PA 16101
Email: David_Acker_Attorneyatlaw@hotmail.com
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.
Check with the AIUSA Urgent Action office if sending appeals after 25 January 2011.
----------------------------------
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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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
----------------------------------
The Pennsylvania Acting Attorney General was named yesterday. There are now only a few days before the Pennsylvania Superior Court hears the oral arguments in its review of Jordan Brown's appeal (Urgent Action 97/10), and this is great opportunity to target the new Attorney General. Please make sure to include the new Attorney General's name when sending your appeals:
SEND APPEALS BEFORE 25 JANUARY 2011 TO:
Pennsylvania Acting Attorney General
William H. Ryan Jr.
Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General
16th Floor, Strawberry Square
Harrisburg, PA 17120, USA
Fax: 1 717 787-8242
Email: http://www.attorneygeneral.gov/contactus/
Salutation: Dear Acting Attorney General
Please note that the address remains the same, but the name of the Attorney General has changed.
In solidarity,
Individuals at Risk Team
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/uaa09710.pdf
Note: Please write on behalf of these persons even though you may not have received the original UA when issued on April 28, 2010. Thanks!
07 January 2010
Further information on UA 97/10 (28 April 2010) and follow-up (10 August 2010) – Legal concern/Juvenile at risk of life without parole
USA Jordan Brown (m)
On 25 January 2011, the Pennsylvania Superior Court will hear oral arguments in its review of Jordan Brown’s appeal against a court decision to try him as an adult for the killing of Kenzie Houk, his father’s fiancée. If tried in an adult court, the 13-year-old boy could be sentenced to life imprisonment without parole. This sentence, when imposed on anyone who was under 18 years old at the time of the crime, violates international law.
On 27 July 2010, the Pennsylvania Superior Court issued an order granting a review of the appeal. Jordan Brown’s lawyers had filed the appeal following a judge’s decision to deny the transfer of the trial to juvenile court. The boy's lawyers filed their written arguments on 23 September. The state Attorney General was granted a delay and filed his written arguments on 29 November, in which he defended the original decision to try the boy in adult court. On 25 January 2011, oral arguments from both the state Attorney General and Jordan Brown’s lawyers will be heard.
Jordan Brown, who was 11 at the time of the crime, has been automatically charged for trial in adult court, as required by Pennsylvania law for cases involving murder. He has been charged with two counts of homicide, because the victim was eight and a half months pregnant and her unborn child also died. If convicted of first-degree murder in an adult court, Jordan Brown would be sentenced to life imprisonment with no possibility of parole.
The Superior Court’s review of the appeal remains a crucial step in the future of Jordan Brown’s case. Amnesty International is deeply concerned that the state Attorney General continues to seek an adult trial for Jordan Brown.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
A life without parole sentence when imposed on a defendant who was under 18 at the time of the crime violates international law and standards which are almost universally accepted around the world. These standards recognize that, however serious the crime, children, who are still developing physically, mentally and emotionally, do not have the same level of culpability as adults and require special treatment in the criminal justice system appropriate to their youth and immaturity. The standards emphasize that when children come into conflict with the law, the primary objectives should be the child's best interests and the potential for his or her successful reintegration into society. Life imprisonment without parole clearly is inconsistent with this international obligation.
The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which the USA ratified in 1992, specifically acknowledges the need for special treatment of children in the criminal justice system and emphasizes the importance of their rehabilitation. Article 14(4) of the ICCPR states: “In the case of juvenile persons, the procedure shall be such as will take account of their age and the desirability of promoting their rehabilitation”. In 2006, the UN Human Rights Committee, the expert body established by the ICCPR to oversee implementation of the treaty, reminded the USA that sentencing children to life imprisonment without parole is incompatible with the ICCPR. It called on the USA to ensure that no children were subjected to this sentence.
The 193 countries which have ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) have further agreed to be bound by the principle, enshrined in Article 37(a), that no person under the age of 18 at the time of the offence should be sentenced to “life imprisonment without the possibility of release”. The USA is the only country apart from Somalia not to have ratified the CRC. However, the USA has signed the Convention and as a signatory, the USA is bound under international law to do nothing which would defeat the object and purpose of the treaty. Article 37(b) of the Convention also calls upon states to use imprisonment against a child “only as a measure of last resort and for the shortest appropriate period of time.”
In a General Comment on children’s rights in juvenile justice issued in 2007, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, the expert body established under the CRC, emphasised that no children should be sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. The Committee reminded those countries which sentence children to life imprisonment with the possibility of parole that this punishment must “fully comply with and strive for the realization of the aims of juvenile justice”, including that the child should receive “education, treatment, and care aiming at his/her release, reintegration and ability to assume a constructive role in society”.
The USA is believed to stand alone in sentencing children to life without parole. Although several countries technically permit the practice, Amnesty International knows of no cases outside the USA where such a sentence has been imposed in recent years. Jordan Brown is the youngest person that Amnesty International knows of who is currently at risk of being sentenced to life without parole. However, there are at least 2,500 people in the USA serving life imprisonment without the possibility of parole for crimes committed when they were under 18. Jordan Brown's case is therefore starkly illustrative of a wider problem, and the organization is taking this action as part of its efforts to persuade authorities in the USA to bring their country into line with international standards on the treatment of child offenders (see USA: The rest of their lives: Life without Parole for Child Offenders in the United States: a joint Human Rights Watch/Amnesty International Report http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/AMR51/162/2005/en). In such cases, Amnesty International does not specify in detail what sentence is appropriate, only that it should conform to international standards.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
- Explaining that you are not seeking to excuse the killing of Kenzie Houk;
- Pointing out that international law prohibits life imprisonment without the possibility of parole for anyone who was under 18 years old at the time of the crime, and that this principle of international law is recognized and respected around the world;
- Expressing concern that the state is seeking to have Jordan Brown tried in adult court which would expose him upon conviction for first-degree murder to a mandatory life imprisonment without the possibility of parole;
- Calling on the prosecution to meet its international obligation to ensure that Jordan Brown not be sentenced to life imprisonment without parole;
- Renewing appeals for the prosecution to take the opportunity of the Superior Court’s review to reconsider its position and drop its pursuit of a trial in adult court.
APPEALS TO:
Pennsylvania Attorney General
William H. Ryan Jr.
Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General
16th Floor, Strawberry Square
Harrisburg, PA 17120
Fax: 1 717 787 8242
Email: http://www.attorneygeneral.gov/contactus/
Salutation: Dear Attorney General
COPIES TO:
Jordan Brown’s lawyer
David H. Acker, Esquire
414 N. Jefferson Street
New Castle, PA 16101
Email: David_Acker_Attorneyatlaw@hotmail.com
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.
Check with the AIUSA Urgent Action office if sending appeals after 25 January 2011.
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END OF URGENT ACTION APPEAL
----------------------------------
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Urgent Action 1-18-11
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/uaa00611.pdf
17 January 2011
UA 6/11 - Risk of forcible return
SWEDEN Several Iraqi asylum-seekers
Amnesty International has received credible reports that the Swedish authorities are planning to forcibly return several individuals whose asylum claims have been rejected to Baghdad, Iraq, on 19 January. Their lives could be at real risk in Iraq.
Credible sources have reported that several asylum-seekers are facing forced return to Baghdad, Iraq. Amnesty International understands that they include at least 14 individuals originally from particularly dangerous provinces [including Baghdad, Kirkuk and Ninewa (Mosul)], individuals from ethnic or religious minority groups who are at particular risk, or individuals who may face persecution on the basis of their gender or political opinion.
The Swedish authorities have maintained a policy of enforcing returns of Iraqis whose asylum claims have been dismissed, despite clear guidelines from the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) to the contrary. During 2009 and 2010 Swedish authorities forcibly returned Iraqis whose asylum claims were rejected on charter flights organized jointly with other European states, including Norway, the Netherlands and the UK. As recently as 15 December 2010, Sweden forcibly returned about 20 Iraqis to Baghdad. The UNHCR, reiterating its objection to such forced returns on 17 December, noted that there were five Christians originally from Baghdad among those forcibly returned. Christians have faced kidnapping and killing by armed groups. Dozens were killed in 2010, especially in Baghdad and Mosul, and churches were bombed.
Amnesty International believes that it is not safe to forcibly return anyone to the Iraqi provinces of Ninewa (Mosul), Kirkuk, Diyala, Salah al-Din and Baghdad, and to other particularly dangerous areas such as parts of Al Anbar province. Anyone facing forced return to any of these areas, regardless of whether they originate from those areas, should be granted asylum or alternative forms of protection. In those regions of Iraq serious risks, including the ongoing indiscriminate threats to life, physical integrity or personal freedom, arising from violence or events seriously disturbing public order are all valid grounds for international protection.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Sweden is obliged under domestic and international law, including the 1951 Refugee Convention, the Convention against Torture and the European Convention on Human Rights, not to return anyone to a country where they would be at risk of torture and other grave human rights abuses, including indiscriminate threats to life, physical integrity or freedom arising from generalized violence.
In April 2010, Amnesty International issued a report (Iraq: Civilians under fire, http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/MDE14/002/2010/en) highlighting the risks to people returned involuntarily to Iraq, who are among those particularly vulnerable to be targeted with violence.
At least five European countries - Norway, Sweden, Denmark, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands - have forcibly returned hundreds of Iraqis whose asylum claims had been dismissed since 2009. In the month of September 2010 alone, more than 150 individuals were returned from these five countries to Iraq. Many of these removals have been conducted in breach of UNHCR guidelines issued in April 2009 (and repeatedly reiterated, including as recently as September 2010) that identify particularly dangerous regions in Iraq to where no one should be forcibly returned - namely the provinces of Ninewa (Mosul), Kirkuk, Salah al-Din, Diyala and Baghdad. UNHCR also advised that no forcible returns should be conducted to other areas of Iraq unless an individual assessment has been carried out which indicates that it would be safe to return the individual in question.
Hundreds of civilians are still being killed or maimed every month in Iraq, notwithstanding the overall reduction in the civilian death-toll seen since 2008. Perpetrators of human rights abuses in Iraq include armed groups, militias, security forces and members of tribes. The recent publication of US secret and confidential files on the situation in Iraq by the Wikileaks organization has demonstrated, again, that civilians are the main victims of the ongoing violence in the country.
In practice, the number of Iraqi refugees seeking asylum in European states is relatively small compared to the numbers of those currently residing in states neighboring Iraq. Syria hosts by far the greatest number of refugees from Iraq, followed by Jordan and other Middle Eastern states. Amnesty International is concerned that the increasing pattern of forcible returns from the Sweden and other European states sets a very poor example to these Middle Eastern states, whose resources have been stretched by the influx of people fleeing from Iraq, and may contribute to an overall weakening of the international system of refugee protection.
For more detailed information regarding Amnesty International's concerns about forced returns to Iraq, see the statement issued on 10 November 2010 (European states must stop forced returns to Iraq, http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/EUR01/028/2010/en).
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
* Urging the Swedish authorities not to proceed with forcible returns of individuals to Iraq, particularly to the provinces of Ninewa (Mosul), Kirkuk, Diyala, Salah al-Din and Baghdad, and other particularly dangerous areas such as parts of Al Anbar province, due to their facing a real risk of persecution or serious harm;
* Calling on the Swedish authorities to grant Iraqi asylum-seekers facing return to these provinces asylum or alternative protection, and where Iraqis do not qualify for such protection, nonetheless not to forcibly remove them if doing so would place them at real risk of persecution or serious harm;
* Reminding the Swedish authorities that Sweden is obliged, under the 1951 Refugee Convention, the European Convention on Human Rights and the Convention against Torture, not to return or otherwise remove anyone to any country or territory where they would face a real risk of persecution or serious harm, including grave human rights abuses such as indiscriminate threats to life, physical integrity or freedom arising from generalized violence.
APPEALS TO:
Minister for Migration & Asylum Policy
Tobias Billstrom
Ministry of Justice
Rosenbad 4
103 33 Stockholm
SWEDEN
Fax: 011 46 8 20 27 34
Email: registrator@justice.ministry.se
Salutation: Dear Minister
Director-General
Swedish Migration Board
Dan Eliasson
601 70 Norrkoping
SWEDEN
Fax: 011 46 11 10 81 55
Email: dan.eliasson@migrationsverket.se
Salutation: Dear Mr Eliasson
COPIES TO:
Ambassador Jonas Hafstrom
Embassy of Sweden
2900 K Street NW
Washington DC 20007
Fax: 1 202 467 2699
Phone: 1 202 467 2611
Email: michael.westberg@foreign.ministry.se
ambassaden.washington@foreign.ministry.se
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.
Check with the AIUSA Urgent Action office if sending appeals after 31 January 2011.
----------------------------------
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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):
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17 January 2011
UA 6/11 - Risk of forcible return
SWEDEN Several Iraqi asylum-seekers
Amnesty International has received credible reports that the Swedish authorities are planning to forcibly return several individuals whose asylum claims have been rejected to Baghdad, Iraq, on 19 January. Their lives could be at real risk in Iraq.
Credible sources have reported that several asylum-seekers are facing forced return to Baghdad, Iraq. Amnesty International understands that they include at least 14 individuals originally from particularly dangerous provinces [including Baghdad, Kirkuk and Ninewa (Mosul)], individuals from ethnic or religious minority groups who are at particular risk, or individuals who may face persecution on the basis of their gender or political opinion.
The Swedish authorities have maintained a policy of enforcing returns of Iraqis whose asylum claims have been dismissed, despite clear guidelines from the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) to the contrary. During 2009 and 2010 Swedish authorities forcibly returned Iraqis whose asylum claims were rejected on charter flights organized jointly with other European states, including Norway, the Netherlands and the UK. As recently as 15 December 2010, Sweden forcibly returned about 20 Iraqis to Baghdad. The UNHCR, reiterating its objection to such forced returns on 17 December, noted that there were five Christians originally from Baghdad among those forcibly returned. Christians have faced kidnapping and killing by armed groups. Dozens were killed in 2010, especially in Baghdad and Mosul, and churches were bombed.
Amnesty International believes that it is not safe to forcibly return anyone to the Iraqi provinces of Ninewa (Mosul), Kirkuk, Diyala, Salah al-Din and Baghdad, and to other particularly dangerous areas such as parts of Al Anbar province. Anyone facing forced return to any of these areas, regardless of whether they originate from those areas, should be granted asylum or alternative forms of protection. In those regions of Iraq serious risks, including the ongoing indiscriminate threats to life, physical integrity or personal freedom, arising from violence or events seriously disturbing public order are all valid grounds for international protection.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Sweden is obliged under domestic and international law, including the 1951 Refugee Convention, the Convention against Torture and the European Convention on Human Rights, not to return anyone to a country where they would be at risk of torture and other grave human rights abuses, including indiscriminate threats to life, physical integrity or freedom arising from generalized violence.
In April 2010, Amnesty International issued a report (Iraq: Civilians under fire, http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/MDE14/002/2010/en) highlighting the risks to people returned involuntarily to Iraq, who are among those particularly vulnerable to be targeted with violence.
At least five European countries - Norway, Sweden, Denmark, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands - have forcibly returned hundreds of Iraqis whose asylum claims had been dismissed since 2009. In the month of September 2010 alone, more than 150 individuals were returned from these five countries to Iraq. Many of these removals have been conducted in breach of UNHCR guidelines issued in April 2009 (and repeatedly reiterated, including as recently as September 2010) that identify particularly dangerous regions in Iraq to where no one should be forcibly returned - namely the provinces of Ninewa (Mosul), Kirkuk, Salah al-Din, Diyala and Baghdad. UNHCR also advised that no forcible returns should be conducted to other areas of Iraq unless an individual assessment has been carried out which indicates that it would be safe to return the individual in question.
Hundreds of civilians are still being killed or maimed every month in Iraq, notwithstanding the overall reduction in the civilian death-toll seen since 2008. Perpetrators of human rights abuses in Iraq include armed groups, militias, security forces and members of tribes. The recent publication of US secret and confidential files on the situation in Iraq by the Wikileaks organization has demonstrated, again, that civilians are the main victims of the ongoing violence in the country.
In practice, the number of Iraqi refugees seeking asylum in European states is relatively small compared to the numbers of those currently residing in states neighboring Iraq. Syria hosts by far the greatest number of refugees from Iraq, followed by Jordan and other Middle Eastern states. Amnesty International is concerned that the increasing pattern of forcible returns from the Sweden and other European states sets a very poor example to these Middle Eastern states, whose resources have been stretched by the influx of people fleeing from Iraq, and may contribute to an overall weakening of the international system of refugee protection.
For more detailed information regarding Amnesty International's concerns about forced returns to Iraq, see the statement issued on 10 November 2010 (European states must stop forced returns to Iraq, http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/EUR01/028/2010/en).
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
* Urging the Swedish authorities not to proceed with forcible returns of individuals to Iraq, particularly to the provinces of Ninewa (Mosul), Kirkuk, Diyala, Salah al-Din and Baghdad, and other particularly dangerous areas such as parts of Al Anbar province, due to their facing a real risk of persecution or serious harm;
* Calling on the Swedish authorities to grant Iraqi asylum-seekers facing return to these provinces asylum or alternative protection, and where Iraqis do not qualify for such protection, nonetheless not to forcibly remove them if doing so would place them at real risk of persecution or serious harm;
* Reminding the Swedish authorities that Sweden is obliged, under the 1951 Refugee Convention, the European Convention on Human Rights and the Convention against Torture, not to return or otherwise remove anyone to any country or territory where they would face a real risk of persecution or serious harm, including grave human rights abuses such as indiscriminate threats to life, physical integrity or freedom arising from generalized violence.
APPEALS TO:
Minister for Migration & Asylum Policy
Tobias Billstrom
Ministry of Justice
Rosenbad 4
103 33 Stockholm
SWEDEN
Fax: 011 46 8 20 27 34
Email: registrator@justice.ministry.se
Salutation: Dear Minister
Director-General
Swedish Migration Board
Dan Eliasson
601 70 Norrkoping
SWEDEN
Fax: 011 46 11 10 81 55
Email: dan.eliasson@migrationsverket.se
Salutation: Dear Mr Eliasson
COPIES TO:
Ambassador Jonas Hafstrom
Embassy of Sweden
2900 K Street NW
Washington DC 20007
Fax: 1 202 467 2699
Phone: 1 202 467 2611
Email: michael.westberg@foreign.ministry.se
ambassaden.washington@foreign.ministry.se
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.
Check with the AIUSA Urgent Action office if sending appeals after 31 January 2011.
----------------------------------
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----------------------------------
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Urgent Action 1-15-11
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/uaa31208.pdf
Note: Please write on behalf of these persons even though you may not have
received the original UA when issued on November 11, 2008. Thanks!
14 January 2011
Further Information on UA 312/08 (11 November 2008) and follow up (08 June 2009) - Fear of Torture and other ill treatment /Prisoners of Conscience
SAUDI ARABIA
Sulieman al-Rushudi (m), retired judge
Dr Saud al-Hashimi (m), medical doctor
Al-Sharif Saif Al-Ghalib (m)
Dr Musa al-Qirni (m), university professor
Dr ‘Abdel Rahman al-Shumayri (m), university professor
Fahd al-Qirshi (m)
‘Abdel Rahman Khan (m)
‘Abdelaziz al-Khariji (m)
Dr Matrouk al-Faleh (m), university professor and human rights activist (released)
Prisoner of conscience Dr Saud al-Hashimi is alleged to have been subjected to torture and other ill-treatment in Saudi Arabia, and forced to sign a confession. He is a prisoner of conscience, detained for peacefully exercising his rights to freedom of expression and assembly.
Amnesty International has received information that Dr Saud al-Hashimi, a medical doctor aged 46, was subjected to torture or other ill-treatment at Dhahban prison in western Saudi Arabia. In December he was alleged to have been stripped of his clothes and placed in an extremely cold room for four days until he signed a statement confessing to allegations against him and stating that he did not want a lawyer during his court sessions. Days later, on 1 January, he was brought before a judge, but, when he tried to explain that he had signed under duress, the judge neither responded nor took any action with regards to his allegations. He is held in solitary confinement and is said to be suffering from a colon infection, to have high blood pressure and to be in need of medical treatment.
The statement which he signed listed allegations against him which include contacting the Al Jazeera television station, instigating young people to disobey Saudi Arabia’s ruler, contacting Sa’ad al-Faqih (founder and head of the Movement for Islamic Reform in Arabia, otherwise known as the Islah Movement, an opposition group based in the UK), collecting money without the permission of the ruler, forming a secret organization to overthrow the ruling regime, and money laundering.
Dr Saud al-Hashimi and at least six other men were detained in February 2007 in the cities of Jeddah and Madinah after they circulated a petition calling for political reform and discussed a proposal to establish an independent human rights organization in Saudi Arabia. They are all held in Dhahban prison.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Other men detained for their calls for reform along with Dr Saud al-Hasimi include al-Sharif Saif al-Ghalib, Dr Musa al-Qirni, Dr ‘Abdel Rahman al-Shumayri, Fahd al-Qirshi, ‘Abdel Rahman Khan and ‘Abdelaziz al-Khariji. They had also challenged the impunity enjoyed by Ministry of Interior officials who carry out arrests and detentions. The Ministry of Interior claimed in a statement that they were arrested because they were collecting money to support terrorism; the detainees deny this.
Dr Saud al-Hashimi has previously reported being tortured or otherwise ill-treated. In October 2010 he was said to have been subjected to electric shocks and in June 2009, he was stripped of all his clothes, except his underwear, shackled and dragged from his cell and placed in a severely cold cell for about five hours, because he was on hunger strike.
Critics of the Saudi Arabian government face gross human rights violations at the hands of branches of the security forces under the control of the Ministry of Interior. They are often held incommunicado without charge, denied access to lawyers and the courts to challenge the lawfulness of their detention, and tortured or otherwise ill-treated. Legal proceedings fall far short of international standards for fair trial: defendants are generally denied legal counsel, and in many cases they and their families are not informed of the progress of legal proceedings against them. Court hearings are often held behind closed doors.
Incommunicado detention and solitary confinement are routine practices in Saudi Arabia. Both are used, along with torture and other ill-treatment, to extract confessions from detainees, to punish them for refusing to “repent”, or to force them to make undertakings not to criticize the government. Incommunicado detention in Saudi Arabia often lasts until a confession is obtained, which can take months and occasionally years.
The UN Human Rights Committee has commented that routine prolonged solitary confinement is inconsistent with the obligation on states to ensure prisoners are treated with humanity and with respect for their inherent dignity (General Comment 21/44, 6 April 1992).
Saudi Arabia is a state party to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, 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.”
For further information regarding the detention of peaceful critics of the state and human rights activists among thousands of others who have been arrested arbitrarily since 11 September 2001, please see Amnesty International’s report Saudi Arabia: Assaulting human rights in the name of counter-terrorism, 22 July 2009 (http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/report/saudi-arabia-human-rights-abuses-name-fighting-terrorism-20090722) and the update to the report Saudi Arabia: Countering terrorism with repression, issued on 11 September 2009 (http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/MDE23/025/2009/en).
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
- Expressing concern about reports that Dr Saud al-Hashimi was tortured or otherwise ill-treated and asking for the allegations to be investigated by an independent and impartial body and those responsible to be brought to justice;
- Calling on the authorities to provide Dr Saud al-Hashimi with all necessary medical treatment without delay;
- Reminding them that any statements made by Dr Saud al-Hashimi as a result of torture or other ill-treatment should not be used as evidence against him, in accordance with the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, to which Saudi Arabia is a party;
- Calling on the authorities to release immediately and unconditionally Dr Saud al-Hashimi and all those held with him solely for the peaceful exercise of their right to express their conscientiously held beliefs;
- Urging the authorities to ensure that all the detainees are protected from torture and other ill-treatment, and given regular access to their families, their lawyers and any medical attention they may require.
APPEALS TO:
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
King
His Majesty King ‘Abdullah Bin ‘Abdul ‘Aziz Al-Saud
The Custodian of the two Holy Mosques
Office of His Majesty the King
Royal Court, Riyadh
KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA
Fax: (via Ministry of the Interior) 011 966 1 403 1185 (please keep trying)
Salutation: Your Majesty
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
Email: hrc@haq-ksa.org
Salutation: Dear Dr al-Aiban
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 25 February 2011.
----------------------------------
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Phone: 202.544.0200
Fax: 202.675.8566
----------------------------------
END OF URGENT ACTION APPEAL
----------------------------------
- From Amnesty International USA
To read the current Urgent Action newsletter, go to
http://www.amnestyusa.org/iar/success
----------------------------------
For a print-friendly version of this Urgent Action (PDF):
http://www.amnestyusa.org/actioncenter/actions/uaa31208.pdf
Note: Please write on behalf of these persons even though you may not have
received the original UA when issued on November 11, 2008. Thanks!
14 January 2011
Further Information on UA 312/08 (11 November 2008) and follow up (08 June 2009) - Fear of Torture and other ill treatment /Prisoners of Conscience
SAUDI ARABIA
Sulieman al-Rushudi (m), retired judge
Dr Saud al-Hashimi (m), medical doctor
Al-Sharif Saif Al-Ghalib (m)
Dr Musa al-Qirni (m), university professor
Dr ‘Abdel Rahman al-Shumayri (m), university professor
Fahd al-Qirshi (m)
‘Abdel Rahman Khan (m)
‘Abdelaziz al-Khariji (m)
Dr Matrouk al-Faleh (m), university professor and human rights activist (released)
Prisoner of conscience Dr Saud al-Hashimi is alleged to have been subjected to torture and other ill-treatment in Saudi Arabia, and forced to sign a confession. He is a prisoner of conscience, detained for peacefully exercising his rights to freedom of expression and assembly.
Amnesty International has received information that Dr Saud al-Hashimi, a medical doctor aged 46, was subjected to torture or other ill-treatment at Dhahban prison in western Saudi Arabia. In December he was alleged to have been stripped of his clothes and placed in an extremely cold room for four days until he signed a statement confessing to allegations against him and stating that he did not want a lawyer during his court sessions. Days later, on 1 January, he was brought before a judge, but, when he tried to explain that he had signed under duress, the judge neither responded nor took any action with regards to his allegations. He is held in solitary confinement and is said to be suffering from a colon infection, to have high blood pressure and to be in need of medical treatment.
The statement which he signed listed allegations against him which include contacting the Al Jazeera television station, instigating young people to disobey Saudi Arabia’s ruler, contacting Sa’ad al-Faqih (founder and head of the Movement for Islamic Reform in Arabia, otherwise known as the Islah Movement, an opposition group based in the UK), collecting money without the permission of the ruler, forming a secret organization to overthrow the ruling regime, and money laundering.
Dr Saud al-Hashimi and at least six other men were detained in February 2007 in the cities of Jeddah and Madinah after they circulated a petition calling for political reform and discussed a proposal to establish an independent human rights organization in Saudi Arabia. They are all held in Dhahban prison.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Other men detained for their calls for reform along with Dr Saud al-Hasimi include al-Sharif Saif al-Ghalib, Dr Musa al-Qirni, Dr ‘Abdel Rahman al-Shumayri, Fahd al-Qirshi, ‘Abdel Rahman Khan and ‘Abdelaziz al-Khariji. They had also challenged the impunity enjoyed by Ministry of Interior officials who carry out arrests and detentions. The Ministry of Interior claimed in a statement that they were arrested because they were collecting money to support terrorism; the detainees deny this.
Dr Saud al-Hashimi has previously reported being tortured or otherwise ill-treated. In October 2010 he was said to have been subjected to electric shocks and in June 2009, he was stripped of all his clothes, except his underwear, shackled and dragged from his cell and placed in a severely cold cell for about five hours, because he was on hunger strike.
Critics of the Saudi Arabian government face gross human rights violations at the hands of branches of the security forces under the control of the Ministry of Interior. They are often held incommunicado without charge, denied access to lawyers and the courts to challenge the lawfulness of their detention, and tortured or otherwise ill-treated. Legal proceedings fall far short of international standards for fair trial: defendants are generally denied legal counsel, and in many cases they and their families are not informed of the progress of legal proceedings against them. Court hearings are often held behind closed doors.
Incommunicado detention and solitary confinement are routine practices in Saudi Arabia. Both are used, along with torture and other ill-treatment, to extract confessions from detainees, to punish them for refusing to “repent”, or to force them to make undertakings not to criticize the government. Incommunicado detention in Saudi Arabia often lasts until a confession is obtained, which can take months and occasionally years.
The UN Human Rights Committee has commented that routine prolonged solitary confinement is inconsistent with the obligation on states to ensure prisoners are treated with humanity and with respect for their inherent dignity (General Comment 21/44, 6 April 1992).
Saudi Arabia is a state party to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, 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.”
For further information regarding the detention of peaceful critics of the state and human rights activists among thousands of others who have been arrested arbitrarily since 11 September 2001, please see Amnesty International’s report Saudi Arabia: Assaulting human rights in the name of counter-terrorism, 22 July 2009 (http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/report/saudi-arabia-human-rights-abuses-name-fighting-terrorism-20090722) and the update to the report Saudi Arabia: Countering terrorism with repression, issued on 11 September 2009 (http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/MDE23/025/2009/en).
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
- Expressing concern about reports that Dr Saud al-Hashimi was tortured or otherwise ill-treated and asking for the allegations to be investigated by an independent and impartial body and those responsible to be brought to justice;
- Calling on the authorities to provide Dr Saud al-Hashimi with all necessary medical treatment without delay;
- Reminding them that any statements made by Dr Saud al-Hashimi as a result of torture or other ill-treatment should not be used as evidence against him, in accordance with the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, to which Saudi Arabia is a party;
- Calling on the authorities to release immediately and unconditionally Dr Saud al-Hashimi and all those held with him solely for the peaceful exercise of their right to express their conscientiously held beliefs;
- Urging the authorities to ensure that all the detainees are protected from torture and other ill-treatment, and given regular access to their families, their lawyers and any medical attention they may require.
APPEALS TO:
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
King
His Majesty King ‘Abdullah Bin ‘Abdul ‘Aziz Al-Saud
The Custodian of the two Holy Mosques
Office of His Majesty the King
Royal Court, Riyadh
KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA
Fax: (via Ministry of the Interior) 011 966 1 403 1185 (please keep trying)
Salutation: Your Majesty
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
Email: hrc@haq-ksa.org
Salutation: Dear Dr al-Aiban
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 25 February 2011.
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END OF URGENT ACTION APPEAL
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