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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25 February 2011
More Information on UA 01/10 (January 5, 2010) and follow-ups (February 8, 2011 and February 18, 2011) – Fear for safety
MEXICO
Malena Reyes (f)
Elías Reyes (m)
Luisa Ornelas (f)
Maria Luisa Andrade (f)
The bodies of Malena Reyes, Elías Reyes and Luisa Ornelas have been found in Guadalupe Distrito Bravos, northern Mexico, close to where they were kidnapped on 7 February. Amnesty International is gravely concerned for the safety of their family.
On 25 February, the bodies of Malena Reyes, Elías Reyes and Luisa Ornelas were found at a petrol station in Guadalupe Distrito Bravos municipality in the Valle de Juárez, east of Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua state. Malena Reyes, Elías Reyes and his wife Luisa Ornelas were abducted on 7 February. The three were travelling in a truck together with Sara Salazar, the mother of Malena Reyes, Elías Reyes. Also travelling in the car was the daughter of murdered human rights defender Josefina Reyes. Armed men stopped the truck and forced Sara Salazar and the young child to get out of the vehicle. They then drove off with Malena Reyes, Elías Reyes and Luisa Ornelas, leaving Sara Salazar and the young child on the side of the road.
Elías Reyes and Malena Reyes are the brother and sister of Josefina Reyes who was shot and killed on 3 January 2010 by unidentified gunmen. Since 2008, Josefina Reyes had been active in protests against the violence in the area by organized crime, and human rights violations committed by the military. Rubén Reyes, another brother of Josefina Reyes, was shot dead on 18 August 2010 on his way to buy food by his home in Guadalupe Distrito Bravos municipality. The investigation into both killings has not progressed.
On 15 February, the family home in the town of Guadalupe, outside Ciudad Juarez in the Valle de Juárez, was burnt down by an armed gang using homemade petrol bombs.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Since 2007, violence linked to organized crime has spiraled in Mexico. The media has reported more than 30,000 drug cartel related killings. The majority of these murders have occurred in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua state. President Calderón’s administration has attempted to combat the drug cartels by deploying thousands of federal police and over 50,000 military personnel in the worst affected areas, particularly Ciudad Juárez. However this has not resulted in a reduction in violence. According to the National Human Rights Commission (CNDH), reports of abuses by the military, including unlawful killings, torture, arbitrary detentions and illegal house searches increased significantly since 2006. These cases are routinely investigated and tried by the military justice system, which does not guarantee an impartial and independent investigation, resulting in impunity for the vast majority of perpetrators. As a result victims and their relatives are denied an effective recourse to justice, and military officials are aware that they are extremely unlikely to be held to account.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
--Calling for immediate measures to be taken to protect members of the Reyes family, to be implemented in accordance with the wishes of those at risk;
--Calling for a full, prompt and impartial investigation into the killing of Josefina Reyes, Rubén Reyes, Malena Reyes, Elías Reyes and Luisa Ornelas with the results made public and those responsible brought to justice.
APPEALS TO:
Minister of the Interior
Lic. José Francisco Blake Mora
Secretario, Sec. de Gobernación
Bucareli 99, 1er. piso, Col. Juárez,
Delegación Cuauhtémoc,
México D.F., C.P. 06600
MÉXICO
Fax: 011 52 55 30032900 ext. 32356
Email: secretario@segob.gob.mx
Salutation: Dear Minister/Estimado Señor Secretario
Attorney General of the Republic
Arturo Chávez Chávez
Procurador General de la República
Procuraduría General de la República
Av. Paseo de la Reforma nº 211-213,
Col. Cuauhtémoc, Del. Cuauhtémoc
México D.F., C.P. 06500
MEXICO
Fax: 011 52 55 5346 0908
Email: ofproc@pgr.gob.mx
Salutation: Dear Attorney General/Señor Procurador General
State Attorney General
Lic. César Duarte
Gobernador del Estado de Chihuahua,
Palacio de Gobierno, 1er piso, C.
Aldama #901, Col. Centro,
Chihuahua, Estado de Chihuahua, C.P31000
MEXICO
Fax: 011 52 614 429 3300 (then dial extension 11066 when prompted)
Salutation: Señor Gobernador/Dear Governor
COPIES TO:
Ambassador Arturo Sarukhan Casamitjana
Embassy of Mexico
1911 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington DC 20006
Fax: 1 202 728 1698
Email: mexembusa@sre.gob.mx
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.
Check with the AIUSA Urgent Action office if sending appeals after 8 April 2011.
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END OF URGENT ACTION APPEAL
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Saturday, February 26, 2011
Thursday, February 24, 2011
THREE Urgent Actions, and one sad case of an execution in Texas 2-24-11
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/uaa03811.pdf
22 February 2011
UA 38/11 - Fear for safety
CUBA
Reina Luisa Tamayo (f)
Jose Ortiz (m)
On 18 February Reina Luisa Tamayo, and her husband Jose Ortiz, were arrested and detained for 12 hours by state security agents. Reina Tamayo is the mother of Cuban prisoner of conscience Orlando Zapata who died last year, having spent several weeks on hunger strike whilst in prison. Amnesty International believes that their detention is an attempt to prevent them from undertaking any activities in memory of Orlando Zapata on the first anniversary of his death on 23 February.
Reina Luisa Tamayo reported that she and her husband left their house in Banes, Cuba, with Daniel Mesa, a human rights activist, when around 15 state security agents surrounded them. Reina Tamayo shouted at them "Zapata lives! The Cuban people are dying and will soon take the street". In response, state security agents pushed them to try and force them into their van. Reina Tamayo and the two men refused unsuccessfully to go with them. During the struggle, Jose Ortiz was reportedly hit in the face by the agents.
Reina Luisa Tamayo was taken to a room in a state security building where she remained for 12 hours with two female agents and without knowing the whereabouts of her husband or Daniel Mesa, who had also been detained. All three were not allowed to drink water or eat during the 12 hours of detention. Reina and Jose were released after 12 hours but Daniel remained in detention for a further two days. Since Reina Luisa Tamayo's release, between 8 and 12 State Security officials have surrounded her house to prevent visitors.
Amnesty International is concerned that Reina Luisa Tamayo and her relatives are facing difficulties and harassments while preparing to commemorate the first anniversary of the death of Orlando Zapata on Wednesday 23 February. Since his death his mother has been repeatedly harassed and intimidated when commemorating her son's death. Recently she has decided to go with her family into exile in the USA to escape the repression they are suffering. Reina Luisa Tamayo has informed Amnesty International that the US authorities granted to her and 12 persons of her family a visa and all the documents for the travel. They are now waiting to receive a passport and the authorizations from the Cuban authorities to leave the country.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Reina Luisa Tamayo is one of the Damas de Blanco (Ladies in White), a group of women relatives and friends of prisoners detained during a major crackdown on government critics in March 2003. In 2003, over several days, the Cuban authorities arrested 75 men and women for their peaceful expression of critical opinions of the government. They were subjected to summary trials, instead of full trials, and were sentenced to long prison terms of up to 28 years. Amnesty International declared the 75 convicted dissidents to be prisoners of conscience. 6 of them remain in prison.
Damas de Blanco organizes peaceful weekly marches in Havana where they distribute flowers and call for the release of their relatives and friends. In March 2010 Damas de Blanco organized a daily march for a week to mark the seventh anniversary of the arrest of their relatives. On 17 of March 2010, their march was forcibly broken up by Cuban police, who briefly detained several women. Some of the women claimed that they were beaten by the police.
Reina Luisa Tamayo is the mother of Orlando Zapata Tamayo, a prisoner of conscience who died on 23 February 2010, having spent several weeks on hunger strike whilst in prison. Since her son's death, Reina Luisa Tamayo has organized weekly marches on Sundays in the town of Barnes, Holguin Province, Cuba, to honor her son's memory. Relatives and friends accompany Reina Luisa Tamayo on these weekly marches from her home to attend mass at the Nuestra Señora de la Caridad Church, in Barnes and from there to the cemetery where Orlando Zapata Tamayo is buried.
On August 2010 Amnesty International already called on the Cuban authorities to stop harassment on Reina Luisa Tamayo, her friends and relatives, and her right to celebrate peacefully the death of her son, along with any other Cuban citizen who seek to peacefully exercise their right to freedom of expression, assembly and association.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
-Calling on the authorities to ensure an immediate halt to the harassment and intimidation of Reina Luisa Tamayo by government agents, and that of the relatives and friends and any other citizens who seek to peacefully exercise their right to freedom of expression, assembly and association;
-Calling on the authorities to permit Reina Luisa Tamayo and others to go the cemetery where Orlando Zapata is buried and peacefully commemorate the anniversary of her son's death;
-Calling on the authorities to allow Reina Luisa Tamayo and her relatives to leave the country, granting them the passport, exit permit and other documents needed to travel outside the country.
APPEALS TO:
Head of State and Government
Raul Castro Ruz Presidente
La Habana
CUBA
Fax: 011 53 7 8333085 (via Foreign Ministry);
011 1 2127791697 (via Cuban Mission to UN)
Email: cuba@un.int (c/o Cuban Mission to UN)
Salutation: Su Excelencia/Your Excellency
Interior Minister
General Abelardo Coloma Ibarra
Ministro del Interior y Prisiones
Ministerio del Interior, Plaza de la
Revolución, La Habana
CUBA
Fax: 011 53 7 8333085 (via Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
011 1 2127791697 (via Cuban Mission to UN)
Salutation: Su Excelencia/Your Excellency
COPIES TO:
Cuba has no embassy in the US at present. To contact its interest in the US, write to:
Embassy of Switzerland
Cuban Interests Section
2639 16th Street NW
Washington, D.C. 20009
Fax: (202) 797 8521
Email: cubaseccion@igc.apc.org
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.
Check with the AIUSA Urgent Action office if sending appeals after 01 April 2011.
----------------------------------
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Phone: 202.509.8193
Fax: 202.675.8566
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END OF URGENT ACTION APPEAL
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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/uaa03911.pdf
22 February 2011
UA 39/11 - Fear for safety/Freedom of Expression
GUATEMALA
The Quebrada Seca Community, including:
Catalina Mucu Maas (f),
Alberto Coc Cal (m),
Sebastian Xuc Coc (m),
Amilcar Choc (m)
Three human rights defenders from a Maya Q'eqchi' rural community were killed in Rio Dulce, Izabal, eastern Guatemala. The activists, all university students and campaigners for land rights, were found dead on 14 February. The rest of their community is in danger.
On 12 February, Catalina Mucu Maas, Alberto Coc Cal and Sebastian Xuc Coc from the indigenous Maya Qeq'chi community Quebrada Seca, left their community which is situated on a river at 6.30 am by boat to attend university in Rio Dulce, in the Izabal department. They reached their destination two hours later and left their boat at a dock. At 2.00pm Alberto Coc Cal and Sebastian Xuc Coc went back to the dock to have lunch in a nearby cafe. Half an hour later, an unknown man asked for them at the cafe, but they had already left.
Alberto Coc Cal, Catalina Mucu Maas and Sebastian Xuc Coc finished their classes around 5.00pm and were joined by Amilcar Choc, a friend. The four started making their way back towards the Quebrada Seca community. Catalina Mucu Maas called her relatives by mobile to tell them she was coming back. After that call, there was no contact with the activists. Family members asked for the authorities help in finding them.
At 2.00pm on 13 February, members of the community found the boat with several bullet holes and traces of blood. The activists were not there, but their backpacks were found. Members of the community began searching for the students on the following day. On 14 February, Alberto Coc Cal, Catalina Mucu Maas and Sebastian Xuc Coc were found dead, their bodies floating on the water around the same area where the boat was the day before. On 15 February, the body of their friend, Amilcar Choc, was found 1 km away. They had all been shot numerous times and had apparently been shot in coup de grace manner.
The three defenders killed were active in promoting the rights of the Quebrada Seca community. They had participated in negotiations on a land dispute in the area. Other community activists have received death threats recently, and members of the community are now at risk, fearing to work their lands and continue their daily activities.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
According to local sources, the relevant authorities – Ministry of Interior (Ministerio de Gobernacion) and Public Prosecutor's Office (Ministerio Publico)- responded to the community members calls for searching the bodies and for visiting the crime scene with delay. The Public Prosecutor's Office, for example, did not collect crucial evidence such as the defenders' backpacks, which were returned to their relatives, and four bullet casings.
Amnesty International is concerned that the evidence is not collected according to best practice, thus having an impact on the standards of the investigation. Additionally, the relevant authorities did not investigate into the threats and other incidents that members of the community had denounced in recent weeks. Amnesty International has previously raised concerns about the authorities practice when investigating crimes in the following reports: "Guatemala: No protection, no justice: killings of women in Guatemala"; "Guatemala: No protection, no justice: killings of women (an update)".
Amnesty International is concerned for the situation of human rights defenders in Guatemala, who constantly face attacks and threats because of their legitimate activism. Most of the incidents involving human rights defenders result in impunity. See the report "Central America: Persecution and resistance: The experience of human rights defenders in Guatemala and Honduras"
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
- Calling for an independent, thorough and impartial investigation by the Prosecutor's office into the killing of the four individuals, with the results made public and those responsible brought to justice;
- Urging that the authorities take immediate steps to provide appropriate protection to the Quebrada Seca community
APPEALS TO:
Attorney General
Claudia Paz y Paz Bailey
Fiscal General de la Republica
Ministerio Publico
15a Avenida 15-16, Zona 1, Barrio Gerona
Ciudad de Guatemala,
GUATEMALA
Fax: 011 502 2411 9124
Salutation: Dear Attorney General / Estimada Sra. Fiscal General
Ministry of Interior
Lic. Carlos Menocal
Ministro de Gobernacion
6a Avenida 13-71, Zona 1,
Ciudad de Guatemala,
GUATEMALA
Fax: 011 502 2413 8658
Salutation: Dear Minister / Estimado Sr. Ministro
COPIES TO:
UDEFEGUA
UDEFEGUA – Unidad de proteccion a defensores y defensoras de derechos humanos
1 Calle 7-45 zona 1, Oficina 2-b,
Ciudad de Guatemala,
GUATEMALA
E-mail: udefegua@yahoo.com
Ambassador Francisco Villagran de Leon
Embassy of Guatemala
2220 R St. NW
Washington DC 20008
Fax: 1 202 745 1908
Email: info@guatemala-embassy.org
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.
Check with the AIUSA Urgent Action office if sending appeals after 5 April 2011.
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END OF URGENT ACTION APPEAL
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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/uaa04411.pdf
23 February 2011
UA 44/11 Fear for Safety
NICARAGUA Luis Galeano (m)
Luis Galeano, a Nicaraguan journalist with the newspaper El Nuevo Diario, has received death threats by letter and phone from unknown individuals. Luis Galeano’s life is at risk.
On 19 February an unknown individual called Luis Galeano on his mobile phone and said “You have 72 hours to change your mind about what you’ll publish, otherwise your family won’t see you anymore” ([…]”Tenés 72 horas para arrepentirte de lo que vas a publicar, de lo contrario no te va a ver más tu familia”). The caller alluded to an investigation that Galeano and a colleague had carried in recent days into a corruption case. The case deals with allegations of misuse of funds, estimated at around US$20m, by officials in the Supreme Electoral Council (“Consejo Supremo Electoral”) between 2004-2008.
Their article was published by El Nuevo Diario on 21 February.
A few hours prior to the call, Luis Galeano had received a message left for him by an unknown man at the reception desk of the El Nuevo Diario office where he works. The message contained a reference to his research on the corruption case and warned Luis Galeano not to publish the article. The message ended by saying “What you’re trying to do is to compromise the Supreme Electoral Council, given that on 1 March [political] alliances will be registered […]We´re not joking” (“Lo que Uds. Pretenden es perjudicar al CSE, ya que el 1o de marzo es la inscripción de alianzas […] No estamos jugando”) followed by the slogan “Free country or death” (“Patria Libre o Morir”).
Reports of intimidation of media workers in Nicaragua have increased in recent months in the context of a heated political debate in the run up to the presidential elections scheduled for November 2011.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Amnesty International has previously raised concerns about the issue of freedom of expression and association in Nicaragua. In the Amnesty International Report 2010, Amnesty International documented a series of incidents involving attacks on journalists, government critics and civil society activists. In November 2009, pro-government supporters in Managua, the capital, attacked a group of protesters demonstrating against corruption and curbs on freedom of expressions. The pro-government supporters threw stones against the demonstrators and they broke the door of a police station where the protesters had taken refuge. See Nicaragua entry in “Amnesty International Report 2010 – The State of the World Human Rights” (AI Index POL 10/001/2010).
According to news reports, on 11 February a correspondent for El Nuevo Diario in Masaya was intimidated after having published an article involving a relative of the head of the local police.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
- Calling for an independent, thorough and impartial investigation by authorities into the threats against Luis Galeano, with the results made public and those responsible brought to justice;
- Urging that the authorities take immediate steps to provide appropriate protection to the Luis Galeano, according to his wishes.
APPEALS TO:
Attorney General
Dr. Julio Centeno Gómez
Fiscal General de la República de Nicaragua
Ministerio Público
Km 4, Carretera Masaya
Contiguo al Bancentro
Managua,
NICARAGUA
Fax: 011 505 2255 6832
Salutation: Dear Attorney General/ Estimado Sr. Fisca
Head of National Police
Primera Comisionada Aminta Granera Sacasa
Directora de la Policía Nacional
Edificio Faustino Ruiz
Managua,
NICARAGUA
Fax: 011 505 2277 1871
Salutation: Dear Commissioner/ Estimada Comisionada
COPIES TO:
CENIDH
De la Texaco de Montoya 1 ½ c. al sur,
Managua,
NICARAGUA
Ambassador Arturo Cruz Sequeira Jr.
Embassy of Nicaragua
1627 New Hampshire Ave. NW
Washington DC 20009
Fax: 1 202 939 6542
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.
Check with the AIUSA Urgent Action office if sending appeals after 6 April 2011.
----------------------------------
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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
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Phone: 202.509.8193
Fax: 202.675.8566
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END OF URGENT ACTION APPEAL
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URGENT ACTION APPEAL
- From Amnesty International USA
----------------------------------
23 February 2011
Further information on UA 27/11 (10 February 2011) - Death Penalty
USA (Texas) Timothy Adams (m), executed
Timothy Adams was executed in Texas on the evening of 22 February. He was sentenced to death for the murder of his young son in 2002.
On 18 February, the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles voted against clemency for Timothy Adams. Among those who had appealed for clemency were more than 90 religious leaders from across Texas. In their letter to the Board and Governor Rick Perry on 16 February, they wrote: “As faith leaders, we believe that our justice system should be directed toward the improvement of life, not its destruction. We advocate for a system that is rehabilitative and humane, while still taking every measure possible to support and facilitate the healing of victims… We join the victim’s family in asking that you spare Mr. Adams from death. You have an extraordinary opportunity to show mercy to a family that has already suffered greatly and to uphold the sacredness of human life. We pray that you grant life to Timothy Adams.”
Family members had also appealed for clemency, as had three jurors from the original trial (see original UA).
The Board of Pardons of Paroles voted 7-0 against a reprieve and also unanimously against recommending that the governor commute the death sentence to life imprisonment. Governor Perry, who still had the authority to issue a stay of execution, declined to intervene.
The execution went ahead about half an hour after the US Supreme Court refused to issue a stay. Timothy Adams made no final statement before being put to death by lethal injection.
This was the second execution in Texas this year, and the eighth nationwide. There have now been 1,242 executions in the USA since judicial killing resumed there in 1977. Texas accounts for 466 of these executions. Of these 466 people put to death, 116 were convicted in Harris County, where Tim Adams was sentenced to death. If Harris County was a state, it would account for more executions than any other state in the USA apart from the rest of Texas.
NO FURTHER ACTION IS REQUESTED. MANY THANKS TO ALL WHO SENT APPEALS.
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/uaa03811.pdf
22 February 2011
UA 38/11 - Fear for safety
CUBA
Reina Luisa Tamayo (f)
Jose Ortiz (m)
On 18 February Reina Luisa Tamayo, and her husband Jose Ortiz, were arrested and detained for 12 hours by state security agents. Reina Tamayo is the mother of Cuban prisoner of conscience Orlando Zapata who died last year, having spent several weeks on hunger strike whilst in prison. Amnesty International believes that their detention is an attempt to prevent them from undertaking any activities in memory of Orlando Zapata on the first anniversary of his death on 23 February.
Reina Luisa Tamayo reported that she and her husband left their house in Banes, Cuba, with Daniel Mesa, a human rights activist, when around 15 state security agents surrounded them. Reina Tamayo shouted at them "Zapata lives! The Cuban people are dying and will soon take the street". In response, state security agents pushed them to try and force them into their van. Reina Tamayo and the two men refused unsuccessfully to go with them. During the struggle, Jose Ortiz was reportedly hit in the face by the agents.
Reina Luisa Tamayo was taken to a room in a state security building where she remained for 12 hours with two female agents and without knowing the whereabouts of her husband or Daniel Mesa, who had also been detained. All three were not allowed to drink water or eat during the 12 hours of detention. Reina and Jose were released after 12 hours but Daniel remained in detention for a further two days. Since Reina Luisa Tamayo's release, between 8 and 12 State Security officials have surrounded her house to prevent visitors.
Amnesty International is concerned that Reina Luisa Tamayo and her relatives are facing difficulties and harassments while preparing to commemorate the first anniversary of the death of Orlando Zapata on Wednesday 23 February. Since his death his mother has been repeatedly harassed and intimidated when commemorating her son's death. Recently she has decided to go with her family into exile in the USA to escape the repression they are suffering. Reina Luisa Tamayo has informed Amnesty International that the US authorities granted to her and 12 persons of her family a visa and all the documents for the travel. They are now waiting to receive a passport and the authorizations from the Cuban authorities to leave the country.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Reina Luisa Tamayo is one of the Damas de Blanco (Ladies in White), a group of women relatives and friends of prisoners detained during a major crackdown on government critics in March 2003. In 2003, over several days, the Cuban authorities arrested 75 men and women for their peaceful expression of critical opinions of the government. They were subjected to summary trials, instead of full trials, and were sentenced to long prison terms of up to 28 years. Amnesty International declared the 75 convicted dissidents to be prisoners of conscience. 6 of them remain in prison.
Damas de Blanco organizes peaceful weekly marches in Havana where they distribute flowers and call for the release of their relatives and friends. In March 2010 Damas de Blanco organized a daily march for a week to mark the seventh anniversary of the arrest of their relatives. On 17 of March 2010, their march was forcibly broken up by Cuban police, who briefly detained several women. Some of the women claimed that they were beaten by the police.
Reina Luisa Tamayo is the mother of Orlando Zapata Tamayo, a prisoner of conscience who died on 23 February 2010, having spent several weeks on hunger strike whilst in prison. Since her son's death, Reina Luisa Tamayo has organized weekly marches on Sundays in the town of Barnes, Holguin Province, Cuba, to honor her son's memory. Relatives and friends accompany Reina Luisa Tamayo on these weekly marches from her home to attend mass at the Nuestra Señora de la Caridad Church, in Barnes and from there to the cemetery where Orlando Zapata Tamayo is buried.
On August 2010 Amnesty International already called on the Cuban authorities to stop harassment on Reina Luisa Tamayo, her friends and relatives, and her right to celebrate peacefully the death of her son, along with any other Cuban citizen who seek to peacefully exercise their right to freedom of expression, assembly and association.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
-Calling on the authorities to ensure an immediate halt to the harassment and intimidation of Reina Luisa Tamayo by government agents, and that of the relatives and friends and any other citizens who seek to peacefully exercise their right to freedom of expression, assembly and association;
-Calling on the authorities to permit Reina Luisa Tamayo and others to go the cemetery where Orlando Zapata is buried and peacefully commemorate the anniversary of her son's death;
-Calling on the authorities to allow Reina Luisa Tamayo and her relatives to leave the country, granting them the passport, exit permit and other documents needed to travel outside the country.
APPEALS TO:
Head of State and Government
Raul Castro Ruz Presidente
La Habana
CUBA
Fax: 011 53 7 8333085 (via Foreign Ministry);
011 1 2127791697 (via Cuban Mission to UN)
Email: cuba@un.int (c/o Cuban Mission to UN)
Salutation: Su Excelencia/Your Excellency
Interior Minister
General Abelardo Coloma Ibarra
Ministro del Interior y Prisiones
Ministerio del Interior, Plaza de la
Revolución, La Habana
CUBA
Fax: 011 53 7 8333085 (via Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
011 1 2127791697 (via Cuban Mission to UN)
Salutation: Su Excelencia/Your Excellency
COPIES TO:
Cuba has no embassy in the US at present. To contact its interest in the US, write to:
Embassy of Switzerland
Cuban Interests Section
2639 16th Street NW
Washington, D.C. 20009
Fax: (202) 797 8521
Email: cubaseccion@igc.apc.org
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.
Check with the AIUSA Urgent Action office if sending appeals after 01 April 2011.
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URGENT ACTION APPEAL
- From Amnesty International USA
To learn about recent Urgent Action successes and updates, go to
http://www.amnestyusa.org/iar/success
----------------------------------
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22 February 2011
UA 39/11 - Fear for safety/Freedom of Expression
GUATEMALA
The Quebrada Seca Community, including:
Catalina Mucu Maas (f),
Alberto Coc Cal (m),
Sebastian Xuc Coc (m),
Amilcar Choc (m)
Three human rights defenders from a Maya Q'eqchi' rural community were killed in Rio Dulce, Izabal, eastern Guatemala. The activists, all university students and campaigners for land rights, were found dead on 14 February. The rest of their community is in danger.
On 12 February, Catalina Mucu Maas, Alberto Coc Cal and Sebastian Xuc Coc from the indigenous Maya Qeq'chi community Quebrada Seca, left their community which is situated on a river at 6.30 am by boat to attend university in Rio Dulce, in the Izabal department. They reached their destination two hours later and left their boat at a dock. At 2.00pm Alberto Coc Cal and Sebastian Xuc Coc went back to the dock to have lunch in a nearby cafe. Half an hour later, an unknown man asked for them at the cafe, but they had already left.
Alberto Coc Cal, Catalina Mucu Maas and Sebastian Xuc Coc finished their classes around 5.00pm and were joined by Amilcar Choc, a friend. The four started making their way back towards the Quebrada Seca community. Catalina Mucu Maas called her relatives by mobile to tell them she was coming back. After that call, there was no contact with the activists. Family members asked for the authorities help in finding them.
At 2.00pm on 13 February, members of the community found the boat with several bullet holes and traces of blood. The activists were not there, but their backpacks were found. Members of the community began searching for the students on the following day. On 14 February, Alberto Coc Cal, Catalina Mucu Maas and Sebastian Xuc Coc were found dead, their bodies floating on the water around the same area where the boat was the day before. On 15 February, the body of their friend, Amilcar Choc, was found 1 km away. They had all been shot numerous times and had apparently been shot in coup de grace manner.
The three defenders killed were active in promoting the rights of the Quebrada Seca community. They had participated in negotiations on a land dispute in the area. Other community activists have received death threats recently, and members of the community are now at risk, fearing to work their lands and continue their daily activities.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
According to local sources, the relevant authorities – Ministry of Interior (Ministerio de Gobernacion) and Public Prosecutor's Office (Ministerio Publico)- responded to the community members calls for searching the bodies and for visiting the crime scene with delay. The Public Prosecutor's Office, for example, did not collect crucial evidence such as the defenders' backpacks, which were returned to their relatives, and four bullet casings.
Amnesty International is concerned that the evidence is not collected according to best practice, thus having an impact on the standards of the investigation. Additionally, the relevant authorities did not investigate into the threats and other incidents that members of the community had denounced in recent weeks. Amnesty International has previously raised concerns about the authorities practice when investigating crimes in the following reports: "Guatemala: No protection, no justice: killings of women in Guatemala"; "Guatemala: No protection, no justice: killings of women (an update)".
Amnesty International is concerned for the situation of human rights defenders in Guatemala, who constantly face attacks and threats because of their legitimate activism. Most of the incidents involving human rights defenders result in impunity. See the report "Central America: Persecution and resistance: The experience of human rights defenders in Guatemala and Honduras"
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
- Calling for an independent, thorough and impartial investigation by the Prosecutor's office into the killing of the four individuals, with the results made public and those responsible brought to justice;
- Urging that the authorities take immediate steps to provide appropriate protection to the Quebrada Seca community
APPEALS TO:
Attorney General
Claudia Paz y Paz Bailey
Fiscal General de la Republica
Ministerio Publico
15a Avenida 15-16, Zona 1, Barrio Gerona
Ciudad de Guatemala,
GUATEMALA
Fax: 011 502 2411 9124
Salutation: Dear Attorney General / Estimada Sra. Fiscal General
Ministry of Interior
Lic. Carlos Menocal
Ministro de Gobernacion
6a Avenida 13-71, Zona 1,
Ciudad de Guatemala,
GUATEMALA
Fax: 011 502 2413 8658
Salutation: Dear Minister / Estimado Sr. Ministro
COPIES TO:
UDEFEGUA
UDEFEGUA – Unidad de proteccion a defensores y defensoras de derechos humanos
1 Calle 7-45 zona 1, Oficina 2-b,
Ciudad de Guatemala,
GUATEMALA
E-mail: udefegua@yahoo.com
Ambassador Francisco Villagran de Leon
Embassy of Guatemala
2220 R St. NW
Washington DC 20008
Fax: 1 202 745 1908
Email: info@guatemala-embassy.org
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.
Check with the AIUSA Urgent Action office if sending appeals after 5 April 2011.
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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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23 February 2011
UA 44/11 Fear for Safety
NICARAGUA Luis Galeano (m)
Luis Galeano, a Nicaraguan journalist with the newspaper El Nuevo Diario, has received death threats by letter and phone from unknown individuals. Luis Galeano’s life is at risk.
On 19 February an unknown individual called Luis Galeano on his mobile phone and said “You have 72 hours to change your mind about what you’ll publish, otherwise your family won’t see you anymore” ([…]”Tenés 72 horas para arrepentirte de lo que vas a publicar, de lo contrario no te va a ver más tu familia”). The caller alluded to an investigation that Galeano and a colleague had carried in recent days into a corruption case. The case deals with allegations of misuse of funds, estimated at around US$20m, by officials in the Supreme Electoral Council (“Consejo Supremo Electoral”) between 2004-2008.
Their article was published by El Nuevo Diario on 21 February.
A few hours prior to the call, Luis Galeano had received a message left for him by an unknown man at the reception desk of the El Nuevo Diario office where he works. The message contained a reference to his research on the corruption case and warned Luis Galeano not to publish the article. The message ended by saying “What you’re trying to do is to compromise the Supreme Electoral Council, given that on 1 March [political] alliances will be registered […]We´re not joking” (“Lo que Uds. Pretenden es perjudicar al CSE, ya que el 1o de marzo es la inscripción de alianzas […] No estamos jugando”) followed by the slogan “Free country or death” (“Patria Libre o Morir”).
Reports of intimidation of media workers in Nicaragua have increased in recent months in the context of a heated political debate in the run up to the presidential elections scheduled for November 2011.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Amnesty International has previously raised concerns about the issue of freedom of expression and association in Nicaragua. In the Amnesty International Report 2010, Amnesty International documented a series of incidents involving attacks on journalists, government critics and civil society activists. In November 2009, pro-government supporters in Managua, the capital, attacked a group of protesters demonstrating against corruption and curbs on freedom of expressions. The pro-government supporters threw stones against the demonstrators and they broke the door of a police station where the protesters had taken refuge. See Nicaragua entry in “Amnesty International Report 2010 – The State of the World Human Rights” (AI Index POL 10/001/2010).
According to news reports, on 11 February a correspondent for El Nuevo Diario in Masaya was intimidated after having published an article involving a relative of the head of the local police.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
- Calling for an independent, thorough and impartial investigation by authorities into the threats against Luis Galeano, with the results made public and those responsible brought to justice;
- Urging that the authorities take immediate steps to provide appropriate protection to the Luis Galeano, according to his wishes.
APPEALS TO:
Attorney General
Dr. Julio Centeno Gómez
Fiscal General de la República de Nicaragua
Ministerio Público
Km 4, Carretera Masaya
Contiguo al Bancentro
Managua,
NICARAGUA
Fax: 011 505 2255 6832
Salutation: Dear Attorney General/ Estimado Sr. Fisca
Head of National Police
Primera Comisionada Aminta Granera Sacasa
Directora de la Policía Nacional
Edificio Faustino Ruiz
Managua,
NICARAGUA
Fax: 011 505 2277 1871
Salutation: Dear Commissioner/ Estimada Comisionada
COPIES TO:
CENIDH
De la Texaco de Montoya 1 ½ c. al sur,
Managua,
NICARAGUA
Ambassador Arturo Cruz Sequeira Jr.
Embassy of Nicaragua
1627 New Hampshire Ave. NW
Washington DC 20009
Fax: 1 202 939 6542
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.
Check with the AIUSA Urgent Action office if sending appeals after 6 April 2011.
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URGENT ACTION APPEAL
- From Amnesty International USA
----------------------------------
23 February 2011
Further information on UA 27/11 (10 February 2011) - Death Penalty
USA (Texas) Timothy Adams (m), executed
Timothy Adams was executed in Texas on the evening of 22 February. He was sentenced to death for the murder of his young son in 2002.
On 18 February, the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles voted against clemency for Timothy Adams. Among those who had appealed for clemency were more than 90 religious leaders from across Texas. In their letter to the Board and Governor Rick Perry on 16 February, they wrote: “As faith leaders, we believe that our justice system should be directed toward the improvement of life, not its destruction. We advocate for a system that is rehabilitative and humane, while still taking every measure possible to support and facilitate the healing of victims… We join the victim’s family in asking that you spare Mr. Adams from death. You have an extraordinary opportunity to show mercy to a family that has already suffered greatly and to uphold the sacredness of human life. We pray that you grant life to Timothy Adams.”
Family members had also appealed for clemency, as had three jurors from the original trial (see original UA).
The Board of Pardons of Paroles voted 7-0 against a reprieve and also unanimously against recommending that the governor commute the death sentence to life imprisonment. Governor Perry, who still had the authority to issue a stay of execution, declined to intervene.
The execution went ahead about half an hour after the US Supreme Court refused to issue a stay. Timothy Adams made no final statement before being put to death by lethal injection.
This was the second execution in Texas this year, and the eighth nationwide. There have now been 1,242 executions in the USA since judicial killing resumed there in 1977. Texas accounts for 466 of these executions. Of these 466 people put to death, 116 were convicted in Harris County, where Tim Adams was sentenced to death. If Harris County was a state, it would account for more executions than any other state in the USA apart from the rest of Texas.
NO FURTHER ACTION IS REQUESTED. MANY THANKS TO ALL WHO SENT APPEALS.
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
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END OF URGENT ACTION APPEAL
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Thursday, February 17, 2011
TWO MORE Urgent Actions 2-17-11
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):
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Note: Please write on behalf of these persons even though you may not have received the original UA when issued on February 15, 2011. Thanks!
17 February 2011
Further Information UA 29/11 (15 February 2011) - Freedom of Expression
BAHRAIN
'Ali 'Abdulhadi Mushaima' (m)
Fadhel 'Ali Matrook (m)
New names: Isa Abdulhasan
Mahmood Maki 'Ali
'Ali Mansoor Ahmed Khudair
Three more people died last night in Bahrain after riot police stormed the camp where protesters where spending the night. Five protesters have now been killed in Bahrain since 14 February.
Isa Abdulhasan (60), Mahmood Maki 'Ali (23) and 'Ali Mansoor Ahmed Khudair (52) died in the early hours of today after riot police used what appears to have been severely excessive force to disperse protesters camping at the Pearl Roundabout in Manama, the capital of Bahrain. Eyewitnesses told Amnesty International that the riot police stormed the area at around 2 am with no prior warning. Men, women and children have been camping at the roundabout since peaceful protests calling for political reform started on 14 February, the 'Day of Rage'.
The riot police used tear gas, batons, rubber bullets and pellet guns to disperse the crowds. An eyewitness said that one battalion of the riot police was shooting from a bridge over the roundabout while another battalion was shooting from the opposite side, while the crowd was trying to seek refuge. Another eyewitness said: "The protesters are being attacked! Women and children are running around screaming and there is no where to run. Riot police are everywhere and are attacking from every corner. Many are wounded. There is a panic and chaos at the roundabout. Everyone is running and screaming."
According to eyewitnesses, the security forces were blocking ambulances' access to the Pearl Roundabout and paramedic staff from the hospital were scared to access the area for fear of being attacked. The protesters marched from the roundabout to the hospital with those injured to protect them.
Crowds gathered at the hospital to donate blood and human rights activists were present at the hospital in the morning. Some people have reportedly been arrested this morning in relation to the protests and activists fear the number of arrests might increase in the hours and days.
Previously, 'Ali 'Abdulhadi Mushaima' was shot, reportedly with live ammunition, at a demonstration on 14 February in al-Daih village, in the north of Bahrain. Fadhel 'Ali Matrook, was injured by shotgun pellets while joining a funeral procession for 'Ali 'Abdulhadi Mushaima' on 15 February and later died in hospital.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The 'Day of Rage' protests were called for on several websites, Facebook and Twitter. The protests were organized to coincide with the 10th anniversary of the endorsement of Bahrain's National Action Charter. Inspired by the protests in Tunisia and Egypt, the protesters have been demanding more freedom, the release of all political prisoners, a new constitution and an elected government. The largest Shi'a political group, al-Wefaq, reportedly suspended its participation in parliament on the 15th of February in protest at the death of the two protestors and the methods used by the police.
Article 3 of the Code of Conduct for Law Enforcement Officials, adopted by UN General Assembly Resolution 34/169 of 17 December 1979, states: "... the use of force by law enforcement officials should be exceptional; while it implies that law enforcement officials may be authorized to use force as is reasonably necessary under the circumstances for the prevention of crime or in effecting or assisting in the lawful arrest of offenders or suspected offenders, no force going beyond that may be used".
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
-Urge the authorities to immediately stop using excessive force against the protesters;
-Urge the authorities to refrain from arresting and immediately free protesters who were exercising their right to freedom of assembly and freedom of expression;
-Urge the authorities to set up an immediate, thorough and independent investigation into the deaths of 'Ali 'Abdulhadi Mushaima' , Fadhel 'Ali Matrook, Isa Abdulhasan, Mahmood Maki 'Ali and 'Ali Mansoor Ahmed Khudair, and ensure that any police found to have used excessive force are brought to justice
-Urge the authorities to respect and protect the right of freedom expression, movement and assembly in Bahrain
APPEALS TO:
King
Shaikh Hamad bin 'Issa Al Khalifa
Office of His Majesty the King
P.O. Box 555
Rifa'a Palace, al-Manama,
BAHRAIN
Fax: 011 00973 17664587
Salutation: His Highness
Minister of Interior
Shaik Rashi
Ahmad Al Khalifa
Minister of Interior
Ministry of Interior
P.O. Box 13, 1l-Manama,
BAHRAIN
Fax: 011 973 17232661
Salutation: Your Excellency
Minister of Interior
Shaikh Rashid bin 'Abdullah bin Ahmad Al Khalifa
Minister of Interior
Ministry of Interior
P.O. Box 13, al-Manama,
BAHRAIN
Fax: 011 0097317232661
Salutation: His Excellency
COPIES TO:
Ambassador Houda Ezra Ebrahim Nonoo
Embassy of the Kingdom of Bahrain
3502 International Drive. NW
Washington DC 20008
Phone: 1 202 342 1111
Fax: 1 202 362 2192
Email: ambsecretary@bahrainembassy.org
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.
Check with the AIUSA Urgent Action office if sending appeals after 31 March 2011.
----------------------------------
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END OF URGENT ACTION APPEAL
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URGENT ACTION APPEAL
- From Amnesty International USA
To learn about recent Urgent Action successes and updates, go to
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17 February 2011
UA 33/11 - Risk of Torture/Ill-Treatment
YEMEN Scores of Protesters
Scores of protesters arrested following demonstrations in the city of Aden, in southern Yemen, are being held incommunicado and are at risk of torture or other ill-treatment. Amnesty International is concerned that they may be held solely for the peaceful expression of their right to freedom of expression and assembly, and therefore may be prisoners of conscience.
Scores were arrested by security forces following peaceful protests calling for reform and regime change that took place in the al-Mansurah area of the southern city of Aden on 16 February. At least four men are reported to have been killed, and dozens injured when security forces opened fire on protesters.
Protests had already been taking place in Aden and other places in southern Yemen, calling for the south of the country to separate from the north. However, following demonstrations in the capital Sana'a and other cities calling for the president to stand down, protesters in Aden have also started to call for regime change. Those arrested are reported to be held in incommunicado detention in al-Mansurah Central Prison and are at risk of torture or other ill-treatment. The al-Mansurah area has since been surrounded by security forces preventing people from coming in or out. Further protests are said to be continuing to take place in the area today.
According to a contact in Yemen, the protest on 16 February in Aden began peacefully and was taking place without serious incident, while policed by members of the Civil Security forces. However, when Central Security forces arrived at the scene, they opened fire on protesters, the contact said. An eyewitness told Amnesty International that following the attacks plain-clothes men believed to be members of the security forces or individuals colluding with them caused damage to property. "Men in civilian clothes attacked buildings and burnt cars, but this was just an attempt to justify the use of excessive force by the authorities," he said.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Protests in the south of Yemen against perceived discrimination by the government against southerners and, increasingly, in favour of the secession of the south of the country have been taking place sporadically since 2007. They began with protests by retired soldiers from the south, who have increasingly been complaining that they do not receive the same treatment in employment, salary and pensions as soldiers from the north of the country. Most of the retired soldiers are from the army of the former People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (PDRY), commonly known as South Yemen. Following the unification of the country in 1990, the armies of both the PDRY and the Yemen Arab Republic (YAR), commonly known as North Yemen, were merged into a single army for the new Republic of Yemen. However, after the civil war in 1994, which ended in the defeat of the South, many of the soldiers of the former PDRY were dismissed from the army.
They, as well as those who remained in the current unified army, allege that they are subject to discrimination compared to soldiers originally from the army of the YAR. The Southern Movement appears to have emerged following these protests as well as being sparked by the general discrimination that the people in the south believe they face.
The Southern Movement has organized a number of protests over what it perceives to be the government's failure to address discrimination against people from the south of the country. The government's response to these protests has been heavy-handed. Dozens of demonstrators have been killed in or near demonstrations; in many cases they appear to have been shot dead unlawfully when were posing no risk to the lives of the security forces or others. Since the protests began in 2007, the security forces have arrested and detained, in many cases arbitrarily, thousands of demonstrators and bystanders, as well as leaders and activists of the Southern Movement.
Since February 2011 and following calls for the president to stand down, protesters in Aden in particular have started calling for regime change and for the president to stand down. Protests calling for the south to separate from the rest of the country also continue to take place in Aden and other parts of south Yemen.
Freedom of expression is guaranteed by Yemen's Constitution. However, this right is undermined by restrictive laws and practices, particularly the 1990 Press and Publications Law, and by the Specialized Press and Publications Court set up in May 2009.The court appears to be aimed at suppressing dissent by fast-tracking cases brought against government critics.
Amnesty International delegates experienced first-hand the authorities' hostility towards coverage of protests in defence of free speech. As they watched a peaceful demonstration in Sana'a in March 2010, organized by Women Journalists Without Chains, police threatened to arrest and bring charges against an Amnesty International delegate who was carrying a camera if any attempt was made to photograph the peaceful march. They said it was illegal for the delegates even to be present, even though the women journalists were holding their protest peacefully and in a public place. The Amnesty International delegates also witnessed the arrest of a protester who was carrying a camera, though he was released, without his camera, when other protesters complained about this. Meanwhile, men in plain clothes who appeared to be security personnel filmed and photographed people involved in the demonstration.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
- Urging the authorities to ensure that those held following protests on 16 February in Aden are protected from torture and other ill-treatment, and are allowed prompt and regular access to lawyers of their choosing, their family and any medical treatment they may require;
- Calling on the authorities to disclose any charges that have been brought against them and to ensure that any legal proceedings against them conform to international fair trial standards;
- Expressing concern that they may be held solely for the peaceful exercise of their right to freedom of expression and assembly and noting that, if this is the case, Amnesty International would consider them to be prisoners of conscience and call for their immediate and unconditional release.
APPEALS TO:
President
His Excellency Ali Abdullah Saleh
Office of the President of the Republic of Yemen
Sana'a
REPUBLIC OF YEMEN
Fax: 011 967 1 274 147
Salutation: Your Excellency
Minister of Interior
His Excellency Mutaher Rashad al-Masri
Ministry of Interior
Sana'a,
REPUBLIC OF YEMEN
Fax: 011 967 1 332 511
011 967 1 331 899
Email: moi@yemen.net.ye
Salutation: Your Excellency
COPIES TO:
Minister of Human Rights
Her Excellency Dr Huda Ali Abdullatef Alban
Ministry for Human Rights
Sana'a,
REPUBLIC OF YEMEN
Fax: 011 967 1 419 700 (please keep trying)
Email: mshr@y.net.ye
Salutation: Your Excellency
Ambassador Abdulwahab A. Al Hajjri
Embassy of the Republic of Yemen
2319 Wyoming Ave NW
Washington DC 20008
Ph: 202 965 4760
Fax: 1 202 337 2017
Email: ambassador@yemenembassy.org
counselor@yemenembassy.org
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.
Check with the AIUSA Urgent Action office if sending appeals after 31 March 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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Note: Please write on behalf of these persons even though you may not have received the original UA when issued on February 15, 2011. Thanks!
17 February 2011
Further Information UA 29/11 (15 February 2011) - Freedom of Expression
BAHRAIN
'Ali 'Abdulhadi Mushaima' (m)
Fadhel 'Ali Matrook (m)
New names: Isa Abdulhasan
Mahmood Maki 'Ali
'Ali Mansoor Ahmed Khudair
Three more people died last night in Bahrain after riot police stormed the camp where protesters where spending the night. Five protesters have now been killed in Bahrain since 14 February.
Isa Abdulhasan (60), Mahmood Maki 'Ali (23) and 'Ali Mansoor Ahmed Khudair (52) died in the early hours of today after riot police used what appears to have been severely excessive force to disperse protesters camping at the Pearl Roundabout in Manama, the capital of Bahrain. Eyewitnesses told Amnesty International that the riot police stormed the area at around 2 am with no prior warning. Men, women and children have been camping at the roundabout since peaceful protests calling for political reform started on 14 February, the 'Day of Rage'.
The riot police used tear gas, batons, rubber bullets and pellet guns to disperse the crowds. An eyewitness said that one battalion of the riot police was shooting from a bridge over the roundabout while another battalion was shooting from the opposite side, while the crowd was trying to seek refuge. Another eyewitness said: "The protesters are being attacked! Women and children are running around screaming and there is no where to run. Riot police are everywhere and are attacking from every corner. Many are wounded. There is a panic and chaos at the roundabout. Everyone is running and screaming."
According to eyewitnesses, the security forces were blocking ambulances' access to the Pearl Roundabout and paramedic staff from the hospital were scared to access the area for fear of being attacked. The protesters marched from the roundabout to the hospital with those injured to protect them.
Crowds gathered at the hospital to donate blood and human rights activists were present at the hospital in the morning. Some people have reportedly been arrested this morning in relation to the protests and activists fear the number of arrests might increase in the hours and days.
Previously, 'Ali 'Abdulhadi Mushaima' was shot, reportedly with live ammunition, at a demonstration on 14 February in al-Daih village, in the north of Bahrain. Fadhel 'Ali Matrook, was injured by shotgun pellets while joining a funeral procession for 'Ali 'Abdulhadi Mushaima' on 15 February and later died in hospital.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The 'Day of Rage' protests were called for on several websites, Facebook and Twitter. The protests were organized to coincide with the 10th anniversary of the endorsement of Bahrain's National Action Charter. Inspired by the protests in Tunisia and Egypt, the protesters have been demanding more freedom, the release of all political prisoners, a new constitution and an elected government. The largest Shi'a political group, al-Wefaq, reportedly suspended its participation in parliament on the 15th of February in protest at the death of the two protestors and the methods used by the police.
Article 3 of the Code of Conduct for Law Enforcement Officials, adopted by UN General Assembly Resolution 34/169 of 17 December 1979, states: "... the use of force by law enforcement officials should be exceptional; while it implies that law enforcement officials may be authorized to use force as is reasonably necessary under the circumstances for the prevention of crime or in effecting or assisting in the lawful arrest of offenders or suspected offenders, no force going beyond that may be used".
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
-Urge the authorities to immediately stop using excessive force against the protesters;
-Urge the authorities to refrain from arresting and immediately free protesters who were exercising their right to freedom of assembly and freedom of expression;
-Urge the authorities to set up an immediate, thorough and independent investigation into the deaths of 'Ali 'Abdulhadi Mushaima' , Fadhel 'Ali Matrook, Isa Abdulhasan, Mahmood Maki 'Ali and 'Ali Mansoor Ahmed Khudair, and ensure that any police found to have used excessive force are brought to justice
-Urge the authorities to respect and protect the right of freedom expression, movement and assembly in Bahrain
APPEALS TO:
King
Shaikh Hamad bin 'Issa Al Khalifa
Office of His Majesty the King
P.O. Box 555
Rifa'a Palace, al-Manama,
BAHRAIN
Fax: 011 00973 17664587
Salutation: His Highness
Minister of Interior
Shaik Rashi
Ahmad Al Khalifa
Minister of Interior
Ministry of Interior
P.O. Box 13, 1l-Manama,
BAHRAIN
Fax: 011 973 17232661
Salutation: Your Excellency
Minister of Interior
Shaikh Rashid bin 'Abdullah bin Ahmad Al Khalifa
Minister of Interior
Ministry of Interior
P.O. Box 13, al-Manama,
BAHRAIN
Fax: 011 0097317232661
Salutation: His Excellency
COPIES TO:
Ambassador Houda Ezra Ebrahim Nonoo
Embassy of the Kingdom of Bahrain
3502 International Drive. NW
Washington DC 20008
Phone: 1 202 342 1111
Fax: 1 202 362 2192
Email: ambsecretary@bahrainembassy.org
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.
Check with the AIUSA Urgent Action office if sending appeals after 31 March 2011.
----------------------------------
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Amnesty International is a worldwide grassroots movement that promotes and defends human rights.
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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
----------------------------------
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 February 2011
UA 33/11 - Risk of Torture/Ill-Treatment
YEMEN Scores of Protesters
Scores of protesters arrested following demonstrations in the city of Aden, in southern Yemen, are being held incommunicado and are at risk of torture or other ill-treatment. Amnesty International is concerned that they may be held solely for the peaceful expression of their right to freedom of expression and assembly, and therefore may be prisoners of conscience.
Scores were arrested by security forces following peaceful protests calling for reform and regime change that took place in the al-Mansurah area of the southern city of Aden on 16 February. At least four men are reported to have been killed, and dozens injured when security forces opened fire on protesters.
Protests had already been taking place in Aden and other places in southern Yemen, calling for the south of the country to separate from the north. However, following demonstrations in the capital Sana'a and other cities calling for the president to stand down, protesters in Aden have also started to call for regime change. Those arrested are reported to be held in incommunicado detention in al-Mansurah Central Prison and are at risk of torture or other ill-treatment. The al-Mansurah area has since been surrounded by security forces preventing people from coming in or out. Further protests are said to be continuing to take place in the area today.
According to a contact in Yemen, the protest on 16 February in Aden began peacefully and was taking place without serious incident, while policed by members of the Civil Security forces. However, when Central Security forces arrived at the scene, they opened fire on protesters, the contact said. An eyewitness told Amnesty International that following the attacks plain-clothes men believed to be members of the security forces or individuals colluding with them caused damage to property. "Men in civilian clothes attacked buildings and burnt cars, but this was just an attempt to justify the use of excessive force by the authorities," he said.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Protests in the south of Yemen against perceived discrimination by the government against southerners and, increasingly, in favour of the secession of the south of the country have been taking place sporadically since 2007. They began with protests by retired soldiers from the south, who have increasingly been complaining that they do not receive the same treatment in employment, salary and pensions as soldiers from the north of the country. Most of the retired soldiers are from the army of the former People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (PDRY), commonly known as South Yemen. Following the unification of the country in 1990, the armies of both the PDRY and the Yemen Arab Republic (YAR), commonly known as North Yemen, were merged into a single army for the new Republic of Yemen. However, after the civil war in 1994, which ended in the defeat of the South, many of the soldiers of the former PDRY were dismissed from the army.
They, as well as those who remained in the current unified army, allege that they are subject to discrimination compared to soldiers originally from the army of the YAR. The Southern Movement appears to have emerged following these protests as well as being sparked by the general discrimination that the people in the south believe they face.
The Southern Movement has organized a number of protests over what it perceives to be the government's failure to address discrimination against people from the south of the country. The government's response to these protests has been heavy-handed. Dozens of demonstrators have been killed in or near demonstrations; in many cases they appear to have been shot dead unlawfully when were posing no risk to the lives of the security forces or others. Since the protests began in 2007, the security forces have arrested and detained, in many cases arbitrarily, thousands of demonstrators and bystanders, as well as leaders and activists of the Southern Movement.
Since February 2011 and following calls for the president to stand down, protesters in Aden in particular have started calling for regime change and for the president to stand down. Protests calling for the south to separate from the rest of the country also continue to take place in Aden and other parts of south Yemen.
Freedom of expression is guaranteed by Yemen's Constitution. However, this right is undermined by restrictive laws and practices, particularly the 1990 Press and Publications Law, and by the Specialized Press and Publications Court set up in May 2009.The court appears to be aimed at suppressing dissent by fast-tracking cases brought against government critics.
Amnesty International delegates experienced first-hand the authorities' hostility towards coverage of protests in defence of free speech. As they watched a peaceful demonstration in Sana'a in March 2010, organized by Women Journalists Without Chains, police threatened to arrest and bring charges against an Amnesty International delegate who was carrying a camera if any attempt was made to photograph the peaceful march. They said it was illegal for the delegates even to be present, even though the women journalists were holding their protest peacefully and in a public place. The Amnesty International delegates also witnessed the arrest of a protester who was carrying a camera, though he was released, without his camera, when other protesters complained about this. Meanwhile, men in plain clothes who appeared to be security personnel filmed and photographed people involved in the demonstration.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
- Urging the authorities to ensure that those held following protests on 16 February in Aden are protected from torture and other ill-treatment, and are allowed prompt and regular access to lawyers of their choosing, their family and any medical treatment they may require;
- Calling on the authorities to disclose any charges that have been brought against them and to ensure that any legal proceedings against them conform to international fair trial standards;
- Expressing concern that they may be held solely for the peaceful exercise of their right to freedom of expression and assembly and noting that, if this is the case, Amnesty International would consider them to be prisoners of conscience and call for their immediate and unconditional release.
APPEALS TO:
President
His Excellency Ali Abdullah Saleh
Office of the President of the Republic of Yemen
Sana'a
REPUBLIC OF YEMEN
Fax: 011 967 1 274 147
Salutation: Your Excellency
Minister of Interior
His Excellency Mutaher Rashad al-Masri
Ministry of Interior
Sana'a,
REPUBLIC OF YEMEN
Fax: 011 967 1 332 511
011 967 1 331 899
Email: moi@yemen.net.ye
Salutation: Your Excellency
COPIES TO:
Minister of Human Rights
Her Excellency Dr Huda Ali Abdullatef Alban
Ministry for Human Rights
Sana'a,
REPUBLIC OF YEMEN
Fax: 011 967 1 419 700 (please keep trying)
Email: mshr@y.net.ye
Salutation: Your Excellency
Ambassador Abdulwahab A. Al Hajjri
Embassy of the Republic of Yemen
2319 Wyoming Ave NW
Washington DC 20008
Ph: 202 965 4760
Fax: 1 202 337 2017
Email: ambassador@yemenembassy.org
counselor@yemenembassy.org
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.
Check with the AIUSA Urgent Action office if sending appeals after 31 March 2011.
---------------------------------
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Amnesty International is a worldwide grassroots movement that promotes and defends human rights.
This Urgent Action may be reposted if kept intact, including contact information and stop action date (if applicable).
Thank you for your help with this appeal.
Urgent Action Network
Amnesty International USA
600 Pennsylvania Ave SE 5th fl
Washington DC 20003
Email: uan@aiusa.org
http://www.amnestyusa.org/urgent/
Phone: 202.509.8193
Fax: 202.675.8566
----------------------------------
END OF URGENT ACTION APPEAL
----------------------------------
Urgent Action 2-17-11
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/uaa02911.pdf
15 February 2011
UA 29/11 - Freedom of Expression
BAHRAIN
'Ali 'Abdulhadi Mushaima' (m)
Fadhel 'Ali Matrook (m)
Two men have died in Bahrain after riot police shot at protesters peacefully demonstrating for more political rights and freedoms. Riot police have used tear gas, shotguns and reportedly live ammunition to contain the peaceful protests across Bahrain, which began on 14 February.
'Ali 'Abdulhadi Mushaima' was shot, reportedly with live ammunition, at a demonstration on 14 February in al-Daih village, in the north of Bahrain. He was taken to al-Salmaniaya hospital in Manama, the capital, but died one hour later. On 15 February, a funeral procession was organized to take his body from the hospital to the cemetery for burial. According to eye witnesses, high numbers of people were gathering at the gates of the hospital to join the procession, when riot police used tear gas and shotguns to disperse the crowd. One man, Fadhel 'Ali Matrook, was injured by shotgun pellets and later died in hospital.
Video footage taken by Bahraini human rights activists provides clear evidence of police brutality and excessive force in breach of international human rights law and standards. Article 3 of the Code of Conduct for Law Enforcement Officials, adopted by UN General Assembly Resolution 34/169 of 17 December 1979, states: "...the use of force by law enforcement officials should be exceptional; while it implies that law enforcement officials may be authorized to use force as is reasonably necessary under the circumstances for the prevention of crime or in effecting or assisting in the lawful arrest of offenders or suspected offenders, no force going beyond that may be used".
The 'Day of Rage' protests were called for on several websites, Facebook and twitter. The protests were organized to coincide with the 10th anniversary of the endorsement of Bahrain's National Action Charter. Inspired by the protests in Tunisia and Egypt, the protesters have been demanding more freedom, the release of all political prisoners, a new constitution and an elected government. The largest Shi'a political group, al-Wefaq, has reportedly suspended its participation in parliament in protest at the death of the two protesters and the methods used by the police.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
- Urge the authorities to immediately stop using excessive force against the protesters;
- Urge the authorities to set up an immediate, thorough and independent investigation into the deaths of 'Ali 'Abdulhadi Mushaima' and Fadhel 'Ali Matrook, and ensure that any police found to have used excessive force are brought to justice;
- Urge the authorities to respect and protect the right of freedom expression, movement and assembly in Bahrain.
APPEALS TO:
King
Shaikh Hamad bin 'Issa Al Khalifa
Office of His Majesty the King
P.O. Box 555
Rifa'a Palace,al-Manama,
BAHRAIN
Fax: 011 00973 17664587
Salutation: His Highness
Minister of Interior
Shaikh Rashid bin 'Abdullah bin Ahmad Al Khalifa
Minister of Interior
Ministry of Interior
P.O. Box 13, al-Manama,
BAHRAIN
Fax: 011 0097317232661
Salutation: His Excellency
COPIES TO:
Ambassador Houda Ezra Ebrahim Nonoo
Embassy of the Kingdom of Bahrain
3502 International Drive. NW
Washington DC 20008
Phone: 1 202 342 1111
Fax: 1 202 362 2192
Email: ambsecretary@bahrainembassy.org
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.
Check with the AIUSA Urgent Action office if sending appeals after 29 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 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/uaa02911.pdf
15 February 2011
UA 29/11 - Freedom of Expression
BAHRAIN
'Ali 'Abdulhadi Mushaima' (m)
Fadhel 'Ali Matrook (m)
Two men have died in Bahrain after riot police shot at protesters peacefully demonstrating for more political rights and freedoms. Riot police have used tear gas, shotguns and reportedly live ammunition to contain the peaceful protests across Bahrain, which began on 14 February.
'Ali 'Abdulhadi Mushaima' was shot, reportedly with live ammunition, at a demonstration on 14 February in al-Daih village, in the north of Bahrain. He was taken to al-Salmaniaya hospital in Manama, the capital, but died one hour later. On 15 February, a funeral procession was organized to take his body from the hospital to the cemetery for burial. According to eye witnesses, high numbers of people were gathering at the gates of the hospital to join the procession, when riot police used tear gas and shotguns to disperse the crowd. One man, Fadhel 'Ali Matrook, was injured by shotgun pellets and later died in hospital.
Video footage taken by Bahraini human rights activists provides clear evidence of police brutality and excessive force in breach of international human rights law and standards. Article 3 of the Code of Conduct for Law Enforcement Officials, adopted by UN General Assembly Resolution 34/169 of 17 December 1979, states: "...the use of force by law enforcement officials should be exceptional; while it implies that law enforcement officials may be authorized to use force as is reasonably necessary under the circumstances for the prevention of crime or in effecting or assisting in the lawful arrest of offenders or suspected offenders, no force going beyond that may be used".
The 'Day of Rage' protests were called for on several websites, Facebook and twitter. The protests were organized to coincide with the 10th anniversary of the endorsement of Bahrain's National Action Charter. Inspired by the protests in Tunisia and Egypt, the protesters have been demanding more freedom, the release of all political prisoners, a new constitution and an elected government. The largest Shi'a political group, al-Wefaq, has reportedly suspended its participation in parliament in protest at the death of the two protesters and the methods used by the police.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
- Urge the authorities to immediately stop using excessive force against the protesters;
- Urge the authorities to set up an immediate, thorough and independent investigation into the deaths of 'Ali 'Abdulhadi Mushaima' and Fadhel 'Ali Matrook, and ensure that any police found to have used excessive force are brought to justice;
- Urge the authorities to respect and protect the right of freedom expression, movement and assembly in Bahrain.
APPEALS TO:
King
Shaikh Hamad bin 'Issa Al Khalifa
Office of His Majesty the King
P.O. Box 555
Rifa'a Palace,al-Manama,
BAHRAIN
Fax: 011 00973 17664587
Salutation: His Highness
Minister of Interior
Shaikh Rashid bin 'Abdullah bin Ahmad Al Khalifa
Minister of Interior
Ministry of Interior
P.O. Box 13, al-Manama,
BAHRAIN
Fax: 011 0097317232661
Salutation: His Excellency
COPIES TO:
Ambassador Houda Ezra Ebrahim Nonoo
Embassy of the Kingdom of Bahrain
3502 International Drive. NW
Washington DC 20008
Phone: 1 202 342 1111
Fax: 1 202 362 2192
Email: ambsecretary@bahrainembassy.org
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.
Check with the AIUSA Urgent Action office if sending appeals after 29 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.
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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
----------------------------------
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Urgent Action 2-10-11
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/uaa02711.pdf
Or take action online at:
http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/siteapps/advocacy/index.aspx?c=jhKPIXPCIoE&b=2590179&template=x.ascx&action=15289
10 February 2011
UA 27/11 - Imminent Execution
USA (Texas) Timothy Adams (m), aged 42
Timothy Adams, a 42-year-old African American man, is scheduled to be executed in Texas on 22 February. He was sentenced to death for the murder of his young son in 2002. Three of the 12 jurors who voted for death at his trial in 2003 are among those now appealing for clemency.
Timothy (Tim) Adams shot his 19-month-old son Timothy ("TJ") during a stand-off with police in Houston, Texas, on 20 February 2002. After surrendering, he gave police a statement admitting to the murder. He pleaded guilty at his trial. The jury convicted him, and after a sentencing phase voted that, even though he had no prior criminal record, he would likely commit future acts of violence that would "constitute a continuing threat to society" – a prerequisite for a death sentence in Texas – and that there was insufficient mitigating evidence to warrant a life sentence.
Although the defense lawyers presented a number of character witnesses at the sentencing, they presented only one family member, the defendant's mother. Other relatives of Tim Adams – who are also members of the murder victim's family – are now appealing for clemency. For example, Tim Adams's father – the grandfather of the victim – has said: "Losing TJ was especially hard for me... However, I cannot imagine losing my son to this tragedy as well... I do not know what I will do if we lose Tim". The brother of Tim Adams has said "It's hard to explain why Tim did what he did... It was totally out of character... I still have a strong relationship with him. I often break down when I leave the prison after our visits. I cannot imagine losing my brother". His sister states: "It's going to affect my family in a bad way if he is executed. I would never wish this on anyone, even my worst enemy... This would just be another huge loss to our family". Tim Adams has a 23-year-old son from a previous relationship who has said: "I can't put my finger on why my father would do something like that. Yet, my father was very loving and taught me right from wrong when I was growing up. He was a good father. He is not a bad person. I wish I had had the opportunity to say something in support of my father at his trial".
Three of the jurors from the original trial are also supporting clemency. One of them has said that she initially voted for a life sentence, but "felt pressured by the other jurors to change my vote". She said that she has "carried the guilt around for years knowing that I sentenced Adams, a man who had done wrong but who was otherwise a good, religious, and hard-working person, to death". Another former juror recalled that "Adams was so remorseful during the trial, and I could tell that he was hurting a lot". However, she said that he too had felt "pressured" by other jurors "into believing that Adams was a cold-hearted man" and had voted for death. Both jurors said that they had learned more about Tim Adams since the trial that confirmed their original leaning to vote for a life sentence.
Tim Adams is reported not to have committed a single disciplinary infraction during his eight years on death row.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
A few days before the 20 February 2002 shooting in Houston, Tim Adams's wife had moved out of their flat, taking the baby with her. On 20 February, she returned to the apartment to collect her belongings. Confronted by her husband, she telephoned the police. Tim Adams fired a shot at her, and she fled the home, leaving the child behind. In the ensuing stand-off, Tim Adams told police that he was suicidal and would kill himself if anyone tried to enter the apartment. He was eventually talked into surrendering. His young son had already been shot.
Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all cases, unconditionally, regardless of the crime or the offender. To end the death penalty is to abandon a destructive, diversionary and divisive public policy that is not consistent with widely held values. It not only runs the risk of irrevocable error, it is also costly, in social and psychological terms as well as to the public purse (a fact which is drawing increasing public concern in the USA in the current economic climate). It has not been proved to have a unique deterrent effect. It tends to be applied in a discriminatory way, on grounds of race and class. It denies the possibility of reconciliation and rehabilitation. It promotes simplistic responses to complex human problems, rather than pursuing explanations that could inform positive strategies. It diverts resources that could be better used to work against violent crime and assist those affected by it. The death penalty extends the suffering of the victim's family to that of the condemned prisoner.
Today, 139 countries are abolitionist in law or practice, a clear majority. Such countries have concluded either that the death penalty is unnecessary, or that it is incompatible with modern standards of justice, or both. While international law recognizes that some countries retain the death penalty, this acknowledgment of present reality should not be invoked "to delay or to prevent the abolition of capital punishment", in the words of Article 6.6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. In 2007, 2008 and 2010, the United Nations General Assembly passed resolutions calling for a worldwide moratorium on executions, pending abolition.
There have been 1,239 executions in the USA since judicial killing resumed there in 1977, including five so far this year. Of the 464 prisoners put to death in Texas (37 per cent of the national total), 115 were convicted in Harris County, where Tim Adams was sentenced to death. If Harris County was a state, it would account for more executions than any other state in the USA apart from the rest of Texas. See USA: One county, 100 executions: Harris County and Texas - a lethal combination, July 2007, http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/AMR51/125/2007/en; also USA: Too much cruelty, too little clemency: Texas nears 200th execution under current governor, April 2009, http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/AMR51/057/2009/en. There have been 225 executions in Texas since Governor Rick Perry took office in December 2000.
Arbitrariness, discrimination and error mark the death penalty in the USA, along with its inescapable cruelty. Public and political support for the death penalty has weakened in recent years, possibly a result of an erosion of belief in its deterrence value, an increased awareness of the frequency of wrongful convictions in capital cases, and a greater confidence that public safety can be guaranteed by life prison terms rather than death sentences. In 2008, Senior Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens revealed that he had decided, after more than three decades on the country's highest court, that the death penalty was a cruel waste of time. "I have relied on my own experience", he wrote, "in reaching the conclusion that the imposition of the death penalty represents the pointless and needless extinction of life with only marginal contributions to any discernible social or public purposes". Since retiring from the Supreme Court in June 2010, he has said that there was one vote during his nearly 35 years on the Court that he regretted – his vote with the majority in Gregg v. Georgia in 1976 that allowed executions to resume in the USA. See also USA: A learning curve, towards a 'more perfect world', October 2010, http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/AMR51/095/2010/en
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
- Acknowledging the seriousness of the crime for which Tim Adams was sentenced to death;
- Noting that three of the jurors are calling for commutation of the death sentence;
- Calling on the authorities to recognize the suffering that execution causes family members;
- Urging the parole board to recommend to Governor Perry that he commute the death sentence;
- Calling on Governor Perry to do all in his power and influence to stop this execution.
APPEALS TO:
Clemency Section, Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles
8610 Shoal Creek Blvd.
Austin, TX 78757-6814
USA
Fax 512 467 0945
Email: bpp-pio@tdcj.state.tx.us
Salutation: Dear Board members
Governor Rick Perry
Office of the Governor
P.O. Box 12428
Austin, TX 78711-2428
USA
Fax: 1 512 463 1849
Salutation: Dear Governor
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.
Check with the AIUSA Urgent Action office if sending appeals after 22 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.
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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
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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
----------------------------------
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/uaa12210.pdf
Note: Please write on behalf of these persons even though you may not have received the original UA when issued on May 27, 2010. Thanks!
10 February 2011
Further information on UA 122/10 (27 May 2010) - Risk of forcible return
UGANDA
Mohammad Hassan Haji (m) ]
Abdu Rashid Abdulalli Omar (m) ] Somali nationals
The health of Mohammad Hassan Haji and Abdu Rashid Abdulalli Omar, both Somali nationals detained in Uganda, has greatly deteriorated in the past weeks. They face forcible return to Somalia, where they would be at risk of human rights abuses.
18-year-old Abdul Rashid Abdullahi Omar, who has been diagnosed with manic depression, and 25-year-old Mohammad Hassan Haji have been detained by the Ugandan authorities since November and December 2009. They are being held at the Central Police Station in Kampala, Uganda's capital. Their health is deteriorating because they are kept in unsanitary conditions in an overcrowded cell without natural light and are not allowed outside their cell to exercise. Their continuing detention without prospect of release and fear of deportation to Somalia is having a serious psychological impact. In mid January, Mohammad Hassan Haji was threatened with imminent deportation. They have also been told that they will not be released unless they pay a bribe to the police.
Mohammad Hassan Haji has been prevented from having his asylum claim examined by the Ugandan authorities. Further, he has been unable to challenge a March 2010 court decision that he should be deported back to Somalia. The Ugandan authorities have reportedly said that he represents a risk to state security, but after more than 13 months in detention, they have yet to charge him in relation to these allegations. Mohammad Hassan Haji was convicted of "illegal entry" after being arrested in Katuna, near the Ugandan border with Rwanda.
Abdul Rashid Abdullahi Omar was arrested at the Sudan/Uganda border after he boarded a bus to Sudan. He was charged with "illegal entry," reportedly convicted and has since been under threat of deportation to Somalia. He is registered as a refugee with UNHCR in Kenya, where most of his family lives. The Ugandan authorities have reportedly agreed to deport him to Kenya instead of Somalia, provided his family is traced. However, despite his mental health condition and the fact that his brother lives in Uganda, he remains in police custody without adequate medical care and in unhealthy conditions of detention.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
All Somalis are at risk of being killed or injured in the generalized violence and indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks that occur in southern and central Somalia, given the consistent failure of all parties to the ongoing conflict to respect international humanitarian law. Therefore, Amnesty International opposes all forcible returns to southern and central Somalia and recommends that all Somalis from southern and central Somalia be granted international protection, in line with the most recent advice of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), unless they are ineligible for such protection.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
- Demanding that Mohammad Hassan Haji is immediately provided with the full opportunity to claim asylum;
- Urging the Ugandan authorities to immediately release the two men;
- Urging them to ensure that both men have access to adequate medical care, and that Abdul Rashid Abdullahi Omar is able to obtain medical and psychological treatment appropriate to his mental health condition;
- Urging the Ugandan authorities to comply with their non-refoulement obligations, immediately revoke deportation orders to Somalia against both men, and halt all forcible returns to southern and central Somalia, where all Somalis are at risk of serious human rights abuses;
- Reminding the Ugandan authorities that asylum-seekers should only be detained as a last resort, after justifying in each individual case that it is a necessary and proportionate measure, and that no other alternative will suffice;
APPEALS TO:
Minister of Internal Affairs
Hon. Ali Kirunda Kivejinja
Crested Towers
PO Box 7084
Kampala
UGANDA
Fax: 011 256 414 343 088
Salutation: Dear Minister
Commissioner for Disaster Preparedness and Refugees
Mr. Martin Owor
Office of the Prime Minister (OPM)
Post Office Building, Yusuf Lule Road
P.O. Box 341
Kampala, UGANDA
Fax: 011 256 414 341 139 (please keep trying if you don't get through first time)
Salutation: Dear Commissioner
COPIES TO:
Mrs Josephine Ali Ekwang
Commissioner, Inspections & Legal Services,
Directorate of Citizenship & Immigration Control
Ministry of Internal Affairs
Plot 75, Jjinja Road
PO Box 7191
Kampala, UGANDA
Fax: 011 256 414 343 088
Ambassador Professor Perezi Karukubiro Kamunanwire
Embassy of the Republic of Uganda
5911 16th St. NW
Washington DC 20011
Phone: 1 202 726 4758
Fax: 1 202 726 1727
Email: pkamunanwire@ugandaembassyus.org
info@ugandaembassyus.org
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.
Check with the AIUSA Urgent Action office if sending appeals after 24 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
----------------------------------
- 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/uaa02711.pdf
Or take action online at:
http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/siteapps/advocacy/index.aspx?c=jhKPIXPCIoE&b=2590179&template=x.ascx&action=15289
10 February 2011
UA 27/11 - Imminent Execution
USA (Texas) Timothy Adams (m), aged 42
Timothy Adams, a 42-year-old African American man, is scheduled to be executed in Texas on 22 February. He was sentenced to death for the murder of his young son in 2002. Three of the 12 jurors who voted for death at his trial in 2003 are among those now appealing for clemency.
Timothy (Tim) Adams shot his 19-month-old son Timothy ("TJ") during a stand-off with police in Houston, Texas, on 20 February 2002. After surrendering, he gave police a statement admitting to the murder. He pleaded guilty at his trial. The jury convicted him, and after a sentencing phase voted that, even though he had no prior criminal record, he would likely commit future acts of violence that would "constitute a continuing threat to society" – a prerequisite for a death sentence in Texas – and that there was insufficient mitigating evidence to warrant a life sentence.
Although the defense lawyers presented a number of character witnesses at the sentencing, they presented only one family member, the defendant's mother. Other relatives of Tim Adams – who are also members of the murder victim's family – are now appealing for clemency. For example, Tim Adams's father – the grandfather of the victim – has said: "Losing TJ was especially hard for me... However, I cannot imagine losing my son to this tragedy as well... I do not know what I will do if we lose Tim". The brother of Tim Adams has said "It's hard to explain why Tim did what he did... It was totally out of character... I still have a strong relationship with him. I often break down when I leave the prison after our visits. I cannot imagine losing my brother". His sister states: "It's going to affect my family in a bad way if he is executed. I would never wish this on anyone, even my worst enemy... This would just be another huge loss to our family". Tim Adams has a 23-year-old son from a previous relationship who has said: "I can't put my finger on why my father would do something like that. Yet, my father was very loving and taught me right from wrong when I was growing up. He was a good father. He is not a bad person. I wish I had had the opportunity to say something in support of my father at his trial".
Three of the jurors from the original trial are also supporting clemency. One of them has said that she initially voted for a life sentence, but "felt pressured by the other jurors to change my vote". She said that she has "carried the guilt around for years knowing that I sentenced Adams, a man who had done wrong but who was otherwise a good, religious, and hard-working person, to death". Another former juror recalled that "Adams was so remorseful during the trial, and I could tell that he was hurting a lot". However, she said that he too had felt "pressured" by other jurors "into believing that Adams was a cold-hearted man" and had voted for death. Both jurors said that they had learned more about Tim Adams since the trial that confirmed their original leaning to vote for a life sentence.
Tim Adams is reported not to have committed a single disciplinary infraction during his eight years on death row.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
A few days before the 20 February 2002 shooting in Houston, Tim Adams's wife had moved out of their flat, taking the baby with her. On 20 February, she returned to the apartment to collect her belongings. Confronted by her husband, she telephoned the police. Tim Adams fired a shot at her, and she fled the home, leaving the child behind. In the ensuing stand-off, Tim Adams told police that he was suicidal and would kill himself if anyone tried to enter the apartment. He was eventually talked into surrendering. His young son had already been shot.
Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all cases, unconditionally, regardless of the crime or the offender. To end the death penalty is to abandon a destructive, diversionary and divisive public policy that is not consistent with widely held values. It not only runs the risk of irrevocable error, it is also costly, in social and psychological terms as well as to the public purse (a fact which is drawing increasing public concern in the USA in the current economic climate). It has not been proved to have a unique deterrent effect. It tends to be applied in a discriminatory way, on grounds of race and class. It denies the possibility of reconciliation and rehabilitation. It promotes simplistic responses to complex human problems, rather than pursuing explanations that could inform positive strategies. It diverts resources that could be better used to work against violent crime and assist those affected by it. The death penalty extends the suffering of the victim's family to that of the condemned prisoner.
Today, 139 countries are abolitionist in law or practice, a clear majority. Such countries have concluded either that the death penalty is unnecessary, or that it is incompatible with modern standards of justice, or both. While international law recognizes that some countries retain the death penalty, this acknowledgment of present reality should not be invoked "to delay or to prevent the abolition of capital punishment", in the words of Article 6.6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. In 2007, 2008 and 2010, the United Nations General Assembly passed resolutions calling for a worldwide moratorium on executions, pending abolition.
There have been 1,239 executions in the USA since judicial killing resumed there in 1977, including five so far this year. Of the 464 prisoners put to death in Texas (37 per cent of the national total), 115 were convicted in Harris County, where Tim Adams was sentenced to death. If Harris County was a state, it would account for more executions than any other state in the USA apart from the rest of Texas. See USA: One county, 100 executions: Harris County and Texas - a lethal combination, July 2007, http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/AMR51/125/2007/en; also USA: Too much cruelty, too little clemency: Texas nears 200th execution under current governor, April 2009, http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/AMR51/057/2009/en. There have been 225 executions in Texas since Governor Rick Perry took office in December 2000.
Arbitrariness, discrimination and error mark the death penalty in the USA, along with its inescapable cruelty. Public and political support for the death penalty has weakened in recent years, possibly a result of an erosion of belief in its deterrence value, an increased awareness of the frequency of wrongful convictions in capital cases, and a greater confidence that public safety can be guaranteed by life prison terms rather than death sentences. In 2008, Senior Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens revealed that he had decided, after more than three decades on the country's highest court, that the death penalty was a cruel waste of time. "I have relied on my own experience", he wrote, "in reaching the conclusion that the imposition of the death penalty represents the pointless and needless extinction of life with only marginal contributions to any discernible social or public purposes". Since retiring from the Supreme Court in June 2010, he has said that there was one vote during his nearly 35 years on the Court that he regretted – his vote with the majority in Gregg v. Georgia in 1976 that allowed executions to resume in the USA. See also USA: A learning curve, towards a 'more perfect world', October 2010, http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/AMR51/095/2010/en
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
- Acknowledging the seriousness of the crime for which Tim Adams was sentenced to death;
- Noting that three of the jurors are calling for commutation of the death sentence;
- Calling on the authorities to recognize the suffering that execution causes family members;
- Urging the parole board to recommend to Governor Perry that he commute the death sentence;
- Calling on Governor Perry to do all in his power and influence to stop this execution.
APPEALS TO:
Clemency Section, Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles
8610 Shoal Creek Blvd.
Austin, TX 78757-6814
USA
Fax 512 467 0945
Email: bpp-pio@tdcj.state.tx.us
Salutation: Dear Board members
Governor Rick Perry
Office of the Governor
P.O. Box 12428
Austin, TX 78711-2428
USA
Fax: 1 512 463 1849
Salutation: Dear Governor
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.
Check with the AIUSA Urgent Action office if sending appeals after 22 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 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/uaa12210.pdf
Note: Please write on behalf of these persons even though you may not have received the original UA when issued on May 27, 2010. Thanks!
10 February 2011
Further information on UA 122/10 (27 May 2010) - Risk of forcible return
UGANDA
Mohammad Hassan Haji (m) ]
Abdu Rashid Abdulalli Omar (m) ] Somali nationals
The health of Mohammad Hassan Haji and Abdu Rashid Abdulalli Omar, both Somali nationals detained in Uganda, has greatly deteriorated in the past weeks. They face forcible return to Somalia, where they would be at risk of human rights abuses.
18-year-old Abdul Rashid Abdullahi Omar, who has been diagnosed with manic depression, and 25-year-old Mohammad Hassan Haji have been detained by the Ugandan authorities since November and December 2009. They are being held at the Central Police Station in Kampala, Uganda's capital. Their health is deteriorating because they are kept in unsanitary conditions in an overcrowded cell without natural light and are not allowed outside their cell to exercise. Their continuing detention without prospect of release and fear of deportation to Somalia is having a serious psychological impact. In mid January, Mohammad Hassan Haji was threatened with imminent deportation. They have also been told that they will not be released unless they pay a bribe to the police.
Mohammad Hassan Haji has been prevented from having his asylum claim examined by the Ugandan authorities. Further, he has been unable to challenge a March 2010 court decision that he should be deported back to Somalia. The Ugandan authorities have reportedly said that he represents a risk to state security, but after more than 13 months in detention, they have yet to charge him in relation to these allegations. Mohammad Hassan Haji was convicted of "illegal entry" after being arrested in Katuna, near the Ugandan border with Rwanda.
Abdul Rashid Abdullahi Omar was arrested at the Sudan/Uganda border after he boarded a bus to Sudan. He was charged with "illegal entry," reportedly convicted and has since been under threat of deportation to Somalia. He is registered as a refugee with UNHCR in Kenya, where most of his family lives. The Ugandan authorities have reportedly agreed to deport him to Kenya instead of Somalia, provided his family is traced. However, despite his mental health condition and the fact that his brother lives in Uganda, he remains in police custody without adequate medical care and in unhealthy conditions of detention.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
All Somalis are at risk of being killed or injured in the generalized violence and indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks that occur in southern and central Somalia, given the consistent failure of all parties to the ongoing conflict to respect international humanitarian law. Therefore, Amnesty International opposes all forcible returns to southern and central Somalia and recommends that all Somalis from southern and central Somalia be granted international protection, in line with the most recent advice of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), unless they are ineligible for such protection.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
- Demanding that Mohammad Hassan Haji is immediately provided with the full opportunity to claim asylum;
- Urging the Ugandan authorities to immediately release the two men;
- Urging them to ensure that both men have access to adequate medical care, and that Abdul Rashid Abdullahi Omar is able to obtain medical and psychological treatment appropriate to his mental health condition;
- Urging the Ugandan authorities to comply with their non-refoulement obligations, immediately revoke deportation orders to Somalia against both men, and halt all forcible returns to southern and central Somalia, where all Somalis are at risk of serious human rights abuses;
- Reminding the Ugandan authorities that asylum-seekers should only be detained as a last resort, after justifying in each individual case that it is a necessary and proportionate measure, and that no other alternative will suffice;
APPEALS TO:
Minister of Internal Affairs
Hon. Ali Kirunda Kivejinja
Crested Towers
PO Box 7084
Kampala
UGANDA
Fax: 011 256 414 343 088
Salutation: Dear Minister
Commissioner for Disaster Preparedness and Refugees
Mr. Martin Owor
Office of the Prime Minister (OPM)
Post Office Building, Yusuf Lule Road
P.O. Box 341
Kampala, UGANDA
Fax: 011 256 414 341 139 (please keep trying if you don't get through first time)
Salutation: Dear Commissioner
COPIES TO:
Mrs Josephine Ali Ekwang
Commissioner, Inspections & Legal Services,
Directorate of Citizenship & Immigration Control
Ministry of Internal Affairs
Plot 75, Jjinja Road
PO Box 7191
Kampala, UGANDA
Fax: 011 256 414 343 088
Ambassador Professor Perezi Karukubiro Kamunanwire
Embassy of the Republic of Uganda
5911 16th St. NW
Washington DC 20011
Phone: 1 202 726 4758
Fax: 1 202 726 1727
Email: pkamunanwire@ugandaembassyus.org
info@ugandaembassyus.org
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.
Check with the AIUSA Urgent Action office if sending appeals after 24 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
----------------------------------
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