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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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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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/uaa03311.pdf
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.
---------------------------------
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
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END OF URGENT ACTION APPEAL
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