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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8 March 2011
UA 63/11 - Fear for Safety/Forcible Eviction
CAMBODIA Up to 1,500 families
Up to 1,500 families living around Boeung Kak Lake in Phnom Penh are facing imminent forced eviction, as the local authority and the company developing the land seek to clear the area. Intimidation and threats have been used against villagers to coerce them into accepting inadequate compensation or resettlement, and the security forces have used unnecessary force against peaceful gatherings of protesters.
On 2 March the Municipality of Phnom Penh (MPP) issued an eviction notice to residents of villages 6, 20, 21, 22 and 24 located around Boeung Kak Lake. It gave a one week deadline for the villagers to contact the local authority about compensation, failing which "strict measures" would be taken. The eviction notice also indicated that the authorities would not be "responsible for loss or destruction of property". This deadline has now been extended.
The families have lived with the threat of forced eviction since the MPP granted a 99-year lease for the land to a private company for development of the area in February 2007. In August 2008 the company began filling the lake with sand, causing flooding and destruction of properties. Since then around 2,000 families living in the vicinity have been forcibly evicted, with the remaining families (around 10,000 people) at risk, despite many having strong claims to formal land title deeds under Articles 30 and 31 of the 2001 Land Law.
No meaningful consultation has been carried out with the families. They have either been offered compensation which is insufficient to provide comparable alternative housing, or relocation to a site with limited access to work opportunities, poor infrastructure and a lack of basic amenities.
In January, the families submitted a proposal to the MPP for adequate on-site housing on 12% of the leased land. The detailed plan was developed by the residents with architects from a local NGO. The MPP rejected the proposal on 22 February. On 28 February, around 100 police officials used excessive force against some 200 residents who gathered peacefully to ask the MPP governor to reconsider. Police beat and hit some of the villagers with electric batons, including a woman who was violently pushed into a police car. Three people were arrested and later released.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
According to the Municipality of Phnom Penh, the 133 hectares leased to a private company are to be turned into "pleasant, trade, and service places for domestic and international tourists", but beyond that few details have been disclosed. The agreement between the company and municipality was reached without any consultation with the affected population. In early 2008 representatives of the people affected told Amnesty International that they had learnt about the agreement and the plans through the television news.
Since filling of the lake began, police and company workers have threatened and harassed the residents, and attempted to prevent them from holding meetings and from peacefully protesting against the forced eviction. In October 2010, police used unnecessary force, including electric batons, to break up a peaceful protest by Boeung Kak Lake villagers during the visit of the UN Secretary-General. One resident, Suong Sophorn, was beaten unconscious and detained by police until the departure of the Secretary-General. He had previously been arrested and fined in 2009 for painting "Stop Eviction" on his house.
The forced eviction of residents living around Boeung Kak Lake is under further scrutiny because of a case brought to the World Bank by the community and three NGOs. This case alleges that the residents were denied the opportunity to register their claims to land ownership under the World Bank administered Land Management and Administration Project (LMAP) which was designed to provide land titles throughout Cambodia.
Thousands of people around Cambodia are adversely affected by forced evictions, land grabs and land disputes, some in connection with economic land concessions granted to powerful companies and individuals. Increasing numbers of communities and individuals are protesting and petitioning the authorities in defense of their right to housing.
Cambodia is a state party to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural rights (ICESCR) and other international human rights treaties which prohibit forced eviction and related human rights violations, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political rights (ICCPR). The government therefore has an obligation to stop forced evictions and to protect the population from forced evictions.
Forced evictions are evictions carried out without adequate notice and consultation with those affected, without legal safeguards and without assurances of adequate alternative accommodation.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
- Demanding the authorities ensure no forced evictions of families living around Boeung Kak Lake are carried out;
- Calling on the authorities to engage in meaningful consultation with the affected families about adequate compensation, or adequate alternative housing, including by giving serious consideration to the alternative proposal by residents for on-site development;
- Urging the authorities to ensure that the rights of the residents of Boeung Kak Lake are respected and protected, including by ensuring an immediate end to the excessive use of force, and harassment, intimidation and restrictions on the right to peaceful protest.
APPEALS TO:
Governor
Phnom Penh Municipality
Kep Chuktema
# 69 Blvd. Preah Monivong
Khan Daun Penh
Phnom Penh,
CAMBODIA
Fax: 011 855 23 430 681
Email: info@phnompenh.gov.kh
Salutation: Your Excellency
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior
Sar Kheng
#75 Norodom Blvd.
Khan Chamkarmon
Phnom Penh,
CAMBODIA
Fax: 011 855 23 212708
Email: moi@interior.gov.kh
Salutation: Your Excellency
COPIES TO:
Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation
Hor Nam Hong
No 3 Samdech Hun Sen Street
Sangkat Tonle Bassac
Khan Chamcar Mon
Phnom Penh,
CAMBODIA
Fax: 011 855 23 216141
Ambassador Hem Heng
Royal Embassy of Cambodia
4530 16th St NW
Washington DC 20011
Fax: 1 202 726 8381
Email: recdc@embassyofcambodia.org
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.
Check with the AIUSA Urgent Action office if sending appeals after 19 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/uaa05511.pdf
Note: Please write on behalf of these persons even though you may not have received the original UA when issued on March 3, 2011. Thanks!
8 March 2011
Further information on UA 55/11 (3 March 2011) - Risk of torture/ill-treatment
ZIMBABWE
Munyaradzi Gwisai,
Hopewell Gumbo,
Antonater Choto,
Welcome Zimuto,
Eddson Chakuma,
Tatenda Mombeyarara
Thirty-nine of the 45 activists arrested in Harare on 19 February were freed after the treason charges against them were dismissed by a magistrate court. However, six activists remain in custody facing treason charges. Meanwhile, 24 activists arrested in Mutare, including a parliamentarian, had a hearing of the state's appeal on bail postponed.
On 7 March, 39 social justice and human rights activists facing treason charges were freed after a magistrate in Harare dismissed the charges against them. They had spent more than two weeks in custody. The activists were part of a group of 45 activists arrested on 19 February after attending a lecture to discuss events in Egypt and Tunisia. However, Munyaradzi Gwisai, Hopewell Gumbo, Antonater Choto, Welcome Zimuto, Eddson Chakuma and Tatenda Mombeyarara were remanded in custody to 21 March because they were either directly linked to International Social Organisation which convened the meeting or were speakers at the meeting.
Lawyers representing the activists told the court that the detained activists were being held in solitary confinement for 23 hours a day. The lawyers also told the court that 11 women activists who had been detained at Chikurubi Women's Prison were forced to work for three hours a day in violation of their rights as pre-trial detainees.
Meanwhile, on 7 March a High Court judge postponed the hearing of an appeal filed by the State in the case of Movement for Democratic Change (MDC-T) parliamentarian Douglas Mwonzora and 23 villagers arrested on allegations of public violence in Nyanga mid February. The case was postponed to 9 March after the judge noted that the record of proceedings was incomplete with some pages missing. The 24 MDC-T members are detained at Mutare Remand Prison.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
- Highlighting your concern over the detention of the 45 activists in solitary confinement for more than two weeks and urging them to ensure the remaining six activists in custody are not subjected to torture, inhuman and degrading treatment, including not being detained in solitary confinement.
- Urging them to drop the treason charges against the six activists arrested solely for exercising their right to freedom of expression and to immediately and unconditionally release them.
APPEALS TO:
Minister of Justice and Legal Affairs
Hon Patrick Chinamasa
Government of Zimbabwe
New Government Complex
P. Bag 7751, Causeway
Harare,
ZIMBABWE
Fax: 011 263 4 790901
Salutation: Dear Minister
The Attorney General
Johannes Tomana
Government of Zimbabwe
P. Bag 7714, Causeway
Harare,
ZIMBABWE
Fax: 011 263 4 777049
Salutation:Dear Attorney General
COPIES TO:
Ambassador Dr. Machivenyika T. Mapuranga
Embassy of the Republic of Zimbabwe
1608 New Hampshire Ave. NW
Washington DC 20009
Phone: 1 202 332 7100
Fax: 1 202 483 9326
Email: info@zimbabwe-embassy.us
zimembassy@yahoo.com
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.
Check with the AIUSA Urgent Action office if sending appeals after 19 April 2011.
----------------------------------
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END OF URGENT ACTION APPEAL
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Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Urgent Action 3-5-11
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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4 March 2011
UA 58/11 Incommunicado Detention / Risk of Torture / Risk of Ill-Treatment
SAUDI ARABIA Sheikh Tawfiq Jaber Ibrahim al-‘Amr (m)
Saudi Arabian Shi’a cleric Sheikh Tawfiq Jaber Ibrahim al-‘Amr was arrested on 27 February following a sermon he gave calling for reforms in Saudi Arabia. He has been detained incommunicado since and is at risk of torture or other ill-treatment. Amnesty International is concerned that he may be held solely for the peaceful expression of his right to freedom of expression and may therefore be a prisoner of conscience.
Sheikh Tawfiq Jaber Ibrahim al-‘Amr is a Shi’a religious cleric in the province of al-Ahsa. During his sermon on 25 February in Umat al-Islam Mosque in al-Hafouf city in al-Ahsa province he called for the need for deep-rooted reform in Saudi Arabia, including for a constitutional monarchy, fair distribution of jobs, and an end to discrimination against religious minorities. On the evening of 27 February members of General Intelligence (al-Mabahith al-‘Amma) came to his house and asked him to accompany them. He appears to have been taken away shortly afterwards. His family waited all evening but did not hear from him. Around half past midnight a member of General Intelligence contacted a member of his family to say that he had been arrested and was being held at the Department of General Intelligence in Dammam. The relative asked if the family could visit him and was told no.
He had been arrested and briefly detained on two previous occasions. The first was around three years ago apparently in connection with an art exhibition he organized for ‘Ashura, a Shi’a festival. He was detained for about three days. The second was about two years ago when he was arrested seemingly in connection with practising aspects of the Shi’a faith. He was detained for about 10 days. Sometime after his release he was brought before a court accused of incitement against the government. The trial was adjourned to allow the prosecution time to provide evidence to substantiate the claim. Nothing is known to have happened with the case since.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Critics of the Saudi Arabian government face gross human rights violations at the hands of security forces under the control of the Ministry of Interior. They are often held incommunicado without charge, sometimes in solitary confinement, prevented from consulting lawyers and denied access to the courts to challenge the lawfulness of their detention. Torture or other ill-treatment are frequently used to extract confessions from detainees, to punish them for refusing to “repent”, or to force them to make undertakings not to criticize the government. Incommunicado detention in Saudi Arabia often lasts until a confession is obtained, which can take months and occasionally years.
Saudi Arabia is a state party to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, which prohibits the use of evidence extracted under torture or other ill-treatment. Article 15 states: “Each State Party shall ensure that any statement which is established to have been made as a result of torture shall not be invoked as evidence in any proceedings, except against a person accused of torture as evidence that the statement was made.”
The vast majority of Saudi Arabian citizens are Sunni Muslims and the Wahhabi interpretation of Islam is the official version followed by the state. The public practice of faiths other than Sunni Islam is not tolerated in Saudi Arabia. Even when practising their faiths in private, members of other faiths are at risk of persecution.
The state considers Shi’a Islam to be incompatible with the Wahhabi interpretation of Islam and imposes restrictions on its practice. Members of the Shi’a Muslim community may face arbitrary arrest and detention, and fear of prosecution prevents them from practising their faith freely. Those detained are frequently held without charge, and may face torture or other ill-treatment.
In February 2009 members of the Committee for the Prevention of Vice and Promotion of Virtue (CPVPV), also known as the Mutawa’een or religious police, took video footage of Shi’a women who were visiting the tomb of the Prophet Muhammad in Madina. This angered a wider group of Shi’a men and women visiting the tomb and led to them protesting outside the offices of the CPVPV in Madina to request the handover of the footage. The situation escalated into a series of clashes when members of the CPVPV attacked the protesters; a number of the protesters were injured and at least nine were arrested but released after about one week in detention. According to Minister of Interior Prince Naif bin ‘Abdul ‘Aziz Al-Saud, some individuals from the Sunni community were arrested too.
The incident sparked demonstrations in the Eastern Province, following which at least 10 members of the Shi’a community, including six boys aged 14-16, were arrested and detained. Several of the boys were released after a few weeks; Amnesty International has not been able to ascertain what happened to the others.
On 14 March 2009, reporting on the arrests of members of the Shi’a community, the Minister of the Interior stated: “Citizens have both rights and duties; their activities should not contradict the doctrine followed by the Ummah [Muslim community]. It is the doctrine of Sunnis and our righteous forefathers. There are citizens who follow other schools of thought and the intelligent among them must respect this doctrine.”
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
--Expressing concern that Muzaffar Bhutto has not been seen or heard from since 25 February;
--Urging the authorities to conduct an immediate, prompt and impartial investigation into the whereabouts of Muzaffar Bhutto and inform his relatives, ensuring that anyone involved in his enforced disappearance, including at the highest levels of command, is promptly brought to justice and the victims are granted reparations;
--Demanding Muzaffar Bhutto’s immediate release or transfer to an official place of detention and promptly charged with an internationally recognizable offense and remanded by an independent court;
--Calling on the authorities to ensure that Muzaffar Bhutto is not tortured or ill-treated, and is allowed access to family, lawyers of his choice and any medical treatment he may require given his health condition.
APPEALS TO:
Second Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior
His Royal Highness Prince Naif bin ‘Abdul ‘Aziz Al-Saud
Ministry of the Interior
P.O. Box 2933, Airport Road
Riyadh 11134
KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA
Fax: 011 966 1 403 1185 (please keep trying)
Salutation: Your Royal Highness
King
His Majesty King ‘Abdullah Bin ‘Abdul ‘Aziz Al-Saud
The Custodian of the two Holy Mosques
Office of His Majesty the King
Royal Court, Riyadh
KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA
Fax: (via Ministry of the Interior)
011 966 1 403 1185 (please keep trying)
Salutation: Your Majesty
COPIES TO:
President, Human Rights Commission
Bandar Mohammed ‘Abdullah al-Aiban
Human Rights Commission
P.O. Box 58889, King Fahad Road, Building No. 373, Riyadh 11515
KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA
Email: hrc@haq-ksa.org
Salutation: Dear Dr al-Aiban
Ambassador Adel A. Al-Jubeir
Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia
601 New Hampshire Ave. NW
Washington DC 20037
Fax: 1 202 944 5983
Email: info@saudiembassy.net
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.
Check with the AIUSA Urgent Action office if sending appeals after 15 April 2011.
----------------------------------
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END OF URGENT ACTION APPEAL
----------------------------------
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++=
URGENT ACTION APPEAL
- From Amnesty International USA
To learn about recent Urgent Action successes and updates, go to
http://www.amnestyusa.org/iar/success
----------------------------------
For a print-friendly version of this Urgent Action (PDF):
http://www.amnestyusa.org/actioncenter/actions/uaa05411.pdf
3 March 2011
UA 54/11 Risk of torture/incommunicado detention
QATAR Sultan al-Khalaifi (m)
Sultan al-Khalaifi, who is a Qatari blogger and the founder of a human rights organization, was arrested on 2 March and is being detained incommunicado. He is at risk of torture or other ill-treatment. The reasons for his detention are unknown.
Sultan al-Khalaifi was arrested in the evening of 2 March by around eight individuals in plain clothes, believed to be members of the security forces. He was leaving his parents’ house at the time. The individuals took him to his own home, which they then searched, seizing CDs and a laptop. His family’s car was also searched. According to information received by Amnesty International, he had told his wife earlier that day that State Security had contacted him, asking him to report to them, but that he did not know why.
His whereabouts are not known, but it is believed that he is being held in the custody of State Security. It is not known why he was arrested. Amnesty International is concerned that his detention incommunicado puts him at increased risk of torture or other ill-treatment.
The organization founded by Sultan al-Khalaifi campaigns primarily on cases of detention in Qatar, but is legally registered in Switzerland.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Incommunicado detention is standard practice by State Security forces in Qatar. Amnesty International has received reports in recent years of dozens of people being detained incommunicado by State Security forces for weeks or months, followed by prolonged arbitrary detention without charge or trial.
In 2006, the UN Committee against Torture examined Qatar’s implementation of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. The Committee expressed concern that arrest and detention procedures placed suspects at increased risk of torture, particularly the lack of access to a lawyer or independent doctor or any requirement that the authorities notify a detainee’s relatives of the arrest.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
-Urging the authorities to ensure that Sultan al-Khalaifi is protected from torture and other ill-treatment, and is allowed prompt and regular access to a lawyer of his choosing, his family and any medical treatment he may require;
-Asking for details of any charges he faces to be made public and calling on the authorities to ensure that any legal proceedings against him conform to international fair trial standards.
APPEALS TO:
Minister of the Interior
His Excellency Sheikh Abdullah bin Khalid Al Thani
Ministry of the Interior
PO Box 920
Doha
STATE OF QATAR
Fax: 011 974 4444 4945
Email: info@moi.gov.qa
Salutation: Your Excellency
Amir of the State of Qatar
His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani
PO Box 923
Doha
STATE OF QATAR
Fax: 011 974 4436 1212
Salutation: Your Highness
Attorney General
Dr Ali bin Fetais Al Marri
PO Box 705
Doha
STATE OF QATAR
Fax: 011 974 4484 3211
Salutation: Dr Ali bin Fetais Al Marri
COPIES TO:
Ambassador Ali Bin Fahad Al-Hajri
Embassy of the State of Qatar
2555 M St NW
Washington DC 20037
Fax: 1 202 237 0061
Email: info@qatarembassy.net
amboffice@qatarembassy.net
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.
Check with the AIUSA Urgent Action office if sending appeals after 14 April 2011
----------------------------------
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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/uaa05511.pdf
3 March 2011
UA 55/11 Risk of Torture/Ill-treatment
ZIMBABWE Human Rights Activists including:
Munyaradzi Gwisai (m)
Human rights and political activists in Zimbabwe are facing a major clampdown, with over 60 currently held in detention and many allegedly tortured. In Harare, 45 people have been charged with treason and face the death penalty if convicted. More activists have been arrested in Bulawayo and Manicaland province.
On 19 February, Munyaradzi Gwisai and 44 other activists were arrested by police in Zimbabwe's capital Harare while holding a meeting to discuss events in Egypt and Tunisia. They were detained beyond the 48 hours prescribed by law and were told that they were being charged with treason just minutes before being taken to court on 23 February. If convicted of treason, they could face the death penalty. Munyaradzi Gwisai told the court that he and other activists had been tortured while in detention at Harare Central police station. The activists were denied access to their lawyers and medical treatment. The 34 men are now detained at Harare Central Remand Prison while the 11 women are detained at Chikurubi Women’s Prison.
On 28 February seven members of the campaigning organizations Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) and Men of Zimbabwe Arise (MOZA) were arrested in Bulawayo. They were reportedly tortured at Bulawayo Central police station. They were released on 2 March on $50 bail and must report to police twice a week. On 1 March, 14 WOZA activists were arrested during various meetings on social issues in Bulawayo and released the same day without charge.
In Manicaland, 23 villagers and their Member of Parliament, Douglas Mwonzora, have been in custody since their arrest in mid-February. They are accused of public violence following clashes between members of President Mugabe’s ZANU-PF party and the MDC-T party, to which Douglas Mwonzora belongs. No ZANU-PF activists were arrested. The 24 detainees were granted bail on 21 February but the state used Section 121 of the Criminal Procedure and Evidence Act (CPEA) to suspend the bail order, and extend the detention by another seven days. This section of the CPEA has been used in the past to prolong detention of perceived opponents of ZANU-PF.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
-To the Attorney General of Zimbabwe and Commissioner General of Police expressing concern over the arbitrary arrests, unlawful detention and torture of Mr Munyaradzi Gwisai and some of the 44 activists arrested on 19 February after holding a meeting to discuss events in Egypt and Tunisia. Urge them to end abusing the law against perceived political opponents of ZANU-PF party;
-To the Attorney General urging him to drop the treason charges against the 45 activists arrested solely for exercising their right to freedom of expression. Urge him to immediately and unconditionally release them;
-To the Commissioner General of Police urging him to end arbitrary arrest and unlawful detention of human rights activists and perceived opponents of ZANU-PF. Urge him to investigate the allegations of torture and bring the responsible security agents to justice. Urge him to guarantee access to lawyers and medical treatment to all detainees including those allegedly tortured in custody.
APPEALS TO:
The Attorney General
Johannes Tomana
Government of Zimbabwe
P. Bag 7714, Causeway
Harare,
ZIMBABWE
Fax: 011 263 4 777049
Salutation: Dear Attorney General
Commissioner-General of Police
Augustine Chihuri
Zimbabwe Republic Police
P. O. Box 8807, Causeway
Harare,
ZIMBABWE
Fax: 011 263 4 253 212
Salutation: Dear Commissioner-General
COPIES TO:
Ambassador Dr. Machivenyika T. Mapuranga
Embassy of the Republic of Zimbabwe
1608 New Hampshire Ave. NW
Washington DC 20009
Phone: 1 202 332 7100
Fax: 1 202 483 9326
Email: info@zimbabwe-embassy.us, zimembassy@yahoo.com
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.
Check with the AIUSA Urgent Action office if sending appeals after 14 April 2011.
----------------------------------
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Write as soon as you can. Try to write as close as possible
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Amnesty International is a worldwide grassroots movement
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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/uaa05811.pdf
4 March 2011
UA 58/11 Incommunicado Detention / Risk of Torture / Risk of Ill-Treatment
SAUDI ARABIA Sheikh Tawfiq Jaber Ibrahim al-‘Amr (m)
Saudi Arabian Shi’a cleric Sheikh Tawfiq Jaber Ibrahim al-‘Amr was arrested on 27 February following a sermon he gave calling for reforms in Saudi Arabia. He has been detained incommunicado since and is at risk of torture or other ill-treatment. Amnesty International is concerned that he may be held solely for the peaceful expression of his right to freedom of expression and may therefore be a prisoner of conscience.
Sheikh Tawfiq Jaber Ibrahim al-‘Amr is a Shi’a religious cleric in the province of al-Ahsa. During his sermon on 25 February in Umat al-Islam Mosque in al-Hafouf city in al-Ahsa province he called for the need for deep-rooted reform in Saudi Arabia, including for a constitutional monarchy, fair distribution of jobs, and an end to discrimination against religious minorities. On the evening of 27 February members of General Intelligence (al-Mabahith al-‘Amma) came to his house and asked him to accompany them. He appears to have been taken away shortly afterwards. His family waited all evening but did not hear from him. Around half past midnight a member of General Intelligence contacted a member of his family to say that he had been arrested and was being held at the Department of General Intelligence in Dammam. The relative asked if the family could visit him and was told no.
He had been arrested and briefly detained on two previous occasions. The first was around three years ago apparently in connection with an art exhibition he organized for ‘Ashura, a Shi’a festival. He was detained for about three days. The second was about two years ago when he was arrested seemingly in connection with practising aspects of the Shi’a faith. He was detained for about 10 days. Sometime after his release he was brought before a court accused of incitement against the government. The trial was adjourned to allow the prosecution time to provide evidence to substantiate the claim. Nothing is known to have happened with the case since.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Critics of the Saudi Arabian government face gross human rights violations at the hands of security forces under the control of the Ministry of Interior. They are often held incommunicado without charge, sometimes in solitary confinement, prevented from consulting lawyers and denied access to the courts to challenge the lawfulness of their detention. Torture or other ill-treatment are frequently used to extract confessions from detainees, to punish them for refusing to “repent”, or to force them to make undertakings not to criticize the government. Incommunicado detention in Saudi Arabia often lasts until a confession is obtained, which can take months and occasionally years.
Saudi Arabia is a state party to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, which prohibits the use of evidence extracted under torture or other ill-treatment. Article 15 states: “Each State Party shall ensure that any statement which is established to have been made as a result of torture shall not be invoked as evidence in any proceedings, except against a person accused of torture as evidence that the statement was made.”
The vast majority of Saudi Arabian citizens are Sunni Muslims and the Wahhabi interpretation of Islam is the official version followed by the state. The public practice of faiths other than Sunni Islam is not tolerated in Saudi Arabia. Even when practising their faiths in private, members of other faiths are at risk of persecution.
The state considers Shi’a Islam to be incompatible with the Wahhabi interpretation of Islam and imposes restrictions on its practice. Members of the Shi’a Muslim community may face arbitrary arrest and detention, and fear of prosecution prevents them from practising their faith freely. Those detained are frequently held without charge, and may face torture or other ill-treatment.
In February 2009 members of the Committee for the Prevention of Vice and Promotion of Virtue (CPVPV), also known as the Mutawa’een or religious police, took video footage of Shi’a women who were visiting the tomb of the Prophet Muhammad in Madina. This angered a wider group of Shi’a men and women visiting the tomb and led to them protesting outside the offices of the CPVPV in Madina to request the handover of the footage. The situation escalated into a series of clashes when members of the CPVPV attacked the protesters; a number of the protesters were injured and at least nine were arrested but released after about one week in detention. According to Minister of Interior Prince Naif bin ‘Abdul ‘Aziz Al-Saud, some individuals from the Sunni community were arrested too.
The incident sparked demonstrations in the Eastern Province, following which at least 10 members of the Shi’a community, including six boys aged 14-16, were arrested and detained. Several of the boys were released after a few weeks; Amnesty International has not been able to ascertain what happened to the others.
On 14 March 2009, reporting on the arrests of members of the Shi’a community, the Minister of the Interior stated: “Citizens have both rights and duties; their activities should not contradict the doctrine followed by the Ummah [Muslim community]. It is the doctrine of Sunnis and our righteous forefathers. There are citizens who follow other schools of thought and the intelligent among them must respect this doctrine.”
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
--Expressing concern that Muzaffar Bhutto has not been seen or heard from since 25 February;
--Urging the authorities to conduct an immediate, prompt and impartial investigation into the whereabouts of Muzaffar Bhutto and inform his relatives, ensuring that anyone involved in his enforced disappearance, including at the highest levels of command, is promptly brought to justice and the victims are granted reparations;
--Demanding Muzaffar Bhutto’s immediate release or transfer to an official place of detention and promptly charged with an internationally recognizable offense and remanded by an independent court;
--Calling on the authorities to ensure that Muzaffar Bhutto is not tortured or ill-treated, and is allowed access to family, lawyers of his choice and any medical treatment he may require given his health condition.
APPEALS TO:
Second Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior
His Royal Highness Prince Naif bin ‘Abdul ‘Aziz Al-Saud
Ministry of the Interior
P.O. Box 2933, Airport Road
Riyadh 11134
KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA
Fax: 011 966 1 403 1185 (please keep trying)
Salutation: Your Royal Highness
King
His Majesty King ‘Abdullah Bin ‘Abdul ‘Aziz Al-Saud
The Custodian of the two Holy Mosques
Office of His Majesty the King
Royal Court, Riyadh
KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA
Fax: (via Ministry of the Interior)
011 966 1 403 1185 (please keep trying)
Salutation: Your Majesty
COPIES TO:
President, Human Rights Commission
Bandar Mohammed ‘Abdullah al-Aiban
Human Rights Commission
P.O. Box 58889, King Fahad Road, Building No. 373, Riyadh 11515
KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA
Email: hrc@haq-ksa.org
Salutation: Dear Dr al-Aiban
Ambassador Adel A. Al-Jubeir
Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia
601 New Hampshire Ave. NW
Washington DC 20037
Fax: 1 202 944 5983
Email: info@saudiembassy.net
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.
Check with the AIUSA Urgent Action office if sending appeals after 15 April 2011.
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Amnesty International is a worldwide grassroots movement
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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/uaa05411.pdf
3 March 2011
UA 54/11 Risk of torture/incommunicado detention
QATAR Sultan al-Khalaifi (m)
Sultan al-Khalaifi, who is a Qatari blogger and the founder of a human rights organization, was arrested on 2 March and is being detained incommunicado. He is at risk of torture or other ill-treatment. The reasons for his detention are unknown.
Sultan al-Khalaifi was arrested in the evening of 2 March by around eight individuals in plain clothes, believed to be members of the security forces. He was leaving his parents’ house at the time. The individuals took him to his own home, which they then searched, seizing CDs and a laptop. His family’s car was also searched. According to information received by Amnesty International, he had told his wife earlier that day that State Security had contacted him, asking him to report to them, but that he did not know why.
His whereabouts are not known, but it is believed that he is being held in the custody of State Security. It is not known why he was arrested. Amnesty International is concerned that his detention incommunicado puts him at increased risk of torture or other ill-treatment.
The organization founded by Sultan al-Khalaifi campaigns primarily on cases of detention in Qatar, but is legally registered in Switzerland.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Incommunicado detention is standard practice by State Security forces in Qatar. Amnesty International has received reports in recent years of dozens of people being detained incommunicado by State Security forces for weeks or months, followed by prolonged arbitrary detention without charge or trial.
In 2006, the UN Committee against Torture examined Qatar’s implementation of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. The Committee expressed concern that arrest and detention procedures placed suspects at increased risk of torture, particularly the lack of access to a lawyer or independent doctor or any requirement that the authorities notify a detainee’s relatives of the arrest.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
-Urging the authorities to ensure that Sultan al-Khalaifi is protected from torture and other ill-treatment, and is allowed prompt and regular access to a lawyer of his choosing, his family and any medical treatment he may require;
-Asking for details of any charges he faces to be made public and calling on the authorities to ensure that any legal proceedings against him conform to international fair trial standards.
APPEALS TO:
Minister of the Interior
His Excellency Sheikh Abdullah bin Khalid Al Thani
Ministry of the Interior
PO Box 920
Doha
STATE OF QATAR
Fax: 011 974 4444 4945
Email: info@moi.gov.qa
Salutation: Your Excellency
Amir of the State of Qatar
His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani
PO Box 923
Doha
STATE OF QATAR
Fax: 011 974 4436 1212
Salutation: Your Highness
Attorney General
Dr Ali bin Fetais Al Marri
PO Box 705
Doha
STATE OF QATAR
Fax: 011 974 4484 3211
Salutation: Dr Ali bin Fetais Al Marri
COPIES TO:
Ambassador Ali Bin Fahad Al-Hajri
Embassy of the State of Qatar
2555 M St NW
Washington DC 20037
Fax: 1 202 237 0061
Email: info@qatarembassy.net
amboffice@qatarembassy.net
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.
Check with the AIUSA Urgent Action office if sending appeals after 14 April 2011
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Amnesty International is a worldwide grassroots movement
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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
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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/uaa05511.pdf
3 March 2011
UA 55/11 Risk of Torture/Ill-treatment
ZIMBABWE Human Rights Activists including:
Munyaradzi Gwisai (m)
Human rights and political activists in Zimbabwe are facing a major clampdown, with over 60 currently held in detention and many allegedly tortured. In Harare, 45 people have been charged with treason and face the death penalty if convicted. More activists have been arrested in Bulawayo and Manicaland province.
On 19 February, Munyaradzi Gwisai and 44 other activists were arrested by police in Zimbabwe's capital Harare while holding a meeting to discuss events in Egypt and Tunisia. They were detained beyond the 48 hours prescribed by law and were told that they were being charged with treason just minutes before being taken to court on 23 February. If convicted of treason, they could face the death penalty. Munyaradzi Gwisai told the court that he and other activists had been tortured while in detention at Harare Central police station. The activists were denied access to their lawyers and medical treatment. The 34 men are now detained at Harare Central Remand Prison while the 11 women are detained at Chikurubi Women’s Prison.
On 28 February seven members of the campaigning organizations Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) and Men of Zimbabwe Arise (MOZA) were arrested in Bulawayo. They were reportedly tortured at Bulawayo Central police station. They were released on 2 March on $50 bail and must report to police twice a week. On 1 March, 14 WOZA activists were arrested during various meetings on social issues in Bulawayo and released the same day without charge.
In Manicaland, 23 villagers and their Member of Parliament, Douglas Mwonzora, have been in custody since their arrest in mid-February. They are accused of public violence following clashes between members of President Mugabe’s ZANU-PF party and the MDC-T party, to which Douglas Mwonzora belongs. No ZANU-PF activists were arrested. The 24 detainees were granted bail on 21 February but the state used Section 121 of the Criminal Procedure and Evidence Act (CPEA) to suspend the bail order, and extend the detention by another seven days. This section of the CPEA has been used in the past to prolong detention of perceived opponents of ZANU-PF.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
-To the Attorney General of Zimbabwe and Commissioner General of Police expressing concern over the arbitrary arrests, unlawful detention and torture of Mr Munyaradzi Gwisai and some of the 44 activists arrested on 19 February after holding a meeting to discuss events in Egypt and Tunisia. Urge them to end abusing the law against perceived political opponents of ZANU-PF party;
-To the Attorney General urging him to drop the treason charges against the 45 activists arrested solely for exercising their right to freedom of expression. Urge him to immediately and unconditionally release them;
-To the Commissioner General of Police urging him to end arbitrary arrest and unlawful detention of human rights activists and perceived opponents of ZANU-PF. Urge him to investigate the allegations of torture and bring the responsible security agents to justice. Urge him to guarantee access to lawyers and medical treatment to all detainees including those allegedly tortured in custody.
APPEALS TO:
The Attorney General
Johannes Tomana
Government of Zimbabwe
P. Bag 7714, Causeway
Harare,
ZIMBABWE
Fax: 011 263 4 777049
Salutation: Dear Attorney General
Commissioner-General of Police
Augustine Chihuri
Zimbabwe Republic Police
P. O. Box 8807, Causeway
Harare,
ZIMBABWE
Fax: 011 263 4 253 212
Salutation: Dear Commissioner-General
COPIES TO:
Ambassador Dr. Machivenyika T. Mapuranga
Embassy of the Republic of Zimbabwe
1608 New Hampshire Ave. NW
Washington DC 20009
Phone: 1 202 332 7100
Fax: 1 202 483 9326
Email: info@zimbabwe-embassy.us, zimembassy@yahoo.com
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.
Check with the AIUSA Urgent Action office if sending appeals after 14 April 2011.
----------------------------------
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To all other destination countries:
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Amnesty International is a worldwide grassroots movement
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This Urgent Action may be reposted if kept intact, including contact information and stop action date (if applicable).
Thank you for your help with this appeal.
Urgent Action Network
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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