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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----------------------------------
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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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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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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Amnesty International is a worldwide grassroots movement
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This Urgent Action may be reposted if kept intact, including contact information and stop action date (if applicable).
Thank you for your help with this appeal.
Urgent Action Network
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Email: uan@aiusa.org
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Fax: 202.675.8566
----------------------------------
END OF URGENT ACTION APPEAL
----------------------------------
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Urgent Action 2-26-11
URGENT ACTION APPEAL
- From Amnesty International USA
To learn about recent Urgent Action successes and updates, go to
http://www.amnestyusa.org/iar/success
----------------------------------
For a print-friendly version of this Urgent Action (PDF):
http://www.amnestyusa.org/actioncenter/actions/uaa00110.pdf
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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To all other destination countries:
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Amnesty International is a worldwide grassroots movement that promotes and defends human rights.
This Urgent Action may be reposted if kept intact, including contact information and stop action date (if applicable).
Thank you for your help with this appeal.
Urgent Action Network
Amnesty International USA
600 Pennsylvania Ave SE 5th fl
Washington DC 20003
Email: uan@aiusa.org
http://www.amnestyusa.org/urgent/
Phone: 202.509.8193
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/uaa00110.pdf
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.
----------------------------------
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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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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Amnesty International is a worldwide grassroots movement that promotes and defends human rights.
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Thank you for your help with this appeal.
Urgent Action Network
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Phone: 202.509.8193
Fax: 202.675.8566
----------------------------------
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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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
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Phone: 202.509.8193
Fax: 202.675.8566
----------------------------------
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
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
----------------------------------
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.
----------------------------------
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:
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Amnesty International is a worldwide grassroots movement that promotes and defends human rights.
This Urgent Action may be reposted if kept intact, including contact information and stop action date (if applicable).
Thank you for your help with this appeal.
Urgent Action Network
Amnesty International USA
600 Pennsylvania Ave SE 5th fl
Washington DC 20003
Email: uan@aiusa.org
http://www.amnestyusa.org/urgent/
Phone: 202.509.8193
Fax: 202.675.8566
----------------------------------
END OF URGENT ACTION APPEAL
----------------------------------
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
URGENT ACTION APPEAL
- From Amnesty International USA
To 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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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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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
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END OF URGENT ACTION APPEAL
----------------------------------
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):
http://www.amnestyusa.org/actioncenter/actions/uaa02911.pdf
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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----------------------------------
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
----------------------------------
- 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
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.
This Urgent Action may be reposted if kept intact, including contact information and stop action date (if applicable).
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Amnesty International USA
600 Pennsylvania Ave SE 5th fl
Washington DC 20003
Email: uan@aiusa.org
http://www.amnestyusa.org/urgent/
Phone: 202.509.8193
Fax: 202.675.8566
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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
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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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