URGENT ACTION APPEAL
- From Amnesty International USA
To read the current Urgent Action newsletter, go to
http://www.amnestyusa.org/urgent/newslett.html
----------------------------------
For a print-friendly version of this Urgent Action (PDF):
http://www.amnestyusa.org/actioncenter/actions/uaa21809.pdf
Note: Please write on behalf of these persons even though you may not have received the original UA when issued on August 17, 2009. Thanks!
13 October 2009
Further information on UA 218/09 (17 August 2009) and follow-up (7 October 2009) - Imminent execution
BELARUS
Vasily Yuzepchuk (m)
Andrei Zhuk (m)
President Alyaksandr Lukashenka has allowed the deadline for clemency for Vasily Yuzepchuk to pass. On 12 October, the UN Human Rights Committee registered Vasily Yuzepchuk's case and called on the Belarusian government not to execute Vasily Yuzepchuk while his case is under consideration by the Committee.
President Lukashenka has ignored calls for clemency from the international community, including the Council of Europe. Following the Supreme Court's 2 October rejection of Vasily Yuzepchuk's appeal, President Lukashenka had 10 days in which to grant clemency. On 8 October local human rights activists sent a petition to the UN Human Rights Committee about the case. On 12 October the Committee requested that Belarus not carry out the sentence while it is considering the case.
Vasily Yuzepchuk was sentenced to death on 29 June, for the murder of six elderly women, following an investigation and trial which his lawyer argues were fundamentally flawed: he says that Vasily Yuzepchuk was beaten in detention to force him to confess.
Vasily Yuzepchuk belongs to the marginalized Roma ethnic group; originally from Ukraine, he does not have an internal passport, which is required for all citizens of Belarus. He may have an intellectual disability and according to his lawyer he is illiterate and does not know the months of the year.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Condemned prisoners are given no warning that they are about to be executed, and they are usually put to death within minutes of being told that their appeal for clemency has been rejected. They are first taken to a room where, in the presence of the Director of the detention facility, the Prosecutor and one other Ministry of Interior employee, they are told that their appeal for clemency has been turned down and that the sentence will be carried out. They are then taken to a neighboring room where they are forced to their knees and shot in the back of the head. Their families will only be informed days or sometimes weeks later.
Belarus is the last country in Europe and the former Soviet Union which still carries out executions.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
- Urging President Lukashenka to comply with the UN Human Rights Committee not to carry out the death sentence against Vasily Yuzepchuk pending its consideration of his case;
- Calling on President Lukashenka to establish an immediate moratorium on the use of the death penalty, in line with UN General Assembly resolution 63/168, adopted on 18 December 2008.
APPEALS TO:
President
Alyaksandr Lukashenka
Administratsia Prezidenta Respubliki Belarus
ul. Karla Marxa 38
220016 Minsk
BELARUS
Salutation: Dear President Lukashenka
COPIES TO:
Ambassador Oleg Kravchenko
Embassy of the Republic of Belarus
1619 New Hampshire Ave NW
Washington DC 20009
Fax: 1 202 986 1805
Email: usa@belarusembassy.org
politics@belarusembassy.org
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.
Check with the AIUSA Urgent Action office if sending appeals after 24 November 2009.
----------------------------------
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Phone: 202.544.0200
Fax: 202.675.8566
----------------------------------
END OF URGENT ACTION APPEAL
----------------------------------
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Urgent Action 10-6-09
URGENT ACTION APPEAL
- From Amnesty International USA
To read the current Urgent Action newsletter, go to
http://www.amnestyusa.org/urgent/newslett.html
----------------------------------
For a print-friendly version of this Urgent Action (PDF):
http://www.amnestyusa.org/actioncenter/actions/uaa26709.pdf
06 October 2009
UA 267/09 Risk of torture
SYRIA Khaled Kenjo (m)
A Syrian Kurdish man has been held without access to the outside world for over three weeks after he was forcibly returned from Germany to Syria. He is in grave danger of torture.
Khaled Kenjo, aged 31, was detained by Syrian State Security in Qamishli, north-eastern Syria, on 13 September, 12 days after he was forcibly returned to Syria from Germany.
He was returned to Syria on 1 September after his application for asylum in Germany, which he made in 2002, was refused.
After his return to Syria he was summoned to attend the State Security office in Qamishli, which he did on 13 September. He never returned home and has not been heard from since. State Security is one of several branches of the security forces operating in Syria, all of which regularly detain individuals on even the slightest suspicion of opposition to the government. According to reports obtained by Amnesty International, Khaled Kenjo was transferred to the Damascus branch of State Security around 25 September. However, the Syrian authorities have not confirmed his whereabouts.
Khaled Kenjo’s brother, Ahmad Ma’mu Kenjo, died of a brain hemorrhage in 2004, a few months after he was beaten by members of Syrian security forces while held incommunicado. Another brother, Husayn Kenjo, was also detained in 2004 for around 16 months on charges connected with his alleged involvement in Kurdish protests and riots (see Additional Information).
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Kurds in Syria are vulnerable to prolonged arbitrary detention, torture and other ill-treatment, particularly if they are deemed to be associated with Kurdish political parties or groups raising concerns about the treatment of Kurds in Syria. Even family members of those perceived to be Kurdish activists may be subjected to arrest and incommunicado detention.
On 12 March 2004, clashes between rival Arab and Kurdish supporters at a football match in Qamishli, north-eastern Syria, resulted in several deaths – all believed to have resulted from the use of live bullets by the security forces. The following day mourners attending funerals of the dead were fired upon by members of the security forces, reportedly causing further fatalities and injuries. Two days of protests and riots followed in Qamishli and other largely Kurdish populated towns in the north and north-east. At least 36 people were killed in total, all of them apparently by the security forces; almost all those killed were Kurds. Over 100 people were injured. More than 2,000 people, mainly Kurds, were believed to have been arrested in the wake of the events. No official investigation is known to have been carried out into the use of lethal force by the security forces during these events, nor the widespread reports of torture and other ill-treatment of those detained at the time, including children, women and men, some of them elderly.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
- Urging the authorities to reveal immediately Khaled Kenjo’s whereabouts and to take all measures to ensure he is not tortured or otherwise ill-treated;
- Urging them to give him immediate access to his family, a lawyer of his choosing and any medical assistance he may need;
- Calling on them to release him without delay unless he is to be charged with a recognizably criminal offense
APPEALS TO:
President
Bashar al-Assad
Presidential Palace
al-Rashid Street
Damascus
SYRIAN ARAB REPUBLIC
Fax: 011 963 11 332 3410
Salutation: Your Excellency
Minister of Defense
Lieutenant-General Ali Ben-Mohammed Habib Mahmoud
Ministry of Defence
Omayyad Square
Damascus
SYRIAN ARAB REPUBLIC
Fax: 011 963 11 223 7842
Salutation: Your Excellency
COPIES TO:
Minister of Interior
Major Sa’id Mohamed Samour
Ministry of Interior
‘Abd al-Rahman Shahbandar Street
Damascus
SYRIAN ARAB REPUBLIC
Fax: 011 963 11 222 3428
Email: somi@net.sy
Salutation: Your Excellency
Ambassador Dr Imad Moustapha
Embassy of the Syrian Arab Republic
2215 Wyoming Ave. NW
Washington DC 20008
Fax: 1 202 234 9548 OR
1 202 265 4585 OR
1 202 232 4357 OR
Email: info@syrembassy.net
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.
Check with the AIUSA Urgent Action office if sending appeals after 17 November 2009.
----------------------------------
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Amnesty International is a worldwide grassroots movement that promotes and defends human rights.
This Urgent Action may be reposted if kept intact, including contact information and stop action date (if applicable). Thank you for your help with this appeal.
Urgent Action Network
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http://www.amnestyusa.org/urgent/
Phone: 202.544.0200
Fax: 202.675.8566
----------------------------------
END OF URGENT ACTION APPEAL
----------------------------------
- From Amnesty International USA
To read the current Urgent Action newsletter, go to
http://www.amnestyusa.org/urgent/newslett.html
----------------------------------
For a print-friendly version of this Urgent Action (PDF):
http://www.amnestyusa.org/actioncenter/actions/uaa26709.pdf
06 October 2009
UA 267/09 Risk of torture
SYRIA Khaled Kenjo (m)
A Syrian Kurdish man has been held without access to the outside world for over three weeks after he was forcibly returned from Germany to Syria. He is in grave danger of torture.
Khaled Kenjo, aged 31, was detained by Syrian State Security in Qamishli, north-eastern Syria, on 13 September, 12 days after he was forcibly returned to Syria from Germany.
He was returned to Syria on 1 September after his application for asylum in Germany, which he made in 2002, was refused.
After his return to Syria he was summoned to attend the State Security office in Qamishli, which he did on 13 September. He never returned home and has not been heard from since. State Security is one of several branches of the security forces operating in Syria, all of which regularly detain individuals on even the slightest suspicion of opposition to the government. According to reports obtained by Amnesty International, Khaled Kenjo was transferred to the Damascus branch of State Security around 25 September. However, the Syrian authorities have not confirmed his whereabouts.
Khaled Kenjo’s brother, Ahmad Ma’mu Kenjo, died of a brain hemorrhage in 2004, a few months after he was beaten by members of Syrian security forces while held incommunicado. Another brother, Husayn Kenjo, was also detained in 2004 for around 16 months on charges connected with his alleged involvement in Kurdish protests and riots (see Additional Information).
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Kurds in Syria are vulnerable to prolonged arbitrary detention, torture and other ill-treatment, particularly if they are deemed to be associated with Kurdish political parties or groups raising concerns about the treatment of Kurds in Syria. Even family members of those perceived to be Kurdish activists may be subjected to arrest and incommunicado detention.
On 12 March 2004, clashes between rival Arab and Kurdish supporters at a football match in Qamishli, north-eastern Syria, resulted in several deaths – all believed to have resulted from the use of live bullets by the security forces. The following day mourners attending funerals of the dead were fired upon by members of the security forces, reportedly causing further fatalities and injuries. Two days of protests and riots followed in Qamishli and other largely Kurdish populated towns in the north and north-east. At least 36 people were killed in total, all of them apparently by the security forces; almost all those killed were Kurds. Over 100 people were injured. More than 2,000 people, mainly Kurds, were believed to have been arrested in the wake of the events. No official investigation is known to have been carried out into the use of lethal force by the security forces during these events, nor the widespread reports of torture and other ill-treatment of those detained at the time, including children, women and men, some of them elderly.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
- Urging the authorities to reveal immediately Khaled Kenjo’s whereabouts and to take all measures to ensure he is not tortured or otherwise ill-treated;
- Urging them to give him immediate access to his family, a lawyer of his choosing and any medical assistance he may need;
- Calling on them to release him without delay unless he is to be charged with a recognizably criminal offense
APPEALS TO:
President
Bashar al-Assad
Presidential Palace
al-Rashid Street
Damascus
SYRIAN ARAB REPUBLIC
Fax: 011 963 11 332 3410
Salutation: Your Excellency
Minister of Defense
Lieutenant-General Ali Ben-Mohammed Habib Mahmoud
Ministry of Defence
Omayyad Square
Damascus
SYRIAN ARAB REPUBLIC
Fax: 011 963 11 223 7842
Salutation: Your Excellency
COPIES TO:
Minister of Interior
Major Sa’id Mohamed Samour
Ministry of Interior
‘Abd al-Rahman Shahbandar Street
Damascus
SYRIAN ARAB REPUBLIC
Fax: 011 963 11 222 3428
Email: somi@net.sy
Salutation: Your Excellency
Ambassador Dr Imad Moustapha
Embassy of the Syrian Arab Republic
2215 Wyoming Ave. NW
Washington DC 20008
Fax: 1 202 234 9548 OR
1 202 265 4585 OR
1 202 232 4357 OR
Email: info@syrembassy.net
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.
Check with the AIUSA Urgent Action office if sending appeals after 17 November 2009.
----------------------------------
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Amnesty International is a worldwide grassroots movement that promotes and defends human rights.
This Urgent Action may be reposted if kept intact, including contact information and stop action date (if applicable). Thank you for your help with this appeal.
Urgent Action Network
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600 Pennsylvania Ave SE 5th fl
Washington DC 20003
Email: uan@aiusa.org
http://www.amnestyusa.org/urgent/
Phone: 202.544.0200
Fax: 202.675.8566
----------------------------------
END OF URGENT ACTION APPEAL
----------------------------------
Saturday, September 26, 2009
TWO Urgent Actions - September 26, 2009
URGENT ACTION APPEAL
- From Amnesty International USA
To read the current Urgent Action newsletter, go to
http://www.amnestyusa.org/urgent/newslett.html
----------------------------------
For a print-friendly version of this Urgent Action (PDF):
http://www.amnestyusa.org/actioncenter/actions/uaa24209.pdf
Note: Please write on behalf of these persons even though you may not have received the original UA when issued on September 11, 2009. Thanks!
24 September 2009
Further information on UA 242/09 (11 September 2009) – Fear of torture
MYANMAR Kyaw Zaw Lwin (m), Human Rights Activist
Trusted sources have reported to Amnesty international that male activist Kyaw Zaw Lwin was tortured and suffered other ill-treatment while in detention in Insein Prison, Yangon, Myanmar’s main city. He was arrested in Yangon on 3 September. He has been denied medical treatment for the injuries he sustained from the torture he endured during interrogation. There are grave concerns about his health.
The torture and ill-treatment that Kyaw Zaw Lwin suffered in detention included beating and kicking. He was deprived of food for seven days and moved between different interrogation centers. He was not allowed to sleep at night and was kept awake during interrogation by the authorities. Details of the charges against him are not known.
The state newspaper New Light of Myanmar reported on 24 September that Kyaw Zaw Lwin had entered Myanmar to “create unrests within the country”. The newspaper reported details of the activities that Kyaw Zaw Lwin and other Burmese pro-democracy exiles allegedly undertook in collaboration with “internal anti-government elements” in Myanmar.
Kyaw Zaw Lwin, a US citizen, received consular access for the first time on 22 September.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Amnesty International has received additional information about Kyaw Zaw Lwin since issuing the initial Urgent Action. Kyaw Zaw Lwin has identified himself as an independent activist. While he has been involved with the work of pro-democracy groups and campaigns, he is not affiliated with any single group. Much of Kyaw Zaw Lwin’s work with pro-democracy groups has been undertaken because several of his relatives are political prisoners. His mother San San Tin and cousin Nwe Hnin Yi (aka Noe Noe), as well as Thet Thet Aung, who has now been confirmed as his cousin, are all currently serving prison sentences for their part in the anti-government demonstrations in September 2007.
A government amnesty on 17 September announced the release of 7,114 prisoners on ‘humanitarian grounds’. Only 127 of those released were political prisoners. Political dissidents and pro-democracy campaigners continue to be harassed and detained in Myanmar.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
- Express concern at reports that Kyaw Zaw Lin was tortured and suffered other ill-treatment while in detention;
- Urging the authorities to immediately provide Kyaw Zaw Lin access to any medical treatment he may require, and that this continues until he is released;
- Calling on the authorities to release Kyaw Zaw Lin immediately and unconditionally as soon as he has received the urgent medical treatment he needs;
- Demand that the authorities guarantee that Kyaw Zaw Lwin is not tortured or otherwise ill-treated while he remains in custody and that he has access to his family and legal counsel.
APPEALS TO:
Minister for Home Affairs
Maung Oo
Ministry of Home Affairs
Office No. 10
Naypyitaw, UNION OF MYANMAR
Fax: 011 95 67 412 439
Salutation: Dear Minister
Minister of Information
Brigadier-General Kyaw Hsan
Ministry of Information
Bldg. (7), Naypyitaw,
UNION OF MYANMAR
Salutation: Dear Minister
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Nyan Win
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Naypyitaw, UNION OF MYANMAR
Salutation: Dear Minister
COPIES TO:
Ambassador Linn Myaing
Embassy of the Union of Myanmar
2300 S St. NW
Washington DC 20008
Fax: 1 202 332 4351
Email: info@mewashingtondc.com
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.
Check with the AIUSA Urgent Action office if sending appeals after 16 October 2009.
----------------------------------
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Amnesty International is a worldwide grassroots movement that promotes and defends human rights.
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Urgent Action Network
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600 Pennsylvania Ave SE 5th fl
Washington DC 20003
Email: uan@aiusa.org
http://www.amnestyusa.org/urgent/
Phone: 202.544.0200
Fax: 202.675.8566
----------------------------------
END OF URGENT ACTION APPEAL
----------------------------------
+++++++++++++++++++++
+++++++++++++++++++++
+++++++++++++++++++++
URGENT ACTION APPEAL
- From Amnesty International USA
To read the current Urgent Action newsletter, go to
http://www.amnestyusa.org/urgent/newslett.html
----------------------------------
For a print-friendly version of this Urgent Action (PDF):
http://www.amnestyusa.org/actioncenter/actions/uaa25509.pdf
25 September 2009
UA 255/09 - Fear for safety/excessive force/arbitrary detention
HONDURAS Protestors
Reports indicate that at least five people have been killed in the political turmoil in Honduras since 21 September, when deposed President Manuel Zelaya returned to the country. Mass demonstrations against the de facto authorities have taken place in various cities across Honduras, and there are reports of many demonstrators having been beaten and some shot by security forces, and of wide-scale arbitrary detentions.
On Tuesday 22 September, police officers are alleged to have shot dead 18 year-old Jose Jacobo Euceda Perdomo in the city of San Pedro Sula. A further four people are reported to have died in Tegucigalpa, including a 65-year-old man who died of gunshot wounds received during a demonstration.
During the 22 and 23 September, reports indicate that police entered poor residential neighborhoods of the Honduran capital Tegucigalpa and the second city San Pedro Sula, searching for opponents of the de facto authorities who had taken part in demonstrations since 21 September. Police are reported to have remained in the residential neighborhoods for several hours, during which time they fired live ammunition and tear gas, and entered homes without warrants late at night, beating and detaining many individuals. Young people appear to have been particularly targeted in these raids.
The location of those who were detained in Tegucigalpa remains unclear: some were taken to the main police stations, while others may have been held in the residential neighborhoods. Such irregular methods of detention place individuals at risk of grave human rights abuses, since they may never be formally registered as being in detention. While many are believed to have been released, it is possible that others remain detained in unknown locations.
Tension has also remained high during the day in some areas. The curfew was lifted for several hours on 23 September in Tegucigalpa, and in the aftermath of a demonstration against the de facto authorities there were reports of beatings and arbitrary detentions of demonstrators or those suspected of being demonstrators. Witnesses have reported seeing soldiers randomly beating people on the street with wooden clubs.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Concerns about human rights in Honduras have intensified since the democratically elected President Jose Manuel Zelaya Rosales was forced from power on 28 June and expelled from the country by a military-backed group of politicians led by Roberto Micheletti, former leader of the National Congress. There has been widespread unrest in the country since the coup d'etat with frequent clashes between the police, military and civilian protestors. At least seven people are reported to have died in unclear circumstances since 28 June. Curfews have been imposed sporadically and often with little notice since 21 September, leaving people with few opportunities to buy food and fuel.
Tensions have mounted since the return to Honduras of deposed President Manuel Zelaya on 21 September. The resulting demonstrations against the de facto authorities have met with wide-scale repression from the security forces, leaving many wounded and reports of five dead since 21 September. While a high-level delegation from the Organization of American States was due to visit the country on the weekend of 26 September with the objective of securing a negotiated solution, recent reports indicate that the de facto authorities have proposed a delay of several days.
A research mission to Honduras by Amnesty International took place from 28 July – 2 August 2009. The delegates collected many first hand testimonies of human rights abuses against protestors. Amnesty International delegates interviewed many of the 75 people detained at the Jefatura Metropolitana No3 police station in Tegucigalpa after the police, supported by the military, broke up a peaceful demonstration on 30 July. The report illustrates many cases of ill-treatment, including beatings with batons, by police and military against the protesters.
During the mission Amnesty International was able to confirm that detention and ill-treatment of peaceful protestors are being employed as a form of punishment against those openly opposing the de facto government: other protestors who support the de facto regime did not suffer the same abuses. Evidence contained in the report shows that during the mass arrests of protestors by the police and military, some women and girls were subjected to gender-based violence.
The human rights situation outside of Tegucigalpa is believed to be equally or even more serious. The checkpoints along the primary roads in Honduras are currently manned by military and police who often delay or refuse entry to human rights organizations to areas where human rights violations are reportedly occurring.
Amnesty International is deeply concerned that using excessive force, ill treatment and mass detentions to repress dissent will only serve to inflame tensions further and lead to serious human rights violations. Force must only be employed in the most extreme circumstances and not as a method to prevent people's legitimate right to peacefully demonstrate.
Amnesty International found that limits have been imposed on freedom of expression and there have been a number of attacks against journalists - including the closure of media outlets, the confiscation of equipment and physical abuse of journalists and camerapersons covering events.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
- Calling for the de facto authorities to stop using excessive force against protestors and respect freedom of expression and association;
- Urging the de facto authorities to immediately release all detainees, unless they are charged with a recognizable criminal offense and are immediately granted access to lawyers and relatives.
APPEALS TO:
Mr Roberto Micheletti
Casa Presidencial
Boulevard Juan Pablo Segundo
Palacio Jose Cecilio del Valle
Tegucigalpa, HONDURAS
Fax: 011 504 239 3298
Salutation: Mr Micheletti
(Note: it is not possible to confirm that this fax number is still the correct one for the office inside the Casa Presidencial - please send letters as well as faxes to ensure the message arrives.)
COPIES TO:
Ambassador Roberto Flores Bermudez
Embassy of Honduras
3007 Tilden St. NW Suite 4M
Washington DC 20008
Fax: 1 202 966 9751
Email: lprado@hondurasemb.org
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.
Check with the AIUSA Urgent Action office if sending appeals after 6 November 2009.
----------------------------------
Tip of the Month:
Write as soon as you can. Try to write as close as possible
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To Canada:
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$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
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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: 202.544.0200
Fax: 202.675.8566
----------------------------------
END OF URGENT ACTION APPEAL
----------------------------------
- From Amnesty International USA
To read the current Urgent Action newsletter, go to
http://www.amnestyusa.org/urgent/newslett.html
----------------------------------
For a print-friendly version of this Urgent Action (PDF):
http://www.amnestyusa.org/actioncenter/actions/uaa24209.pdf
Note: Please write on behalf of these persons even though you may not have received the original UA when issued on September 11, 2009. Thanks!
24 September 2009
Further information on UA 242/09 (11 September 2009) – Fear of torture
MYANMAR Kyaw Zaw Lwin (m), Human Rights Activist
Trusted sources have reported to Amnesty international that male activist Kyaw Zaw Lwin was tortured and suffered other ill-treatment while in detention in Insein Prison, Yangon, Myanmar’s main city. He was arrested in Yangon on 3 September. He has been denied medical treatment for the injuries he sustained from the torture he endured during interrogation. There are grave concerns about his health.
The torture and ill-treatment that Kyaw Zaw Lwin suffered in detention included beating and kicking. He was deprived of food for seven days and moved between different interrogation centers. He was not allowed to sleep at night and was kept awake during interrogation by the authorities. Details of the charges against him are not known.
The state newspaper New Light of Myanmar reported on 24 September that Kyaw Zaw Lwin had entered Myanmar to “create unrests within the country”. The newspaper reported details of the activities that Kyaw Zaw Lwin and other Burmese pro-democracy exiles allegedly undertook in collaboration with “internal anti-government elements” in Myanmar.
Kyaw Zaw Lwin, a US citizen, received consular access for the first time on 22 September.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Amnesty International has received additional information about Kyaw Zaw Lwin since issuing the initial Urgent Action. Kyaw Zaw Lwin has identified himself as an independent activist. While he has been involved with the work of pro-democracy groups and campaigns, he is not affiliated with any single group. Much of Kyaw Zaw Lwin’s work with pro-democracy groups has been undertaken because several of his relatives are political prisoners. His mother San San Tin and cousin Nwe Hnin Yi (aka Noe Noe), as well as Thet Thet Aung, who has now been confirmed as his cousin, are all currently serving prison sentences for their part in the anti-government demonstrations in September 2007.
A government amnesty on 17 September announced the release of 7,114 prisoners on ‘humanitarian grounds’. Only 127 of those released were political prisoners. Political dissidents and pro-democracy campaigners continue to be harassed and detained in Myanmar.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
- Express concern at reports that Kyaw Zaw Lin was tortured and suffered other ill-treatment while in detention;
- Urging the authorities to immediately provide Kyaw Zaw Lin access to any medical treatment he may require, and that this continues until he is released;
- Calling on the authorities to release Kyaw Zaw Lin immediately and unconditionally as soon as he has received the urgent medical treatment he needs;
- Demand that the authorities guarantee that Kyaw Zaw Lwin is not tortured or otherwise ill-treated while he remains in custody and that he has access to his family and legal counsel.
APPEALS TO:
Minister for Home Affairs
Maung Oo
Ministry of Home Affairs
Office No. 10
Naypyitaw, UNION OF MYANMAR
Fax: 011 95 67 412 439
Salutation: Dear Minister
Minister of Information
Brigadier-General Kyaw Hsan
Ministry of Information
Bldg. (7), Naypyitaw,
UNION OF MYANMAR
Salutation: Dear Minister
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Nyan Win
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Naypyitaw, UNION OF MYANMAR
Salutation: Dear Minister
COPIES TO:
Ambassador Linn Myaing
Embassy of the Union of Myanmar
2300 S St. NW
Washington DC 20008
Fax: 1 202 332 4351
Email: info@mewashingtondc.com
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.
Check with the AIUSA Urgent Action office if sending appeals after 16 October 2009.
----------------------------------
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Fax: 202.675.8566
----------------------------------
END OF URGENT ACTION APPEAL
----------------------------------
+++++++++++++++++++++
+++++++++++++++++++++
+++++++++++++++++++++
URGENT ACTION APPEAL
- From Amnesty International USA
To read the current Urgent Action newsletter, go to
http://www.amnestyusa.org/urgent/newslett.html
----------------------------------
For a print-friendly version of this Urgent Action (PDF):
http://www.amnestyusa.org/actioncenter/actions/uaa25509.pdf
25 September 2009
UA 255/09 - Fear for safety/excessive force/arbitrary detention
HONDURAS Protestors
Reports indicate that at least five people have been killed in the political turmoil in Honduras since 21 September, when deposed President Manuel Zelaya returned to the country. Mass demonstrations against the de facto authorities have taken place in various cities across Honduras, and there are reports of many demonstrators having been beaten and some shot by security forces, and of wide-scale arbitrary detentions.
On Tuesday 22 September, police officers are alleged to have shot dead 18 year-old Jose Jacobo Euceda Perdomo in the city of San Pedro Sula. A further four people are reported to have died in Tegucigalpa, including a 65-year-old man who died of gunshot wounds received during a demonstration.
During the 22 and 23 September, reports indicate that police entered poor residential neighborhoods of the Honduran capital Tegucigalpa and the second city San Pedro Sula, searching for opponents of the de facto authorities who had taken part in demonstrations since 21 September. Police are reported to have remained in the residential neighborhoods for several hours, during which time they fired live ammunition and tear gas, and entered homes without warrants late at night, beating and detaining many individuals. Young people appear to have been particularly targeted in these raids.
The location of those who were detained in Tegucigalpa remains unclear: some were taken to the main police stations, while others may have been held in the residential neighborhoods. Such irregular methods of detention place individuals at risk of grave human rights abuses, since they may never be formally registered as being in detention. While many are believed to have been released, it is possible that others remain detained in unknown locations.
Tension has also remained high during the day in some areas. The curfew was lifted for several hours on 23 September in Tegucigalpa, and in the aftermath of a demonstration against the de facto authorities there were reports of beatings and arbitrary detentions of demonstrators or those suspected of being demonstrators. Witnesses have reported seeing soldiers randomly beating people on the street with wooden clubs.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Concerns about human rights in Honduras have intensified since the democratically elected President Jose Manuel Zelaya Rosales was forced from power on 28 June and expelled from the country by a military-backed group of politicians led by Roberto Micheletti, former leader of the National Congress. There has been widespread unrest in the country since the coup d'etat with frequent clashes between the police, military and civilian protestors. At least seven people are reported to have died in unclear circumstances since 28 June. Curfews have been imposed sporadically and often with little notice since 21 September, leaving people with few opportunities to buy food and fuel.
Tensions have mounted since the return to Honduras of deposed President Manuel Zelaya on 21 September. The resulting demonstrations against the de facto authorities have met with wide-scale repression from the security forces, leaving many wounded and reports of five dead since 21 September. While a high-level delegation from the Organization of American States was due to visit the country on the weekend of 26 September with the objective of securing a negotiated solution, recent reports indicate that the de facto authorities have proposed a delay of several days.
A research mission to Honduras by Amnesty International took place from 28 July – 2 August 2009. The delegates collected many first hand testimonies of human rights abuses against protestors. Amnesty International delegates interviewed many of the 75 people detained at the Jefatura Metropolitana No3 police station in Tegucigalpa after the police, supported by the military, broke up a peaceful demonstration on 30 July. The report illustrates many cases of ill-treatment, including beatings with batons, by police and military against the protesters.
During the mission Amnesty International was able to confirm that detention and ill-treatment of peaceful protestors are being employed as a form of punishment against those openly opposing the de facto government: other protestors who support the de facto regime did not suffer the same abuses. Evidence contained in the report shows that during the mass arrests of protestors by the police and military, some women and girls were subjected to gender-based violence.
The human rights situation outside of Tegucigalpa is believed to be equally or even more serious. The checkpoints along the primary roads in Honduras are currently manned by military and police who often delay or refuse entry to human rights organizations to areas where human rights violations are reportedly occurring.
Amnesty International is deeply concerned that using excessive force, ill treatment and mass detentions to repress dissent will only serve to inflame tensions further and lead to serious human rights violations. Force must only be employed in the most extreme circumstances and not as a method to prevent people's legitimate right to peacefully demonstrate.
Amnesty International found that limits have been imposed on freedom of expression and there have been a number of attacks against journalists - including the closure of media outlets, the confiscation of equipment and physical abuse of journalists and camerapersons covering events.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
- Calling for the de facto authorities to stop using excessive force against protestors and respect freedom of expression and association;
- Urging the de facto authorities to immediately release all detainees, unless they are charged with a recognizable criminal offense and are immediately granted access to lawyers and relatives.
APPEALS TO:
Mr Roberto Micheletti
Casa Presidencial
Boulevard Juan Pablo Segundo
Palacio Jose Cecilio del Valle
Tegucigalpa, HONDURAS
Fax: 011 504 239 3298
Salutation: Mr Micheletti
(Note: it is not possible to confirm that this fax number is still the correct one for the office inside the Casa Presidencial - please send letters as well as faxes to ensure the message arrives.)
COPIES TO:
Ambassador Roberto Flores Bermudez
Embassy of Honduras
3007 Tilden St. NW Suite 4M
Washington DC 20008
Fax: 1 202 966 9751
Email: lprado@hondurasemb.org
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.
Check with the AIUSA Urgent Action office if sending appeals after 6 November 2009.
----------------------------------
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----------------------------------
END OF URGENT ACTION APPEAL
----------------------------------
Monday, September 14, 2009
UA September 14, 2009
URGENT ACTION APPEAL
- From Amnesty International USA
To read the current Urgent Action newsletter, go to
http://www.amnestyusa.org/urgent/newslett.html
----------------------------------
For a print-friendly version of this Urgent Action (PDF):
http://www.amnestyusa.org/actioncenter/actions/uaa24409.pdf
14 September 2009
UA 244/09 - Prisoner of Conscience/Fear of Torture
IRAN Abdollah Momeni (m)
There has been no news of male Iranian prisoner of conscience Abdollah Momeni since his family visited him at Evin Prison in the capital, Tehran, on 8 August, a month after his arrest. After she saw him, his wife expressed concerned about his health as he had lost weight, was barely able to walk and appeared disorientated. He remains at risk of torture and other ill-treatment.
Abdollah Momeni, the spokesperson for the Alumni Association of Iran (Advar-e Tahkim Vahdat), was arrested on 21 June at the campaign headquarters of Medhi Karroubi, an opposition candidate in the Iranian presidential election, which took place on 12 June. After more than 84 days in detention, there have been no reports of Abdollah Momeni being brought before a court and his family and lawyer still do not know where he is being held.
Abdollah Momeni's wife said that when she last saw him, police guards drove him into Evin Prison from outside, as if he was being held somewhere else. In an interview with news website www.roozonline.com, she explained "When he exited the car, he would have fallen down if his brother and I hadn't held him up. He couldn't walk even one step. We helped him walk to the visitation room." She added "Abdollah’s hair and beard had grown and were completely disheveled… His eyes were puffy and the area under them was bruised." He had lost a lot of weight and appeared to be disorientated as he repeatedly greeted his visitors and told them that "this place was good." His wife reported that the meeting lasted for 10 minutes and was held in the presence of Abdollah Momeni's interrogator, who recorded everything on a tape-recorder. Abdollah Momeni was allowed to call his wife once, one week after his arrest, when he was distressed, but not since then and she has not been permitted to see him again. Abdollah Momeni was previously detained following demonstrations in June 2003 and July 2007 (see additional information). He suffers from a gastroenterological condition and previously experienced kidney failure while detained and required medical treatment. He may not be able to obtain adequate medical care in prison now.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
In the days following the 13 June 2009 announcement that incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had won the presidential election, hundreds of thousands of Iranians took part in mass and generally peaceful demonstrations throughout the country, disputing the election results. The authorities quickly imposed sweeping restrictions on freedom of expression, association and assembly and telecommunication and internet systems were severely disrupted. Iranian publications were banned from publishing information about the nationwide unrest and foreign journalists were banned from the streets, their visas not renewed and others arrested or expelled from the country.
In response to the mass protests, security forces, notably the paramilitary Basij, were widely deployed. At least 4,000 people were arrested in the three to four weeks following the 12 June 2009 election, including prominent political figures close to presidential candidates Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi, and former President Khatami, who supported Mir Hossein Mousavi's presidential election campaign. Some human rights defenders and journalists were also detained. They have been denied access to legal representation, but have generally been able to meet family members.
Security forces used excessive and lethal force against demonstrators, killing dozens of protestors and injuring hundreds more. Some died later of their injuries. Others have been injured and died as a result of torture while in custody.
Mass trial sessions of hundreds starting on 1 August 2009 were grossly unfair, including the latest of which was held on 25 August. Detainees "confessed" to vaguely worded charges, which are often not recognizably criminal offenses. These "confessions", apparently obtained under duress, were accepted by the court. Some of those on trial were filmed making similar "confessions", which were aired on TV before their trials took place. Some of those on trial could face the death penalty.
Iranian officials have confirmed that at least some of those detained after the post-election protests have been tortured or otherwise ill-treated, and that abuses took place in at least one detention center, Kahrizak, a center outside of Tehran. On 29 July, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ordered its closure and the head of a detention facility and three guards, thought to have worked at the Kahrizak detention center, were reportedly dismissed and possibly detained. On 15 August, Parviz Sorouri, the Head of the Special Parliamentary Committee to review post-election arrests, told the Iran Labour News Agency that 12 police officials and a judge who had been involved in transferring detainees to Kahrizak would be arrested and tried for their role, "as the detention center was intended for drug dealers".
Amnesty International has received reports consistent with a statement made by Mehdi Karroubi that both women and male detainees have been subjected to torture, including by rape, by security officials. His allegations were initially denied by Farhad Tajari, a member of the Special Parliamentary Committee, but, on 26 August 2009, another of the Committee's members told the website Parleman News on condition of anonymity, "It has definitely become evident to us that some of the post-election detainees have been raped with batons and bottles."
Abdollah Momeni had already been detained following demonstrations in June 2003 and July 2007. He was one of the subjects of UA 187/03 (http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/MDE13/016/2003/en/49b7f7a3-d6c4-11dd-ab95-a13b602c0642/mde130162003en.html ) and UA 194/07 (http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/MDE13/095/2007/en ).
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
- Expressing concern that Abdollah Momeni has been detained for criticizing the conduct of the recent presidential election and calling if this is the case, for his immediate and unconditional release as a prisoner of conscience;
- Calling for him to be protected from torture and other ill-treatment while in detention;
- Urging the authorities to grant him immediate access to his lawyer, family and any medical treatment he may need.
APPEALS TO:
Leader of the Islamic Republic
Ayatollah Sayed 'Ali Khamenei
The Office of the Supreme Leader
Islamic Republic Street –
End of Shahid Keshvar Doust Street,
Tehran, ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN
Email: Via website:
http://www.leader.ir/langs/en/index.php?p=letter (English)
http://www.leader.ir/langs/fa/index.php?p=letter (Persian)
Salutation: Your Excellency
Head of the Judiciary
Ayatollah Sadeqh Larijani
Howzeh Riyasat-e Qoveh Qazaiyeh
(Office of the Head of the Judiciary)
Pasteur St., Vali Asr Ave., south of Serah-e Jomhouri,
Tehran 1316814737, ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN
Email: Via website:
http://www.dadiran.ir/tabid/81/Default.aspx First starred
box: your given name; second: your family name; third: your
email address
Salutation: Your Excellency
COPIES TO:
Speaker of Parliament
His Excellency Ali Larijani
Majles-e Shoura-ye Eslami
Baharestan Square,
Tehran, ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN
Fax: 011 98 21 3355 6408
Iran does not presently have an embassy in the United States. Instead, please send copies to:
Iranian Interests Section
2209 Wisconsin Ave NW
Washington DC 20007
Phone: 202 965 4990
Fax: 202 965 1073
Email: requests@daftar.org
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.
Check with the AIUSA Urgent Action office if sending appeals after 26 October 2009.
----------------------------------
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Write as soon as you can. Try to write as close as possible
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$0.79 - Postcards
$0.79 - Airmail Letters and Cards (up to 1 oz.)
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$0.98 - Postcards
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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.
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Washington DC 20003
Email: uan@aiusa.org
http://www.amnestyusa.org/urgent/
Phone: 202.544.0200
Fax: 202.675.8566
----------------------------------
END OF URGENT ACTION APPEAL
----------------------------------
- From Amnesty International USA
To read the current Urgent Action newsletter, go to
http://www.amnestyusa.org/urgent/newslett.html
----------------------------------
For a print-friendly version of this Urgent Action (PDF):
http://www.amnestyusa.org/actioncenter/actions/uaa24409.pdf
14 September 2009
UA 244/09 - Prisoner of Conscience/Fear of Torture
IRAN Abdollah Momeni (m)
There has been no news of male Iranian prisoner of conscience Abdollah Momeni since his family visited him at Evin Prison in the capital, Tehran, on 8 August, a month after his arrest. After she saw him, his wife expressed concerned about his health as he had lost weight, was barely able to walk and appeared disorientated. He remains at risk of torture and other ill-treatment.
Abdollah Momeni, the spokesperson for the Alumni Association of Iran (Advar-e Tahkim Vahdat), was arrested on 21 June at the campaign headquarters of Medhi Karroubi, an opposition candidate in the Iranian presidential election, which took place on 12 June. After more than 84 days in detention, there have been no reports of Abdollah Momeni being brought before a court and his family and lawyer still do not know where he is being held.
Abdollah Momeni's wife said that when she last saw him, police guards drove him into Evin Prison from outside, as if he was being held somewhere else. In an interview with news website www.roozonline.com, she explained "When he exited the car, he would have fallen down if his brother and I hadn't held him up. He couldn't walk even one step. We helped him walk to the visitation room." She added "Abdollah’s hair and beard had grown and were completely disheveled… His eyes were puffy and the area under them was bruised." He had lost a lot of weight and appeared to be disorientated as he repeatedly greeted his visitors and told them that "this place was good." His wife reported that the meeting lasted for 10 minutes and was held in the presence of Abdollah Momeni's interrogator, who recorded everything on a tape-recorder. Abdollah Momeni was allowed to call his wife once, one week after his arrest, when he was distressed, but not since then and she has not been permitted to see him again. Abdollah Momeni was previously detained following demonstrations in June 2003 and July 2007 (see additional information). He suffers from a gastroenterological condition and previously experienced kidney failure while detained and required medical treatment. He may not be able to obtain adequate medical care in prison now.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
In the days following the 13 June 2009 announcement that incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had won the presidential election, hundreds of thousands of Iranians took part in mass and generally peaceful demonstrations throughout the country, disputing the election results. The authorities quickly imposed sweeping restrictions on freedom of expression, association and assembly and telecommunication and internet systems were severely disrupted. Iranian publications were banned from publishing information about the nationwide unrest and foreign journalists were banned from the streets, their visas not renewed and others arrested or expelled from the country.
In response to the mass protests, security forces, notably the paramilitary Basij, were widely deployed. At least 4,000 people were arrested in the three to four weeks following the 12 June 2009 election, including prominent political figures close to presidential candidates Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi, and former President Khatami, who supported Mir Hossein Mousavi's presidential election campaign. Some human rights defenders and journalists were also detained. They have been denied access to legal representation, but have generally been able to meet family members.
Security forces used excessive and lethal force against demonstrators, killing dozens of protestors and injuring hundreds more. Some died later of their injuries. Others have been injured and died as a result of torture while in custody.
Mass trial sessions of hundreds starting on 1 August 2009 were grossly unfair, including the latest of which was held on 25 August. Detainees "confessed" to vaguely worded charges, which are often not recognizably criminal offenses. These "confessions", apparently obtained under duress, were accepted by the court. Some of those on trial were filmed making similar "confessions", which were aired on TV before their trials took place. Some of those on trial could face the death penalty.
Iranian officials have confirmed that at least some of those detained after the post-election protests have been tortured or otherwise ill-treated, and that abuses took place in at least one detention center, Kahrizak, a center outside of Tehran. On 29 July, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ordered its closure and the head of a detention facility and three guards, thought to have worked at the Kahrizak detention center, were reportedly dismissed and possibly detained. On 15 August, Parviz Sorouri, the Head of the Special Parliamentary Committee to review post-election arrests, told the Iran Labour News Agency that 12 police officials and a judge who had been involved in transferring detainees to Kahrizak would be arrested and tried for their role, "as the detention center was intended for drug dealers".
Amnesty International has received reports consistent with a statement made by Mehdi Karroubi that both women and male detainees have been subjected to torture, including by rape, by security officials. His allegations were initially denied by Farhad Tajari, a member of the Special Parliamentary Committee, but, on 26 August 2009, another of the Committee's members told the website Parleman News on condition of anonymity, "It has definitely become evident to us that some of the post-election detainees have been raped with batons and bottles."
Abdollah Momeni had already been detained following demonstrations in June 2003 and July 2007. He was one of the subjects of UA 187/03 (http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/MDE13/016/2003/en/49b7f7a3-d6c4-11dd-ab95-a13b602c0642/mde130162003en.html ) and UA 194/07 (http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/MDE13/095/2007/en ).
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
- Expressing concern that Abdollah Momeni has been detained for criticizing the conduct of the recent presidential election and calling if this is the case, for his immediate and unconditional release as a prisoner of conscience;
- Calling for him to be protected from torture and other ill-treatment while in detention;
- Urging the authorities to grant him immediate access to his lawyer, family and any medical treatment he may need.
APPEALS TO:
Leader of the Islamic Republic
Ayatollah Sayed 'Ali Khamenei
The Office of the Supreme Leader
Islamic Republic Street –
End of Shahid Keshvar Doust Street,
Tehran, ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN
Email: Via website:
http://www.leader.ir/langs/en/index.php?p=letter (English)
http://www.leader.ir/langs/fa/index.php?p=letter (Persian)
Salutation: Your Excellency
Head of the Judiciary
Ayatollah Sadeqh Larijani
Howzeh Riyasat-e Qoveh Qazaiyeh
(Office of the Head of the Judiciary)
Pasteur St., Vali Asr Ave., south of Serah-e Jomhouri,
Tehran 1316814737, ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN
Email: Via website:
http://www.dadiran.ir/tabid/81/Default.aspx First starred
box: your given name; second: your family name; third: your
email address
Salutation: Your Excellency
COPIES TO:
Speaker of Parliament
His Excellency Ali Larijani
Majles-e Shoura-ye Eslami
Baharestan Square,
Tehran, ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN
Fax: 011 98 21 3355 6408
Iran does not presently have an embassy in the United States. Instead, please send copies to:
Iranian Interests Section
2209 Wisconsin Ave NW
Washington DC 20007
Phone: 202 965 4990
Fax: 202 965 1073
Email: requests@daftar.org
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.
Check with the AIUSA Urgent Action office if sending appeals after 26 October 2009.
----------------------------------
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: 202.544.0200
Fax: 202.675.8566
----------------------------------
END OF URGENT ACTION APPEAL
----------------------------------
Monday, September 7, 2009
Correction to Sep 3
Dear Friends,
We have just learned that the fax number for the Minister of Public Security was incorrect in the original version of this UA. Please find below a corrected version. Our apologies for any inconveniences this may have caused.
Yours in solidarity,
The Individuals at Risk Team
URGENT ACTION APPEAL
- From Amnesty International USA
To read the current Urgent Action newsletter, go to
http://www.amnestyusa.org/urgent/newslett.html
----------------------------------
For a print-friendly version of this Urgent Action (PDF):
http://www.amnestyusa.org/actioncenter/actions/uaa23509.pdf
3 September 2009
UA 235/09 Forcible eviction
MEXICO Inhabitants of the village of San Antonio Ebula
The inhabitants of San Antonio Ebula, outside the state capital of Campeche, were forcibly evicted and some were beaten on 13 August by private security guards aided by police. The village was razed to the ground, but the inhabitants are planning to return peacefully. Violence may be used by police and private security guards to prevent their return.
On 13 August, about a hundred private security guards hired by a private developer forcibly evicted the inhabitants of the village of San Antonio Ebula. The operation was observed by a hundred state police officers who surrounded the area. Eye witnesses and human rights observers have stated that several villagers were beaten by the security guards and two were temporarily detained by police but were released later without charge. Over sixty houses were destroyed and all the trees and crops were cut down and farm animals were stolen or escaped.
The village was established in 1968 on land that was apparently owned by the state. Until recently, the village was acknowledged by the authorities who provided the community with development grants. The inhabitants of the village were also recognized on the electoral register. For decades, its inhabitants have attempted to legalize their right to the land. The case is now with the Federal Agrarian Tribunal, which has yet to rule on the legal ownership of the land. The conflict over the land started in 2002 when a private developer claimed that the land belonged to him, and the situation got worse when he used private security guards and state police, in March 2007 and on 26 May 2009, to evict the villagers. In May 2009 six community members were detained and then released, three of whom are on bail pending prosecution for serious criminal charges, which the community believe have been fabricated to deter efforts to resist eviction.
Neither the government or the developer have offered compensation to the community or alternative housing in order to ensure that community members, if their claim to land fails, are not forcibly evicted. All three eviction operations have violated international human rights standards and have made members of community, including women and children, homeless and left them without livelihoods. Villagers have now announced that on 8 September they intend to return to the site where their houses once stood and to continue their legal battle. There are fears that their return may be met with violence by police and security guards.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
- expressing concern that the inhabitants of San Antonio Ebula have been forcibly and violently evicted without warning or a legal warrant and were not provided with an adequate alternative;
- calling on the authorities to investigate the allegations of beatings and damages against private property and dwellings;
- calling on the authorities to provide the inhabitants of San Antonio Ebula with protection from further forced eviction or abuses by private security guards or police, should they wish to return to their village pending the outcome of legal proceedings in relationship to the ownership and use of the land;
- Calling on the authorities to promptly resolve the ownership of the land and engage in genuine consultation with the community, including provision of adequate alternative housing with security of tenure and compensation, should this be necessary.
APPEALS TO:
Governor of Campeche
Jorge Carlos Hurtado Valdez
Gobernador del Estado de Campeche
Palacio de Gobierno
Calle 8 entre 61 y Circuito Baluartes S/N
San Fco. de Campeche 24009
MEXICO
Fax: 011 2 98 1811 4004
Salutation: Dear Governor/ Senor Gobernador
Minister of Public Security of Campeche
Lic. Carlos Miguel Aysa Gonzalez
Secretario de Seguridad Publica
Av. López Portillo por Av. Lazaro Cardenas S/N
Col. Laureles, San Fco. de Campeche, C. P. 24085
MEXICO
Fax: 011 52 98 1 811 9110 (ask: "me puede dar tono de fax por favor")
Salutation: Dear Governor/ Senor Gobernador
COPIES TO:
Equipo Indignacion
Email: informativo@indignacion.org.mx
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 15 October, 2009.
----------------------------------
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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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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: 202.544.0200
Fax: 202.675.8566
----------------------------------
END OF URGENT ACTION APPEAL
----------------------------------
Friday, September 4, 2009
UA September 4, 2009
URGENT ACTION APPEAL
- From Amnesty International USA
To read the current Urgent Action newsletter, go to
http://www.amnestyusa.org/urgent/newslett.html
----------------------------------
For a print-friendly version of this Urgent Action (PDF):
http://www.amnestyusa.org/actioncenter/actions/uaa23509.pdf
3 September 2009
UA 235/09 Forcible eviction
MEXICO Inhabitants of the village of San Antonio Ebula
The inhabitants of San Antonio Ebula, outside the state capital of Campeche, were forcibly evicted and some were beaten on 13 August by private security guards aided by police. The village was razed to the ground, but the inhabitants are planning to return peacefully. Violence may be used by police and private security guards to prevent their return.
On 13 August, about a hundred private security guards hired by a private developer forcibly evicted the inhabitants of the village of San Antonio Ebula. The operation was observed by a hundred state police officers who surrounded the area. Eye witnesses and human rights observers have stated that several villagers were beaten by the security guards and two were temporarily detained by police but were released later without charge. Over sixty houses were destroyed and all the trees and crops were cut down and farm animals were stolen or escaped.
The village was established in 1968 on land that was apparently owned by the state. Until recently, the village was acknowledged by the authorities who provided the community with development grants. The inhabitants of the village were also recognized on the electoral register. For decades, its inhabitants have attempted to legalize their right to the land. The case is now with the Federal Agrarian Tribunal, which has yet to rule on the legal ownership of the land. The conflict over the land started in 2002 when a private developer claimed that the land belonged to him, and the situation got worse when he used private security guards and state police, in March 2007 and on 26 May 2009, to evict the villagers. In May 2009 six community members were detained and then released, three of whom are on bail pending prosecution for serious criminal charges, which the community believe have been fabricated to deter efforts to resist eviction.
Neither the government or the developer have offered compensation to the community or alternative housing in order to ensure that community members, if their claim to land fails, are not forcibly evicted. All three eviction operations have violated international human rights standards and have made members of community, including women and children, homeless and left them without livelihoods. Villagers have now announced that on 8 September they intend to return to the site where their houses once stood and to continue their legal battle. There are fears that their return may be met with violence by police and security guards.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
- expressing concern that the inhabitants of San Antonio Ebula have been forcibly and violently evicted without warning or a legal warrant and were not provided with an adequate alternative;
- calling on the authorities to investigate the allegations of beatings and damages against private property and dwellings;
- calling on the authorities to provide the inhabitants of San Antonio Ebula with protection from further forced eviction or abuses by private security guards or police, should they wish to return to their village pending the outcome of legal proceedings in relationship to the ownership and use of the land;
- Calling on the authorities to promptly resolve the ownership of the land and engage in genuine consultation with the community, including provision of adequate alternative housing with security of tenure and compensation, should this be necessary.
APPEALS TO:
Governor of Campeche
Jorge Carlos Hurtado Valdez
Gobernador del Estado de Campeche
Palacio de Gobierno
Calle 8 entre 61 y Circuito Baluartes S/N
San Fco. de Campeche 24009
MEXICO
Fax: 011 2 98 1811 4004
Salutation: Dear Governor/ Senor Gobernador
Minister of Public Security of Campeche
Lic. Carlos Miguel Aysa Gonzalez
Secretario de Seguridad Publica
Av. López Portillo por Av. Lazaro Cardenas S/N
Col. Laureles, San Fco. de Campeche, C. P. 24085
MEXICO
Fax: 011 52 98 1811 4004
Salutation: Dear Governor/ Senor Gobernador
COPIES TO:
Equipo Indignacion
Email: informativo@indignacion.org.mx
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 15 October, 2009.
----------------------------------
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: 202.544.0200
Fax: 202.675.8566
----------------------------------
END OF URGENT ACTION APPEAL
----------------------------------
- From Amnesty International USA
To read the current Urgent Action newsletter, go to
http://www.amnestyusa.org/urgent/newslett.html
----------------------------------
For a print-friendly version of this Urgent Action (PDF):
http://www.amnestyusa.org/actioncenter/actions/uaa23509.pdf
3 September 2009
UA 235/09 Forcible eviction
MEXICO Inhabitants of the village of San Antonio Ebula
The inhabitants of San Antonio Ebula, outside the state capital of Campeche, were forcibly evicted and some were beaten on 13 August by private security guards aided by police. The village was razed to the ground, but the inhabitants are planning to return peacefully. Violence may be used by police and private security guards to prevent their return.
On 13 August, about a hundred private security guards hired by a private developer forcibly evicted the inhabitants of the village of San Antonio Ebula. The operation was observed by a hundred state police officers who surrounded the area. Eye witnesses and human rights observers have stated that several villagers were beaten by the security guards and two were temporarily detained by police but were released later without charge. Over sixty houses were destroyed and all the trees and crops were cut down and farm animals were stolen or escaped.
The village was established in 1968 on land that was apparently owned by the state. Until recently, the village was acknowledged by the authorities who provided the community with development grants. The inhabitants of the village were also recognized on the electoral register. For decades, its inhabitants have attempted to legalize their right to the land. The case is now with the Federal Agrarian Tribunal, which has yet to rule on the legal ownership of the land. The conflict over the land started in 2002 when a private developer claimed that the land belonged to him, and the situation got worse when he used private security guards and state police, in March 2007 and on 26 May 2009, to evict the villagers. In May 2009 six community members were detained and then released, three of whom are on bail pending prosecution for serious criminal charges, which the community believe have been fabricated to deter efforts to resist eviction.
Neither the government or the developer have offered compensation to the community or alternative housing in order to ensure that community members, if their claim to land fails, are not forcibly evicted. All three eviction operations have violated international human rights standards and have made members of community, including women and children, homeless and left them without livelihoods. Villagers have now announced that on 8 September they intend to return to the site where their houses once stood and to continue their legal battle. There are fears that their return may be met with violence by police and security guards.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
- expressing concern that the inhabitants of San Antonio Ebula have been forcibly and violently evicted without warning or a legal warrant and were not provided with an adequate alternative;
- calling on the authorities to investigate the allegations of beatings and damages against private property and dwellings;
- calling on the authorities to provide the inhabitants of San Antonio Ebula with protection from further forced eviction or abuses by private security guards or police, should they wish to return to their village pending the outcome of legal proceedings in relationship to the ownership and use of the land;
- Calling on the authorities to promptly resolve the ownership of the land and engage in genuine consultation with the community, including provision of adequate alternative housing with security of tenure and compensation, should this be necessary.
APPEALS TO:
Governor of Campeche
Jorge Carlos Hurtado Valdez
Gobernador del Estado de Campeche
Palacio de Gobierno
Calle 8 entre 61 y Circuito Baluartes S/N
San Fco. de Campeche 24009
MEXICO
Fax: 011 2 98 1811 4004
Salutation: Dear Governor/ Senor Gobernador
Minister of Public Security of Campeche
Lic. Carlos Miguel Aysa Gonzalez
Secretario de Seguridad Publica
Av. López Portillo por Av. Lazaro Cardenas S/N
Col. Laureles, San Fco. de Campeche, C. P. 24085
MEXICO
Fax: 011 52 98 1811 4004
Salutation: Dear Governor/ Senor Gobernador
COPIES TO:
Equipo Indignacion
Email: informativo@indignacion.org.mx
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 15 October, 2009.
----------------------------------
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: 202.544.0200
Fax: 202.675.8566
----------------------------------
END OF URGENT ACTION APPEAL
----------------------------------
Friday, August 28, 2009
UA August 28, 2009
URGENT ACTION APPEAL
- From Amnesty International USA
To read the current Urgent Action newsletter, go to
http://www.amnestyusa.org/urgent/newslett.html
----------------------------------
For a print-friendly version of this Urgent Action (PDF):
http://www.amnestyusa.org/actioncenter/actions/uaa16009.pdf
Note: Please write on behlaf of these persons even though you may not have received the original UA when issued on June 19, 2009. Thanks!
27 August 2009
Further information on UA 160/09 (19 June 2009) - Arbitrary arrest/prisoner of conscience
IRAN Abdolfattah Soltani (m), lawyer, human rights defender
Abdolfattah Soltani was released on bail (amounting to just over US$101,000, taken in the form of property deeds) on 26 August 2009. He had been held in Evin Prison and had been granted at least one meeting with his family, along with several telephone calls with them, during his detention. On release he was said to be in reasonable health.
Abdolfattah Soltani had been arrested on 16 June, at his office in central Tehran, in the aftermath of the disputed 12 June presidential election in Iran.
On 21 August 2009, in an open letter to the Head of Judiciary, Ayatollah Sadegh Larijani, Abdolfattah Soltani's wife appealed to the judiciary to act impartially and independently and to release Abdolfattah Soltani. Press reports on 22 August stated that officials from the prosecutor’s office had entered his solitary cell and threatened him with a long imprisonment unless he severed his links with the CHRD and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi, one of its co-founders, and stopped giving interviews about the cases he was working on.
The CHRD, which Shirin Ebadi and many other leading human rights activists founded in 2002, was forcibly closed in December 2008 shortly before the center was to hold an event commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). The CHRD, whose members continue to work under the name of the center, has three stated roles: reporting violations of human rights in Iran; providing free legal representation to political prisoners; and supporting the families of political prisoners.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Abdolfattah Soltani was previously arrested in 2005 and spent 219 days in detention, of which 43 were in solitary confinement. In 2006 he was sentenced to five years' imprisonment for "disclosing confidential documents", for which he received a sentence of four years; and one year's imprisonment for "propaganda against the system". On 28 May 2007, he was acquitted of all charges brought against him.
Abdolfattah Soltani wanted to stand for election to the Central Bar Association's Board in 2008, but his candidacy was rejected on grounds of "unsuitability".
Subsequently he has been banned from travelling outside Iran. He has been awarded a human rights prize by the city of Nuremburg in Germany. It remains to be seen whether he will be free, let alone allowed to travel, to collect this award in person in October 2009.
In the days following the 13 June 2009 announcement that incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had won the presidential election, hundreds of thousands of Iranians took part in mass and generally peaceful demonstrations throughout the country, disputing the election results. The authorities quickly imposed sweeping restrictions on freedom of expression, association and assembly and telecommunication and internet systems were severely disrupted. Iranian publications were banned from publishing information about the nationwide unrest and foreign journalists were banned from the streets, their visas not renewed and others arrested or expelled from the country.
In response to the mass protests, security forces, notably the paramilitary Basij, were widely deployed and around 4,000 arrested in the three to four weeks following the 12 June 2009 election, including prominent political figures close to either presidential candidates Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi, or former President Khatami, who supported Mir Hossein Mousavi’s campaign. Some human rights defenders and journalists were also detained. They have been denied access to legal representation, but have generally been able to meet family members.
Security forces used excessive and lethal force against demonstrators, leading to the death of tens of protestors and the injuring of hundreds more. At least tens of others were killed and injured as a result of being subjected to torture and other ill-treatment during the demonstrations themselves or later, in the custody of the security forces.
Mass trials of hundreds starting on 4 August 2009 were grossly unfair, as was one held on 25 August. Detainees were filmed "confessing" to vaguely worded charges, which are often not recognizably criminal offenses, and some of these "confessions" were aired on TV, often before their trials took place. Evidence obtained through duress was accepted by the court. Some of those on trial could face the death penalty.
Iranian officials have confirmed the allegations of torture and other mistreatment of those detained after the post-election protests and that abuses took place in at least one detention center, Kahrizak, a center outside of Tehran. On 29 July, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ordered its closure and the head of a detention facility and three guards, thought to have worked at the Kahrizak detention center, were reportedly dismissed and possibly detained.
Amnesty International has received reports consistent with a statement made by Mehdi Karroubi, one of the four candidates in the 12 June 2009 presidential election. He is reported to have complained that both women and male detainees have been tortured, including by rape, by security officials.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
- Urging the authorities to drop charges against Abdolfattah Soltani and other human rights defenders that criminalize their peaceful and legitimate human rights work;
- Calling for an end to the harassment and intimidation of human rights defenders in Iran, including members of the Center for Human Rights Defenders (CHRD);
- Urging the authorities to facilitate the reopening of the CHRD and to allow its legal registration.
APPEALS TO:
Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic
Ayatollah Sayed 'Ali Khamenei
The Office of the Supreme Leader
Islamic Republic Street – End of Shahid Keshvar Doust Street
Tehran, ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN
Email: via website: http://www.leader.ir/langs/en/index.php?p=letter
Salutation: Your Excellency
Head of the Judiciary
Ayatollah Sadeqh Larijani
Howzeh Riyasat-e Qoveh Qazaiyeh (Office of the Head of the Judiciary)
Pasteur St., Vali Asr Ave., south of Serah-e Jomhouri, Tehran 1316814737
ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN
COPIES TO:
Minister of the Interior
Sadegh Mahsouli
Ministry of the Interior
Dr Fatemi Avenue
Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Fax: 011 98 21 8 896 203
011 98 21 8 899 547
011 98 21 6 650 203
Salutation: Your Excellency
Iran does not presently have an embassy in the United States. Instead, please send copies to:
Iranian Interests Section
2209 Wisconsin Ave NW
Washington DC 20007
Phone: 202 965 4990
Fax: 202 965 1073
Email: requests@daftar.org
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.
Check with the AIUSA Urgent Action office if sending appeals after 8 October 2009.
----------------------------------
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: 202.544.0200
Fax: 202.675.8566
----------------------------------
END OF URGENT ACTION APPEAL
----------------------------------
- From Amnesty International USA
To read the current Urgent Action newsletter, go to
http://www.amnestyusa.org/urgent/newslett.html
----------------------------------
For a print-friendly version of this Urgent Action (PDF):
http://www.amnestyusa.org/actioncenter/actions/uaa16009.pdf
Note: Please write on behlaf of these persons even though you may not have received the original UA when issued on June 19, 2009. Thanks!
27 August 2009
Further information on UA 160/09 (19 June 2009) - Arbitrary arrest/prisoner of conscience
IRAN Abdolfattah Soltani (m), lawyer, human rights defender
Abdolfattah Soltani was released on bail (amounting to just over US$101,000, taken in the form of property deeds) on 26 August 2009. He had been held in Evin Prison and had been granted at least one meeting with his family, along with several telephone calls with them, during his detention. On release he was said to be in reasonable health.
Abdolfattah Soltani had been arrested on 16 June, at his office in central Tehran, in the aftermath of the disputed 12 June presidential election in Iran.
On 21 August 2009, in an open letter to the Head of Judiciary, Ayatollah Sadegh Larijani, Abdolfattah Soltani's wife appealed to the judiciary to act impartially and independently and to release Abdolfattah Soltani. Press reports on 22 August stated that officials from the prosecutor’s office had entered his solitary cell and threatened him with a long imprisonment unless he severed his links with the CHRD and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi, one of its co-founders, and stopped giving interviews about the cases he was working on.
The CHRD, which Shirin Ebadi and many other leading human rights activists founded in 2002, was forcibly closed in December 2008 shortly before the center was to hold an event commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). The CHRD, whose members continue to work under the name of the center, has three stated roles: reporting violations of human rights in Iran; providing free legal representation to political prisoners; and supporting the families of political prisoners.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Abdolfattah Soltani was previously arrested in 2005 and spent 219 days in detention, of which 43 were in solitary confinement. In 2006 he was sentenced to five years' imprisonment for "disclosing confidential documents", for which he received a sentence of four years; and one year's imprisonment for "propaganda against the system". On 28 May 2007, he was acquitted of all charges brought against him.
Abdolfattah Soltani wanted to stand for election to the Central Bar Association's Board in 2008, but his candidacy was rejected on grounds of "unsuitability".
Subsequently he has been banned from travelling outside Iran. He has been awarded a human rights prize by the city of Nuremburg in Germany. It remains to be seen whether he will be free, let alone allowed to travel, to collect this award in person in October 2009.
In the days following the 13 June 2009 announcement that incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had won the presidential election, hundreds of thousands of Iranians took part in mass and generally peaceful demonstrations throughout the country, disputing the election results. The authorities quickly imposed sweeping restrictions on freedom of expression, association and assembly and telecommunication and internet systems were severely disrupted. Iranian publications were banned from publishing information about the nationwide unrest and foreign journalists were banned from the streets, their visas not renewed and others arrested or expelled from the country.
In response to the mass protests, security forces, notably the paramilitary Basij, were widely deployed and around 4,000 arrested in the three to four weeks following the 12 June 2009 election, including prominent political figures close to either presidential candidates Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi, or former President Khatami, who supported Mir Hossein Mousavi’s campaign. Some human rights defenders and journalists were also detained. They have been denied access to legal representation, but have generally been able to meet family members.
Security forces used excessive and lethal force against demonstrators, leading to the death of tens of protestors and the injuring of hundreds more. At least tens of others were killed and injured as a result of being subjected to torture and other ill-treatment during the demonstrations themselves or later, in the custody of the security forces.
Mass trials of hundreds starting on 4 August 2009 were grossly unfair, as was one held on 25 August. Detainees were filmed "confessing" to vaguely worded charges, which are often not recognizably criminal offenses, and some of these "confessions" were aired on TV, often before their trials took place. Evidence obtained through duress was accepted by the court. Some of those on trial could face the death penalty.
Iranian officials have confirmed the allegations of torture and other mistreatment of those detained after the post-election protests and that abuses took place in at least one detention center, Kahrizak, a center outside of Tehran. On 29 July, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ordered its closure and the head of a detention facility and three guards, thought to have worked at the Kahrizak detention center, were reportedly dismissed and possibly detained.
Amnesty International has received reports consistent with a statement made by Mehdi Karroubi, one of the four candidates in the 12 June 2009 presidential election. He is reported to have complained that both women and male detainees have been tortured, including by rape, by security officials.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
- Urging the authorities to drop charges against Abdolfattah Soltani and other human rights defenders that criminalize their peaceful and legitimate human rights work;
- Calling for an end to the harassment and intimidation of human rights defenders in Iran, including members of the Center for Human Rights Defenders (CHRD);
- Urging the authorities to facilitate the reopening of the CHRD and to allow its legal registration.
APPEALS TO:
Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic
Ayatollah Sayed 'Ali Khamenei
The Office of the Supreme Leader
Islamic Republic Street – End of Shahid Keshvar Doust Street
Tehran, ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN
Email: via website: http://www.leader.ir/langs/en/index.php?p=letter
Salutation: Your Excellency
Head of the Judiciary
Ayatollah Sadeqh Larijani
Howzeh Riyasat-e Qoveh Qazaiyeh (Office of the Head of the Judiciary)
Pasteur St., Vali Asr Ave., south of Serah-e Jomhouri, Tehran 1316814737
ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN
COPIES TO:
Minister of the Interior
Sadegh Mahsouli
Ministry of the Interior
Dr Fatemi Avenue
Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Fax: 011 98 21 8 896 203
011 98 21 8 899 547
011 98 21 6 650 203
Salutation: Your Excellency
Iran does not presently have an embassy in the United States. Instead, please send copies to:
Iranian Interests Section
2209 Wisconsin Ave NW
Washington DC 20007
Phone: 202 965 4990
Fax: 202 965 1073
Email: requests@daftar.org
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.
Check with the AIUSA Urgent Action office if sending appeals after 8 October 2009.
----------------------------------
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: 202.544.0200
Fax: 202.675.8566
----------------------------------
END OF URGENT ACTION APPEAL
----------------------------------
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