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Amnesty International USA Group 48

Newsletter
9.14
1 A Message to Death Penalty
Abolition Supporters
2 CHINA: Urgent Action -
Husband And Wife At
Risk Of Torture
4 Mexico: Shocking rise in
reports of torture and
ill-treatment as authorities
turn a blind eye
5 Group 48 Picnic
6 Saudi Arabia: Scheduled
beheading refects
authorities callous
disregard to human rights
A Message to Death Penalty Abolition Supporters
by Terrie Rodello, Amnesty International USA Oregon State Death
Penalty Abolition Coordinator
Oregon has the death penalty and a
death row. We must raise our voices to
repeal it. Te frst step is to raise aware-
ness of the injustice of the death penalty.
Te next few weeks provide opportuni-
ties to do that.
Beginning September 21th through
October 10th, people worldwide will be
focus on the abolition of the death pen-
alty. Events are being organized in all
communities during these days. Please
consider participating or organizing an
event, even a small one. Invite fellow
supporters, organizations, churches,
congregations, friends, and neighbors
to join to raise our voices against the
death penalty.
On September 21, 2011, the State of
Georgia put Troy Davis to death
despite a compelling case of innocence.
To mark the 3-year anniver-sary of this
injustice and to widen the discussion
about the human impact of the death
penalty system, Jen Marlowe, the
author of the book I am Troy Davis
invites everyone to participate in a com-
munity book club.
The Community Book Club will take
place between September 21 (the 3rd
anniversary of Troys execution) and
October 10 (World Day Against the
Death Penalty). Trough hundreds
of small book discussions across the
country, Troys story and all it exposes
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AIUSA-Group 48
http://aipdx.org
503-227-1878
Next Meeting:
Friday September 12th
First Unitarian Church
1011 SW 12th Ave
7:00pm informal gathering
7:30pm meeting starts
NewsLetter Designed
By Michelle Whitlock
MichelleWhitlock.com

AIUSA group 48 Newsletter September 2014 Pg 2


about the criminal justice and death penalty systems--and
the racism undergirding them--will reach and impact
thousands of new people. If you dont want to go to a public
event or rally, maybe a private gathering to discuss a book is
an event you will attend.
On October 10, 2014, the 12th World Day Against the Death
Penalty is drawing attention to people with mental health
problems who are at risk of a death sentence or execution.
While opposing the death penalty absolutely, abolitionists
are also committed to see existing international human
rights standards implemented. Among these is the
requirement that persons with mental illness or intellectual
disabilities should not face the death penalty.
To read more about this day and to download materials:
http://www.worldcoalition.org/worldday.html
CHINA: Urgent Action - Husband And Wife At Risk Of Torture
Zhang Xiaoyu (f), Xu Youchen (m), Chang Weiping (m), Li Jinxing (m) and Liu Hao (m)
other lawyers met with the couple who said they had been
severely beaten by police in Jiaozuo. Zhang Xiaoyu has nearly
lost her eyesight as a result, while Xu Youchen has serious
injuries to his face. Zhang Xiaoyu said that she did not know
someone was killed until she heard people screaming, and
knew nothing about a knife.
Following the lawyers visit, the police have prevented all
lawyers from meeting with them, on the grounds that they
disclosed information about the case to the media and online
during the investigation. Tis however is not a breach of the
lawyers code of conduct. Te lawyers now handling the case,
Li Jinxing and Liu Hao, were beaten up by a group of uniden-
tifed men outside of Jiaozuo City Detention Centre on July
30th.
Tere have also been other procedural irregularities with the
couples case. Te body of the policeman allegedly killed by
the couple was cremated on July 21st, only four days afer he
died, making it impossible to re-examine the exact time and
cause of death. In addition, their lawyers request to move
the case to another district to avoid confict of interest was
rejected. Te couple were both formally charged with inten-
tional homicide on August 2nd.
Action
Please write immediately in Chinese, English or your own
language:
Calling on the authorities to ensure Zhang Xiaoyu and Xu
Youchen are not subjected to torture or other ill-treatment
Veteran activists Zhang Xiaoyu and Xu Youchen have been
severely beaten by police in Henan Province, China, afer
they were detained on suspicion of killing a policeman. Te
authorities are denying them access to lawyers, and they are at
grave risk of torture and other ill-treatment.
On July 17th, Zhang Xiaoyu and her husband Xu Youchen
were detained by police in Beijing where they had been
petitioning. Tey were escorted back to their hometown of
Jiaozuo, in the northern province of Henan. On the same day,
their son was told that his parents had been detained for stab-
bing a policeman at Jiaozuo police station.
On July 21st, afer demanding to meet the couple, lawyer
Chang Weiping was summoned by police and interrogated for
12 hours. He was named as a witness in the case, efectively
preventing him from representing them. On July 25th, four
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AIUSA group 48 Newsletter September 2014 Pg 3


in detention, and have access to any medical attention they
require;
Demanding that they have regular access to the lawyers of
their choosing and their families;
Urging them to ensure that all case proceedings fully com-
ply with international fair trial standards.
Appeals To
PLEASE SEND APPEALS BEFORE SEPTEMBER 19th
2014 TO:
Director of Jiaozuo Municipal Peoples Procuratorate
Zhu Yabing
Jiaozuo Municipal Peoples Procuratorate
Taihang Middle Rd, Shanyang,
Jiaozuo, Henan 454002
Peoples Republic of China
Salutation: Dear DirectorDirector of Jiaozhuo Municipal
Public Security
Bureau
Ding Baodong
Jiaozhuo Municipal Public Security Bureau
358 Jiefanglu, Jiaozuo City,
Henan, 454150
Peoples Republic of China
Email: jzgaw110@sohu.com
Salutation: Dear Director
Director of Jiazhuo Municipal Detention Centre
Li Jun
Jiazhuo Municipal Detention Centre
Jiefanglu, Jiaozuo City,
Henan, 454000
Peoples Republic of China
Salutation: Dear Director
Additional Information
Zhang Xiaoyu and Xu Youchen are veteran petitioners
(someone who is seeking redress for perceived injustices from
the government) who have been detained in black jails many
times and also been sent to Re-education through Labour
camps.
Te right to a fair trial is one of the cornerstones of the
international human rights system. Tis right is enshrined
in numerous international human rights instruments includ-
ing the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Te ICCPR,
the Geneva Conventions and the Statute of the International
Criminal Court.
Defendants in China are regularly deprived of their right to
a fair trial. Tey are frequently denied the right to hire legal
counsel of their choice; they are ofen denied prompt access
to their lawyers and adequate time and facilities to prepare for
trial. Tey are not presumed innocent until proven guilty and
are not treated on the basis of equality before the law. Courts
do not exclude evidence extracted through torture, and
political interference in the judiciary is commonplace. Many
trials take place in absolute secrecy, with families and lawyers
informed of the trial dates at very short notice or in some
cases not at all.
Torture and other ill-treatment remain endemic in all places
of detention in China, even though China ratifed the UN
Convention against Torture in 1988. Amnesty International
receives regular reports of deaths in custody, many allegedly
caused by torture, in a variety of state institutions, including
prisons, Re-education Trough Labour facilities and police
detention centers.
Group Coordinator
Joanne Lau
jlau@aipdx.org
Treasurer
Tena Hoke
tena.hoke@gmail.com
Newsletter Editor
Dan Webb
write_to_dan@yahoo.com
Darfur (Sudan)
Marty Fromer
martyfromer@gmail.com
Indonesia
Max White
maxw33@comcast.net
Prisoners Cases
Jane Kristof
kristofj@pdx.edu
Megan Harrington
megan.harrington
@gmail.com
Concert Tabling
Will Ware
ww_ware@yahoo.com
Central Africa/
OR State Death
Penalty Abolition
Terrie Rodello
tarodello@igc.org
AIUSA Group 48 Contact Information
AIUSA group 48 Newsletter September 2014 Pg 4
Mexico: Shocking rise in reports of torture and ill-treatment as authorities turn a
blind eye
by Erika Guevara Rosas, Americas Director, Amnesty International, September 4th, 2014
mission received more than 7,000 complaints for torture and
other ill-treatment. Tere has been a recent reported drop in
2014, but rates are still far higher than a decade ago.
Victims in diferent parts of the country told Amnesty In-
ternational that they were subject to beatings, death threats,
sexual violence, electric shocks and near asphyxiation at the
hands of police or the armed forces, ofen with the aim of
extracting confessions or incriminating others in serious
crimes.
ngel Amlcar Coln Quevedo, a black Honduran, faced
torture and abuse by police and military based on his status
as a migrant and his race. He was beaten, asphyxiated using a
plastic bag, stripped, forced to perform humiliating acts and
was subjected to racist verbal abuse. He remains in prison
awaiting trial having been charged on the basis of the state-
ment he was forced to make as a result of his torture. Amnes-
ty International declared him a prisoner of conscience earlier
this year.
Amnesty Internationals report documents the cases of more
than 20 more people like ngel Coln who have sufered
torture at the hands of the authorities in Mexico. Despite legal
prohibition, the criminal justice system continues to accept
evidence obtained as result of arbitrary detention and torture.
Tis not only encourages the continued use of torture and
other ill-treatment, but it also means that unfair trials and
unsafe convictions are rife, further undermining the cred-
ibility of the justice system and the human rights of criminal
defendants.
On the rare occasion ofcial investigations into allegations of
torture happen, they are ofen fawed.
Te Federal Attorney Generals Ofces special forensic pro-
cedure to investigate cases of torture and other ill-treatment
ofen falls well short of the international standards outlined
in the Istanbul Protocol. Despite these shortcomings prosecu-
tors and judges rely on these fawed ofcial investigations and
refuse to accept other independent evidence.
Torture and ill-treatment in Mexico is out of control with a
600 per cent rise in the number of reported cases in the past
decade, according to a new report published by Amnesty
International.
Te organization is calling on the Mexican government to act
now to stop the wide-spread and persistent use of torture by
members of the police and armed forces.
Te report, Out of control: Torture and other ill-treatment in
Mexico charts a serious rise of torture and other ill-treatment
and a prevailing culture of tolerance and impunity. Only
seven torturers have ever been convicted in federal courts and
even fewer have been prosecuted at state level.
Te authorities cannot continue to turn a blind eye to torture.
Routine failure to enforce safeguards to prevent torture and
other ill-treatment coupled with investigations into com-
plaints that are ofen biased and downplay the severity of the
abuse, are indicative of a government that is failing to protect
human rights, said Erika Guevara Rosas, Americas Director
Amnesty International.
Te shocking rise in the use of torture in Mexico means the
threat of ill-treatment hangs heavy over the heads of every
person in the country. Amnesty Internationals own survey
found 64 per cent of Mexican citizens are afraid that they
would be tortured if detained by the authorities.
Te report is the frst in a series of fve diferent country re-
ports to be released as part of Amnesty Internationals global
STOP TORTURE campaign. Tis report details how, between
2010 and the end of 2013 the National Human Rights Com-
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AIUSA group 48 Newsletter September 2014 Pg 5


Te lack of credible, thorough investigations into allegations
of torture constitutes a double-abuse. If the authorities fail to
gather evidence of their mistreatment, victims are lef without
remedy and unable to demonstrate that their confessions
were extracted under duress, said Erika Guevara.
It is time to radically overhaul the investigation of allegations
of torture and other ill-treatment, particularly the application
of the internationally recognized standards of the Istanbul
Protocol. Te Mexican authorities must also ensure that the
evidence gathered by independent medical experts can be
recognized in judicial proceedings.
Te report identifes a series of measures that must be taken
to prevent, investigate and punish torture and other ill-treat-
ment, starting with an acknowledgement by the government
of the scale of torture and a public commitment to combating
this grave human rights violation as a top priority.
Background Information
Between 2010 to end 2013 when the CNDH received 7,000
complaints of torture and other ill-treatment, the Federal
Attorney Generals Ofce carried out its special procedure in
364 cases, fnding evidence of torture in 26.
Between 2006 and 2013 the Federal Attorney Generals Ofce
opened 1,219 investigations into complaints of torture and
other ill-treatment, but only initiated 12 prosecutions for tor-
ture. Te federal judiciary report on 7 frm convictions ever
for torture in the federal courts. A conviction rate of 0.006 per
cent. At the state level the prevalence of torture and impunity
is even higher.
Te National Human Rights Commission ofen fails to carry
out full, timely investigations into all the complaints it re-
ceives or adequately defend the rights of victims. Of the 7,000
complaints received between 2010 and 2013, it only issued 44
public recommendations confrming torture.
Te Istanbul Protocol is the common name for the UN
Manual on the Efective Investigation and Documentation of
Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment
or Punishment. Te protocol was created in 1999.
Group 48 Picnic
by Max White, AIUSA Country Specialist - Indonesia and Timor-Lest
All in all a great outing for about 35 or so folks, including out-
of-town guests Mary Tam from the San Francisco regional of-
fce, Aquib Yacob, the guest of honor, and occasional residents
Nicholas Kristof and daughter Caroline. Jane introduced one
of Group 48s frst coordinators, Curt Bell.
We also gathered to welcome, and hear from, the latest winner
of the Ladis Kristof Memorial Fellowship. Aquib Yacob ar-
rived fresh from challenging days in Ferguson, Missouri with
a team of Amnesty International observers.
For those spending your summer isolated during your
simulated trip to Mars, the protests and occasional riots fol-
lowed the shooting of an unarmed African American youth
by a policeman from the suburb of St. Louis. In his informal
conversation while eating, and in his talk to the group, Aquib
eloquently explained why this efort by AIUSA was a historic
step. More about that in a moment.
Aquib was born in Guyana on the northern coast of South
America. His parents moved to New York when he was young.
On Saturday August 23 Group 48 had this years largest
gathering, a potluck, at the farm of founding member Jane
Kristof in Yamhill (OK, technically Cove Orchard). We were
pleased for an opportunity to have a mostly-social meeting.
Of course, it being Janes house, petitions were available. We
had fne weather, lots of food including some desserts sourced
from Janes farm, and a tour of the orchards.

AIUSA group 48 Newsletter September 2014 Pg 6


Here is a bio from a magazine, posted on Aquibs Facebook
About page: Aquib Yacoob is a 19-year-old humanitarian
with a strong passion for social justice and human rights.
Based in Waterville, Maine, hes a New Yorker born and
raised in a small rural community in Guyana, South America.
Currently a sophomore at Colby College, Aquib is pursuing
the field of international medicine: an independent major of
his making that looks at the intricacies of cultures, human
rights and medicine. Hes en route to becoming a physician,
with hopes of working on the ground with communities
across the globe to develop culturally adapted, sustainable
medical facilities and practices. When asked at the potluck,
Aquib elaborated on some updates to this description.
Speaking of his Facebook page, you may want to scroll down
to the Places map. Hes a world traveler due to his research.
I will not do justice to Aquibs remarks to the group, including
his responses to many questions, but I will broadly summa-
rize a few main points. He began by explaining his apprecia-
tion for being selected as the 2014 Kristof Fellow. Tanks
to the award, his long-time activism for human rights have
been solidifed into a determination to continue along that
path, perhaps with less emphasis on the medical aspect of his
studies. His evolving focus came out again when Group 48
coordinator Joanne Lau, asked, Where do you picture your-
self in fve years?
Aquib described in detail the bright-yellow-Amnesty-shirt
delegation to Ferguson, Missouri, including the inevitable
diference with what they saw on the ground and what most
media outlets emphasized. I particularly appreciated that
Amnesty folks would divert media attention from themselves
to community activists.
Te Ferguson discussion morphed into a discussion of AIU-
SAs new campaign on gun violence in the US. He explained
what Amnesty adds to other gun control campaigns and
organizations: a focus on US gun violence as fundamentally a
violation of human rights. Your right to have a gun does not
trump my right to be safe.
What you cannot sense from these notes is the optimism and
energy Aquib brought. He is a great choice for the Kristof Fel-
lowship. Expect to hear more from, and about, him.
Te informal award for Most Charming Person went to Juan
Carlos daughter Isabel. Kristof dog Katie was the ofcial
greeter and diplomat. Its a Small World event was: the prin-
cipal when Aquib was in high school in New York (and a sig-
nifcant infuence on Aquib) is now the principal of Caroline
Kristofs high school.
Saudi Arabia: Scheduled beheading refects authorities callous disregard to
human rights, August 22nd, 2014
The current surge in executions in Saudi Arabia is continu-
ing unabated with another beheading scheduled for Monday
August 25th, said Amnesty International today.
Te planned beheading of Hajras al-Qurey will be the 23rd
execution in the last three weeks -- although more could take
place on Saturday and Sunday. Earlier this week the organiza-
tion called on the Kingdom to halt all executions afer four
members of the same family were beheaded for receiving
drugs.
Te execution of people accused of petty crimes and on the
basis of confessions extracted through torture has become
shamefully common in Saudi Arabia. It is absolutely shock-
ing to witness the Kingdoms authorities callous disregard to
fundamental human rights, said Said Boumedouha, Deputy
Director of Amnesty Internationals Middle East and North
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AIUSA group 48 Newsletter September 2014 Pg 7


Africa Program. Te use of the death penalty in Saudi Arabia
is so far removed from any kind of legal parameters that it is
almost hard to believe.
Hajras al-Qurey, 53, was sentenced to death on 16 January
2013 in the south-eastern city of Najran on drug-trafcking
charges. He was arrested, together with his son Muhammad,
on 7 January 2012 at the al-Khadra border crossing with
Yemen, when customs ofcers suspected they were carrying
drugs in their car. Muhammad was sentenced to 20 years in
prison and 1,000 lashes.
Both men claim they were tortured during their interrogation
and were denied access to legal representation until their trial.
Hajras al-Qureys lawyer complained that the only evidence
used by the prosecution to sentence his client was the coerced
confessions, but the court dismissed his complaint.
Tat people are tortured into confessing to crimes, convicted
in shameful trials without adequate legal support and then
executed is a sickening indictment of the Kingdoms state-
sanctioned brutality, said Said Boumedouha.
Tere has been a surge in executions in Saudi Arabia since
the end of Ramadan on 28 July, with 22 executions between 4
August and 22 August, compared to 17 announced executions
between January and July 2014.
On Monday 18 August, four men two sets of brothers Hadi
bin Saleh Abdullah al-Mutlaq and Awad bin Saleh Abdullah
al-Mutlaq along with Mufrih bin Jaber Zayd al-Yami and Ali
bin Jaber Zayd al-Yami were beheaded.
Tey were reportedly tortured during interrogation, including
with beatings and sleep deprivation, in order to extract false
confessions. Tey were sentenced to death largely on the basis
of these confessions.
Teir families were told to stop appealing to human rights
organizations to save their children from execution.
It is clear that the authorities are more interested in threaten-
ing victims families to shut them up rather than putting an
end to this grotesque phenomenon.
Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all cases
without exception. It violates the right to life as proclaimed in
the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It is the ultimate
cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment.
The Death Penalty in Saudi Arabia in
10 Shocking Facts
More than 2,000 people were executed in Saudi Arabia
between 1985 and 2013.
At least 22 people were put to death between 4 and 22 Au-
gust 2014 alone more than one every day.
Te death penalty in Saudi Arabia is used in violation of
international human rights law and standards. Trials in capi-
tal cases are ofen held in secret and defendants rarely have
access to lawyers.
People may be convicted solely on the basis of confessions
obtained under torture, other ill-treatment or deception.
Non-lethal crimes including adultery, armed robbery,
apostasy, drug-related ofences, rape, witchcraf and sor-
cery are punishable by death.
Tree people under 18 were executed in 2013, and so far in
2014 one has been sentenced to death, in blatant violation of
the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
In some cases, the relatives of those on death row are not
notifed of the executions in advance.
Foreign nationals represent a disproportionate number of
those executed, largely because of inadequate legal representa-
tion and translation support. Almost half of the 2,000 people
executed between 1985 and 2013 were foreign nationals.
People with mental disabilities are not spared the death
sentence.
Most executions are by beheading. Many take place in
public. In some cases, decapitated bodies are lef hanging in
public squares as a deterrent.
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AIUSA group 48 Newsletter September 2014 Pg 8
AIUSA group 48 Newsletter September 2014
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