Newsletter

Amnesty International USA Group 48

11.10
In This Issue . . .

Griszka Niewiadomski Stock.Xchng

1 BAHRAIN: Urgent Action
Death Penalty
2 DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC
OF CONGO: Support
Human Rights Defender
3 CHINA: Urgent Action Fear
of torture / Ill-treatment/
Prisoner of Conscience /
Medical Concern
5 CHAD: Urgent Action
Forced Eviction, 10,000
residents of Ambattta
7 MEXICO: Urgent Action
Two Indigenous People BAHRAIN: Urgent Action – Death Penalty
Killed Russell Mezan (m)
Please write on behalf of these persons issued, as Russell Mezan said that he
AIUSA-Group 48 even though you may not have received and the Kuwaiti man were drunk on the
http://aipdx.org the original UA when issued on March night of the murder and that he did not
503-227-1878 26, 2010. Thanks! intend to kill him.
Next Meeting:
Friday November 12th On 24 October, the Supreme Appeal The case was heard before the Supreme
First Unitarian Church Court of Bahrain upheld the death sen- Appeal Court of Bahrain on 24 Octo-
tence of Russell Mezan, a Bangladeshi ber and the death sentence was upheld.
1011 SW 12th Ave
man sentenced to death after being Amnesty International delegates visiting
7:00pm informal convicted of murdering a Kuwaiti man. Bahrain met Russell Mezan’s lawyer on
gathering 25 October, who confirmed that he will
7:30pm meeting starts Russell Mezan was sentenced to death appeal to the Court of Cassation within
on 23 March 2010 by the High Criminal 45 days. If the appeal fails, the death
Court of Bahrain. He was convicted of sentence will then pass to the King for
NewsLetter Designed the premeditated murder of a Kuwaiti
By Michelle Whitlock final ratification within two or three
man in a hotel in Manama, the capital months. If the death sentence is ratified
MichelleWhitlock.com of Bahrain, on 7 March 2009. Russell by the king, Russell Mezan will face
Mezan’s lawyer lodged an appeal against execution, probably by firing squad.»
the sentence on the same day it was
 AIUSA group 48 Newsletter November 2010 Pg 2
In July 2010 another Bangladeshi national, Jassim Abdul-
manan, was executed after his death sentence was upheld in
April 2009.
Action
Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
◌◌ Calling for His Majesty Shaikh Hamad bin Issa Al Khalifa
not to ratify the death sentence of Russell Mezan;
◌◌Acknowledging that the government has the right and
responsibility to bring to justice those responsible for crimi-
nal offences, but expressing unconditional opposition to
the death penalty as it is the ultimate cruel, inhumane and
degrading punishment.
◌◌Urging the King to commute the sentences of all those fac-
ing possible execution in Bahrain.
Appeals To
The King
His Majesty Shaikh Hamad bin Issa Al Khalifa
King of Bahrain
Office of His Majesty the King
P. O. Box 555
Rifaía Palace,
KINGDOM OF BAHRAIN
Fax: 011 973 176 64 587
Salutation: Your Majesty
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO: Support Human Rights Defenders
© Private
Floribert Chebeya
The work of human rights activists in the Democratic
Republic of Congo (DRC) is becoming increasingly deadly,
Copies To
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the
People’s Republic of Bangladesh to the Kingdom of Bahrain
His Excellency Md. Ali Akbar
House 674; Road 3213; Area 332;
Al Mahooz, Manama,
KINGDOM OF BAHRAIN
Tel: 011 973 17741976
Fax: 011 973 177 41 927 OR 011 973 178 22 532
Salutation: His Excellency
Minister of Justice
His Excellency
Shaikh Khalid bin Ali bin Abdullah Al Khalifa
Ministry of Justice and Social Affairs
P.O. Box 13
Al-Manama
KINGDOM OF BAHRAIN
Salutation: His Excellency
Ambassador Houda Ezra Ebrahim Nonoo
Embassy of the Kingdom of Bahrain
3502 International Dr. NW
Washington DC 20008
Fax: 1 202 362 2192
Email: ambsecretary@bahrainembassy.org
Since the murder of Floribert Chebeya, DRC’s most promi-
nent human right activist, in June this year, the lives of human
rights defenders are increasingly at risk. The past year has
seen an increase in death threats against human rights activ-
ists and journalists in the DRC, usually received by telephone
and text message.
Floribert Chebeya was the executive director of Voice of the
Voiceless (Voix des Sans Voix, VSV), one of the Congo’s most
important human rights organizations and a major ally of
Amnesty International. He had been working on a number of
sensitive affairs involving the head of the national policy, Gen-
eral John Numbi. Chebeya set off to see Numbi and was not
seen alive again. His body was found in his car early on June 2.»
 AIUSA group 48 Newsletter November 2010 Pg 3

Amnesty International has called on the Congolese govern- Fidele Bazana are grave crimes that must not remain unpun-
ment to launch an independent inquiry or commission to ished. Do not abandon your struggle for justice in DRC. I am
investigate Mr Chebeya’s death and the whereabouts of his fighting with your for the recognition in DRC and beyond, of
driver, Fidale Bazana Edadi, who is still missing. These calls the work of defenders like Floribert and like you. From my
have been ignored by the authorities. country, I am continuing the struggle for justice for Floribert
but also for Pascal Kabungulu, for whom no investigation
Solidarity letters with VSV and Other NGOs
and no trial has yet taken place even though we are observing
Please write solidarity messages to the following human rights
sadly the 5th anniversary of his murder.
defenders expressing your condolences for the loss of their
colleague and friend and giving them strength to continue My greetings in solidarity.
their struggle for human rights. Tell them you will continue Feel free to write something more personal.
to fight for justice to be done in the cases of Floribert and Please use the following addresses:
Fidele, as well as Pascal Kabungulu, another murdered human
rights defender. Dolly IBEFO
Voix des Sans Voix
Please write in support of Robert Ilunga Numbi from Les
Amis de Nelson Mandela and Dolly Ibefo, of Voix des Sans Avenue des Ecuries 3858
Voix, who is under tremendous pressure since the death of Commune Ngaliema
Floribert. They were particularly close to Floribert and were B.P.11 445
personally shaken by the tragic death of Floribert. Kinshasa 1 DRC
Sample Message in English Robert Ilunga NUMBI
Dear xxx, Les Amis de Nelson Mandela pour les Droits de líHomme
I would like to express to you my most sincere condolences A17, Avenue Victoire, Quartier Matonge
for the loss of your colleague and friend Floribert Chebeya Commune Kalamu -B.P 2063
Bahizire. The murder of Floribert and the disappearance of Kinshasa 1 DRC

CHINA: Urgent Action – Fear of torture / Ill-treatment / Prisoner

of Conscience / Medical Concern
Yan Dongfei (f) aged 60, Qiao Yongfang (m) aged 60 (her husband)
Please write on behalf of these persons even though you may
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not have received the original UA when issued on June 19,

2009. Thanks!
Qiao Yongfang, who is in prison in China relating to his
peaceful practice of Falun Gong, is in need of medical atten-
tion. In September, he was transferred to a special prison unit,
heightening Amnesty International’s concern that he is at risk
of torture and ill-treatment.
Qiao Yongfang is an elderly practitioner of Falun Gong, aged
around 60. On 6 August, he was sentenced to 3 years’ im-
prisonment on charges of “using a heretical organization to
subvert the law.” He is imprisoned in the Hohhot (“Huheha-»
 AIUSA group 48 Newsletter November 2010 Pg 4

Action
ote” in Chinese) No 1 Men’s Prison, but was transferred in Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
September to a separate unit within the prison referred to as ◌◌Urging the authorities to immediately and uncondition-
a ‘prison training team’. While it is not clear what the nature ally release Qiao Yongfang, as he is a prisoner of conscience,
of this unit is, according to numerous accounts, Falun Gong imprisoned solely because of his beliefs;
practitioners are often held in separate facilities where they ◌◌ Calling on the authorities to protect Qiao Yongfang from
are compelled to relinquish their beliefs, including through torture and ill-treatment;
torture and ill-treatment.
◌◌ Calling on the authorities to ensure that he is given any
People who have visited him recently report that he is cur- medical attention and treatment he may require;
rently in poor health, including suffering from diabetes, for ◌◌ Calling on the authorities to end the persecution of Falun
which he is not receiving adequate medical treatment. Qiao Gong practitioners.
Yongfang’s lawyers have previously noted that he had been
tortured while in detention, resulting in injuries to his head, Appeals To
for which he is not known to have received adequate medical Huimin District People’s Court
treatment. Huiminqu Renmin Fayuan
Yun Zhangsheng
Qiao Yongfang’s wife, Yan Donfei, also aged 60, was also Jin Chuan Kaifa qu
sentenced on 6 August on the same charges to 14 months Huhehaote Shi 0471-3606010 »
imprisonment. Because she had been held in detention for 14
months at the time the sentences were determined, she was AIUSA Group 48 Contact Information
released within a few days. Both had been tried at the Huimin
District People’s Court on 3 June 2010, having been held at
Group Coordinator Central Africa
No 1 Detention Center in Hohhot since 8 June 2009. Joanne Lau RAN
Background 971-221-5450 Terrie Rodello
jlau@easystreet.net 503-246-6836
Falun Gong is a spiritual movement which gained large num- tarodello@igc.org
Concert Tabling
bers of supporters in China during the 1990s. After it staged
Will Ware OR State Death
a peaceful gathering in Tiananmen Square in July 1999, the 503-227-5225 Penalty Abolition
government outlawed the group and launched a long-term ww_ware@yahoo.com Coordinator
campaign of intimidation and persecution, directed by a spe- Newsletter Editor Terrie Rodello
503-246-6836
cial organization called the 610 Office. Tens of thousands of Dan Webb
503-253-3491 trodello@igc.org
Falun Gong practitioners have been arbitrarily detained since
dlwebb02@yahoo.com Central America
the spiritual movement was banned as a “threat to social and RAN
Treasurer
political stability”. Practitioners have been held in psychiatric Marylou Noble
Tena Hoke
hospitals, in Re-education Through Labor (RTL) facilities, a tena.hoke@gmail.com 503-245-6923
form of administrative detention imposed without charge, marylou_noble@
Legislative Coordinator yahoo.com
trial or judicial review, or sentenced to long prison terms. Dan Johnson
503-310-4540 Prisoners' Cases
Torture and other ill-treatment are endemic in all forms of subtlet@hotmail.com & Darfur
Jane Kristof
detention, despite China’s ratification of the UN Convention Indonesia RAN kristofj@pdx.edu
against Torture in 1988. Falun Gong sources report numerous Max White Marty Fromer
deaths of practitioners in custody, many caused by torture, in 503-292-8168 503-227-1878
maxw33@comcast.net
a variety of state institutions, including prisons, RTL facilities martyfromer@gmail.com
and police detention centers.
 AIUSA group 48 Newsletter November 2010 Pg 5

Nei Menggu Zizhiqu Huhehaote Shi 010000

PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA Nei Menggu Zizhiqu
Salutation: Dear Head of the Court PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA
Salutation: Dear Secretary
Huimin District People’s Procuratorate
Huiminqu Renmin Jiancha Yuan Ambassador Yesui Zhang
Yan Zhengwei Embassy of the People’s Republic of China
Gang tie lu 298 hao 3505 International Place NW
Huhehaote Shi 010000 Washington DC 20522
Nei Menggu Zizhiqu Phone: 202 495 2000
PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA Fax: 1 202 465-2138
Salutation: Dear Head of the Procuratorate Email: chinaembassy_us@fmprc.gov.cn
Copies To PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.
Political and Legal Committee Check with the AIUSA Urgent Action office if sending ap-
Zhengzhi Falu Weiyuanwei peals after 3 December 2010.
Li He Shuji Write as soon as you can. Try to write as close as possible to
Bei Mashenmiao Jie the date a case is issued.

CHAD: Urgent Action – Forced Eviction, 10,000 residents of Ambattta

At the beginning of May 2010, a group of people unknown
Julia Starr Stock.Xchng

to the inhabitants of Ambatta started painting red crosses

on the walls of the houses in the neighborhood, and told the
residents they had to leave their homes. In June, the Minis-
ter of Planning, Urbanism and Habitat visited Ambatta and
announced that the area was to be used by the authorities to
build “social housing” as part of government plans to build »

Postage Rates

Within the United States

$0.28 - Postcards
$0.44 - Letters and Cards up to 1 oz.

To Canada
$0.75 - Postcards
Around 10,000 people are at risk of forced eviction from $0.75 - Airmail Letters and Cards up to 1 oz.

Ambatta, in N’Djamena, the capital city of Chad. The authori- To Mexico

ties have told people living in the area to leave their homes by $0.79 - Postcards
$0.79 - Airmail Letters and Cards up to 1 oz.
the end of the rainy season, around mid-October, to enable
the construction of modern houses. The affected people have To all other destination countries
not been consulted about this decision and have not been of- $0.98 - Postcards
$0.98 - Airmail Letters and Cards up to 1 oz.
fered any alternative housing.
 AIUSA group 48 Newsletter November 2010 Pg 6

10,000 social houses in N’Djamena. The authorities did not Appeals To

offer any form of compensation to the residents of Ambatta President of the Republic of Chad
neighborhood. Previously, the authorities had told the resi- Monsieur Idriss Deby
dents of Ambatta that it was a protected area where house President de la Republique
building was prohibited. Presidence de la Republique
BP 74
On 15 May, the residents of Ambatta met and formed a N’Djamena »
committee to negotiate with the authorities and defend their
rights. The committee have sent several letters to the Chad-
Celebrate & Defend Liu Xiaobo
ian authorities including to the President of the Republic, the
President of the National Assembly and the Minister of Plan-
ning, Urbanism and Habitat, but have not received any reply. Thursday Nov 18, 2010

Some of the residents of Ambatta have been living there for
more than 20 years. Most of the residents work in low-paid
professions such as teaching and community work, and most
do not have an alternative place to live if their homes are
demolished. In addition to houses, there are also five commu-
nity schools in Ambatta that also face demolition.
Background Information
Forced evictions have been carried out in N’Djamena since
March 2008 in total lack of respect for legal protection and
other safeguard measures that are required under both the
Chadian laws and the international standards to which Chad
is a party. In the past Chadian authorities started to demol-
ish houses without prior and genuine consultation with the
affected communities to identify alternatives to evictions and
on resettlement options and adequate alternative accommo-
dation. No effective remedies such as just and fair compensa-
tion were given by the Chadian authorities.
Action
Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
◌◌ Calling on the authorities to halt the planned forced evic-
tion of the people living in Ambatta, Ndjamena.
◌◌ Calling on the authorities to engage in genuine consultation
with the community facing eviction to identify all feasible
alternatives, put in place appropriate procedural and legal
safeguards, and develop a comprehensive relocation and
compensation plan.
◌◌Urging the authorities to end all forced evictions in
N’Djamena as a matter of urgency and to adopt guidelines for
evictions which comply with international human rights law.
© Private
6:30-8:00pm
Browsing Lounge
(Rm 238)
Smith Memorial
Student Union
Portland State
University
1825 SW Broadway,
Portland
Liu Xiaobo
The 2010 Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded
to scholar and activist Liu Xiaobo of China. Liu is
a prominent government critic who has repeat-
edly called for human rights protections, political
accountability and democratization in China. He
co-authored “Charter 08,” a proposal for political
and legal reform in China. He is serving an 11-year
prison sentence for “inciting subversion of state
power”.
Let’s celebrate the Nobel announcement and learn
about Liu Xiaobo’s struggle, hopes and dreams for
China. A video compilation of interviews of Liu will
be presented and followed with an analysis by PSU
Political Science Professor Bruce Gilley and a call
to action by Amnesty International Group 48.
For more information, visit Group 48’s website at
http://aipdx.org/.
 AIUSA group 48 Newsletter November 2010 Pg 7
REPUBLIQUE DU TCHAD
Email: dgcom@presidencetchad.org
Salutation: Dear President
Copies To
Mayor of N’Djamena
Madame Mbailemdana Fatime Marie Therese
Maire de la Ville de N’Djamena
BP 439
N’Djamena
REPUBLIQUE DU TCHAD
Fax: 011 235 2251 43 40
MEXICO: Urgent Action - Two Indigenous People Killed
Gary DuVall Stock.Xchng
Five members of an Indigenous people’s organization in the
southern Mexican state of Oaxaca were ambushed by armed
men on 16 October. Two of the victims were killed and two
others were wounded. The three survivors could be at risk of
further attacks.
Armed men believed to have links with local authorities am-
bushed and opened fire against five members of the Indepen-
dent Movement for Triqui Unity and Struggle (Movimiento
de Unificación y Lucha Triqui Independiente, MULTI) in the
afternoon of 16 October. Two of the MULTI members, Teresa
Ramírez Sánchez and Serafín Ubaldo Zurita, were killed. Two
men and a woman, whose names are withheld to protect
Ambassador Mahamat Adam Bechir
Embassy of the Republic of Chad
2410 Massachusetts Ave NW
Washington DC 20008
Phone: 202 462 4009
Fax: 1 202 265 1937
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.
Check with the AIUSA Urgent Action office if sending ap-
peals after 17 November 2010.
them, survived the attack. The two men were wounded and
one of them remains in hospital. The three survivors could
be at risk of further attacks and have not been provided with
protection.
The ambush took place near the village of Tres Cruces on the
road between the towns of Santiago Juxtlahuaca and Yosoyuxi
in the Triqui region of Oaxaca.
MULTI supported the 700 Indigenous Triqui inhabitants of
San Juan Copala and other nearby Triqui communities who
established the autonomous municipality of San Juan Copala
on 1 January 2007. In September 2010, armed members of
two Indigenous people’s organizations, the Social Welfare
Union for the Triqui Region (Unión para el Bienestar Social
de la Región Triqui, UBISORT) and the Unified Movement
of Triqui Struggle (Movimiento Unificado de Lucha Triqui,
MULT), took over the local government of San Juan Copala
and occupied the town.
All residents identified as belonging to MULTI fled the town
and relocated to neighbouring areas such as Yosoyuxi.
MULT, UBISORT and MULTI have come into conflict over
control of the San Juan Copala area for many years. Armed
groups belonging to UBISORT and MULT have operated in
the area with impunity and are alleged to have links with local
authorities. To date the authorities have failed to take action
to disarm the groups, to protect these communities or to hold
to account those responsible for the attacks.»
 AIUSA group 48 Newsletter November 2010 Pg 8

PLEASE WRITE IMMEDIATELY in Spanish or your own Delegación Cuauhtémoc

language: México D.F., C.P.06600, MÉXICO
◌◌Urging the authorities to provide the three people with ef- Fax: (+52) 55 5093 3414
fective protection in strict accordance with their wishes; Email: secretario@segob.gob.mx
◌◌ Calling on the authorities to carry out a full, prompt and Salutation: Dear Minister/Estimado
impartial investigation into this incident and into other kill- Señor Secretario
ings and attacks which have taken place in the Triqui region, State Attorney General
to make the results public and to bring those responsible to Lic. María de la Luz Candelaria Chiñas
justice; Procuradora General de Justicia del Estado de Oaxaca, Cen-
◌◌ Calling on the authorities to investigate alleged links be- tro Administrativo del
tween armed groups operating in the Triqui region and local Poder Ejecutivo y Judicial, Edificio Jesús “Chu” Rasgado A,
authorities. ala 2, 2do nivel,
Please Send Appeals Before 01 December 2010 To
Reyes Mantecón, San Bartolo Coyotepec, C.P. 71257
Minister of the Interior Oaxaca, MÉXICO
Lic. José Francisco Blake Mora Fax: (+52) 951 501 6900 ext. 20635
Secretaría de Gobernación Email: lpedroarenag@hotmail.com
Bucareli 99, 1er. piso, Col. Juárez Salutation: Dear Attorney General/Estimada Procuradora

Postage

AIUSA group 48 Newsletter November 2010