group 48 newsletter - september 2010

8/8/2019 Group 48 Newsletter - September 2010

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Amnesty International USA Group 48

Newsletter 09.10

In This Issue . . .

1 EQUAORIAL GUINEA:

Urge Release o two POCs

2 CHAD: Urge Protection or

Civilians as UN Leaves

5 Proposed China death

penalty reorms may haveno great impact on

executions

6 DEMOCRAIC REPUBLIC

OF HE CONGO: Set rial

Date or Colonel Paul

Ndokayi

7 RWANDA: Protect

Politicians and Journalists

8 Amnesty International

Legislative Update

AIUSA-Group 48

http://aipdx.org

503-227-1878

Next Meeting:

Friday September 10th

First Unitarian Church

1011 SW 12th Ave

7:00pm inormal

gathering

7:30pm meeting starts

NewsLetter Designed

By Michelle Whitlock

MichelleWhitlock.com

EQUATORIAL GUINEA: Urge Release of two POCs

Marcelino Nguema and SantiagoAsumu are members o an opposition

political party in Equatorial Guinea, the

People’s Union (Unión Popular - UP).

Tey are prisoners o conscience who

were arrested solely or their peace-

ul political activities. Tey have been

acquitted by a court o all the charges

brought against them, but are still held

in prison.

On February 17, 2009, there was a

reported attack on the presidential

palace in Malabo, the capital, which the

authorities blamed on a Nigerian armed

group, the Movement or the Emanci-

pation o the Niger Delta. (Te group

denied responsibility.) President Obiang

Nguema asserted that the attackers had

been assisted and nanced by Equato-

rial Guineans inside the

country, adding that although they werenot yet known they would be tried on

charges o “aggression and terrorism”.

Marcelino Nguema and Santiago Asu-

mu were arrested on February 18 and 19

2009 respectively in Malabo. Both men

were held without charge or trial, rst

at the central police station and then in

Black Beach prison, until mid- October

2009. Both were tortured several times

to extract conessions rom them. On

one occasion, Santiago Asumu had his

hands tied behind him and his mouth

stued with papers; he was then put in

a sack and beaten.

Marcelino Nguema and Santiago

Asumu were tried by the Malabo Appea

Court (ribunal de Apelación, a rst

instance court), rom March 17 to 22

Marcelino Nguema Santiago Asumu

»

P r i v a t e



AIUSA group 48 Newsletter September 2010 Pg 2

2010 on charges o attempting to assassinate President Obi-

ang Nguema. At the beginning o the trial, the prosecution

dropped the charges against eight other UP members whohad also been arrested and detained in connection with the

attack on the palace.

On April 5, 2010, the court acquitted Marcelino Nguema

and Santiago Asumu o all charges. However, instead o set-

ting them ree immediately in accordance with the law, the

authorities have reused to release them and they remain in

detention. Since mid-May they have been held incommuni-

cado, with no contact with the outside world.

Action RequestPlease write a polite letter to the government authorities listed

below expressing concern detention o Santiago Asumu and

Marcelino Nguerra and emphasize the ollowing points in

your letter:

◌ Call or the immediate and unconditional release o Mar-

celino Nguema and Santiago Asumu, who have been arrested

and detained solely or their membership o the UP political

party.

◌ Express concern about the continued detention o Santiago

Asumu and Marcelino Nguema aer they were acquitted o all

charges by a court o law and say that their detention is illegal.

◌ Call or an investigation into the torture o Marcelino

Nguema and Santiago Asumu and or those responsible to be

brought to justice.

Send to

President

General eodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo

Presidente de la República

Gabinete del Presidente de la República,

Malabo

Guinea Ecuatorial

Fax: 011 240 333 09 3313/ 3334

Salutation: Excelencia/Your Excellency

Copies to

Te Honorable Purifcation Angue Ondo

Ambassador to the United States

Embassy o Equatorial Guinea

2020 16th Street NW

Washington, DC 20009

Fax: 1-202-518-5252 , 1-202-296-4195

Email: [email protected]

Salutation: His Excellency

CHAD: Urge Protection for Civilians as UN Leaves

On July 15, 2010, Amnesty International released a news

report that highlights serious concerns regarding ongoing

insecurity and human rights violations in eastern Chad as an

important UN peacekeeping mission starts to withdraw rom

the country. Te report, Chad: “We too deserve protection” -

Human rights challenges as the UN mission withdraws (http://

www.amnesty.org/en/library/ino/AFR20/009/2010/en)

highlights the act that the withdrawal o the United Nations

Mission in the Central Arican Republic and Chad (MINUR-

CA) puts at risk the relative security enjoyed by more than

250,000 reugees rom Sudan (Darur) and 170,000 internally

displaced Chadians, in addition to the local population in

eastern Chad. Under the terms o a May 2010 UN Security

Council (SC) resolution, MINURCA is to have ully com-

pleted its withdrawal by 31 December 2010. »

l u c2 5 5 S t o c k .X c h n g




Te SC, at the request o the Chadian government, adopted

on 25 May 2010 resolution 1923 (2010) ordering the with-

drawal o MINURCA by December 2010 without a detailed

and concrete plan o action rom Chadian Authorities on how

they intend to protect the civilian population in eastern Chad

as MINURCA starts its withdrawal.

Amnesty International (AI) believes the Security Council de-

cision premature and dangerous and ears that MINURCA´s

withdrawal could jeopardize the lives and saety o civilians

living in eastern Chad. AI is also concerned that both the

Chadian government, in making its demand or the with-

drawal o MINURCA, and the Security Council, in accedingto that demand, ailed to consult with reugees, displaced

Chadians and other individuals and communities whose

rights will be directly aected by this decision.

Amnesty International calls on the Chadian Government and

the international community through the SC to take immedi-

ate steps to protect the human rights o the civilian popula-

tion in eastern Chad. In particular, the organization recom-

mends that the Government o Chad:

◌ Ensure that it protects all persons within its territory, in-

cluding reugees rom Darur and displaced Chadians, rom violations o international human rights and humanitarian

law;

◌ Ensure that its security orces do not commit human rights

and humanitarian law violations. Te government o Chad

should immediately ormulate, disseminate and implement a

detailed and transparent plan o action or civilian protection

in eastern Chad.

For urther reerence: Human Rights Challenges as UN Mis-

sion Withdraws, Index: AFR 20/009/2010, Amnesty Interna-

tional, July 2010 (http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/ino/

AFR20/010/2010/en)

NOE: It may also be possible to send emails to the govern-

ment rom the Chadian government website at: http://www.

presidencetchad.org/ Look under “Contacts” where it says

“Ecrivez=-nous:” http://www.presidencetchad.org/contact.php

Letters on paper are preerable, but it will do no harm to

ood that site with a ew emails. “Nom” (Name) and “Cour-

riel” (email address) are required in order to send a message.

Obviously it should be shorter than a paper letter.

His Exellency Idriss Déby Itno

Président de la République

Présidence de la République

B.P. 74

N’Djaména

Republic o Chad

Your Excellency,

I write to urge you to ensure that the Chadian government

ullls its responsibility to protect civilians in the aermath

o the withdrawal o the UN Peacekeeping mission in eastern

Chad and northern Central Arican Republic (CAR), MIN-

URCA. MINURCA’s withdrawal comes at a time when its

presence and operations were making a real dierence on the

ground in eastern Chad. Since early 2010, civilian security

in the region began to improve signicantly. However, the

security situation in these areas remains unstable and grave

human rights violations continue on a regular basis, Without

MINURCA’s presence, civilians in eastern Chad will have

ar less protection, and no security.

Your government has ailed to provide the plan you prom-

ised the UN Security Council or replacing the security that

MINURCA provided to vulnerable civilians in eastern Chad

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


To all other destination countries

$0.98 - Postcards


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You have a duty to protect those living on your territory, but

or many years, your government has not demonstrated the

capacity or the inclination to protect either the endangered

Daruri reugees, or Chadian citizens displaced by Chad’s on-

going civil war. I am very concerned that the loss o MINUR-

CA will leave them without any protection whatsoever.

I urge your government to live up to its promise by respect-

ing your obligations under international human rights and

humanitarian law. Your government must ensure that the

rights o all persons, including reugees, are protected without

any orm o discrimination. It is urgent that your government

create, disseminate publically, and implement a promisedPlan o Action or security and human rights protection in

eastern Chad which contains benchmarks and timelines. Any

progress towards achieving these benchmarks should be

made public.

Your government must take immediate steps to address wide-

spread impunity or human rights abuses in eastern Chad

by promptly investigating reports o human rights abuses

and ensuring that those responsible are brought to justice in

proceedings that meet international air trial standards. Any

member o the Chadian security orces, who is suspected o involvement in human rights violations, including threats,

torture, rape, or enorced disappearance, should be suspend-

ed pending an ofcial and public investigation.

Finally, your government should work together with the UN

Security Council to promote respect or human rights in

Chad, and to continue with eorts to strengthen the justice

system in eastern Chad through the technical assistance o

the UN Ofce o the High Commissioner or Human Rights.

Tank you or your kind attention to my very sincere con-cerns,

AIUSA member

Copies To

Te Chadian Embassy in Washington DC

His Excellency Mahamoud Adam Béchir, Embassy o the

Republic o Chad

2401 Massachusetts, NW

Washington, DC. 20008

HUMAN RIGHTS FILM

AND DIALOGUE EVENT

The Response is a courtroom drama based on the

actual transcripts of the Guantanamo Bay military

tribunals. In the lm, three military ofcers must

decide the fate of a suspected enemy combatant. Is

he guilty of providing material support to Al Qaeda

and responsible for the deaths of several Americansoldiers? Or is he an innocent victim of circumstances

as he claims? For more information about the lm, go

to http://www.theresponsemovie.com/.

PLEASE JOIN US to learn, explore, and dialogue

about the Guantanamo Bay military tribunals and

the meaning of justice. The City of Portland Ofce

of Human Relations and Amnesty International

USA Group 48 invite you to view The Response and

engage in dialogue with Federal Public Defender,

Steven Wax and adjunct professor of Lewis and Clark

Law School, Travis Hall after the lm. The dialoguewill be led by Ofce of Human Relations staff and

used as a space where we seek to understand, nd

commonalities, and share our experiences.

Film: The Response

Date: Wednesday September 22

Time: 5:30–8:00PM

Location: Ofce of Human Relations

5315 N Vancouver Avenue

Portland, OR 97217

el: (202) 462 4009

Fax: (202) 265 1937

Email address: [email protected]

»

Scene from "The Response"




Steven Wax is a Federal Public Defender for the

District of Oregon. He and his team successfullyworked to free six men formerly held as enemy

combatants in Guantanamo. He is the author of the

book, Kafka Comes to America: Fighting for Justice in

the War on Terror – A Public Defender’s Inside Account.

Travis Hall is a former Army interrogator and Arabic

linguist who later served as an Army Judge Advocate

(“JAG”). He practices law in Portland for the rm

Bateman Seidel and is an adjunct professor of

international law and national security law & policy at

Lewis and Clark College Law School.

The Human Rights Film and Dialogue Series is a

monthly event that encourages Portlanders to learn,dialogue, and take meaningful action on local and

global human rights issues. This event is held every 4th

Wednesday 5:30-8PM at the Ofce of Human Relations.

For more information about the event, or to learn

more about the Community Education and Peace

Building program, please contact Muna Abshir

Mohamud at [email protected] or

call 503-823-4427. This event is FREE and open to the

public. Food and refreshments will be provided.

Proposed China death penalty reforms may have no great impact on executions23 August 2010

Amnesty International has warned that proposed reorms

o China’s application o the death penalty may not result in

signicantly ewer executions.

Chinese government news agency Xinhua reported on

Monday that proposed amendments to China’s criminal code

may see the death penalty removed rom 13 out o 68 crimes

that currently carry the punishment. Te dra amendments

are working their way through numerous readings in China’s

legislative chamber.

“Although we would welcome any reorm that would in prac-

tice decrease executions in China, we are not yet convinced

that these legal revisions will have a signicant impact,” said

Catherine Baber, Amnesty International’s Deputy-Director

or the Asia-Pacic programme.

As part o its campaigning against the death penalty, Amnesty

International has called on China to reduce the number o

capital crimes.

“We are still waiting or the Chinese government to release

the data that shows these proposed revisions are more than

just legal housekeeping, removing crimes which have seldom

been punished with the death penalty in recent years,” said

Catherine Baber.

Te dra amendment to China’s criminal code would, i

passed, reportedly remove the death penalty as a punishmentor white collar crimes such as tax raud, and or smuggling

valuables and cultural relics. It would also remove the death

penalty as a punishment or those over 75 years o age.

Te ultimate impact o any reorms to China’s use o the death

penalty cannot be publicly known and evaluated due to clas-

sication o execution gures as state secrets.

Amnesty International has called on the Chinese govern-

ment to make the dra legislation and the national execution

gures public, so that there can be transparent analysis anddebate on the death penalty.

In a challenge to China’s lack o transparency, Amnesty

International declined to publish its own minimum gures

or Chinese executions and death sentences in its worldwide

annual report this year on the death penalty.

China is estimated to be the world’s biggest executor.

Amnesty International said it opposes the death penalty in all

cases without exception, as the ultimate violation o human

rights.

L ui z B al t ar S t o c k .X c h

n g




He currently aces charges or “wasting ammunition” (dissipa-

tion de munition de guerre) and “illegally possessing weap-

ons” (detention illégale d’arme et de munition de guerre). Te

Colonel has said that he doesn’t understand why he has been

charged or these oences. Previously, he also aced charges

relating to terrorism and insurrection (participation à un

mouvement insurrectionnel), but these charges were dropped

in December 2007.

Colonel Ndokayi’s trial has been delayed because the respon-

sibility or his case has been passed between the Military

Prosecutor and the Military ribunal in Kinshasa. In April

2008, the Military Prosecutor passed responsibility or the

case to the Military ribunal. However, the physical older

containing all the inormation was not transerred, so nothing

happened on the case.

In July 2009, the Military Prosecutor reiterated this, and

at that time transerred the physical le. Te Head o the

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO: Set Trial Date for ColonelPaul Ndokayi

Since his detention in late 2006, Amnesty International has

worked or the release o Colonel Paul Ndokayi, who has been

tortured and has not been able to deend himsel in a court

o law. Tis action updates his case and targets government

ofcials with the authority to help him obtain a trial beore a

legal judicial authority.

BackgroundColonel Ndokayi was arrested on Kinshasa, the capital o the

Democratic Republic o Congo (DRC). He was detained at

the headquarters o the Special Services Police or about a

month, during which he was tortured and subjected to other

orms o serious ill-treatment. He is now held at the main

prison in Kinshasa, the Centre de Detention et Rééducation

de Kinshasa (CPRK). He has been denied medical treatment

or the serious injuries he suered during his torture. He has

not been tried or given the chance to challenge his detention

aer three and a hal years.

Because he was never treated aer being tortured when he

was arrested, he still has difculty hearing his. His health is

much improved compared to how he was when Amnesty

International met him in 2007.

Colonel Ndokayi’s wie visits him regularly and brings him

ood. He is held in a high security part o the prison and, like

other detainees, he is regularly intimidated and insulted by

the police controlling his cell.

Group Coordinator Joanne Lau

971-221-5450

[email protected]

Concert Tabling

Will Ware

503-227-5225

[email protected]

Newsletter Editor

Dan Webb

503-253-3491

[email protected]

Treasurer

Tena Hoke

[email protected]

Legislative Coordinator

Dan Johnson

503-310-4540

[email protected]

Indonesia RAN

Max White

503-292-8168

[email protected]

Central AfricaRAN

Terrie Rodello

503-246-6836

[email protected]

OR State Death

Penalty Abolition

Coordinator

Terrie Rodello

503-246-6836

[email protected]

Central America

RANMarylou Noble

503-245-6923

marylou_noble@

yahoo.com

Prisoners' Cases

& Darfur

Jane Kristof

[email protected]

Marty Fromer

503-227-1878

[email protected]

AIUSA Group 48 Contact Inormation

»

J a s ch aH o s t e S t o c k .X c h n g




Military ribunal (Premier Président de la Cour Militaire de

la Gombe) has not yet set a date or the hearing. He says he is

busy with another le which involves over 30 co-deendants,and thereore, has not yet been able to examine the le o

Colonel Ndokayi.

Te main obstacle to a trial or Colonel Ndokayi is the setting

o a trial date. Amnesty International is directing its actions

to specically target the Head o the Military ribunal, whose

responsibility it is to schedule the hearing and the Chie

Military Prosecutor, who transerred the le to the Military

ribunal in order to set a trial date

Action RequestAlthough Amnesty International is concerned about Colonel

Ndokayi’s health and the lack o an independent investiga-

tion into the allegations that he was tortured and ill-treated,

the current ocus in his case is to set a trial date. Amnesty

International is directing its actions to target the Head o the

Military ribunal, whose responsibility it is to schedule the

hearing and the Chie Military Prosecutor, who transerred

the le to the Military ribunal to set a trial date.

Please write polite letters to the Head o the Military ribu-

nal and the Chie Military Prosecutor and remind them thatColonel Ndokayi’s case was transerred to the Military ribu-

nal in July 2009 and call on them to set a date or the hearing

o the case. Send a copy to the DRC Ambassador in the US.

Letters to

Head o Military ribunal

Premier Président de la Cour Militaire de la Gombe

Juge Kalala

Cour Militaire de la Gombe

46, avenue Lubeu

Commune de la Gombe

Kinshasa

Democratic Republic o the Congo

Chie Military ProsecutorGeneral Joseph Konde Isambwa

Auditorat General des FARDC

Kinshasa

République Démocratique du Congo

Salutation: Dear General / Cher General Konde Isambwa

Copies to

Ambassador Faida Mitiu

Embassy o the Democratic Republic o the Congo

1726 M St. NW Suite 601

Washington, DC 20036

Fax: 202 234 2609

RWANDA: Protect Politicians and Journalists

Paul Kagame, President of Rwanda

In recent months, killings, arrests and the closure o newspa-

pers and broadcasters reinorced a climate o ear in Rwanda,

where the presidential election was held on August 9 with

President Kagame winning 93%. Opposition parties were

restricted rom holding the meetings required to register their

parties, party leaders were arrested under Rwanda’s vaguelaws on genocide ideology and journalists continued to be in-

creasingly at risk o harassment and even death. Te current

climate o repression is likely to inhibit reedom o expression

aer the presidential elections.

ell Rwanda to Protect Politicians and Journalists:

http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/siteapps/advocacy/

index.aspx?c=jhKPIXPCIoE&b=2590179&template=x.

ascx&action=14644

S om al i l an d T i m e s



Postage


AIUSA group 48 Newsletter September 2010

Amnesty International Legislative Updateby Daniel Johnson, Legislative Coordinator

his month I attended a meeting in Senator Wyden’s ofce,

where I spoke with three sta members rom Washington

DC over teleconerence. Senator Wyden was identied by

AIUSA as a key Senator to contact regarding indenite deten-

tion without trial. We were all distressed to hear President

Obama’s announcement earlier this year about the intent to

continue to hold a number o Guantanamo detainees without

trial, and perhaps, to do so within the country. Te last thing

we want to see is an ofcial ramework or justication or this

practice. We’d like to see unding or any domestic detention

acility contingent on being unable to house detainees who

have not and will not be tried, or detainees involved in the

awed military tribunal system. O course, legislative priori-

ties have centered around other issues lately, but it’s importantto let them know that it is still an issue o signicant impor-

tance or us.

I you'd like to support this, please call (202) 224-5244 and tel

them you’re calling to encourage the Senator to take action

against indenite detention without trial.

Mi ch al Z a ch ar z ew sk i S t o c k .X c h n g

group 48 newsletter - september 2010

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