Aadel Collection

Solidarity Files: Human Rights Cases by Other Amnesty International Groups

          
          Solidarity files - ai WERAN Group 27, Victoria
          Page 1 of 12
          Update: 14 June 2004
          Solidarity flies: Human Rights cases by other Amnesty International groups
          Amnesty
          In terriatiorial
          Victoria, BC
          - lidai tv
          Public Meetings
          I. 7 nicnt
          Action
          N AN Dl
          1 ://‘
          The
          Swedish
          Connection
          Info about
          Myan mar
          (Burma) case
          of Group 79,
          Sweden:
          Senaste
          b irmanytt
          contact: Qr pjip
          79
          Malme Sweden
          also see: WERAN
          Ii
          At this year's Annual General Meeting of Amnesty
          International, Canada (English Speaking) the desire
          to communicate and co-operate was stronger then
          ever. As with Group 65's action to free prisoner of
          conscience Thich HuyenQu g of Vietnam, other
          / groups, too, asked for support for their causes.
          Group 27 will update the Solidarity site to the best
          our ability and invites fellow members to link up.
          “Disappeared”
          . For: Avdo Palic
          . Concern:
          “We have been working
          since March 2001 on the
          case of Avdo Palic, a
          Human Rights
          workers under
          threat
          . For:
          charged
          Prisoners of Conscience
          (freedom of assembly and
          expression)
          . F or Khin.N 1u_/n od
          lhcI. Naoe i So in
          Myanmar (Burma)
          . Concern: imprisonment -
          F
          SPOO I 55
          group 27
          S
          Death Penalty
          Abolition
          . For: People'
          Republic of
          China
          . Concern:
          ‘-
          -
          impose
          moratorium
          . Issued by:
          Group?
          j pea Is
          I ti I
          Prisoner of Conscience
          (freedom of religion and
          freedom of expression)
          . For: the Venerable 1 lric'n
          I 1uvci' QL ing, Supre-rn3
          Patriarch of the Unified
          Buddhist Church of Viet
          Nam
          . Concern: Ill-health and
          continued house arrest -
          release him and drop
          charges
          . Issued by: Group 65
          . Contact: Stan and Kay at
          Group 65
          
          Prisoner of
          Conscience
          (freedom of
          expression)
          .. le v i•amak
          Pourzand
          kurnali ‘in -
          Iran
          . Concern: hetd
          in hospital in
          ill health apart
          from family -
          release him to
          his daughter in
          Canada and
          drop all
          charges
          . Issued by:
          daughter
          :‘sp l -)c L
          http ://www. wraytimes.com/group27/so1idarity htmI
          8/10/2004
        
          
          Solidarity files - ai WERAN Group 27, Victoria
          Page 2 of 12
          C i1Lea Land .Osmc
          Vallo
          Jisappeared prisoner
          jmBosnia. Please visit
          9 .urPalic page at
          indswithoi thorders.org.
          We would like to
          increase exposure for our
          action flue [ ...] Thank you
          for your help.”
          . Issued by: Brigitte
          C. , 1 4JUSA Group
          23 in Hoi, ion,
          Action file co-
          ordinator
          Economical,
          cultural and social
          rights
          (ffleedom of
          movement, ffleedom
          to work, education,
          health, culture)
          . For: People
          affected by IIe
          fetice/wail
          within the
          Occupied
          Territories
          . Concern:
          restrictions,
          discrimination,
          iF [ -treatment
          . Issued by:
          Group 27
          who
          reported on
          migrant
          worker's
          plight in
          Malaysia
          . Concern:
          Fernadez'
          org wisati n
          threatened -.
          drop
          charges
          against
          Fernadez,
          allow
          organisation
          to work
          unhindered
          . Issued by:
          a ,ppcal
          Prisoner of
          Conscience
          (ffleedom of
          association)
          . For: Qui
          ‘ Y ( :l1. nh1t
          triedto
          register a
          political
          organisation
          . Concern:
          imprisonment,
          ill-health -
          immediate
          release
          . Issued by:
          Group?
          release immediately, if not
          charged with recognizable
          crime
          . Issued by: North Shore
          Group A 53
          . Contact:
          
          . For: Death row inmates
          in Tcx as.
          . Concern: death sentences
          . Issued by: Group 500,
          Austin (USA)
          • Contact:
          fmc hy@austin.a o.m
          in n Csci ie pe L L
          I
          ht tp://Ww:Wtaytimes.COrn/gr 0Up27/SO IidafltYhtml
          8/10/2004
        
          
          Solidarity flies - ai WERAN Group 27, Victoria
          Page 5 of 12
          W the undersigned residents of Canada, respectfully urge you to i se an
          imm tejnoratorium on the use of the death penalty in the Peo e's
          Republic o hina as a step toward abolition of the death pen y.
          By your governmen' own admission, China's crimina stice system is
          fraught with serious an stematic problems such corruption and
          inadequate legal training, a result) police, pro utors and judges often
          fail to adhere to proper standar in IIeir pro ing of deaII penalty cases.
          Amnesty International has document an abuses leading to miscarriages
          of justice, including the use in co fc fessions extracted under torture,
          IIe denial of legal representation nd the wing up of guilty verdicts
          before trial by politically app ted committee who supervise the work of
          courts. All these abuses ar n violation of interna onal law, which China
          has said it wishes to wo to respect.
          We appeal to yo o show leadership on this issue and act ckly on the
          demands by t international community, as well as from with China's
          academic d legislative communities, for reform of the use of the eath
          penalty China. We respectfully urge that you begin the process of r orm
          by ing death penalty statistics public and by eliminating the death
          p alty for non-violent crimes.
          Name (print) Signature
          Free S arnak Pourzand! Top
          Persian Journal
          Culture
          Siamak Pourzand: a case study of flagrant
          human rights violations
          Your Excellency;
          Address
          Siamak
          Pourzand' s
          daughter asks
          for help
          At the Al Annual General
          Meeting in Ottawa, in May
          2004, the daughter of 74 year
          old Iranian journalist Siamak
          Pourzand asked all guests to
          come to help free her father
          who is seriously ill in prison.
          “We want him to be released
          and get the permission to
          travel to his family abroad to
          the necessary cares”. Contact:
          May 15, 2004, 19:13
          Siamak Pourzand, (aged 74), Head of Majmue-ye Farhangi-ye
          Honari-ye Tehran (The Tebran Artistic and Cultural Centre) and an
          occasional newspaper correspondent, is a prisoner of conscience.
          He is serving an 11 year sentence imposed aifier a grossly unfair
          and politically motivated trial in connection with oral statements he
          allegedly made about Iran's political leaders; Amnesty International
          fears that the activities of his wife, Mehrangiz Kar, a human rights
          defender currently outside Iran, may have exacerbated the
          treatment of Siamak Pourzarid. He has urgent medical requirements
          for which he recently started to receive specialist care. It remains to
          be seen whether this will be adequate. Amnesty International (Al)
          is calling for his immediate and unconditional release with a view
          to a full review of the charges and sentence he faced.
          http //www.wr ytimes.comIgrou.p27/sol1dar4t.Y.htrni
          8/10/2004
        
          
          Solidarity files - ai WEI AN Group 27, Victoria
          Page 6 of 12
          pourzarid cam pajgn @y4h - . I
          PJ.ease support the appe li ed
          by.Iranian.,ws or keep a watch out
          fpr updates in the Amnesty
          It iternational urgent action (UA)
          section. The last Uhad been
          issued on 6 April and the
          International Secretariat should be
          contacted if you wish to write on
          this action.
          Q6 April 2004
          Fi ther. Information on UA 298/01
          H aith concern/possibl.e torture or ift-
          treatment and nL' Oj c rn: fear for
          s fet
          IRAIS ,1 Siamak Pourzand (m), aged 74,
          Intefrectua , Head of Majmue-ye
          Farhangi-ye T-Ilonari-ye Tehran
          (Tehrati Artistic and Cultural Centre)]
          A rrest and incommunicado detention
          On 24 November 2001, Siamak Pourzand was arrested in central
          Tehran, at around 9 o'clock in the evening. He had just leffi his
          sister's apartment. The family initially thought that he had
          “disappeared” as there was no official acknowledgement that he
          h d been detained. On 7 December 2001 one of hs sisters, Mahin
          I 6 urzand, was reportedly requested to bring a change of clothes for
          him to an office of the Edare-ye Amaken, or Bureau of Premises.
          The Edare-ye Amaken is reportedly responsible for the
          enforcement of accepted moral codes in places of work and oIIer
          offfices. When she asked where her brother was held and what he
          had been charged with, she was reportedly told that it was none of
          her business.
          [ ...]
          Around 31 March 2004, Siamak Pourzand reportedly suffered a
          heart attack that left him in a coma. He was not treated until another
          prisoner, the lawyer and human rights defender Nasser Zarafshan
          (1) went to the prison medical facility and insisted that someone
          examine him. Siamak Pourzand was taken to Tehran's Modarres
          Hospital for treatment and aifier 36 hours in a coma he reg i .ed
          consciousness.
          Siamak Pourzand was again admitted to Tehran's Modarres
          Hospital on 18 April. According to initial reports, he was chained
          to his bed by his feet and denied family visits. Three days later, he
          was moved to the Coronary Care Unit (CCU) in the hospital where
          he reportedly remained for 10 days ai d received specialist care.
          Following his return to the ordinary ward and according to
          information received by Al, Siamak Pourzand reportedly received a
          telephone call fflom Evin Prison asking him to give an interview to
          a prisons' publication to declare that he had never been ill-treated
          and that his trial had beer fair. Shortly after IIis phone call, Siamak
          Poarzand had to be tran rj-ed again to CCU.
          Siamak Pourzand is due to be tra ferred to Mahrad Hospital to
          undergo a spinal surgery. He is then cheduled to return to
          Modarres Hospital to receive treatment for his kidneys and prostate.
          Other information:
          Siamak Pourzand is the husband of lawyer and humanrights
          defender, Mehrangiz Kar, who continues to face charges in
          connection with her participation at a socialand cultural conference,
          which was held in Berlin inApril 2000. She is a former prisoner of
          conscience (see UA 103/00, MDE 13/20/00 3 May 2000 and follow
          ups)
          p ://www.wraytimes:eornIg OBp27/S0't 1 ai1tY.h1tmI
          8/10/2004
        
          
          Solidarity flies - ai WERAN Group 27, Victoria
          Page 7 of 12
          _____________________ I lop ]
          RECOMMENDED ACTIONS
          Please send telegrams! telexes! faxes! express/ e-mail letters in English or French:
          . expressing concern IIat Siamak Pourzand is a prisonerof conscience, arrested solely for IIe
          peaceful expression of his beliefs; and he should be released immediately and unconditionally;
          . urging the authorities to allow Siamak Pourzand to receive adequate medical attention and regular
          access to family visits whilst he remains in detention;
          . expressing concern that he has been denied the right to adequate and regular access to legal
          representation of his choice pnor to and aifier his trial;
          . urging the authorities to end the practice of solitary conffinement, in line with the
          recommendations made by the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) following its
          visit to Iran in February 2003 (UN document E/CN.4!2004!3/Add.2), which noted that “such
          ‘imprisonment wiIIin imprisonment' is arbitrary in nature and must be ended”;
          . reminding the authorities IIat Rule 32 of the UN's Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of
          Prisoners states that close conffinement should not depart fflom the prohibition on cruel, inhuman
          or degrading punishment;
          PLEASE SEND YOUR APPEALS TO:
          Leader of the Islamic Republic
          His Excellency Ayatollah Sayed ‘Au Khamenei
          The Presidency, Palestine Avenue, Azerballari Intersection,
          Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
          Telegram: Ayatollah Khamenei, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
          Fax: + 98 21 649 5880 (please mark ‘For the attention of the Offfice of His Excellency, Ayatollah al
          Udhma Khamenei, Qom)
          Email: webmaster wilayah.org (on the subject line write: For the attention of the Offfice of His
          Excellency, Ayatollah al Udhurn Kharnenei, Qom)
          Salutation: Your Excellency
          Influential Parliamentarian
          Ghoiamali Haddad Adel
          Maj les-e Shoura-ye Eslami (Parliament)
          Imam Khomeini Avenue,
          Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
          Fax: + 98 21 646 1746
          8!l 0!2004
          http : !!www.wi:aytimes.conJg O P27/8Qliciai tY.htmi
        
          
          Solidarity fiLes - ai WERAN Group 27, Victoria
          Page 8 of 12
          To show your solidarity with Siamak Pourzand, you could send him a copy of your appeal:
          Evin Prison
          Siamak Pourzand
          Evin Prison, Chamran Highway,
          Shahid Katchuyi Street Darakeh,
          Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
          soti.rce: Iranian .ws.
          [ f Appeal 2 flop ]
          PEN Honorary Award for Siamak Pourzand
          PEN considers Siamak Pourzand to be detained solely for the peaceful exercise of his right to ffleedom
          of expression as guaranteed by Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to
          which Iran is a signatory, and is calling for his immediate and unconditional release.
          HERE'S WHAT YOU CAN DO:
          Please write a polite letter on your personal or institutional letterhead requesting that Siamak Pourzand
          be released - or copy the one below - and mail to His Excellency Ayatollah Sayed ‘Au Khamenei and to
          the Iranian Interests Section.
          [ Date]
          His Excellency Ayatollah Sayed ‘Au Khamenei
          Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran
          do The Presidency
          Palestine Avenue
          Azerbaijan Intersection
          Tehran
          Islamic Republic of Iran
          I am writing to express my grave and urgent concern about the
          imprisonment ofjourrialist and film critic Siamak Pourzand. As you know,
          on May 3, 2002 the Tehian Press Court reportedly sentenced Pourzand to
          eight years! imprisonment on charges of ‘undermining state security through
          his links with monarchists and counter-revolutionaries.” I understand Mr.
          Pourzand was tried in a closed proceeding, that your government has offered
          no explanation of the charges or case against him, and that he may in fact
          have been convicted on the basis of statements made under duress while in
          incommunicado detention. I am particularly concerned for his well-being, as
          1 understand he is of an advanced age and is in poor physical condition. I
          fear Mr. Pourzand is being detained solely for the peaceful exercise of his
          right to freedom of expression as guaranteed by Article 19 of the
          International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which your country ha
          htt // 1;Wr4itfleS:COmfgroup27/solidaritYJ1tm1
          8/10/2004
        
          
          Solidarity files - ai WERAN Group 27, Victoria
          Page 9 of 12
          ratified. Please reconsider Mr. Pourzand's case and, in a spirit of humanity,
          facilitate his immediate release.
          Sincerely,
          [ Your name and signature]
          Cc:
          Iranian Interests Section
          do Emhassy of Pakistan to the
          2209 Wisconsin Avenue NW
          United States
          >
          PETITION
          Amnesty
          Canada
          1-800-266-3789
          www.arnnesty ca
          Washington, DC 20007 [ or the ambassador in your country]
          Irene Fc rnad z op
          APPEAL
          Irene Fernandez
          Private
          MALAYSIA:
          Human
          . . i'TLts
          j . i fender
          fa s
          imprisonment
          eal started: March 2004/
          Iitein'e Fernandez, Director of
          Teiiiaganita, a women's non-
          governmental organization (NGO
          is facing a 12-monII prison term
          after being convicted and sentenced
          in October 2003 on charges of
          “maliciously publishing false news”.
          She is currently free on bail,
          pending the outcome of her appeaj./
          Her passport has been impoun ,
          preventing her from takingyp'
          invitations to participate) (
          international human rj gflts
          conferences and wshops
          .. or you can copy the Al group's petition:
          Internatio a!
          [ date]
          Prime Mip r Dato' Abdullah Haji Ahoead
          Badaw/
          Of of the Prime Minister
          an Dato' Onn
          50502 Kuala Lumpur
          Malaysia
          Dc Prime Minister Badawi;
          We, t / r1dersigned, urge you to drop all
          charges a inst Irene Fernandez and allow
          valuable citkens like her to carry out their
          important wo?k in protecting the rights of
          everyone in Ma) 

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