AIUSA Group 22 Newsletter - Nov-Dec COORDINATOR'S CORNER Greetings friends! I am standing in for Larry this month while he vacations in Korea. I'm sure he will have something inspiring to say when he gets back, but meanwhile this is a big month for Group 22 activity. First, I must draw your attention to the impending execution on November 17 of Jay Siripongs, a Thai citizen. An action is included in this newsletter which deals with some very interesting issues concerning foreign nationals on death row. As this issue also impacts other foreigners on death row, you could still write to Gov. Wilson or Secretary Albright about this matter even after the 17th to express your concern about implementing proper procedures for handling these cases. An interfaith vigil will be held at All Saints Church on November 16 from 8:00-10:00 PM. Because both the condemned inmate and at least one of the victims' families are Buddhist, some effort has been made to incorporate the Buddhist perspective on the death penalty in the program. Doo-Dah Day is nearly here! On November 19, our special monthly meeting will include last minute planning for the parade including a first look at our fabulous tails, manufactured by the Mistress of Tails, Grace Ter Maat. Thanks Mom! November 22 is our big parade day and we hope that you will participate or at least watch for us. Masks are made and tails are ready for our Doo-Dah debut. This is your chance to "get wild" and educate the public about the up-coming anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Please contact me as soon as possible if you want to march so we can reserve a slot for you! Our December letter-writing meeting will feature our annual holiday card action. This action allows you to communicate directly with prisoners around the world and llet's them know that they are not forgotten. Many of those targeted by this action have responded that the cards gave them the strength to go on when they had given up hope. Please take a break from the holiday crush and join us for this important and easy action. December 10 marks the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR 50). Amnesty International will mark this event with the opening of a gallery exhibit, "Enduring Spirit," photos by Phil Borges. The photo collection is also available in book and calendar form (a great gift that benefits your favorite charity!). Come along and get your copies signed! Group 22 members may carpool to this event, so please be in touch with Larry or myself if you are interested in this very special celebration. Before the end of the year, do check out the Southern California web site (www.amnesty-volunteer.org/usa/scal) and our progress on the "50 for 50" UDHR events goal. We expect to hit 100 area events soon! This project was recently featured in "Amnesty Action" the national newsletter of Amnesty International - USA. Finally, while I have the floor here, all of you who have contributed to Group 22's efforts to celebrate "UDHR 50" over the past year should give yourself a hand, pop a champagne cork, wear a tail or otherwise congratulate yourselves on a job well done. This is the end of the anniversary year but the work of educating the public and implementing the document's goals will go on. Thanks for all your help and I look forward to more great campaigns in the future! Please note that as our normal meeting date lands on Thanksgiving, we have shifted our monthly meeting to November 19. There will be no monthly meeting in December. Enjoy the holidays! Martha Ter Maat 626-281-4039 UDHR 50 Regional Coordinator mtermaat@hsc.usc.edu Larry Romans 626-683-4977 Group Coordinator ljr@ljr.net UPCOMING EVENTS Monday, November 16, 8:00-10:00 PM. Interfaith Execution Vigil. All Saints Church, 132 N. Euclid, Pasadena. Short program begins at 9:30 PM. For more information call Martha Ter Maat at 626-281-4039. See article inside for details regarding the Siripongs case. Thursday, November 19, 7:30 PM. Monthly Meeting at 1052 E. Del Mar (between Catalina & Wilson) -- top floor. Highlights: Doo Dah costume fitting! UDHR 50 celebrations! Other festive stuff! Sunday, November 22. It's Doo-Dah Day! All parade marchers meet at 9:00 AM at 1052 E. Del Mar (our regular hang out) to get costumes and signs. Then we all head for Memorial Park. Bring $$ for lunch afterwards at Burger Continental. For more info: Martha 626-281-4039. Tuesday, December 8, 7:30 PM. Letter-writing Meeting in the Athenaeum basement. Corner of California & Hill. Special Feature: Holiday Card Action. Thursday, December 10, 6:00-9:00 PM. International Human Rights Day! In honor of the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Jose Tasende and Amnesty International USA will present the exhibition "Enduring Spirit - People of Endangered Cultures" Photographs by Phil Borges Tasende Gallery-Los Angeles, 8808 Melrose Avenue, West Hollywood. 310-276-8686. No December Monthly meeting! Next letter-writing meeting -January 12, 7:30 PM at the Athenaeum PRISONER OF CONSCIENCE Ngawang Pekar, Tibetan Monk Our group continues to seek the release of prisoner of conscience (POC) Ngawang Pekar (naw-wan pee-kar), an approximately 38-year-old Tibetan Buddhist monk from Drepung Monastery. In 1989, he was arrested by Chinese authorities and sentenced to 8 years in prison for participating in a peaceful demonstration in the city of Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region, in support of Tibetan independence. Shortly before he was due to be released last year, he was sentenced to an additional 6 years for allegedly trying to smuggle out a list of other prisoners to international human rights organizations. Amnesty International is concerned that, like many others in Tibet, Ngawang Pekar has been imprisoned solely as a result of peacefully exercising his right to voice his conscience and that, during his incarceration, he has been subjected to cruel and inhuman treatment including being beaten, denied medical treatment, and being confined to an iron isolation cell for 3 months. No new information has come to light concerning our POC this month, but we can only assume that, without any intervention on his behalf, Ngawang Pekar will continue to languish and suffer in confinement until at least the year 2003. Therefore, we need to continue to apply pressure on the Chinese officials to make such intervention a reality! This month, we ask that you send your letters to Hua Liankui, the Law Committee Chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. Please write to Hua Liankui to let him know that you and Amnesty International are aware of Ngawang Pekar's case and urge him to do whatever is in his power to obtain Pekar's release from prison. Below is a sample letter that you may either copy or use as a rough guide in composing your own letter: Dear Chairman: As a supporter of human rights and a member of Amnesty International, I am writing to you out of concern for a prisoner being held in Tibet Autonomous Region Prison No. 1. The prisoner's name is NGAWANG PEKAR. Ngawang Pekar, a Tibetan monk, was arrested in 1989 for participating in a peaceful demonstration and sentenced to 8 years in prison. Subsequently, his sentence was increased by 6 more years. I am concerned that he has been imprisoned solely for the peaceful exercise of his right to freedom of expression and about reports that he has been beaten and denied access to medical care since his arrest. I am also concerned that the 6-year increase in his sentence was an extremely harsh punishment for keeping a list of his fellow prisoners and that he was subsequently held in an iron cell for 3 months after the list was found. I respectfully urge you to utilize your position to request that Ngawang Pekar's case be reviewed and that he be immediately and unconditionally released in accordance with the international laws to which China subscribes. If that is not deemed possible, then I would hope that his sentence could at least be reduced as a demonstration of the regard which the People's Republic of China has for human rights. I thank you for your assistance in this important matter and would greatly appreciate any further information that you may be able to provide. Sincerely, Address your letter to: HUA Liankui Zhurenweiyuan Zhongguo Zhengxie Quanguo Weiyuanhui Falu Weiyuanhui 23 Taipingqiao Dajie Beijingshi 100811 People's Republic of China Postage: 60-cents. Include your name and mailing address at the top of the letter in case you receive a reply, and please notify the Group 22 coordinator if a reply is received. URGENT ACTION APPEAL CHILE: Fear for safety in wake of Pinochet arrest Jose BALMES, Painter and lecturer at the University of Chile, (Decano de Bellas Artes, Universidad de Chile) Hector Reinaldo PAVELIC SANHUEZA, journalist, former political prisoner Daniel LEAL GARCIA Marta SAN MARTIN ALARCON Marcos LEAL SAN MARTIN and Rolando LEAL SAN MARTIN - members of the same family and former political prisoners Gladys MARIN, Secretary General of the Communist Party Luis CORVALAN, former Secretary General of the Communist Party Volodia TELTEIBOIM, Writer and member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party The arrest of former General Augusto Pinochet in London on 16 October 1998 has triggered a wave of anonymous death threats in Chile. All the above-mentioned individuals received death threats between 19 and 20 October. Hector Reinaldo Pavelic Sanhueza, a former political prisoner and journalist and the cousin of William Miller Sanhueza, who 'disappeared' in 1973, was warned by anonymous telephone callers that he would be killed if anything happened to former General Augusto Pinochet. The Chilean non-governmental organization Comite de Defensa de los Derechos del Pueblo (CODEPU), Committee for the Defence of Peoples' Rights, has condemned this death threat. On 23 October, former political prisoner Marta San Martin Alarcon received an anonymous telephone call at her home. The caller aggressively warned her that 'they [the family] have been located', and that her two sons [Rolando and Marcos] 'were going to die' ('que los tienen ubicados y que sus dos hijos van a morir'). Marcos Leal San Martin, who holds a Swedish passport, is due to travel to Sweden in January 1999. His mother was told that he was going to die before his trip. CODEPU has filed a habeas corpus writ (Recurso de Amparo) before the Santiago Appeals Court on their behalf. During the week of 20 October, the daughter of painter and lecturer Jose Balmes received an anonymous telephone call stating that her father would be 'gutted' ('lo iban a destripar') if the detention of former General Augusto Pinochet continued. Chile's Communist Party has reported that they received anonymous messages during the last two weeks of October threatening to kill Communist Party members Gladys Marin, Luis Corvalan and Volodia Telteiboim. The threats have been denounced publicly to the media and to the Ministry of Interior by a delegation of the Party. To date, no replies have been received from the authorities. BACKGROUND INFORMATION: Most of the people currently issued with death threats are former political prisoners, exiles and relatives of victims of human rights violations that occurred in Chile during the Pinochet military government. Human rights lawyers have also been threatened. In a press statement on 21 October, CODEPU denounced the death threats against Jose Balmes and Carmen Soria (UA 275/98, 21 October 1998). In a press release on 23 October CODEPU denounced the death threats to Carmen Soria, Jose Balnes, Hector Reinaldo Pavelic Sanhueza, the human rights lawyer Hernan Montealegre and the family Leal San Martin. Several mechanisms guaranteeing impunity have blocked effective judicial investigations in Chile. In 1978, the military government of General Pinochet decreed an amnesty (Decree 2191) designed to shield those responsible for human rights violations committed between 11 September and 10 March 1978 from prosecution. It is, in effect, a self-amnesty and has made it impossible for relatives to find the answers on the whereabouts of those 'disappeared' and to obtain justice. RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send airmail letters: - expressing concern at the death threats against the above-mentioned individuals; - asking for reassurances that the authorities will take all necessary steps to fully protect their physical integrity and that of their families; - asking for the annulment of the Amnesty Law of 1978. APPEALS TO: President of the Republic: Senor Presidente de la Republica de Chile Senor Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle Palacio de la Moneda Santiago, Chile Dear President: Fax: 011 562 694 5080 Minister of Interior: Sr. Raul Troncoso Ministerio del Interior Palacio de la Moneda Santiago, Chile Dear Minister: Fax: 011 562 696 8740 - 699 2165 Minister of Justice: Sra. Maria Soledad Alvear Ministra de Justicia Ministerio de Justicia Morande 107 Santiago, Chile Dear Minister: Fax: 011 562 695 4558 COPIES OF YOUR APPEALS TO: Human Rights Organization: Codepu Brown Sur 150 - Nunoa Santiago, Chile Fax: 011 562 341 5041 Ambassador John Biehl Embassy of Chile 1732 Massachusetts Ave NW Washington DC 20036 'Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person' Article 3, Universal Declaration of Human Rights MARTHA'S WEB TIPS FOR NOV-DEC Human Rights Watch: Report on Chile http://www.hrw.org/reports98/chile/ Wondering what the human rights situation is like in post-Pinochet Chile? Check out this recent Human Rights Watch report. USA CAMPAIGN Alert new state officials about prison concerns This fall's election campaign may have been a bit discouraging to some Amnesty members. We watched the candidates tout their support of the death penalty as an asset and promise to put even more people behind bars. According to the ACLU, the United States already has the largest per capita prison population of any industrialized nation (see http://www.aclu.org/ issues/prisons/isprisons.html). In 1997 about 13,000 inmates were in super maximum security prisons. These institutions often violate international human rights standards by confining prisoners to solitary, sometimes windowless cells for 22-24 hours a day. (See http://www.rightsforall-usa.org/info/report/r04.htm#) Among the most notorious of these prisons are the Pelican Bay and Corcoran Secure Housing Units (SHU) in California (see http://www.prisonactivist.org/ cpf/CPFshu.html.) Beatings and gratuitous violence have been well-documented at both facilities. Corcoran guards even held daily gladiator fights between prisoners from 1988-1996. You may want to remind our newly-elected state officials that not all of their constituents see institutionalized human rights abuses as the solution to violence in our society. Please take a moment to write a courteous, respectful letter encouraging Governor-elect Davis and Attorney General-elect Lockyer to establish independent and effective monitoring bodies to investigate allegations of abuses in prisons and jails. Amnesty International also recommends that inherently dangerous and cruel restraint procedures, including hog-tying and the use of electro-shock stun-belts, be banned. The officials' addresses are: Lieut. Gov. Gray Davis State Capitol Room 1114 Sacramento, CA 95814 email: Gray.Davis@ltg.ca.gov Bill Lockyer 1230 H Street Sacramento, CA 95814 email: bill@lockyerforag.com DOO-DAH DAY IS ALMOST HERE! Still a few slots for marchers left! The concept is ANIMALS FOR THE ETHICAL TREATMENT OF PEOPLE and we will be wearing masks and tails and carrying signs in support of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 50th Anniversary. Bring $10 for your registration fee to march in the parade to the monthly meeting November 19. This fee can be refunded, but only if you march! If you can't be at this meeting, but want to march, please call Martha at 626-281-4039 as soon as possible. Marchers will meet at 9:00 AM on Sunday, November 22 at our usual meeting place on 1052 E. Del Mar to get into costumes and rehearse. Then we are off to the staging area at Memorial Park. After the parade we hope to have lunch together at Burger Continental so bring some cash. This promises to be a memorable experience, so join us! AIUSA DEATH PENALTY ACTION: State of California to Execute Jay Siripongs Jaturun SIRIPONGS, Thai national, in his 40s Jaturun Siripongs is scheduled to be executed in California on 17 November 1998. He was sentenced to death in 1983 for a double murder committed during a robbery at Pantai market in Garden Grove, Orange County, California, in December 1981, 18 months after he arrived in the USA from Thailand. After his arrest, Jaturun Siripongs should have been informed of his right to contact and seek assistance from the Thai Consulate, as provided by Article 36 of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, ratified by the USA in 1969. However, like most of the more than 60 other foreign nationals currently on death row in the USA, he was not informed of this right. Amnesty International believes that, in a capital justice system prone to race and class-based bias, in which sentencing can depend more on a defendant's lawyer than on their crime, access to consular resources and legal expertise can make the difference between life and death. Jaturun Siripongs' lawyer called no witnesses during the trial, choosing to exclude evidence that an accomplice might have been involved in the killings. At the sentencing phase of the trial he called no character witnesses to provide mitigating evidence, including the facts of Jaturun Siripongs's childhood, which was marked by extreme poverty and physical, emotional and sexual abuse. Since he has been in prison, Jaturun Siripongs is reported to have been a model prisoner, studying Buddhism and becoming an accomplished artist. Surachai Wattanaporn, the widower of one of the two people killed in the 1981 crime, is reported to have written to Governor Wilson appealing for clemency: "As a Buddhist, I do not seek revenge for my wife's death, and ask you to consider exercising mercy in this case." The widow of the second murder victim is also said to be opposed to the execution. The Royal Thai government is reported to have requested that Governor Wilson commute Jaturun Siripongs' death sentence. BACKGROUND INFORMATION The violation of the rights of foreign nationals arrested on capital charges in the USA came to international attention in April 1998, when Angel Francisco Breard, a Paraguayan national denied his rights under Article 36 of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, was executed in Virginia despite a ruling by the International Court of Justice that the execution be suspended. This ruling was binding under international law. Earlier in the year, Amnesty International had called upon the US federal authorities to impose a moratorium on the execution of foreign nationals to allow the US State Department to assess the impact of Vienna Convention violations in such cases. In California, the Governor has sole power to grant clemency. There are currently 517 people under sentence of death in the state, the largest death row in the USA. Five prisoners have been executed in California since 1977, most recently Thomas Thompson on 14 July 1998. In the same period, 486 inmates have been put to death nationwide. The most recent execution, that of Ronald Lee Fitzgerald in Virginia, was carried out on 21 October. RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send letters To the Governor: - expressing deep concern that Jaturun Siripongs is scheduled to be executed on 17 November, and urging that his death sentence be commuted to a more humane alternative; - expressing sympathy for the victims of violent crime and their families, but noting that an increasing number of families of murder victims in the USA are speaking out against the death penalty, saying that it does not help them in their loss and only compounds the brutality; - noting that Jaturun Siripongs' rights under Article 36 of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations were violated after arrest, and that, at the very least, the execution should be stayed to assess the impact of this violation on the outcome of his trial. To Secretary of State Albright: - expressing deep concern that another foreign national, Jaturun Siripongs, is due to be executed in the USA after his rights under Article 36 of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations were violated; - calling on the federal authorities to do everything in their power to stop this execution, and to enforce a moratorium on the execution of foreign nationals in order to assess the impact of Vienna Convention violations on their trials; - asking what measures the State Department has taken since the execution of Angel Francisco Breard in April 1998 to ensure that such violations do not continue. APPEALS TO: State Governor The Honorable Pete Wilson State Capitol, 1st Floor Sacramento, CA 95814, USA Faxes: 1 916 445 4633 Salutation: Dear Governor US Secretary of State The Honorable Madeleine Albright Office of the Secretary of State 2201 C Street, N.W. Washington DC 20520, USA Faxes: 1 202 647 1533 Salutation: Dear Secretary of State COPIES TO: His Excellency Gordon Giffin Ambassador for the USA 100 Wellington Street PO Box 866, Station B Ottawa, Ontario K1P 5A1 Fax: (613) 238-5720 PLEASE SEND YOUR APPEALS IMMEDIATELY. (Note: you could still raise the issue of treaty violations in letters sent after Nov 16 as they will apply to other foreign nationals on death row. EDITOR'S LAST WORD: Read us on line: http://www.cco.caltech.edu/~aigp22/ Martha Ter Maat, 626-281-4039 / mtermaat@hsc.usc.edu