Amnesty International Group 22 Pasadena/Caltech News Volume XV Number 7, July 2007 UPCOMING EVENTS Thursday, July 26, 7:30 PM. Monthly Meeting Caltech Y is located off San Pasqual between Hill and Holliston, south side. You will see two curving walls forming a gate to a path- - our building is just beyond. Help us plan future actions on Sudan, the 'War on Terror', death penalty and more. Tuesday, August 14, 7:30 PM. Letter-writing Meeting at the Athenaeum. Corner of California & Hill. In the summer we meet on the lawn behind the building in the outdoor dining area. Look for the table with the Amnesty sign. This informal gathering is a great way for newcomers to get acquainted with Amnesty! Sunday, August 19, 6:30 PM. Rights Readers Human Rights Book Discussion Group. Vroman's Book Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena. This month we read The Coroner's Lunch by Colin Cotterill, a mystery set in Laos. (More below). COORDINATOR'S CORNER We love good news! It was great this week to see the homecoming of the Bulgarian nurses released from their ordeal in Libya where they had been convicted (with no evidence) and sentenced to death for causing the HIV infection of hundreds of children. We featured this case on our blog. Thanks to all those who took a moment to take action on the case. Back in June we got more good news about the Cathy Henderson case, a woman on death row in Texas who first received a 60-day reprieve from execution which was extended to a more indefinite stay allowing her to pursue an appeal which could result in a reduced charge based on new medical evidence and now we have good news in the Troy Davis case featured in our last newsletter. He received a 90-day stay that we need to work to extend into a lengthier stay or commutation for this very deserving probable innocence case. You can visit the death penalty section of the AIUSA website (http://www.amnestyusa.org/abolish) to continue to take action on Troy's behalf. You have to believe that international outcry was a factor in the reprieves in both these cases and that keeping up the pressure will take these cases off the execution track for good. Closer to home its important to note that you can help prevent wrongful convictions like Troy's by supporting legislation arising from the findings of the California Commission on the Fair Administration of Justice (see http://www.ccfaj.org/). These bills would tighten guidelines for eyewitness identification (S.B. 756), mandate videotaping of interrogations (S.B. 511) and curtail the use of jailhouse snitches. (S.B. 609). See our blog post "Preventing Wrongful Convictions" at http://rightsreaders.blogspot.com for more information about these bills and links to help you send a message to Governor Schwarzenegger and your California state representatives about the importance of these safeguards for our state's justice system. Meanwhile, Group 22 members are on to relaxing summer pursuits in between bursts of letter- writing (I know at least one group member who probably spent the last weekend reading the final Harry Potter!). Our book discussion group always lightens up with a mystery in August, and this year is no exception with our Rights Readers selection taking us on a crime-solving, justice-seeking adventure in Laos. A great time to join us if you find our regular reading schedule too heavy! Finally, a word of thanks to Lucas Kamp for hosting our last monthly meeting at his home. We had a great time sharing pizza and a screening of "Dangerous Living," a film about the difficulties of gay and lesbian activists in the developing world. Back to our usual haunts at Caltech this month. Hope to catch you at a meeting soon! Martha aigp22@caltech.edu CORPORATE ACTION NETWORK Free Vietnamese Internet Dissidents! ÒEveryone has the right to express his/her wishes and opinions on political, economic, social and cultural issues in the mass media.Ó This quote, from the Vietnamese governmentÕs 2005 report "Achievements in the Protection and Promotion of Human Rights in Vietnam" suggests that the Vietnamese people enjoy the right to freedom of expression. The reality however, is very different. Viet Nam has passed a string of laws in recent years attempting to limit the opportunity for freedom of expression on the Internet. As well as automated filtering and blocking technology, there is a dedicated police task-force monitoring and controlling Internet use. The authorities nurture self-censorship by creating fear with arbitrary law enforcement and harsh punishments. Many Internet dissidents, including those who have already spent years in prison for exercising their right to freedom of expression, are under close surveillance, harassed and threatened, and have had their computers confiscated. Nguyen Vu Binh, 37, imprisoned since September 2002, is serving a seven-year sentence after publishing criticism, partly through the World Wide Web, about corruption and violations of human rights. Accused of ÒspyingÓ, the charges against him included that he "communicated via emails" with "reactionary" organizations overseas and disseminated information about human rights in Viet Nam. Nguyen Vu Binh is detained at Ba Sao prison camp in Nam Ha province, northern Viet Nam. He has been regularly disciplined for refusing to sign a "confession". On 19 October 2005 three young Vietnamese chatroom users, Truong Quoc Tuan, Truong Quoc Huy and Pham Ngoc Anh Dao were arrested in Ho Chi Minh City. After nine months in detention without access to legal representation or visits by family members, the three were suddenly released on 7 July 2006. No charges were ever brought against them. Only six weeks later Truong Quoc Huy was re- arrested at an Internet cafŽ in Ho Chi Minh City. At the time of writing, his family have heard no further news about him; his whereabouts are unknown and no public charges have been brought against him. Amnesty International considers Nguyen Vu Binh and Truon Quoc Huy to be prisoners of conscience, detained solely for peacefully exercising their right to freedom of expression and association. Take Action! Call on the government of Viet Nam to immediately release Nguyen Vu Binh and Truong Quoc Huy, and stop the harassment and threats against other Internet dissidents. Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung Office of the Prime Minister Hoang Hoa Tham Ha Noi Socialist Republic of Viet Nam Email: banbientap@mofa.gov.vn Dear Prime Minister, I am writing to urge the immediate and unconditional release of prisoners of conscience Nguyen Vu Binh and Truong Quoc Huy. These men have only exercised their legitimate right to freedom of expression through the Internet; Nguyen Vu Binh by communicating with others outside Viet Nam about human rights and corruption and Truong Quoc Huy by taking part in an Internet chat room and expressing support for other dissidents advocating political reform. Your government has said many times that Vietnamese citizens have the right to freedom of expression. Arresting and imprisoning people like Nguyen Vu Binh and Truong Quoc Huy directly contradicts this. I call on you to uphold the rights of all Vietnamese citizens to freedom of expression,and association, to release Nguyen Vu Binh and Truong Quoc Huy immediately and stop the harassment and arrest of countless others who have a valid and positive contribution to make towards the progress of Viet Nam. Yours sincerely, Your NAME and ADDRESS STOP VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN Stop Flogging of Teen in UAE A teenage girl has reportedly been sentenced to receive 60 lashes for having "illicit sex". According to a local newspaper, the Supreme Court has upheld the sentence. The sentence could now be carried out at any time. The girl, identified by her initials as R.A, is to receive 60 lashes for having sex with a man when she was 14. The court of First Instance in the town of al-ÔAin in the Emirate of Abu-Dhabi found her guilty of Òillicit sexÓ and sentenced her to be flogged. The man involved in the case, identified by his initials as H.S, was sentenced to six monthsÕ imprisonment. This discriminatory sentencing is a violation of the UAE's obligations under international law. The UAE became a state party to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW, or the WomenÕs Convention) in October 2004 and to the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) in February 1997. In its General Recommendation No. 19, the CEDAW Committee made clear that discrimination prohibited by article 1 of the Convention includes gender-based violence, that is violence directed against a woman which Òimpairs or nullifiesÓ the enjoyment of her human rights and fundamental freedoms, such as Òthe right not to be subject to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.Ó BACKGROUND INFORMATION. Corporal punishment, such as whipping and flogging, has been recognized as torture or cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment by numerous human rights treaty bodies, including the Committee on the Rights of the Child. International human rights law explicitly prohibits torture, or cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment. As a state party to CEDAW and the CRC, the UAE is violating its international legal obligations to prohibit torture, or cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment. Amnesty International opposes judicial punishments that amount to torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading punishment, regardless of the crime for which they are imposed, or the nature of the legal code that sanctions such punishments. RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible: - expressing concern at reports that a teenage girl is to receive 60 lashes because she engaged in a sexual relationship with a man when she was 14; - expressing concern that the sentence of flogging imposed on a teenage girl contravenes the UAEÕs obligations under international human rights treaties; - stating that Amnesty International considers the punishment of flogging to constitute cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment amounting to torture. APPEALS TO: His Highness Shaikh Mohammad bin Rashid Al-Maktoum Office of the Prime Minister POB 73311 Dubai, United Arab Emirates Salutation: Your Highness His Excellency Muhammad bin Nakhira Al-Dhahiri Ministry of Justice, Awqaf & Islamic Affairs PO Box 753 Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Salutation: Your Excellency COPIES TO: Ambassador Saqr Ghobash Embassy of the United Arab Emirates 3522 International Court NW Washington DC 20037 Email: info@uaeembassy-usa.org DENOUNCE TORTURE Sample Letter - Russian Torture Victim Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin Prezidentu Rossiiskoi Federatsii 4 Staraya Square 103132 g. Moskva Rossiiskaia Federatsia RUSSIAN FEDERATION Dear President Putin: I am writing you regarding the case of Zelimkhan Murdalov, a 26-year-old student from Grozny, who left his home on 2 January 2001. Zelimkhan Murdalov said he would be back soon, but he never returned. His parents were able to track him down at the police station, where an official promised he would be released soon. However, they have not seen their son since. In court, Zelimkhan Murdalov's parents learned that their son had been tortured in detention and then taken away by police. In March 2005 Lieutenant Sergei Lapin was sentenced to 11 years' imprisonment for the torture of Zelimkhan Murdalov. However, his conviction is currently under review. Zelimkhan Murdalov is one of thousands of people who have become victims of enforced disappearances in Chechnya, causing unending agony for their relatives. Virtually none of the 2,000 investigations have produced any results. Although Lieutenant Sergei Lapin was convicted for torturing Zelimkhan Murdalov, he was not prosecuted for anything relating to the abduction. Zelimkhan Murdalov's parents are among numerous relatives of the "disappeared" who have faced reprisals and intimidation on account of their efforts to seek justice. I urge you to take measures to end impunity regarding "disappearances" in Chechnya, which would include making public the official list of missing people. Please also ensure that all enforced disappearances, including Zelimkhan Murdalov's, are investigated effectively, and that an autopsy service be established in Chechnya. I urge you to take every step to ensure that relatives and witnesses are free from intimidation and harassment. Thank you very much for your help and attention. Sincerely, Your NAME and ADDRESS copy to: Ambassador Yuri V. Ushakov Embassy of the Russian Federation 2650 Wisconsin Avenue N.W. Washington, D.C. 20007 RIGHTS READERS Human Rights Book Discussion Group Keep up with Rights Readers at http://rightsreaders.blogspot.com Sunday, August 19, 6:30 PM Vroman's Bookstore 695 E. Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena The Coroner's Lunch Colin Cotterill Laos, 1975. The Communist Pathet Lao has taken over this former French colony. Dr. Siri Paiboun, a 72-year-old Paris-trained doctor, is appointed national coroner. Although he has no training for the job, there is no one else; the rest of the educated class has fled. He is expected to come up with the answers the party wants. But crafty and charming Dr. Siri is immune to bureaucratic pressure. At his age, he reasons, what can they do to him? And he knows he cannot fail the dead who come into his care without risk of incurring their boundless displeasure. Eternity could be a long time to have the spirits mad at you. LETTER COUNT Summer postcard actions 55 Urgent Actions 8 Total: 63 To add your letters to the total, contact lwkamp@sbcglobal.net. CONTROL ARMS Urge Senate to Curb Cluster Bomb Use In the last ten years, U.S. cluster munitions have been used in or near civilian-populated areas in Afghanistan, Iraq, former Yugoslavia, and southern Lebanon with devastating consequences to civilians. When used in or near civilian areas, cluster munitions run a serious risk of violating the international humanitarian law prohibition on indiscriminate attacks. Cluster munitions also often leave large numbers of unexploded sub- munitions on the ground, presenting a grave danger to civilian lives similar to landmines. Urge your U.S. Senator to co-sponsor the Cluster Munitions Civilian Protection Act of 2007 (S. 594), which seeks to prevent the U.S. use or export of cluster bombs with high dud rates and for civilian-populated areas. Visit the Amnesty USA online action center to urge Senator Boxer to support this legislation: www.amnestyusa.org/arms_trade/action.do Then use the attached "cluster bomb origami" to spread the word to a friend! Amnesty International Group 22 The Caltech Y Mail Code 5-62 Pasadena, CA 91125 www.its.caltech.edu/~aigp22/ http://rightsreaders.blogspot.com