Amnesty International Group 22 Pasadena/Caltech News
Volume XV Number 4, April 2007
 UPCOMING EVENTS
Amnesty International Group 22 Pasadena/Caltech News - April 2007
Volume XV Number 4, April 2007

Friday & Saturday, April 21 & 20.  Tabling at Earth Day Events: 
Friday at Caltech 11:30 AM to 1 PM. Saturday at Memorial Park in
Pasadena, 10 AM to 4 PM.  Stop by to sign petitions or stay to help
out!

Thursday, April 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, May 8, 7:30 PM. Letter-writing Meeting at the Athenaeum.
Corner of California & Hill.  We meet downstairs in the cafeteria. 
This informal gathering is a great way for newcomers to get
acquainted with Amnesty!

Sunday, May 20, 6:30 PM. Rights Readers Human Rights Book Discussion
Group. Vroman's Book Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena. 
This month we read Caroline Elkin's Pulitzer-winning work,  Imperial
Reckoning (More below).


COORDINATOR'S CORNER
Greetings from Group 22 as Earth Day approaches!

Recently as I thought about writing this column, I found myself in
Zion National Park in southern Utah.  One of my favorite views in
Zion is the panorama behind the museum.  My first sighting of it this
trip was from the Watchman Trail.  To the left of it is West Temple,
a broad flat mesa topped by a small caprock, both of which are
sprinkled with evergreens.  A red rock face shows the iron that
leaches through the Navajo Sandstone.  Black streaks remind me of the
waterfalls that cascade down the face of the cliff during
rainstorms.  At the far right from West Temple and across the Towers
of the Virgin, stands the Altar of Sacrifice, flat topped, white
faced with wide streaks of red flowing down to make clear this
formation's name.  When my gaze travels left to right from West
Temple to the Altar of Sacrifice, I think of Amnesty International
and the work its members do to lessen the suffering caused by human
rights violations.

In this beautiful natural setting, I think of the individuals around
the world who willingly sacrifice their time, their safety and, yes
sometimes, their lives, to protect the dignity of the human family
and, in some cases, the very environment that sustains life.

This month Group 22 takes part in two Earth Day celebrations.  One is
Friday, April 20 at Caltech, from 11:30 AM to 1 PM.  The other is
Saturday, April 21, at Memorial Park in Pasadena, from 10 AM to 4 PM.
Please, join us.  Stop by for some information, good conversation, an
action to support, and an opportunity to get involved with our group.

On April 6, some of us from Group 22 went to Vroman's Bookstore to
hear Kiran Desai speak about her book THE INHERITANCE OF LOSS, our
February book.  What a delight to hear her, especially as she
carefully explained her ideas concerning the first world, and her
case the upper class in India, verses the developing world during the
Q&A.  This month we read the environmentally-themed TRACKS by Native
American author Louise Erdrich and move onto a Pulitzer-winning book
about the Mau Mau rebellion in Kenya next month. Consider joining our
book group for interesting reading and lively discussion.

Since I believe everyday is Earth Day and the April event is a simple
reminder, let's all remember Earth Day's three Rs.  Recycle, of
course; Reuse, yes; Reduce, let's work at it because,

"Humankind has not woven the web of life.  We are but one thread
within it.  Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves.  All
things are bound together.  All things connect."     -Chief Seattle,
1855

Happy Earth Day and join us at Group 22.

[Ed. note:  Visit http://rightsreaders.blogspot.com to see a photo of
the Altar of Sacrifice as well as other Earth-related posts!]

Stevi        aigp22@caltech.edu


ERITREA
Orthodox Patriarch under House Arrest

About a year ago Group 22 adopted Eritrean Prisoner of Conscience
Estifanos Seyoum. Every month we worked on actions in his behalf
until in January 2007  Amnesty International closed the case files of
all the individual Eritrean POCs. The closure was motivated in part
by reports of the deaths of several of the prisoners. AI could not
confirm these reports because Eritrea is closed to human rights
investigators.

After the arrest of Estifanos and many others in September 2001, the
Eritrean government continued to pursue a policy of political
repression and religious persecution. Please join Group 22 this month
in participating in an Eritrea action featured on the AIUSA website
and write in behalf of Orthodox Patriarch Abune Antonios.

Amnesty International is deeply concerned about Abune Antonios, age
79, who has remained under house arrest in Asmara since January 2006.
Abune Antonios was stripped of his ecclesiastical authority and
forbidden to participate in the Church's administrative affairs by
the government of Eritrea in August 2005. He is reported to have
appeared in person at the office of President Issayas Afwerki in late
2004 to protest the arrest and imprisonment of three Orthodox
priests, Reverend Dr. Futsum Gebrenegus, Reverend Dr. Tekleab
Mengisteab, and Reverend Gebremedhin Gebreghiorghis. These priests
had been leaders of the Mekane Hiwet Medhane Alem Church, an internal
Orthodox movement that drew thousands of younger followers to weekly
Sunday school classes and Bible study. In July 2005, Yitbarek Berhe,
a deacon of the Orthodox Church, deputy administrator of the church
synod (council) and adviser to the Patriarch, was reportedly arrested
after being forced to resign from his post.
In January 2006, authorities reportedly placed Abune Antonios under
formal house arrest. He was accused of refusing to cooperate with the
government in closing down the Medhane Alem Church and protesting the
a rrest of the above-named individuals .

Abune Antonios argued that his dismissal was in direct violation of
long-established Church canons, under which a Patriarch's election is
a lifetime appointment that cannot be revoked. He was subsequently
stripped of his Patriarchal vestments and holy artifacts in January
2007. Abune Antonios has reportedly been held incommunicado since
January 20, 2007. He suffers from diabetes and is reportedly not
receiving medical attention. In addition to revoking his salary, the
authorities have also forbidden Abune Antonios from having any
contact with Orthodox followers and from attending or leading worship
services. He has not been permitted to receive communion for the past
year. The interim Church leadership, appointed by the government
under Mr. Yoftahe Dimetros, has also reportedly excommunicated two
prominent Church scholars, Andeberhan Gebremariam, Teweldemedhin
Mengistu; two priests, Fr. Debretsion Araya and Fr. Yonas Debretsion;
and another 60 parishioners who supported Abune Antonios.
Excommunication is an extremely serious matter that precludes
attendance at worship services, handling Bibles or other holy
artifacts, taking communion, baptizing one's children, attending
funerals, and being buried in consecrated ground .

Background. Since 2002, the government of Eritrea has severely
curtailed religious expression. It officially recognized Orthodox,
Catholic and Lutheran Christian churches and Islamic institutions,
but has recently begun interfering in these as well. Members of some
35 minority Christian evangelical churches continue to face
especially fierce persecution, even though freedom of religion is
guaranteed in the Eritrean Constitution.
Approximately 2,000 members of minority churches, including about 20
pastors, and dozens of Orthodox Christians and Muslims, are currently
detained. Detainees are held incommunicado in harsh conditions
without charge or trial. They are imprisoned in police stations at
first, then in army camps and security prisons in different parts of
the country, including the main military training centre at Sawa.
Some are held in metal shipping containers and underground prisons.
Several detainees have become seriously ill and are rarely provided
with adequate medical treatment. They are repeatedly tortured by
being beaten and being tied up in painful positions.

We have provided a sample letter below, but please be encouraged to
add your own thoughts:

Sample Letter:
Mr. Yoftahe Demetros
General Secretary of the Holy Synod
P.O. BOX 728
Asmara
ERITREA

Dear Mr. Demetros:

I am deeply concerned about the fate of the Patriarch of the Eritrean
Orthodox Church, 79-year-old Abune Antonios who has remained under
incommunicado house arrest in Asmara since January 2006. He suffers
from diabetes and reportedly is not receiving necessary medical
attention.
In August 2005, the Eritrean Government stripped Abune Antonios of
his ecclesiastical authority and forbade him to participate in the
Church's administrative affairs. In January 2006, authorities
reportedly placed Abune Antonios under formal house arrest for
protesting the arrest of three Orthodox priests of the Medhane Alem
Church, and for refusing to cooperate with the government in closing
down that Church. Abune Antonios argued that his dismissal was in
direct violation of long-established Church canons, under which a
Patriarch's election is a lifetime appointment that cannot be
revoked. He was subsequently stripped of his Patriarchal vestments
and holy artifacts in January 2007.

In addition to revoking his salary, the authorities have also
forbidden Abune Antonios from having any contact with Orthodox
followers and from attending or leading worship services and taking
communion. I call on you to ensure that Abune Antonios and other
Orthodox Christians be allowed to practice their faith without fear
of persecution and interference by government authorities and
government-appointed Church leaders. I also respectfully request that
Abune Antonios be given access to adequate medical care, and be
allowed to communicate with his family members, and parishioners
while he is under house arrest.

Sincerely, Your NAME and ADDRESS

copy to:
Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate
H.H. Pope Shenouda III
Rameses St. Abbassia
Cairo
EGYPT


DEATH PENALTY
Women in Sudan to be Stoned

Sample letter for this compelling case follows:

Mr. Ali Mohammed Ali al-Mardi
Minister of Justice
Ministry of Justice
P.O. Box 302
Khartoum
SUDAN

Dear Minister:

I am deeply concerned about Sadia Idriss Fadul and Amouna Abdallah
Daldoum, two women from the Darfur region in western Sudan who are at
risk of being stoned to death after being convicted of adultery. The
sentence, which was reportedly imposed after an unfair trial, could
be carried out at any time. The two women are currently in detention
in Wad Madani women's prison in Wad Madani, Gazira State. Both women
are married with children, and Sadia Idriss Fadul has one of her
children with her in prison.

Sadia Idriss Fadul, from the Fur ethnic group, was sentenced to death
by stoning on 13 February 2007. Amouna Abdallah Daldoum, a member of
the Tama ethnic group, was sentenced on 6 March 2007. They were both
convicted of adultery by a criminal court in Managil province in
Gazira state, central Sudan. According to reports, the women had no
lawyer during their trial and were not able to defend themselves, as
their first languages are those of their ethnic groups in Darfur. The
court proceedings were conducted in Arabic, and the women were
reportedly not provided with a translator.
Cruel, inhuman and degrading punishments, including death by stoning,
are inconsistent with Sudan's obligations under the International
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Sudan is a party. I
join with Amnesty International in calling on you to ensure that the
death penalty is not imposed on Sadia Idriss Fadul and Amouna
Abdallah Daldoum.

Sincerely, Your NAME and ADDRESS

copy to:
Ambassador John Ukec Lueth Ukec
Embassy of the Republic of the Sudan
2210 Massachusetts Avenue N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20008
email: info@sudanembassy.org


JUST EARTH
Peruvian environmentalists under threat

Human rights defender Javier Rodolfo Jahncke Benavente has received a
death threat which appears to be directly linked to his work to
protect the rights of communities affected by mining projects in the
north of the country.

Amnesty International believes that he and other members of the Red
Muqui (Muqui Network) may be in danger. Javier Rodolfo Jahncke
Benavente received an anonymous call to his mobile phone on 15 March
from a man who told him, Vas a morir (You are going to die). Javier
Rodolfo Jahncke works for the Red Muqui in rural communities in Piura
department. The Red Muqui support group he runs is working to ensure
that the communities have access to information about projected
mining activities, and to a transparent and fair consultation before
any such activities are carried out.
The Red Muqui is a nationwide umbrella group of 19 organizations
which work for the defense of the rights of rural and indigenous
communities affected by mining projects. These include the right to
information and to be consulted before any decisions are made about
mining activity in their communities.

Javier Rodolfo Jahncke Benavente filed a complaint about the threat
with the prosecutor's office in Lima on 16 March. Amnesty
International is not aware that they have opened an investigation.

Background.  Most mining in Peru is for metals and the mining
projects covered by the organizations in the Red Muqui include the
extraction of copper, zinc, lead and gold. The communities' main
preoccupation is the environmental impact that these projects may
have in their region. However, this is compounded by a lack of access
to information and consultation prior to any decisions being made
about mining activity in their communities.
Other human rights defenders working on similar issues to Javier
Rodolfo Jahncke Benavente have also received threats. On 31 August
2006, Dr Mirtha Vasquez Chuquilin, Executive Director of
environmental and human rights organization, GRUFIDES, received an
anonymous telephone call in which she was told Te vamos a violar y
luego te vamos a matar (We will rape you and then we will kill you).
Father Marco Arana, a member of GRUFIDES, received anonymous death
threats by telephone on both 3 and 4 August 2006. On 27 September
2006, Father Arana's niece received a telephone call in which she was
told: Dile a tu tio que no se meta, le vamos a disparar un balazo en
la cabeza (Tell your uncle not to get involved, we will put a bullet
through his head).

Father Marco Arana and Dr. Mirtha Vasquez Chuquilin, as well as other
members of GRUFIDES, have apparently also been followed by
unidentified individuals on motorbikes, and have also been filmed and
photographed in the street. GRUFIDES is part of the Red Muqui. (For
more information see UA 312/06, 22 November 2006).

Human rights defenders are a fundamental part of any society. The
protection of human rights depends on the state accepting criticism
and proposals from civil society in order to remove any obstacles to
the promotion and attainment of all human rights. Therefore, human
rights defenders should have the right and be encouraged to carry out
their work without fear of reprisals.

RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals:

- expressing concern that human rights defender Javier Rodolfo
Jahncke received an anonymous death treat on 15 March;

- expressing concern for his safety and for the safety of all human
rights defenders working in the Red Muqui;

- urging the authorities to take steps to guarantee the safety of
Javier Rodolfo Jahncke and all human rights defenders working in the
Red Muqui, in accordance with their own wishes;

- urging the authorities to carry out an independent and impartial
investigation into the death threat received by Javier Rodolfo
Jahncke, making the results public and bringing those responsible to
justice;

- asking to be informed of the results of this investigation;

- urging the authorities to send a clear public message that they
will not tolerate intimidation and harassment of human rights
defenders;

- urging the authorities to guarantee the right of local communities
affected by mining projects to information and to participate in an
open, transparent and fair consultation process before any mining
activities take place;

- stating that human rights defenders are a fundamental part of
society and that the protection of human rights depends on human
rights defenders being able to carry out their work without fear of
reprisals.

Attorney General:
Dra. Adelaida Flora Bolívar Arteaga la Nación
Fiscalía de la Nación
Av. Abancay, cuadra 5 s/n
Lima 1, PERÚ

Minister of Energy and Mines:
Sr. Juan Gualberto Valdivía Romero
Ministro de Energía y Minas
Ministerio de Energía y Minas
Av. Las Artes Sur 260, San Borja
Lima 41, PERÚ

COPIES TO:
Ambassador Felipe Ortiz de Zevallos
Embassy of Peru
1700 Massachusetts Ave. NW
Washington DC 20036
Email: fortiz@embassyofperu.us


DENOUNCE TORTURE
Saudi Juvenile held at Guantanamo

Yousef al-Shehri, a Saudi Arabian national has been detained at
Guantánamo Bay since he was 16 years old. Call on the US and Saudi
Arabian authorities to ensure that he is either charged and tried in
line with international standards or released, taking into full
account his age at the time of his detention.

Yousef al-Shehri was 16 years old when he was detained in Afghanistan
on November 30, 2001 following the US-led invasion of Afghanistan. He
is believed to have been captured somewhere between Kunduz and
Mazar-e-Sherif, along with a group of 120 others, by the Northern
Alliance forces of General Abdul Rashid Dostum.

After his capture, Yousef al-Shehri was transported to Shiberghan
prison in Afghanistan where he was held for one and a half months. He
was subsequently handed over to US custody and flown to the detention
centre at the US military base at Guantánamo Bay in Cuba on January
16, 2002.
Like the other Guantánamo detainees, Yousef al-Shehri was clothed in
an orange jumpsuit, shackled, bound and blindfolded during the flight
and then held in the wire cages of Guantánamo's original holding
facility 'Camp X-Ray', exposed to harsh sunlight during the day and
cold temperatures at night. Little is known about Yousef al-Shehri's
current conditions of detention.

Yousef al-Shehri was detained with his cousin Abdul Salam al-Shehri,
who is believed to have been 17 at the time of his capture. Abdul
Salam al-Shehri was released from Guantánamo in June 2006 and
transferred to Saudi Arabia.

Children in Guantánamo.  Some estimates suggest that as many as 17
detainees were taken to Guantánamo when they were under 18 years old.
At least four of these, possibly more, remain held. They are Mohammed
al-Gharani, a Chadian national detained in Pakistan when he was 15,
Omar Khadr, a Canadian national, aged 15 when captured in
Afghanistan, Hassan bin Attash, a Yemeni national, 17 when he was
captured in Pakistan and Yousef al-Shehri. Another detainee, Yassar
Talal 'Abdullah Yahia al-Zahrani, from Saudi Arabia, was reportedly
17 when he was detained. He died in Guantánamo in June 2006,
apparently as a result of suicide.

Releasing three Afghan children from Guantánamo in January 2004, the
Department of Defense stated that "as with all detainees, these
juveniles were considered enemy combatants that posed a threat to US
security ... Age is not a determining factor in detention." The three
children who were released were between the ages of 13 and 15 at the
time of their detention. In their release from the base the USA was
acting in terms of government policy rather than in compliance with
its international legal obligations. The US determined that the
"juvenile detainees no longer posed a threat to our nation, that they
have no further intelligence value and that they are not going to be
tried by the US government for any crimes."

Apart from the three children released in 2004, who were transferred
to a separate section of the camp when details of their young age
emerged, the others have been held in the same harsh conditions as
adults, including prolonged solitary confinement in Camp V.

Recommended Action: Call on the US and Saudi Arabian authorities to
ensure that Yousef al-Shehri is either charged and tried in line with
international standards or released, taking into full account his age
at the time of his detention. We have provided sample letters, but
please be encouraged to add your own thoughts:

USA:

Major General Glenn F. Spears
glenn.spears@pentagon.af.mil

cc: Charles D. Stimson
charles.stimson@osd.mil

cc: The Honorable Condoleezza Rice
Secretary@state.gov

I am writing to express my serious concern for Yousef al-Shehri, a
Saudi Arabian national detained at Guantánamo Bay since he was 16
years old. I urge you to either release him immediately and
unconditionally, or charge him with a crime, taking into full account
his age at the time of detention and ensuring he is accorded all the
protections due to child offenders. I also ask that any trial be
conducted in accordance with international fair trial standards.

I am concerned that the United States has held detainees at
Guantanamo for almost five years and that most are being held without
charge or trial. I am concerned that while detained at Guantánamo
Bay, al-Shehri has not been afforded the special protections provided
for in international law and standards for juveniles in detention. I
am also worried that he may have been mistreated during his
participation in a hunger strike. I call on you to fully investigate
these allegations of mistreatment, to make the findings public, and
to ensure that anyone found responsible for engaging in torture or
ill treatment is brought to justice. I also call on you to keep
Yousef al-Shehri's family fully informed of his status, health and
well-being, and to ensure that he has adequate communication with his
family.

The detention facility at Guantánamo Bay is a blight for the United
States and must be closed. All detainees held at Guantanamo must
either be charged and tried in accordance with international
standards in a civilian court without recourse to the death penalty,
or released. Further, it is essential that US authorities establish
an independent and impartial commission of inquiry into all aspects
of "war on terror" detention policies and practices.

Thank you for your consideration of this extremely serious matter.

Sincerely,  Your NAME and ADDRESS
Saudi Arabia:
Ambassador Prince Turki Al-Faisal
Email: info@saudiembassy.net

I am writing to express my serious concerns for Yousef al-Shehri, a
Saudi Arabian national detained at Guantánamo Bay since he was 16
years old. I urge your government to take whatever measures are
necessary with the US authorities to ensure that Yousef al-Shehri is
either charged with a recognizably criminal offense or released.

I am also concerned about his treatment while detained at Guantánamo
Bay, particularly, that he may have been mistreated during his
participation in a hunger strike. Please raise with the US
authorities these concerns over allegations that Yousef al-Shehri has
been ill-treated in US custody.
Finally, I urge you to ensure that Yousef al-Shehri's human rights
will be protected if he is returned to Saudi Arabia and that he
either be charged and tried in accordance with international
standards of fairness or released.

Thank you for your consideration of this most serious matter.

Sincerely, Your NAME and ADDRESS


LETTER COUNT
Eritrea    1
Urgent Actions    25
Uganda    7
Total:    33
To add your letters to the total contact lwkamp@sbcglobal.net


RIGHTS READERS
Human Rights Book Discussion Group
Keep up with Rights Readers at http://rightsreaders.blogspot.com

Sunday, May 20, 6:30 PM
Vroman's Bookstore
695 E. Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena

Imperial Reckoning
--by Caroline Elkins

As part of the Allied forces, thousands of Kenyans fought alongside
the British in World War II. But just a few years after the defeat of
Hitler, the British colonial government detained nearly the entire
population of Kenya's largest ethnic minority, the Kikuyu some one
and a half million people. The compelling story of the system of
prisons and work camps where thousands met their deaths was the
victim of a determined effort by the British to destroy all official
records of their attempts to stop the Mau Mau uprising. ... An
unforgettable account of the unraveling of the British colonial
empire in Kenya a pivotal moment in twentieth- century history with
chilling parallels to Americas own imperial project.