QATAR:
URGENT ACTION APPEAL
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19 December 2005
UA 323/05 Death Penalty
QATAR
Fahd 'Abdullah al-Maliki (m)
Salim Mubarak Dahham (m)
Mohammed 'Ali al-Muhannadi (m)
Ibrahim Sa'ad Ismail (m)
Khashan Salim al-Karabi (m)
Hamad 'Ali Jahman (m)
'Abdul Hadi Rashid al-Shafia'a (m)
'Abdul Hadi Jabir al-Rakib (m)
Rashid 'Ali al-'Arak (m)
Jabir Salih al-Jallab (m)
Jabir 'Ali Anan (m)
Hamad Mohammed 'Abdu (m)
'Abdul Hadi Ali al-Jaznah (m)
Jabir Hamad Jabir al-Jallab (m)
Mohammed al-Mee'a Salih (m)
Rashid Nasir Alliwa'a (m)
Fawaz 'Ali al-Muhanadi (m)
- Qatari nationals
Wabran 'Ali al-Yami (m), Saudi Arabian national
The 18 men named above have been sentenced to
death for their alleged involvement in an attempted
coup. Amnesty International believes that they were
sentenced after an unfair trial and should have their
sentences commuted by the Amir of Qatar. The Amir
has the power to pardon, commute, grant clemency or
ratify death sentences.
All 18 men were sentenced to life imprisonment at
their trial before a Lower Court in February 2000, but
after taking their case to the Court of Appeal, they
received death sentences in May 2001. Following
their arrest, many of the men were held
incommunicado until their trial hearings began. Some
of the men alleged that they had been tortured in
order to force them to ''confess''.
The men were arrested at different times in the mid-
to late- 1990s for their involvement in a failed attempt
to overthrow the government of the Amir in 1996. The
Amir himself had deposed his father in a bloodless
coup in June 1995. Most of the men were believed to
be army officers loyal to the deposed Amir. The
deposed Amir returned to Qatar after living in Europe
for several years.
Two other men, Bakhit Marzouq al-'Abdallah and
Shaikh Hamad bin Jassem bin Hamad al-Thani, who
were also sentenced to death in relation to the
attempted coup, were recently granted a royal pardon
and released in January and September respectively
(see EXTRA 30/01, MDE 22/001/2001, 23 May 2001
and follow-up). The two men were part of a group of
19 Qatari nationals and a Saudi Arabian national who
stood trial following the coup.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to
arrive as quickly as possible:
- acknowledging that the government has a right to
bring to justice those responsible for internationally
recognizable criminal offences, but expressing
unconditional opposition to the death penalty;
- welcoming the news that Shaikh Hamad bin Jassem
bin Hamad al-Thani and Bakhit Marzouq al-'Abdallah
were recently released but urging the Amir to
commute the death sentences of the 18 men named
above;
- reminding the authorities that they are bound by
international standards for fair trial in capital cases,
including the right to seek pardon or commutation of
the sentence.
APPEALS TO:
His Highness Shaikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani
Amir of the State of Qatar
PO Box 923
Doha, Qatar
Fax: 011 974 436 12 12 (It may be difficult to get
through; please keep trying)
Salutation: Your Highness
His Highness Shaikh Abdullah bin Khalifa Al-Thani
Prime Minister and Minister of Interior
PO Box 115
Doha, Qatar
Fax: 011 974 432 7734/ 432 3339 (It may be difficult
to get through; please keep
trying)
Salutation: Your Highness
COPIES TO:
His Excellency Shaikh Hamad bin Jassem bin Jabr al-
Thani
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
PO Box 250
Doha, Qatar
Fax: 011 974 438 3745/ 429 454 (It may be difficult
to get through; please keep trying)
Ambassador
Embassy of the State of Qatar
2555 M St NW
Washington DC 20037
Fax: 1 202 237 0061
Email: i...@qatarembassy.org
Please send appeals immediately. Check with the
Colorado office between 9:00 am and 6:00
pm, Mountain Time, weekdays only, if sending
appeals after January 30, 2006.
Amnesty International is a worldwide grassroots movement that
promotes and defends human rights.
This Urgent Action may be reposted if kept intact, including
contact information and stop action date (if applicable). Thank
you for your help with this appeal.
Urgent Action Network
Amnesty International USA
PO Box 1270
Nederland CO 80466-1270
Email: u...@aiusa.org
http://www.amnestyusa.org/urgent/
Phone: 303 258 1170
Fax: 303 258 7881
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END OF URGENT ACTION APPEAL
IRAN:
URGENT ACTION APPEAL
19 December 2005
UA 321/05 Death Penalty/Fear of Imminent Execution
IRAN: Akram (f), aged 30
Behnam (m)
A woman and a man identified only as Akram and Behnam
are at imminent risk of execution. Their death sentences,
handed down by Branch 71 of the Criminal Court in
Tehran, have been upheld by the Supreme Court. At this
stage the Head of the Judiciary has the power to order a
stay of execution and a review of the case.
Akram was arrested following a fire at her home in Tehran,
which took place at midnight on 16 August 2005. The body
of her 75-year-old husband, who had been stabbed to
death, was found in the house. Akram was not present at
the time of the fire. Following her arrest, Akram reportedly
admitted that on 12 August she had met Behnam, who had
persuaded her to help plot the murder of her husband.
Akram claimed that her dissatisfaction with her marriage
had led her to agree. She was sentenced to death for
adultery. Behnam reportedly admitted his part in the
murder and was sentenced to qisas (retribution in kind).
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Iran is a State Party to the International Covenant on Civil
and Political Rights (ICCPR), Article 6 (2) of which states:
''In countries which have not abolished the death penalty,
sentence of death may be imposed only for the most
serious crimes.'' This does not include crimes such as
adultery. Amnesty International opposes the criminalisation
of consensual adult sexual relations conducted in private.
Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all
cases as the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading
punishment, in violation of the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights. The organization has recorded 83
executions in Iran so far this year, although the true figure
may be much higher.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to
arrive as quickly as possible:
- urging the authorities to commute the death sentence
imposed on Akram and Behnam;
- asking for details of their trial and any appeals, and of
their legal representation;
- reminding the authorities of their responsibilities under
Article 6(2) of the ICCPR under which the death penalty
may only be imposed for the most serious crimes, which
do not include crimes such as adultery;
-urging the authorities to review legislation to end the
criminalisation of consensual adult sexual relations
conducted in private;
- acknowledging that governments have a responsibility to
bring to justice those suspected of criminal offences such
as murder, but stating your unconditional opposition to the
death penalty, as the ultimate cruel, inhuman and
degrading punishment and violation of the right to life.
APPEALS TO:
(Please note that it may be difficult to get through to
fax numbers in Iran. Please keep trying. If you are
unable to get through, please send appeals via email
or by post).
Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic
His Excellency Ayatollah Sayed 'Ali Khamenei
The Office of the Supreme Leader
Shoahada Street
Qom
Islamic Republic of Iran
Fax: 011 98 251 7 774 2228 (mark ''FAO the Office of
His Excellency, Ayatollah al Udhma Khamenei'')
Email: istif...@wilayah.org OR i...@leader.ir
Salutation: Your Excellency
Head of the Judiciary
His Excellency Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi
Ministry of Justice, Park-e Shahr,
Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Email: ir...@iranjudiciary.org (mark ''Please forward
to His Excellency Ayatollah Shahroudi'')
Or via the Judiciary's website:
www.iranjudiciary.org/feedback_en.html
Fax: 011 98 21 8 879 6671 / 6 640 4018 / 6 640 4019
Salutation: Your Excellency
COPIES TO:
Minister of the Interior
Hojatoleslam Mustafa Purmohammadi
Ministry of the Interior
Dr Fatemi Avenue
Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Speaker of Parliament
His Excellency Gholamali Haddad Adel
Majles-e Shoura-ye Eslami
Imam Khomeini Avenue,
Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Fax: 011 98 21 6 646 1746
Iran does not presently have an embassy in this
country. Instead, please send copies to:
Iranian Interests Section
2209 Wisconsin Ave NW
Washington DC 20007
Phone: 202 965 4990
Fax: 202 965 1073
Please send appeals immediately. Check with the
Colorado office between 9:00 am and 6:00 pm,
Mountain Time, weekdays only, if sending appeals
after January 30, 2006.
Amnesty International is a worldwide grassroots movement that
promotes and defends human rights.
This Urgent Action may be reposted if kept intact, including
contact information and stop action date (if applicable). Thank
you for your help with this appeal.
Urgent Action Network
Amnesty International USA
PO Box 1270
Nederland CO 80466-1270
Email: u...@aiusa.org
http://www.amnestyusa.org/urgent/
Phone: 303 258 1170
Fax: 303 258 7881
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END OF URGENT ACTION APPEAL
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**************************************
URGENT ACTION APPEAL
----------------------------------
19 December 2005
UA 320/05 Death Penalty/Fear of Imminent Execution
IRAN: Hossein (m), aged 27
A man identified only as ''Hossein'', who was sentenced to
death for murder, has had his appeal rejected by Branch
37 of the Supreme Court and is at imminent risk of
execution. The Head of the Judiciary has the power to
order a stay of execution and a review of the case.
Hossein was sentenced to qisas (retribution in kind) by
Branch 71 of the Criminal Court in Tehran for the murder of
a young man named Mehdi during a fight in September
2004.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all
cases as the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading
punishment, in violation of the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights. The organization has recorded 83
executions in Iran so far this year, although the true figure
may be much higher.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to
arrive as quickly as possible:
- urging the authorities to commute the death sentence
imposed on ''Hossein''
- asking for details of his trial and any appeals, and of his
legal representation;
- acknowledging that governments have a responsibility to
bring to justice those suspected of criminal offences, but
stating your unconditional opposition to the death penalty,
as the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment
and violation of the right to life.
APPEALS TO:
Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic
His Excellency Ayatollah Sayed 'Ali Khamenei
The Office of the Supreme Leader
Shoahada Street
Qom
Islamic Republic of Iran
Fax: 011 98 251 7 774 2228 (mark ''FAO the Office of
His Excellency, Ayatollah al Udhma
Khamenei'')
Email: istif...@wilayah.org; i...@leader.ir
Salutation: Your Excellency
Head of the Judiciary
His Excellency Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi
Ministry of Justice, Park-e Shahr,
Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Email: ir...@iranjudiciary.org (mark ''Please forward
to His Excellency Ayatollah Shahroudi'');
iranjudiciary.org/feedback_en.html
Fax: 011 98 21 8 879 6671; 011 98 21 8 6 640 4018; 011
98 21 8 6 640 4019
Salutation: Your Excellency
COPIES TO:
Minister of the Interior
Hojatoleslam Mustafa Purmohammadi
Ministry of the Interior
Dr Fatemi Avenue
Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Speaker of Parliament
His Excellency Gholamali Haddad Adel
Majles-e Shoura-ye Eslami
Imam Khomeini Avenue,
Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Fax: 011 98 21 6 646 1746
Iran does not presently have an embassy in this country.
Instead, please send copies to:
Iranian Interests Section
2209 Wisconsin Ave NW
Washington DC 20007
Phone: 202 965 4990
Fax: 202 965 1073
Please send appeals immediately. Check with the
Colorado office between 9:00 am and 6:00 pm,
Mountain Time, weekdays only, if sending appeals
after January 30, 2006.
Amnesty International is a worldwide grassroots movement that
promotes and defends human rights.
This Urgent Action may be reposted if kept intact, including
contact information and stop action date (if applicable). Thank
you for your help with this appeal.
Urgent Action Network
Amnesty International USA
PO Box 1270
Nederland CO 80466-1270
Email: u...@aiusa.org
http://www.amnestyusa.org/urgent/
Phone: 303 258 1170
Fax: 303 258 7881
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END OF URGENT ACTION APPEAL
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