URGENT ACTION APPEAL
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5 April 2005
UA 79/05 Fear of imminent execution
YEMEN: Hafez Ibrahim (m), aged 17
Seventeen-year-old Hafez Ibrahim is reportedly
scheduled to be executed on 6 April, for a murder
which allegedly committed when he was 16. The
Yemeni penal code expressly prohibits the
execution of anyone under 18.
He was reportedly not allowed to appeal against
the sentence.
According to a report in the daily newspaper al-
Ayyam on 5 April, Hafez Ibrahim has called for the
president to intervene, stop the execution and
allow him to appeal against the sentence.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Amnesty International has longstanding concerns
about the use of the death penalty in Yemen,
particularly as death sentences are often passed
after proceedings which fall short of international
standards for fair trial.
While Amnesty International recognizes the right
and responsibility of governments to bring to
justice those suspected of recognizably criminal
offences, it is unconditionally opposed to the death
penalty in all cases as the ultimate violation of the
right to life.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send
appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
- urging the President to prevent the execution
Hafez Ibrahim, and stressing that the Yemeni
Constitution prohibits the execution of juveniles;
- acknowledging the right of the government to
bring to justice those responsible for criminal
offences, but expressing unconditional opposition
to the death penalty;
- reminding the authorities of international
standards for fair trial in capital cases, including
the right to seek pardon or commutation of the
sentence.
APPEALS TO:
President:
His Excellency General=B4Ali =B4Abdullah Saleh
President of the Republic of Yemen
Sanaa
Republic of Yemen
Faxes: 011 967 127 4147
Salutation: Your Excellency
Minister of Interior:
His Excellency Dr Rashid Muhammad al-Alimi
Ministry of Interior
Sanaa
Republic of Yemen
Faxes: 011 967 1 332 511
Salutation: Your Excellency
Minister of Human Rights:
Her Excellency Amat al Aeem al Suswah
Ministry for Human Rights
Sana'a, Republic of Yemen
Faxes: 011 967 1 444 838
Salutation: Your Excellency
COPIES TO:
Ambassador Abdulwahab A. Al-Hajjri
Embassy of the Republic of Yemen
2600 Virginia Ave. NW Suite 705
Washington DC 20037
Fax: 1202 337 2017
Email: ambassa...@yemenembassy.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 April 17, 2005.
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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