Group 48 Newsletter - April 2015

Amnesty International USA Group 48

Newsletter4.15

1 Utah move on firing squads latest attempt to fix the unfixable

2 DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO: Urgent Action

- Human Rights Defender Risks 20 Year Jail Term

3 CHINA: Urgent Action - Health Fears For Detained Women Activists

4 INDONESIA: Urgent Action - Four Students In Danger After Police Torture

6 DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO: Urgent Action

- Human Rights Activists Held Incommunicado

Utah move on firing squads latest attempt to fix the unfixableMarch 24, 2015

Utahs decision to turn to the firing squad if it is unable to secure drugs for lethal injection is the latest attempt by a US state to keep alive a punishment that should have long ago been consigned to the history books, said Amnesty Inter-national today.

Whether by shooting, lethal injection, hanging, asphyxiation or electrocution, the death penalty is a cruel, brutal-izing and outdated punishment that is a symptom of violence, not a solution to it. The Utah legislature should be expending its energies on abolishing the death penalty, not trying to fix the unfixable, Rob Freer, USA researcher Amnesty International.

On Monday, March 23rd, Utah Gover-nor Gary Herbert signed a law allowing

the use of firing squads when the drugs needed to administer the lethal injec-tion was not available.

This move clearly goes against the global and national trend towards aboli-tion of the death penalty. Since 2007 six US states have abolished the death penalty for all crimes and the governors of Oregon, Washington and, in 2015, Pennsylvania have established moratori-ums on executions in their states.

The USA is the only country in the Americas currently executing prisoners and is one of the only nine countries in the world to have carried out execu-tions every year between 2009 and 2013. The other countries were Bangladesh, China, Iran, Iraq, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Yemen.

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AIUSA group 48 Newsletter April 2015 Pg 2

Human rights defender Christopher Ngoyi Mutamba could face up to 20 years in prison if found guilty after participating in protests against government.

Christopher Ngoyi Mutamba was arrested on January 21st at around 8:30 pm, in Kalamu, a neighbourhood in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) after taking part in protests against the government. He was held in incommuni-cado detention for 20 days. On February 10th he was pre-sented to the Minister of Interior and his case was transferred to the General Prosecutors office. He has been detained at Makala prison in Kinshasa since February 12th. Christopher Ngoyi Mutamba is due to appear in court on March 18th.

Congolese authorities allege that Christopher Ngoyi Mutam-ba was one of the organizers of the protests held in Kinshasa between January 19th and 21st against proposed amendments to the electoral code law. Christopher Ngoyi Mutamba is charged with false rumors, propaganda, and incitement to racial hatred, civil disobedience and pillage.

Christopher Ngoyi Mutambas prosecution could be politi-cally motivated due to his activism against the constitutional amendments that would have allowed the extension of Presi-dent Kabilas term in office. His earlier incommunicado deten-tion calls into question whether he will receive a fair trial.

Action Please write immediately in French or your own language to:

Urging the Congolese authorities to ensure that Chris-topher Ngoyi Mutambas right to a fair trial is respected in accordance with international standards;

Calling on the Congolese authorities to uphold the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly and not to unlawfully restrict those rights.

Appeals To PLEASE SEND APPEALS BEFORE APRIL 28th, 2015: Minister of Justice and Human Rights Alexis Tambwe Mwamba Ministry of Justice and Human Rights P.O Box 3137 Kinshasa/Gombe, DRC Fax : +243 8805521 E-mail : [email protected] Salutation: Dear Minister

Attorney General Flory Kabange Numbi P.O Box 7016 Kinshasa1 Kinshasa, DRC Email: [email protected] Salutation: Dear Attorney General

Copies To Prime Minister His Excellency Augustin Matata Ponyo Office of the Prime Minister 5, avenue Roi Baudoin Kinshasa/Gombe, DRC Email: [email protected] or [email protected] or [email protected]

Background information Amnesty International is concerned that Congolese authori-ties have restricted the rights to freedom of expression, peace-ful association and assembly during the debate on electoral legislation in violation of articles 13, 21 and 22 of the Inter-national Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and articles 23, 26 and 37 of the DRC Constitution.

Christopher Ngoyi Mutamba is the president of the hu-man rights NGO Congo Culture and Development Synergy

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO: Urgent Action - Human Rights Defender Risks 20 Year Jail TermChristopher Ngoyi Mutamba (m)

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(Synergie Congo culture et dveloppement) and coordinator of the Civil Society of Congo (socit civile du Congo). He is also a member of the Lets Save Congo (Sauvons le Congo) network which is a coalition of opposition parties and civil society organizations opposed to amendment of the constitu-tion or any other laws in a bid to extend the term of President Kabila beyond December 2016.

January protests, some of which became violent, were held in Kinshasa by demonstrators opposing the amendment of the electoral code. They suspected the ruling majority of tying

legislative and presidential elections to a general census which would extend President Kabilas term beyond December 2016. On January 23rd, the DRC Senate passed the electoral code law without the provisions that linked the upcoming presi-dential and legislative elections to the general census.

Dozens were killed, several others wounded and hundreds detained by law enforcement authorities during the protests.

Further information at https://www.amnesty.org/en/ documents/AFR62/0001/2015/en/

CHINA: Urgent Action - Health Fears For Detained Women ActivistsWu Rongrong (f), Zheng Churan (f), Li Tingting (f) , Wang Man (f), Wei Tingting (f)

now receiving adequate treatment. Her lawyers have been un-able to visit her since she was taken to hospital.

Li Tingting (aka Li Maizi)s lawyer has not been allowed to meet with her since March 19th on the grounds that she is be-ing interrogated. There are concerns that the five women are being subjected to prolonged sessions of interrogation.

Wang Man, Wei Tingting, Li Tingting and Zheng Churan (aka Da Tu) were detained by police on March 6th and Wu Rongrong the following day. They were planning to hold events in several cities in China calling for an end to sexual harassment on public transportation on March 7th. On March 12th they were criminally detained on suspicion of picking quarrels and provoking troubles, which can lead to a sentence of up to five years in prison.

Action Please write immediately in English, Chinese or your own language:

Demanding that the authorities immediately and uncon-ditionally release Wu Rongrong, Zheng Churan, Li Tingting, Wei Tingting and Wang Man;

Urging the authorities to ensure that pending their release, Wang Man and Wu Rongrong have immediate access to any medical treatment they require;

Calling on them to ensure that pending their release, all five women have regular, unrestricted access to their lawyers and family, to any medical treatment they need, and are protected from torture and other ill-treatment.

Two of the five women activists who are in detention in China have been transferred to hospital with serious health problems. These are thought to have been aggravated by their continued detention, and they still might not be receiving the treatment they need.

Wang Mans lawyer first learnt that she had suffered a heart at-tack when he met her in a hospital run by the Public Security Bureau on March 20th. He believes this occurred due to the stress she has experienced as a result of continuous interroga-tions. Her health is currently stable, but there are concerns that she may not be receiving all the treatment she needs, and that her continued detention may cause her health to deterio-rate further.

Wu Rongrong has chronic liver problems, which have wors-ened in detention. She was not provided with the medication she needs despite requests from her lawyer, and had to sleep on the floor in the detention center. On March 19th she was sent to a hospital run by the Public Security Bureau after her condition deteriorated, but it is not known whether she is

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Appeals To PLEASE SEND APPEALS BEFORE MAY 5th 2015 TO:

Head of Haidan Detention Centre Yin Yanjing Head of Haidian District Public Security Bureau Sub-branch Haidian District Public Security Bureau Sub-branch 15 Changchunlu, Haidian District

People's Republic of China Salutation: Dear Director

Minister of Public Security Guo Shengkun Buzhang Gonganbu 14 Dongchanganjie Dongchengqu Beijingshi 100741 Peoples Republic of China Tel: 011 86 10 66262114 (Chinese only) Salutation: Your Excellency

Copies To Premier Li Keqiang Guojia Zongli The State Council General Office 2 Fuyoujie, Xichengqu Beijingshi 100017 Peoples Republic of China Fax: 011 86 10 65961109 (c/o Ministry of Foreign Affairs) Email: [email protected]

Ambassador Cui Tiankai Embassy of the People's Republic of China 3505 International Place NW, Washington, DC 20008 Fax: 1 202 495 2138 Email: [email protected]

Additional Information On March 6th, 2015 at 4pm, Wei Tingting and Wang Man were taken to Haidian Police Station in Beijing. Around midnight the same day, Li Tingting and Zheng Churan were taken away from their homes in Beijing and Guangzhou respectively. Wu Rongrong was detained upon her arrival at Hangzhou Airport on March 7th at 2pm.

INDONESIA: Urgent Action - Four Students In Danger After Police TortureEldi Kogoya (m), Timotius Tabuni (m), Lesman Jigibalom (m), Mies Tabo (m)

names of the people so that Indonesian authorities know we are paying attention. Put yourself in their position. Name them! I have successfully sent faxes to the authorities whose contact information is in the action. Minimally you can write or fax the Indonesian Ambassador to the US. The AIUSA Urgent Action Network will appreciate a note saying that you responded. Send a short email to [email protected] with UA 72/15 in the subject line. Our AIUSA Urgent Action folks are doing a good job. Lets keep them encouraged.

- Max White, Country Specialist, Indonesia and Timor-Lest Amnesty International USA

Four students have been tortured or otherwise ill-treated by police in Indonesias Papua province. There are concerns for their safety. Four students, three of them children, were arbi-trarily detained and tortured or otherwise ill-treated by police on March 18th, 2015, according to their lawyer.

Friends as you know from previous actions, West Papua ac-counts for a disproportionate number of serious Indonesian HR abuses. This is another, a particularly egregious instance of beat-ing and abuse of four young people, in one case stabbing and nearly killing one person. All this brutality was at the hands of Brimob, (in my first-hand experience the worst element of In-donesian police). Please write to authorities listed below in the action. If you cannot do anything else, please send a few lines with the names of the four young people to the Indonesian Em-bassy in Washington DC. At the end of the action is the message I sent to each of the Indonesian authorities. Copy at will. The most important thing is to send even a brief message with the

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Eldi Kogoya, aged 17, Timotius Tabuni, aged 17 and Lesman Jigibalom, aged 23, were going home, on their motorcycles, on the night of March 18th, , when they were followed and stopped by plainclothes armed members of a special police unit, the Police Mobile Brigade (Brimob), near the Cigom-bong market in Jayapura city, Papua province. When they asked why they were being detained the police accused them of committing a crime and at least 11 Brimob officers stabbed, beat, punched and kicked them. A fourth student, Mies Tabo, aged 14, who was nearby and witnessed the attack, called out for help but was kicked, slapped and threatened by the police to stay silent. All four were then dragged along the road to the nearby Brimob headquarters. They were detained there briefly before being sent to hospital. All four have been released without charge.

All four are suffering from wounds and bruises all over their faces and bodies. One of them, Lesman Jigibalom, is in a criti-cal condition in hospital with a stab wound to his right shoul-der which pierced his lung. Eldi Kogoya has a broken rib while Timotius Tabuni has a gash cut to his head. All of them have cuts and bruises on their knees from being dragged along the road. They and their families have been traumatized.

Action Please write immediately in English or your own language:

Urging the authorities to take immediate action to ensure the safety of Eldi Kogoya, Timotius Tabuni, Lesman Jigibalom and Mies Tabo in accordance with their wishes;

Urging them to ensure that the four students have access to any medical attention they may require, including psychologi-cal treatment;

Calling on them to order, immediately, an effective and independent investigation into the allegations of torture and other ill-treatment, and bring all those responsible for torture and other ill-treatment to justice, including those with com-mand responsibility.

Appeals To PLEASE SEND APPEALS TO: Head of the Division on Professionalism & Security (Propam) Inspector General Irjen Syafruddin Kadiv Propam Mabes

Polri Jl. Trunojoyo No. 3 Jakarta Selatan, Indonesia Fax: +62 21 7280 0947 Salutation: Dear Inspector General Irjen Syafruddin

Director General for Human Rights Aidir Amin Daud Ministry of Law and Human Rights Jl. H.R. Rasuna Said Kav No. 4-5 Kuningan, Jakarta Selatan 12950, Indonesia Fax: +62 215 253095 Salutation: Dear Aidir Amin Daud

Copies To Chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) Nur Kholis Jl Latuharhary No.4 Menteng

Fax: +62 213 912026 Email: [email protected]

Indonesian Ambassador to the United States Honorable Ambassador Budi Bowoleksono Embassy of The Republic of Indonesia 2020 Massachusetts Avenue NW Washington, DC 20036 Fax: (202) 775-5365 E-mail: [email protected]

Sample Message

Re: Eldi Kogoya, Timotius Tabuni, Lesman Jigibalom, Mies Tabo

[Date]

Dear Ambassador,

Within the United States $0.34 - Postcards $0.49 - Letters and Cards up to 1 oz.

To all international destinations $1.15 - Postcards $1.15 - Airmail Letters and Cards up to 1 oz.

Postage Rates

Jakarta Pusat 10310, Indonesia


I am concerned about the welfare of the young individu-als named above. They were abused and injured by Brimob on March 18 in Jayapura city, Papua yet not charged with a crime. I urge you to ensure the safety of Eldi Kogoya, Timo-tius Tabuni, Lesman Jigibalom and Mies Tabo, and please ensure that the four students have access to any medical at-tention they may require, including psychological treatment.

Please conduct an independent investigation into the allega-tions of torture and other ill-treatment of these young people, and hold accountable those responsible including those with command responsibility. Respectfully, Max White

Copies to: Irjen Syafruddin, Inspector General, Director General for Human Rights; Nur Kholis, Chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM)

Background The Indonesian security forces have a track record of com-mitting human rights violations in the Papua region with near impunity. Amnesty International has received credible reports of unlawful killings and unnecessary and excessive use of force and firearms as well as torture and other ill-treat-

ment by both police and military personnel. Although the authorities have made some attempts to hold the perpetrators to account using internal disciplinary mechanisms, criminal investigations into human rights violations by the security forces are all too rare, leaving many victims without access to justice and reparation and perpetrators with little or nothing to deter them from committing further violations. Indone-sia has yet to amend its Criminal Code to fully incorporate a definition of torture. The lack of sufficient legal provisions on acts of torture creates a loophole which has devastating consequences. It provides no legal deterrent to state agents who commit these acts and does not provide a sufficient legal basis on which state agents who have committed torture can be brought to justice. International human rights observers, non-governmental organizations and journalists are severely restricted in their work in the Papua region. The denial of free and unimpeded access to these provinces limits independent monitoring and reporting of the human rights situation there. During his presidential campaign in 2014, President Joko Widodo promised to open up access to Papua to international observers but has so far done nothing about this since com-ing to office.

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO: Urgent Action - Human Rights Activists Held Incommunicado Undisclosed (m)

were arrested at the time, including activists from Congolese youth organization Lutte pour le Changement (LUCHA), the Senegalese movement Yen a Marre, the Burkinab group Ba-lai Citoyen, as well as an American diplomat and journalists present at the press conference. The press conference followed a workshop on youth civic engagement in political processes in the run up to the countrys elections, and was organized by local NGOs la Jeunesse pour une Nouvelle Socit (JNS), le Forum National de la Jeunesse pour lExcellence (FNJE) and Lutte pour le Changement (LUCHA).

Amnesty International has received information that some of those arrested were ill-treated during the operation by security officials. An eyewitness told Amnesty International that people were harassed and man-handled by security of-ficials before being taken to unknown places. The American diplomat and foreign journalists were released the same day, and the Senegalese and Burkinab activists were subsequently

Several Congolese human rights activists are still being held incommunicado, eight days after a press conference held at Eloko Makasi youth center in Masina, Kinshasa, was broken up by security officials.

Security officials stormed a press conference held on March 15th at Eloko Makasi youth center in Masina, Kinshasa, Dem-ocratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Approximately 30 people

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deported. Other Congolese human rights activists are still de-tained incommunicado at unknown locations. Those detained are at risk of torture or other ill-treatment.

Amnesty International is concerned about these attacks on the rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly.

Action Please write immediately in French, English or your own language:

Urging the Congolese authorities to immediately reveal where the human rights activists and others arrested are being held;

Calling on the Congolese authorities to either charge them with a recognizable criminal offense or immediately and unconditionally release them;

Urging the Congolese authorities to ensure that they are not subjected to any torture or other ill-treatment and to guarantee them access to lawyers and visits from their family members while in detention.

Appeals To PLEASE SEND APPEALS BEFORE MAY 4th 2015: Minister of Justice and Human Rights Alexis Tambwe Mwamba Ministry of Justice and Human Rights P.O Box 3137 Kinshasa/Gombe, DRC Fax: 011 243 8805521 Email: [email protected] Salutation: Dear Minister

Attorney General Flory Kabange Numbi P.O.Box 7016 Kinshasa1 Kinshasa, DRC Email: [email protected] Salutation: Dear Attorney General

Copies To Prime Minister His Excellency Augustin Matata Ponyo

Office of the Prime Minister 5 Avenue Roi Baudoin Kinshasa/Gombe, DRC Email: [email protected] [email protected]

Ambassador Faida Mitifu Embassy of the Democratic Republic of Congo 1726 M St, NW, Suite 601

Fax: 202 234 2609

Please let us know if you took action so that we can track our impact! Send a short email to [email protected] with UA 67/15 in the subject line, and include in the body of the email the number of letters and/or emails you sent. Thank you for tak-ing action!

Additional Information The workshop and press conference were organized by local NGOs, JNS, FNJE and LUCHA and brought together activ-ists from Yen a Marre, a civil society group from Senegal, and Burkina Fasos Balai Citoyen, a civil society group which contributed to the ousting of President Blaise Compaor in Burkina Faso in October 2014. Some Yen a Marre members are well known in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). They played an important role in the popular mobilization of

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AIUSA group 48 Newsletter April 2015

Senegalese citizens against Senegals former Presidents bid to run for a third term in 2012.

The US Embassy in Kinshasa has recognized in a short state-ment that it financed part of this event.

An American diplomat and foreign journalists who were ar-rested along with these youth activists were released the same day. On March 18th, the Congolese government spokes-person held a press conference stating that foreign activists would be deported. The same day in the evening, a Congolese journalist was released from jail.

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Utah move on firing squads latest attempt to fix the unfixableDEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO: Urgent Action - Human Rights Defender Risks 20 Year Jail TermCHINA: Urgent Action - Health Fears For Detained Women ActivistsINDONESIA: Urgent Action - Four Students In Danger After Police TortureUtah move on firing squads latest attempt to fix the unfixableDEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO: Urgent Action - Human Rights Defender Risks 20 Year Jail TermCHINA: Urgent Action - Health Fears For Detained Women ActivistsINDONESIA: Urgent Action - Four Students In Danger After Police TortureDEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO: Urgent Action - Human Rights Defender Risks 20 Year Jail TermGroup 48 Membership

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Group 48 Newsletter - April 2015