URGENT ACTION APPEAL UPDATE
1 September 2005 Further Information on UA 137/05 issued 25 May 2005 and re-issued 16 August 2005 Death Penalty/Fear of Imminent Execution IRAQ Tahsin 'Ali Mattar (m) Executed: Ahmad al-Jaf (m), aged 30 'Uday Dawud al-Dulaimi (m), aged 25 Jasim 'Abbas (m), aged 44 Ahmad al-Jaf, Jasim 'Abbas and 'Uday Dawud al- Dulaimi were executed at 10am on 1 September. They are the first people to be executed since the 2003 US-led military intervention in Iraq. The three men, said to be members of the armed group Ansar al-Sunna, were sentenced to death in May 2005 by a criminal court in the town of al- Kut, about 170km southeast of Baghdad. They were reportedly found guilty of kidnapping, killing of policemen and rape of women. Amnesty International has received no further information concerning Tahsin 'Ali Mattar, who was reportedly sentenced to death on 25 May by a criminal court in Babil, south of Baghdad, for ''terrorist activities''. He reportedly appealed against his death sentence, but the result of his appeal is not known. Before he was selected as President of Iraq, Jalal Talabani declared his opposition to the use of the death penalty in a number of media interviews. Since the new Iraqi government was formed in early May 2005, at least 50 people have been sentenced to death. Amnesty International deplores the re-imposition of the death penalty in Iraq, and has repeatedly raised its concerns with Iraqi authorities, including in submissions to the Iraqi Minister of Human Rights and Minister of Justice. RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible: - expressing dismay at reports that Ahmad al-Jaf, 'Uday Dawud al-Dulaimi and Jasim 'Abbas were executed in al-Kut on 1 September, making them the first people to be executed by the new government in Iraq; - expressing concern that Tahsin 'Ali Mattar is reportedly among around 50 others facing the death penalty; - urging that his death sentence and those of all who have been sentenced to death are commuted; - asking for further details of Tahsin 'Ali Mattar's case, with a view to establishing whether they complied with international standards for fair trial; - condemning all abuses by armed groups, including kidnapping, rape and killing of civilians, and urging that those responsible for these abuses be brought to justice in trials that fall within international standards for fair trial; - reminding President Jalal Talabani of his stated opposition to the death penalty, pointing out that the death penalty has never proved to be an effective deterrent to combat crime, and calling for the death penalty to be abolished in law and practice. APPEALS TO: Fax numbers and e-mail addresses for the Iraqi authorities are not available. Please send appeals via the Iraqi embassy listed below, asking them to forward your appeals to: President of the Republic of Iraq Jalal Talabani Salutation: Your Excellency Prime Minister of the Republic of Iraq Dr. Ibrahim al-Ja'afari Salutation: Your Excellency Ambassador Ms. Rend Al-Rahim Embassy of the Republic of Iraq 1801 P St. NW Washington DC 20036 Fax: 1 202 462 5066 Email: [email protected] COPIES TO: Ask for the Iraqi embassy to send copies to the Acting Human Rights Minister, Nasreen Barwari. 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 October 15, 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: [email protected] http://www.amnestyusa.org/urgent/ Phone: 303 258 1170 Fax: 303 258 7881 ---------------------------------- END OF URGENT ACTION APPEAL UPDATE ----------------------------------
