Urgent Action 100/08 - Military Officer Sentenced to Death by the Palestinian Authority
16 April 2008 UA 100/08 - Death Penalty/Fear of imminent execution PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY Thaer Mahmoud Husni Rmailat (m), aged 23 Military Intelligence officer Thaer Mahmoud Husni Rmailat was sentenced to death by a military court in the city of Jenin on 6 April 2008. He may now appeal; if this is unsuccessful his sentence must be ratified by President Mahmoud Abbas before it can be carried out. Thaer Mahmoud Rmailat was sentenced to death for the murder of a National Security Forces officer in the northern West Bank city of Tulkarem on 22 October 2006, the day before the major Islamic holiday of Eid al-Fitr. Thaer Rmailat's lawyer has said that he was only given one day's notice of the hearing. Under the Palestinian Authority (PA) Basic Law, he should have been given at least 72 hours in which to prepare a defense. BACKGROUND INFORMATION Since the PA was established, in 1994, more than 60 Palestinians have been sentenced to death, and 10 have been executed. Several others were unlawfully killed either in prison of after escaping. Many of these death sentences were handed down by the State Security Court, which has since been abolished, whose proceedings were notoriously unfair. A decree issued by President Abbas on 22 June 2005 ordered that all those who had been sentenced to death by the State Security Court should be retried by civilian courts. However, this decree did not impose any kind of ban or limit on the use of the death penalty. The last known execution in the Palestinian Authority took place on 27 July 2005 when Raei Khalil al-Mughrabi was hanged at Gaza central prison. He had been sentenced to death for murder in 2001, by a criminal court. RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible: - urging President Mahmoud Abbas not to ratify the death sentence imposed on Thaer Mahmoud Husni Rmailat, and to institute a moratorium on the death penalty in the Palestinian Authority; - urging the PA to abolish the death penalty; - acknowledging that it is the right and responsibility of the PA to bring to justice those suspected of criminal offenses, but pointing out that no convincing evidence has ever been produced that the death penalty is a more effective deterrent than any other punishment. APPEALS TO: President President Mahmoud Abbas Office of the President Ramallah PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY, via ISRAEL Fax: 011 972 2 240 9648 E-mail: plo-sg at palnet.com Salutation: Dear President Abbas Prime Minster Dr Salam Fayyad Prime Minister's Office Ramallah PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY, via ISRAEL Fax: 011 972 2 295 0979 E-mail: diwan at pmo.gov.ps Salutation: Dear Prime Minister Minister of Justice Dr Ali Khashaan Ministry of Justice Ramallah PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY, via ISRAEL Fax: 011 972 2 297 3264 011 972 2 295 0979 Salutation: Dear Minister COPIES TO: Add the words, VIA ISRAEL at the bottom of each Palestinian Authority address. Ambassador Afif Safieh Palestine Liberation Organization Office 1320 18th St NW Suite 200 Washington, DC 20036 Telephone: 202 974 6360 Fax: 202 974 6278 PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY. Check with the AIUSA Urgent Action office if sending appeals after 28 May 2008. ---------------------------------- Tip of the Month: Use shortcuts: Do whatever is necessary to make your letter writing as quick and easy as possible. This way, letters will not be put off and they can be sent out sooner. Start by making a generic file for each type of concern; paragraphs on torture, the death penalty, disappearances, denial of medical care and so on, can be copied into your working file and edited as needed. ** POSTAGE RATES ** Within the United States: $0.26 - Postcards $0.41 - Letters and Cards (up to 1 oz.) To Mexico and Canada: $0.69 - Postcards $0.69 - Airmail Letters and Cards (up to 1 oz.) To all other destination countries: $0.90 - Postcards $0.90 - Airmail Letters and Cards (up to 1 oz.) 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 600 Pennsylvania Ave SE 5th fl Washington DC 20003 Email: uan at aiusa.org http://www.amnestyusa.org/urgent/ Phone: 202.544.0200 Fax: 202.675.8566 ---------------------------------- END OF URGENT ACTION APPEAL ----------------------------------
