FOCUS ACTION
Amnesty International USA Local Group 361
‘‘ Incredible: A Facebook post leads to arrest!’’
On December 27, 2011 Amnesty International issued the following public statement:
Amnesty International welcomed the release yesterday of 20 year old youth activist Jabbar Savalan, but reiterated its call for the Azerbaijani authorities to release 16 more prisoners of conscience jailed in April following a series of peaceful protests.
Jabbar Savalan was released last night to celebrate with his family after he received a presidential pardon.
‘‘Obviously the release of a prisoner of conscience is always a cause for celebration. We are delighted for Jabbar and his family. It is important now that his conviction is quashed and his reputation restored’’ said John Dalhuisen, Amnesty International's Deputy Director for Europe and Central Asia.
His case was part of Amnesty International's annual December Letter Writing Marathon, during which hundreds of thousands of people in over 80 countries come together and take action to demand that peoples' rights are respected. Over one million appeals were made as part of the 2011 marathon prior to Jabbar Savalan's release.
‘‘ It feels good to be with my friends again. I feel good now that I can spend time with them and my family’’ Jabbar Savalan told Amnesty International last night.
‘‘Amnesty International is a symbol of human rights and freedom, not just in Azerbaijan, but everywhere in the world. I am grateful for all the hard work done by your organisation and other organisations which fight for freedom in Azerbaijan.’’
Jabbar Savalan was arrested and accused of drugs possession on 5 February, a day after he posted on Facebook calling for Egypt-inspired protests against the government. He was convicted despite a blood test showing that he had not used drugs, largely on the basis of a confession extracted under duress while he was denied access to a lawyer.
In March and April, hundreds of demonstrators took to the streets to protest against government corruption and to call for fair elections and respect for human rights. Amnesty International's recent report: Azerbaijan: The Spring that Never Blossomed, documents how hundreds of protestors were arrested and 16 of the alleged organizers were sentenced to long prison terms in unfair trials.
‘‘We warmly welcome Jabbar's release as a first step - but there are still 16 more prisoners of conscience dating from the spring protests languishing in jail. Their release is imperative for the cause of justice in Azerbaijan" said John Dalhuisen. ’’
Jabbar Savalan's arrest has only strengthened his resolve to fight for the basic rights denied him by the Azerbaijani regime.
‘‘We will not be scared off by imprisonment or punishment. They may arrest us, but they can't break us. Freedom of speech is our right, as it is the right of everyone. We will continue our struggle’’ he said.
In May 2012 the international spotlight will fall on Azerbaijan as it hosts the 2012 Eurovision song contest. Azerbaijani activists are using this opportunity to focus the world's attention on the authorities' human rights abuses, supported by Amnesty International.
Thanks to all who wrote letters opposing this injust detention!
A Prisoner of Conscience Someone imprisoned because of their race, ethnicity, sex, economic status, religion, or national origin, or for peacefully expressing their political beliefs.
Focus Action: Local Group 361 acts on many cases in a month, usually moving on to different cases the next month. However, the group follows one or two cases until their conclusion. The first case may be one that the entire Northeast region works on. Traditionally, these cases involve a Prisoner of Conscience. Now that the group is also giving special attention to Mexico and Central America’s human rights issues, sometimes it acts on a second focus case related to those areas.
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Past Focus Actions
Our first adopted prisoner, Abel Ayedoun, was freed from prison in Benin two weeks after the first of our 2,000 letters began arriving. ~ Our second adopted prisoner, Levon Ter Petroysian was freed from prison in the Soviet Union, shortly after we adopted him, and subsequently served as president of Armenia.
Group 361 has adopted one POC, Aung San Suu Kyii twice. In the late 1980’s, Group 361 was fortunate to see its efforts rewarded when the pro-Democracy activist was released after an imprisonment of 19 months under de facto house arrest. At that time, her release represented a very positive development in the human rights situation in Myanmar. In 1990, she became the freely elected prime minister of Burma, Myanmar, but was prevented from taking office by a house arrest. You may see a video of her speaking when she was free between detentions here.
The second time Group 361 adopted Aung San Suu Kyii’s was November, 2009, after she had been detained for about 14 or more of the past 20 years. During her detention, Ms. Sung Kyi continued to advocate for peaceful changes within her country. Consequently, she has gained international recognition. Many organizations have given her awards. As she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, the chair of the award committe, Francis Sejested, called her ’’an outstanding example of the power of the powerless.’’ Singer Happily, she was released again in November 2010. However, along with Amnesty International, she would have you remember that there are many more prisoners of conscience in her country who deserve to be released. She continues to be respected for her work. Bono of the U2 band not only sings her praises, but and writes about, and links to other references to her accomplishments in this webpage. You may hear Ms Suu Kyi speak in a video link here.
Ngawang Sangdrol, the Tibetan nun held by the Chinese for wanting freedom for Tibet, our Prisoner of Conscience in 2001-2002, was released by the Chinese in October of 2002. A Tibetan Buddhist nun, she was jailed for singing freedom songs at age 15. She was released from the Drap Chi prison in Lhasa, Tibet in October 2002, after serving 10 years she was placed under house arrest. On March 28, 2003 Ngawang arrived in the U.S. for medical treatment of ‘‘severe and long-lasting headaches from beatings in prison. See her in this video.
In June 2004 , Group 361 saw Leyla Zana’s release from a Turkish prison. Several years before, as a new member of the Turkish parliament, Leyla Zana had taken her oath of office wearing a headband with Turkish colors with her conservative black business suit. Further, while taking her oath of office, she spoke one sentence in Kurdish, saying ‘‘I take this oath for the brotherhood between the Turkish people and the Kurdish people.’’[4]. Both the colored headband and the Kurdish words led to her later arrest when her term ended. During her years in prison she continued to write in defense of her Kurdish people, winning recognition for her work for human rights. While she was confined, individuals and organizations around the world protested the unfair trial that kept her detained. Her freedom came after several years of imprisonment and worldwide appeals. To learn more about Leyla, click to see this video.
For most of 2007, Group 361 of the Albany, NY region joined A.I.'s entire Northeast Region in working on the case of Dr. Mesfin Woldemariam, one of Ethiopia's most prominent human rights defenders. Dr. Mesfin was jailed after his peaceful participation in protests at Addis Ababa University, where he is a professor of geography. He and the other protestors called for an investigation into irregularities in Ethiopia's 2005 parlimentary elections. At 77 years old, he was held in poor conditions without access to medical treatment for almost eighteen months. Finally, in August 2007, the situation looked bleak as he and his co-defendents were sentenced to death. Then suddenly he was released by the government, vindicating the efforts of thousands who campaigned on his behalf. Amnesty International continues to have a number of concerns about human rights in Ethiopia, you can read about them here.
For most of 2008 into 2009, Group 361 of the Albany, NY region joined A.I.'s entire Northeast Region in working on the case of Fathi el Jahmi An advocate of political reform for Libya, he was detained for ‘‘speaking truth to power’‘ as Vice President Joe Biden has commented. In televised and published speeches Fathi called for reform. For the last months of his life, Libyan authorities denied the requests of Fathi’s family that ailing Fathi el Jahmi be released to their care. When Fathi’s death was near, the Libyan authorities tranferred him to a Jordanian hospital where his life ended. He was technically freed, but the questions surrounding his deah continue. Read more about him here. Remembrances of Fathi continue on his Facebook page.
Group 361‘s first Focus case from its region of special interest was for the Mexican Indigenous rights activist and prisoner of conscience Raúl Hernández. He was released on 27 August 2010 after more than two years in prison after being acquitted of a trumped up murder charge for which he has been detained since April 2008 in Ayutla municipality, Guerrero state, southern Mexico. However, in the days after his release, he and other Indigenous activists have been threatened, and continue to be in serious danger. To learn more, see this link.
4 http://www.democracynow.org/2004/6/10/kurdish_political_prisoner_leyla_zana_released Thank you for your interest.Page updated Tuesday, January 3, 2012
