January 2005
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GOOD NEWS AND UPDATES
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Viet Nam: Amnesty International Hails Expected Release of Father Ly and Several Other Prisoners of Conscience
Amnesty International warmly welcomes reports that several prisoners of conscience will be released in the coming days, including Dr. Nguyen Dan Que, Nguyen Dinh Huy, Thich Thien Minh and Father Nguyen Van Ly. They are being released as part of a general amnesty for more than 8,000 prisoners to mark Tet, the Lunar New Year.
"The release of Father Ly, along with three fellow prisoners of conscience, is a joyful victory, demonstrating that no government is immune to the persistent pressure applied by dedicated human rights activists worldwide," said Dr. William F. Schulz, Executive Director of Amnesty International USA. "In the face of Congressional pressure, the Vietnamese government twice reduced Father Ly's sentence. His release now, along with the other POCs, is testament to the power of diplomatic pressure to effect positive gains for human rights."
Following Father Ly's arrest in 2001, Amnesty International USA took him up as a Special Focus Case for intensive campaigning by its members. Activists sent more than 94,000 appeals for his release, directed at both the US Congress and the Vietnamese authorities. Today, the organization thanked Congressional leaders who subsequently championed the cases of the four for playing a major role in exhorting Viet Nam to end the unjust jailings.
READ MORE:
http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/ctt.asp?u=677776&l=11756
RELATED INFORMATION
Prisoners of Conscience
http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/ctt.asp?u=677776&l=11743
Human Rights in Viet Nam
http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/ctt.asp?u=677776&l=11744
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China/Tibet: Tenzin Deleg Rinpoche's Death Sentence Commuted
"I am completely innocent... I have always said we should not raise our hand at others. It is sinful... I have neither distributed letters or pamphlets nor planted bombs secretly. I have never even thought of such things, and I have no intention to hurt others."
-- Tenzin Deleg Rinpoche
The suspended death sentence passed against religious leader Tenzin Deleg Rinpoche, a religious and community leader from the traditionally Tibetan area of Sichuan Province, China, has been commuted to life imprisonment. However, Amnesty International remains concerned that his conviction is a serious miscarriage of justice.
Many thanks to all who sent appeals on his behalf. Amnesty International will continue to monitor his case and use longer-term campaigning methods. If possible, please send a final round of appeals welcoming the news that Tenzin Deleg Rinpoche has not been executed, and urging the Chinese authorities to either retry Tenzin Deleg Rinpoche in full accordance with international fair trial standards, or release him immediately and unconditionally.
TAKE ACTION:
http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/ctt.asp?u=677776&l=11753
RELATED INFORMATION
Join the Campaign to Abolish the Death Penalty
http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/ctt.asp?u=677776&l=11745
Join the Interfaith Network
http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/ctt.asp?u=677776&l=11746
Human Rights in China
http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/ctt.asp?u=677776&l=11751
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USA: No Asylum Denial in Domestic Abuse Claim, but Rodi Alvarado's Case Still Uncertain
Attorney General John Ashcroft has declined to decide whether to grant asylum to Rodi Alvarado, a Guatemalan battered wife. It is still uncertain whether Ms. Alvarado will be allowed to remain in the United States or be deported to Guatemala. Still, Attorney General Ashcroft's decision not to deny her asylum represents an important victory, and was due in no small part to an estimated 50,000 letters and messages sent to him on her behalf by Amnesty International activists.
Attorney General Ashcroft was expected to issue a ruling that would have had wide ramifications in other cases where women seek asylum for gender-related persecution, like threats of honor killing. The Department of Homeland Security had issued a legal brief formally advising the Attorney General to uphold asylum for Ms. Alvarado.
Rodi Alvarado's case prompted the U.S. government to issue proposed regulations that will instruct immigration judges on how to deal with such cases. Those regulations have not yet been issued in final form. Attorney General Ashcroft sent Ms. Alvarado's case back to the same court from which he took it nearly two years ago, the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA). He ordered the BIA to reconsider the case in light of the new regulations, after they are finally issued. Amnesty International will continue to monitor Rodi Alvarado's case closely and will issue further actions as needed.
READ MORE:
http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/ctt.asp?u=677776&l=11757
RELATED INFORMATION
Refugees: Full Coverage
http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/ctt.asp?u=677776&l=11748
Human Rights in the United States
http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/ctt.asp?u=677776&l=11749