ill-treatment

On 24 May 2007, Mohammed Abbou one of Tunisian leading human rights defenders was forcibly dragged from a meeting with his family simply because his wife Samia mentioned that she had met a joint Front Line and Human Rights First mission in Tunisia to investigate the situation for human rights defenders  

Mutabar Tadjibaeva es la Presidenta de la organización de derechos humanos Fiery Hearts Club, que tiene su base en la ciudad de Ferghana, en Uzbekistán. Es también una de las fundadoras del movimiento nacional Civil Society y fue nominada al Premio Nobel de la Paz en el 2005. Tadjibaeva ha monitoreado violaciones de los derechos humanos en el valle de Ferghana y ha elaborado informes sobre asuntos como la violación de los derechos de la mujer para el Institute for War and Peace Reporting (IWPR), una organización internacional no gubernamental que capacita a periodistas en el área de los derechos humanos. Mutabar Tadjibaeva debía asistir a una conferencia internacional sobre defensores de los derechos humanos en Dublín, en octubre del 2005, ofrecida por Front Line. Fue detenida el 7 de octubre, cuando tenía previsto volar a Tashkent para tomar un vuelo de conexión a Irlanda. El 6 de marzo del 2006, Tadjibaeva fue condenada a ocho años de prisión. Posteriormente, fue trasladada a un hospital psiquiátrico. Según se ha informado, la salud de Mutabar Tadjibaeva se ha deteriorado seriamente, sufre de baja presión arterial y tiene problemas de riñón.  

Yusuf Abdi Gabode, the editor- in -chief and Ali Abdi Dini, the editor of Haatuf Media Network detained in Mandera jail for allegedly insulting the President of Somaliland and his wife have been released following a visit to the prison by an international delegation, including the head of the European Union for Africa on 29 March 2007.

Armed police stormed the headquarters of Haatuf Media Network, in Hargeisa city, Somaliland on 2 January and arrested the Editor-in-Chief, Yusuf Abdi Gabobe and the Editor, Ali Abdi Dini. About forty police officers in uniforms and in plain clothes, armed with both side arms and AK 47 guns forcefully entered the building and ransacked the premises, beating up anybody who asked for an explanation or proper documentation and finally dragging both men from the building.  

On the occasion of the fourth session of the UN Human Rights Council,held in Geneva between 12 March and 5 April 2007, Front Line has issued a statement on on the dangers to human rights defenders in Iran and Uzbekistan Iran and Uzbekistan

Human Rights Defenders - Too Dangerous For Human Rights

Front Line the International Foundation For the Protection of Human Rights Defenders was established to provide urgent protection to human rights defenders at risk. Front Line is concerned that while the the Human Rights Council debates the situation in Iran and Uzbekistan behind closed doors – on the ground, human rights defenders risk imprisonment, torture and even their lives.

Will the HRC seriously address the issue of the dangers to HRD in Iran and Uzbekistan?

On 4 March thirty-three women were violently arrested in Tehran – their offense - taking part in a peaceful protest against discriminatory legislation. The arrests were planned to ensure that there were no demonstrations to mark International Women's Day. While in prison they went on hunger strike and on their release a number of the women claimed that they had been ill treated.  

TAKE ACTION

Please print the letter (or you can use it as a guide for composing your own correspondence) and send it to the address (S) below. You can also fax or email the letter to the numbers provided.

Dear

I strongly condemn the continued detention of Shadi Sadr and Mahboubeh Abbasgholizadeh, who were arbitrarily arrested along with thirty-one other women human rights defenders and journalists by members of the security police, during a peaceful protest in Tehran on 4 March 2007. The thirty- women who have been released have reported on the harsh conditions of detention in Evin prison.