WORLDWIDE APPEALS
An appeal from you to the authorities can help the victims of human rights violations whose stories are told here. You can help free a prisoner of conscience or stop torture. You can bring liberty to a victim of "disappearance". You may prevent an execution. Every appeal counts. Remember: AI members should not take up cases from their own countries.
PAKISTAN - PRISONERS OF CONSCIENCE
Abdul Qadeer, Muhammad Shahbaz and Ishfaq Ahmad, three members of Pakistan's Ahmadiyya religious community in Punjab Province, have been sentenced to life imprisonment for blasphemy. AI considers the three men to be prisoners of conscience, imprisoned for exercising their right to freedom of religion. They were initially charged with making "derogatory remarks about religious personages" - the maximum penalty for which is three years' imprisonment - following remarks they allegedly made in 1988. Proceedings on these charges were completed in 1993, but in March 1995 they were charged instead with blasphemy, or "defiling" the name of the prophet Mohammad. They received life sentences on 1 December 1997 from a court in Sheikhupura, Punjab Province of Pakistan.The Ahmadiyya community is a religious group whose members regard themselves as Muslims, but who are considered heretical by orthodox Muslims. Ahmadis have frequently been charged with religious offences, including blasphemy, solely on account of
their religious beliefs.
Please write, calling for the immediate and unconditional release of Abdul Qadeer, Muhammad Shahbaz and Ishfaq Ahmad, to: President Rafiq Tarar, Office of the President, Islamabad, Pakistan; to: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Office of the Prime Minister, Islamabad, Pakistan. (e-mail: mnawaz@isb. comsats.net.pk); and to: Chief Minister of Punjab Shahbaz Sharif, Office of the Chief Minister, Lahore, Pakistan.
SAUDI ARABIA - DEATH PENALTY
Sarah Jane Dematera, a 24-year-old woman from the Philippines, is at risk of execution in Saudi Arabia on 11 November 1992, she arrived in Saudi Arabia from the Philippines to work for a Saudi Arabian family as a domestic help. Four days later she was arrested and charged with the murder of her employer. It is unclear whether she was able to claim her innocence before a judge or scrutinize any evidence produced against her. She had no access to legal assistance or other opportunities to exercise her right to an effective defence.The court proceedings failed to comply with even the most basic international standards and UN safeguards guaranteeing protection of the rights of those facing the death penalty. Yet she now faces execution.
Please write, urging that the death sentence imposed on Sarah Jane Dematera be commuted, and asking for her retrial in accordance with international fair trial standards. Send letters to: The Custodian of the Two Holy Shrines, His Majesty King Fahd bin 'Abdul-'Aziz, Office of H.M. The King, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.