Please read the following
meassage and check the link. I requset you to act on it as soon as
possible and send it to all your family and friends to act on it.
thank you,
PUBLIC
AI Index: ASA 33/006/2005
05 May 2005
UA 111/05
Fear for Safety/"Disappearance"
PAKISTAN
Members of the Baloch Students Organisation:
Imdad Baloch (m)
Yusuf Baloch (m)
Ghulam Rasool
Allah Nazar (m)
Naseem Baloch (m)
Nawaz Ali (m)
Akhter Nadeem (m)
Amnesty International is concerned for the safety of the members of
the Baloch Students Organisation named above who were reportedly
arrested with several others in the city of Karachi during the early
hours of 25 March. They are detained incommunicado at an unknown
location and may be subjected to torture, cruel, inhuman or degrading
treatment.
The men are feared "disappeared" and it is unclear whether local
police or intelligence agencies were responsible for their arrest.
They have not appeared before a court and local police have denied
their detention. The Baloch Students Organisation is a group that is
active is highlighting the plight of the Baloch people. They have
campaigned on issues including recent allegations of the unlawful
killing of villagers by the military in Balochistan. They have also
campaigned on the longer standing issue of access to resources such as
gas. Balochistan hosts the country's primary gas installation yet the
residents of this province have little access to this resource.
Amnesty International believes that the continued 'disappearance' of
members of the Baloch Students Organisation violates a number of human
rights guaranteed in the Constitution of Pakistan and international
human rights standards. The Constitution of Pakistan states in Article
9: 'No person shall be deprived of life and liberty, save in
accordance with law.' It lays down in Article 10 that every detainee
has the right to be informed of the charges against them, to consult
and be defended by a lawyer of their choice and be brought before a
magistrate within 24 hours of arrest. None of these requirements have
been fulfilled in this case.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as
possible, in English or your own language:
- urging the authorities to launch an immediate investigation into the
whereabouts of arrested members of the Baloch Students Organisation
named above;
- reminding the government that incommunicado detention is a violation
of an individual's fundamental rights underlined by Articles 9 & 10 of
the Pakistan Constitution;
- seeking assurances that they are not being subjected to torture or
ill-treatment;
- calling for them to be granted access to their families, lawyers,
and any medical attention they may require;
- calling for them to be released if they are in custody, unless they
are charged with a recognizably criminal offence, in which case they
must be given a fair and prompt trial.
APPEALS TO: (Please note that email addresses in Pakistan can be
unreliable. If you receive notification that your message has not been
delivered, please re-send your email. If it fails again, please use
fax numbers or postal addresses to send your appeal.)
President, Pervez Musharraf
Pakistan Secretariat
Islamabad, Pakistan
Fax: + 92 51 9221422
E-mail: CE@pak.gov.pk
Salutation: Dear President
Mr. Muhammad Wasi Zafar
Minister of Law, Justice and Human Rights
S Block, Pak. Sectt. Islamabad, Pakistan
Fax: +92 51 9202628
E-Mail: minister@molaw.gov.pk
Salutation: Dear Minister
Governor of Balochistan
Awais Ghani
Governor House
Quetta, Balochistan, Pakistan
Fax: +92 81 920 2178 / 2992
Salutation: Dear Governor
COPIES TO: Diplomatic representatives of Pakistan accredited to your
country.
