Drohende Hinrichtung

Bashir Sultan Mohamed al-Ja’fari is detained in the military prison in the capital Sana’a. In August 2006, a military court had sentenced him to pay diya (financial compensation, commonly referred to as "blood money"), for the unintentional killing of a fellow soldier. However, in November 2007, a military appeal court increased his sentence to death. The Military Division of the Supreme Court upheld his death sentence in March 2008, and Yemen’s President ratified this sentence seven months later. His execution was scheduled to be carried out on 28 January but has been postponed twice; in each case for a few days.

At least 13 individuals were executed in Yemen in 2008, and hundreds of prisoners are currently detained under sentence of death.

[BACKGROUND INFORMATION]

Amnesty International has long-standing concerns about the use of the death penalty in Yemen, particularly as death sentences are often passed after proceedings which fall short of international standards for fair trial.

Amnesty International acknowledges the right and responsibility of governments to bring to justice those suspected of recognizably criminal offences, but is unconditionally opposed to the death penalty in all cases as the ultimate cruel, inhuman or dregrading punishment, and as a violation of the right to life.

[RECOMMENDED ACTION]

PLEASE SEND APPEALS TO ARRIVE AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE, IN ARABIC, ENGLISH OR YOUR OWN LANGUAGE:

• urging the President to commute Bashir Sultan Mohamed al-Ja’fari’s death sentence;

• acknowledging that the government has a right to bring to justice those responsible for criminal offences, but expressing unconditional opposition to the death penalty;

• reminding the authorities that they are bound by international standards for fair trial in capital cases, including the right to seek pardon or commutation of the sentence;

• urging the President to commute all outstanding death sentences and establish a moratorium on executions, with a view to completely abolishing the death penalty.

[APPEALS TO]

PRESIDENT His Excellency General ´Ali ´Abdullah Saleh Office of the President of the Republic of Yemen Sana'a Republic of Yemen Fax: (00 967) 127 4147 Salutation: Your Excellency

MINISTER OF JUSTICE His Excellency Dr Ghazi Shaif Al-Aghbari Ministry of Justice Sana’a Republic of Yemen Fax: (00 967) 1 222 015 Salutation: Your Excellency

MINISTER OF HUMAN RIGHTS Her Excellency Houda 'Ali 'Abdullatif al-Baan Ministry for Human Rights Sana’a Republic of Yemen Fax: (00 967) 1 44 8333 Salutation: Your Excellency

ATTORNEY GENERAL His Excellency 'Abdullah al-'Ulufi Office of Attorney General Sana’a Republic of Yemen Fax: (00 967) 137 4412 Salutation: Your Excellency

COPIES TO BOTSCHAFT DER REPUBLIK JEMEN Herrn S.E. Herr Mohammed Lutf Mohammed Al-Eryani Budapester Str. 37, 10787 Berlin Fax: 030-8973 0562 E-Mail: botschaft-jemen@freenet.de oder Info@Botschaft-Jemen.de oder konsulat@botschaft-jemen.de

PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY. Check with the international Secretariat, or the German section office, if sending appeals after 20 March 2009.