USA: Environmental Lawyer Arbitrarily Detained - URGENT ACTION

Amnesty International, USA, 10-27-2021.

On October 1, 2021 Steven Donziger, a lawyer and environmental rights defender who successfully represented victims of oil dumping in Ecuador, was sentenced to six months in prison on a politically motivated ‘contempt of court’ charge. 

He has already spent more than two years under house arrest in a process that United Nations experts found lacks any legal basis and is in violation of numerous fair trial standards. The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention found that his detention is in retaliation for his work as a lawyer for the Indigenous communities in Ecuador. He must be released immediately and unconditionally. 

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IRAN: Execution Pending - URGENT ACTION

Amnesty International, USA, 10-22-2021.

A young Iranian man Arman Abdolali is facing imminent execution for a crime that took place when he was 17 years old. After global outcries, Iranian authorities postponed hisexecution three times in October 2021. He learned on 20 October his execution is to be carried out within a week. 

Hossein Shahbazi, another young man convicted and sentenced to death for a crime that took place when he was aged 17, also remains at risk of imminent execution after his scheduled 25 July 2021 execution was postponed following international actions. 

Their trials were marred by serious violations, including the use of torture-tainted “confessions”.

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USA: Free Leonard Peltier - URGENT ACTION

Amnesty International, USA, 10-14-2021

Native American activist Leonard Peltier has been imprisoned in the USA for over 44 years, some of which was spent in solitary confinement, serving two life sentences for murder despite concerns over the fairness of his trial. 

He has always maintained his innocence. He is 76 years old and suffers from a number of chronic health ailments, including one that is potentially fatal. Leonard Peltier will not be eligible for parole again until 2024. 

His lawyers have submitted a new petition for clemency. President Biden must grant Leonard Peltier clemency on humanitarian grounds and as a matter of justice.

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VENEZUELA: Human Rights Defenders Detained - URGENT ACTION

Amnesty International, USA, 10-12-2021

Javier Tarazona, Director of local NGO FundaREDES, Rafael Tarazona and Omar de Dios García, FundaREDES’ activists, were arbitrarily detained on July 2, 2021 after attempting to report harassment from security officers at the Attorney General’s Office in the city of Coro (Western Venezuela).  They charged with inciting hatred, treason, and terrorism. 

Despite numerous requests, their trusted legal representatives have been denied accreditation before the court. The three are still awaiting a pre-trial hearing to take place. We urge authorities to release them immediately and unconditionally since their detention is politically motivated.   

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