MDE 31/021/2007 - 19 October 2007
Former Guant·namo detainee Mohammed Ali Nasser Mohammed was handed over by the US authorities to the Yemeni authorities on 1 October and has been detained since then in the Political Security prison in the capital, Sana’a. He has not been allowed to see his lawyers, and is in grave danger of torture or other ill-treatment.
No charges are known to have been brought against him, and it is not clear why he is being detained.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Torture is a criminal offence in Yemen, but it has continued to take place at the hands of the security forces as a result of the practice of incommunicado detention and impunity enjoyed by alleged perpetrators.
About 100 Yemeni nationals are still detained in Guant·namo. The authorities have publicly stated that they wish to have all their nationals returned to Yemen from Guant·namo Bay but it is unclear why only about a dozen have so far been returned and released.
RECOMMENDED ACTION : Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible, in English, Arabic or your own language :
expressing concern that Mohammed Ali Nasser Mohammed is believed to be detained without charge, and asking why he is in custody ;
calling on the authorities to release Mohammed Ali Nasser Mohammed immediately unless he is to be charged with a recognisably criminal offence and given a fair trial ;
urging the authorities to give him access to legal counsel of his own choosing, and to the courts, to challenge the legality of his detention.
noting that approximately 100 Yemeni nationals are still detained in Guant·namo, and welcoming the Yemeni authorities’ efforts on their behalf ;
calling on them to continue to discuss this issue with the US authorities, with a view to ensuring the release of all the Yemeni detainees in Guant·namo if they are not to be promptly charged and given a fair trial in full accordance with international standards.
APPEALS TO :
President His Excellency General ¥Ali ¥Abdullah Saleh President of the Republic of Yemen Sana’a Republic of Yemen Fax : + 967 127 4147 Salutation : Your Excellency
Minister of Interior His Excellency Dr Rashid Muhammad al-Alimi Ministry of Interior Sana’a Republic of Yemen Fax : + 967 1 332 511 Salutation : Your Excellency
Minister of Human Rights Her Excellency Houda ’Ali ’Abdullatif al- Baan Ministry for Human Rights Sana’a Republic of Yemen Fax : + 967 1 444 838 Salutation : Your Excellency
Minister of Foreign Affairs His Excellency Dr Abu Bakr ’Abdullah al-Qurbi Ministry of Foreign Affairs Sana’a Republic of Yemen Fax : + 967 1 276 618 Salutation : Your Excellency
Ambassade de la République du Yémen Avenue F.D. Roosevelt 114 1050 Bruxelles Fax : 02.646.29.11
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY. Check with the International Secretariat, or your section office, if sending appeals after 30 November 2007.
