Group 11 special focus case: Fathi el-Jahmi
Prisoners of Conscience: Akbar Mohammadi and Ahmad Batebi, Iran
In July 1999 two university students, Akbar Mohammadi and Ahmad Batebi, were arrested for taking part in a peaceful protest against the closing of a newspaper by the Iranian government. The protest, which was forcibly suppressed, sparked additional demonstrations and widespread arrests in other cities in Iran. The two prisoners of conscience were sentenced to death, which was later commuted to 15 years in prison. Both men were subjected to brutal physical and mental torture.
The immediate aims of our work over a number of years were to free the two men and to call attention to the harsh prison conditions in Iran. Long-term objectives were to end torture and the abuse of prisoners and to urge Iran to adhere to international standards for the treatment of prisoners. To these ends, Group 11 sent over 2,000 postcards and numerous letters and petitions to the Iranian authorities calling for the release of the prisoners; wrote letters to the Iranian press about the case and demonstrated at the Iranian United Nations mission.
Tragically, Mr. Mohammadi died as a result of his brutal treatment and the denial of medical care while in prison. However, early in 2008, Ahmad Batebi, who by then had become a global symbol of prisoner abuse, escaped from Iran in a harrowing journey and was granted permission to enter the United States. Ultimately, he would like to continue his studies in film.
In a very rare opportunity to meet with a former prisoner of conscience, Group 11 sponsored an event on October 30, 2008 at which Ahmad Batebi spoke about his experiences in Iranian prisons. He stated that without the actions of Group 11 and other voices in Amnesty he would not have survived his nine years in prison. We have raised about $2,000 for his living expenses and stay in touch with him. Articles in The New York Times on July 13 and October 26, 2008 offer more information about him and his experiences and cite our efforts.
Prisoner of Conscience: U Win Tin, Myanmar (Burma)
U Win Tin, a journalist, writer and poet, was arrested and imprisoned on July 4, 1989, for peacefully expressing his disagreement with the policies of the governing junta, and because he was and still is a senior official of the opposition National League for Democracy, co-founded by his close associate, Nobel Peace Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi who continues to live under house arrest. Throughout his 19 years of imprisonment, U Win Tin was tortured, abused, isolated and deprived of basic rights including adequate medical treatment. He had two heart attacks while in prison.
Group 11 adopted U Win Tin’s case shortly after his arrest and began a tireless campaign on his behalf: many letters, petitions totaling thousands of signatures and a number of demonstrations at the Myanmar Mission to the United Nations and the United Nations. Sometimes demonstrations and letter-writing campaigns were coordinated with other AI groups in the US and abroad.
U Win Tin was unexpectedly, unconditionally released from Insein Prison in Yangon on September 23, 2008, to the astonishment and joy of his supporters worldwide. Immediately on his release he issued a statement that he had refused to accept the junta’s earlier offers of amnesty as doing so would have implied his incarceration was legitimate. Early in November 2008, he sent a taped voice recording to Group 11 from Yangon to be delivered at our annual fund raising concert, thanking Group 11 and Amnesty International for our work on behalf of political prisoners and urging AI to continue its efforts as there are so many political prisoners languishing in jails in Myanmar “longing for help from Amnesty International.”
He is still active but he has a number of health problems stemming from his years in prison. He was Myanmar’s longest serving prisoner of conscience and is now 78 years old. Long live U Win Tin!
Prisoner of Conscience: Sutanti Aidit, Indonesia
Dr. Sutanti Aidit, a medical doctor, was arrested in 1961, right after the attempted coup in Indonesia. Her husband, head of the Indonesian Communist Party, was executed for his involvement in the coup. By the time Group 11 received the case she had been imprisoned for 11 years without being tried. Despite many years of work by Group 11 and other Amnesty affiliates, it was only under the Carter administration, which took a particular interest in human rights in Indonesia, that Dr. Aidit was freed under an amnesty. After she was freed Dr. Aidit recognized the untiring efforts of Amnesty and other organizations.
In addition to the letters that Group 11 sent to Dr. Aidit and to the Indonesian authorities, we contacted the U.S. Department of State and members of Congress on the case. At one point, over 80 registered letters were sent at the same time to the prison where she was being held. Soon after the letters arrived a trial date was set, although unfortunately it was never held. Among our other initiatives were sending packages and money to Dr. Aidit’s children in the Netherlands, through a Dutch Amnesty group, and meeting with a former cellmate who traveled to many countries speaking about their ordeal in prison.
Prisoner of Conscience: Liu Gang, People's Republic of China
Liu Gang, a physics graduate student, was ranked third on the list of “most wanted” protesters after the 1989 Tiananmen Square demonstration. He was arrested in June 1989 and sentenced to six years in prison. During his imprisonment, Amnesty 11 sponsored a petition on his behalf which was sent through Amnesty USA to Amnesty chapters throughout the United States. The petition was signed by over 7,500 people in more than 900 towns and cities in 45 states and the District of Columbia. The collected petitions and a list of the places where the signers lived were sent to the Prime Minister of China. In addition, thousands of post cards were sent to government authorities protesting his imprisonment and calling for his release.
Liu Gang was released from prison to be kept in isolation. He was smuggled out of China to the United States and on June 21, 1996, at the annual meeting of Amnesty International in Washington, D. C., Group 11 presented a plaque to Liu Gang, thanking him for his heroic contributions to human rights in China. After receiving a five-minute standing ovation as he held up the plaque, Liu Gang addressed the meeting and stated that Amnesty had saved his life.
High School Course on Human Rights
In the early 1990s members of Group 11 designed and presented an introductory course on human rights for high school students in New York City. The course included the concept and definition of human rights, the nature of human rights violations, efforts to protect human rights, and what individuals can do to extend these rights. The course was given in a high school using lectures, discussions, and guest presentations. The group also contributed a library of material on human rights to the school. In conjunction with the course, Group 11 sponsored a contest in high schools for posters and essays on human rights, and awarded prizes to the best entries.
