Urgent action : juvenile female. YEMEN

[CCADP]

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26 April 2005
UA 99/05 Imminent execution

YEMEN
Amina Ali Abdulatif (f), aged 21
Muhammad Ali Said Qaba'il (m), aged 26

Amina Ali Abduladif is reportedly scheduled to be
executed on 2 May. She was reportedly sentenced
to death when she was 16 years old, although the
Yemeni Penal Code expressly prohibits the use of
the death penalty against anyone convicted of
crimes committed when they were under 18.

She was convicted of the murder of her husband,
who had been killed in January 1998, and
sentenced to death on 24 May 1999. She had
reportedly been tortured to force her to confess,
and has since maintained her innocence.
Muhammad Ali Said Qaba'il was also sentenced to
death for the murder, but it is not known when he
is scheduled for execution

The court of appeal did not consider Amina's age,
and upheld the sentence in July 2001. The
Supreme Court upheld the sentence in July 2002,
and the sentence was ratified by the president
shortly afterwards.

Not long after the president ratified the sentence,
Amina Ali Abduladif was, according to her
lawyer, put before a firing squad. It was only when
the executioners noticed that she was pregnant that
the execution was stopped. According to her
lawyer she had been raped by one of the guards at
al-Mahaweet prison. As a result she gave birth to a
child, who is with her in Sana'a Women Central
prison, where she is now held, and is now very
nearly two years old.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Amnesty International has longstanding 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.

While Amnesty International recognizes the right
and responsibility of governments to bring to
justice those suspected of recognizably criminal
offences, it is unconditionally opposed to the death
penalty in all cases as the ultimate violation of the
right to life.

RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send
appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
- urging the President to commute the death
sentence passed on Amina Ali Abduladif and
Muhammad Ali Said Qaba'il, and stressing that the
Yemeni Penal Code prohibits the execution of
people convicted of crimes committed when they
were under 18;
- 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;
- calling on the authorities to order an investigation
into the rape of Amina Ali Abduladif, allegedly by
a prison guard, and to ensure that she is protected
from any further ill-treatment while she is in
prison.



APPEALS TO:
President:
His Excellency General=B4Ali =B4Abdullah Saleh
President of the Republic of Yemen
Sanaa
Republic of Yemen
Faxes: 011 967 127 4147
Salutation: Your Excellency

Minister of Interior:
His Excellency Dr Rashid Muhammad al-Alimi
Ministry of Interior
Sanaa
Republic of Yemen
Faxes: 011 967 1 332 511
Salutation: Your Excellency



Minister of Human Rights:
Her Excellency Amat al Aeem al Suswah
Ministry for Human Rights
Sana'a, Republic of Yemen
Faxes: 011 967 1 444 838
Salutation: Your Excellency

COPIES TO:
Ambassador Abdulwahab A. Al-Hajjri
Embassy of the Republic of Yemen
2600 Virginia Ave. NW Suite 705
Washington DC 20037
Fax: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]







Please send appeals immediately. Check with
the Colorado office between 9:00 am and 6:00
pm, Mountain Time, weekdays only, if sending
appeals after June 7, 2005.



Amnesty International is a worldwide grassroots movement that
promotes and defends human rights.

This Urgent Action may be reposted if kept intact, including
contact information and stop action date (if applicable). Thank
you for your help with this appeal.

Urgent Action Network
Amnesty International USA
PO Box 1270
Nederland CO 80466-1270
Email: [e-mail]
www.amnestyusa.org/urgent/
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

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