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Daniel Quintero, 21, was beaten, intimidated and threatened with

rape by members of Venezuelas national guard (military), after he
was arrested on the way home from an anti-government
demonstration in February 2014.
Officers stripped Daniel to his underwear, handcuffed him and forced
him to spend nine hours doubled up with his hands touching his
ankles. If he moved, they beat him.

They kicked and punched me in the face

and ribs, and hit me with the butts of
their guns They all queued up to hit me.
One of them whipped me.
He was repeatedly humiliated, insulted and threatened. At one point,
the commanding officer told Daniel they were going to burn him.
Daniel is one of many in Venezuela who have complained of torture
and other cruel treatment. The authorities appear to have targeted
people who they believe took part in protests across the country
earlier this year.

Show solidarity with Daniel Quintero

You can send a message of support and hope which we will pass
on to Daniel. Use the solidarity template provided.

Please write to the President of Venezuela

Please write on an international aerogramme ($2.20 from Australia
Post). Leave your letters unsealed and send back to Amnesty
International, so we can add them to the global tally.

Amnesty International Australia

ABN 64 002 806 233
Locked Bag 7, Collingwood VIC 3066
1300 300 920
supporter@amnesty.org.au

amnesty.org.au/writeforrights

Start your letter: Seor Presidente/

Dear President
Calls for your letter:

Investigate thoroughly, independently and

impartially Daniel Quinteros complaint of
being subject to torture and ill-treatment
and ensure all those responsible are
brought to justice.

Ensure all complaints of human rights

violations and abuses are investigated
thoroughly, independently and impartially.
Identify all those responsible and bring
them to justice.

Guarantee that people can exercise

their right to freedom of expression
and assembly without fear of reprisals.

Send by 15 December 2014 to:

Write for Rights, Locked Bag 7
Collingwood VIC 3066 Australia
Short on time?
Sign the template letter provided.

COUNTRY SNAPSHOT > VENEZUELA

REGION > AMERICAS
Torture and ill-treatment of protesters
Since the beginning of February 2014, Venezuela has been shaken by
mass protests for and against the government. Amnesty International
has received dozens of complaints about torture and other cruel,
inhuman or degrading treatment of detainees by security forces.
This abuse seems to be aimed at punishing individuals for their
participation, or alleged participation, in the protests.
Among the complaints received are cases of beatings by members of
the security forces, who allegedly punched, kicked and hit detainees,
including detainees restrained on the ground.
Detainees have also complained of being forced to kneel or stand
for long periods, sexual abuse and threats of rape. Some have been
threatened with death, and in one case, officers allegedly poured
petrol on a young detainee.
Detainees have not been given medical examinations on arrival
at detention centres and in some cases did not receive medical
attention until they were brought before a judge, despite evident
wounds from rubber pellets or bullets.

All the victims and their

families deserve justice for
the pain inflicted on them
its crucial that all these
incidents are urgently
investigated and those
responsible are brought
to justice.

Salil Shetty, Amnesty International Secretary

General, discussing human rights abuses in
Venezuela, 2014.

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Erkin Musaev, a former Uzbekistani Ministry of Defense official, was

sentenced to 20 years in jail in 2007 after a series of unfair trials.
He was arrested in 2006 while working for a UN agency and charged
with spying and misusing UN funds, which he has denied.
Erkin suffered a month of daily beatings, nightly interrogations and
threats against his family before eventually signing a confession,
on the condition his family would be left alone.
Erkin faced three separate trials; in all the court admitted into
evidence confessions obtained after torture. The judge also refused
Erkin permission to call defence witnesses.
Despite numerous complaints from Erkins lawyer, the authorities
have not investigated allegations that Erkin was tortured in prison.
Repeated calls for a fair retrial in his case have been ignored.
Erkin must be released immediately.

Please write to the Prosecutor General

of Uzbekistan
Please write a letter on an international
aerogramme ($2.20 from Australia Post).
Leave your letters unsealed and send back
to Amnesty International, so we can add them
to the global tally.
Start your letter: Dear Prosecutor General
Calls for your letter:

Release Erkin Musaev on the grounds that

repeated calls for a fair retrial in his case
have gone unheeded for eight years.

Conduct a prompt, impartial and effective

investigation into the allegations that Erkin
Musaev was tortured in custody.

Bring to justice any police officers or other

state actors found responsible for torturing
and ill-treating Erkin Musaev.

Show solidarity with Erkin Musaev

Write a message of support and hope for Erkin and we will pass it on.
Use the solidarity template provided. Please include one of the
following as prison authorities will not pass on messages if they are
not able to read them:
! (Hold on!)

(Our thoughts are with you)

(We are thinking of you)

Amnesty International Australia

ABN 64 002 806 233
Locked Bag 7, Collingwood VIC 3066
1300 300 920
supporter@amnesty.org.au

amnesty.org.au/writeforrights

Send by 15 December 2014 to:

Write for Rights, Locked Bag 7
Collingwood VIC 3066 Australia
Short on time?
Sign the template letter provided.

COUNTRY SNAPSHOT > UZBEKISTAN

REGION > EUROPE
Torture and ill-treatment
Amnesty International continues to receive credible allegations of
torture and other ill-treatment by security forces in Uzbekistan.
Individuals charged or convicted of anti-state and terrorism-related
offences, members of political opposition parties and banned Islamic
movements continue to be particularly vulnerable.
Methods of torture or other ill-treatment include beatings, asphyxiation,
inserting needles under finger or toenails, electric shocks and
dousing with freezing water. Rape and threats of sexual violence
have also been reported.
In most cases the authorities fail to conduct effective investigations
into torture allegations.

Erkin, although he had to endure a lot

of terrible things, is not giving up.
He lives in the hope of a better future
and he makes plans that when he will
be freed he will devote his life to his family.
He wants to help others who need help
and support and who have survived the
horrors of injustice.
Father of Erkin Musaev

GOOD NEWS
In 2013, Amnestys Urgent Action Network
helped free three men from Uzbekistans prisons.
Abdumavlon Abdurakhmonov was released
in October 2013 and returned to his home
in Tajikistan. The Tajikistani NGO involved
in this case thanked all Amnesty supporters
who wrote appeals. They are sure that without
this international attention Abdumavlon
Abdurakhmonov would still be detained.
Journalist Sergei Naumov was released on
3 October 2013 after completing a 12 day
sentence. He believes he was targeted due to
his critical political reporting. Sergei thanked
everyone who took action on his case.
Writer Mamadali Makhmudov was released
on 19 April 2013 after serving 14 years in
prison. On 8 April he was sentenced to an
additional three years for allegedly violating
prison rules. At the appeal stage, he was
released on medical grounds. On the day of
his release he returned home, where he met
his grandchildren for the first time.

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Bus driver Jerryme Corre was tortured at the hands of police in the
Philippines, after they violently arrested him on 10 January 2012
and accused him of killing a police officer.
Officers kicked and punched Jerryme on the sides, neck, stomach
and knees. They then blindfolded him, handcuffed his ankles,
and beat him throughout the night.
If Jerryme couldnt answer their questions, they punched him.
They put a cloth over his mouth and poured water down his throat
a technique called waterboarding. When he still refused to confess,
officers electric-shocked him and threatened to kill him.
As they tried to force a confession, the officers repeatedly called him
Boyet. He told them this wasnt his name, and a local official also
told them they had the wrong person. They refused to listen and
eventually charged Jerryme with possessing drugs. Jerryme is still
in prison more than two and a half years on.

Show solidarity with Jerryme Corre

You can send in Christmas messages of support for Jerryme in prison.
These will also show the authorities that people around the world
are interested in his case. You can also send a message for Jerryme's
birthday on 17 February. Use the solidarity template provided.

Please write to the Police Director in the Philippines

Please write a letter on an international aerogramme ($2.20 from
Australia Post). Leave your letters unsealed and send back to
Amnesty International, so we can add them to the global tally.

Amnesty International Australia

ABN 64 002 806 233
Locked Bag 7, Collingwood VIC 3066
1300 300 920
supporter@amnesty.org.au

amnesty.org.au/writeforrights

Start your letter: Dear Inspector General

Calls for your letter:

Open a prompt, impartial, effective and

efficient investigation into the allegations
of torture and other ill-treatment suffered
by Jerryme Corre while in custody of the
police in January 2012.

Bring to justice any police officers found

to have been involved in torturing and
ill-treating Jerryme Corre, including those
complicit in his torture.

Provide a safe space for whistleblowers

within the Philippines National Police who
wish to report torture by their colleagues.

Send by 15 December 2014 to:

Write for Rights, Locked Bag 7
Collingwood VIC 3066 Australia
Short on time?
Sign the template letter provided.

COUNTRY SNAPSHOT > THE PHILLIPINES

REGION > ASIA
Torture and ill-treatment
Amnesty International has serious concerns about the widespread
use of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment
or punishment in the Philippines.
In 2009 the UN Committee against Torture expressed deep concern
about torture in the Philippines. It described numerous, ongoing,
credible and consistent allegations of routine and widespread use
of torture and ill-treatment.
State security forces including law enforcement officers continue
to torture suspects and prisoners. Justice is out of reach for the vast
majority of people who are tortured. And perpetrators are almost
never held to account.
Victims of torture and ill-treatment are mostly common criminal
suspects, including juvenile offenders. Torture victims most of
whom come from disadvantaged backgrounds are reluctant to file
a complaint due to fear of reprisals and a lack of confidence that
perpetrators will be brought to justice.
The country has an extensive legislative framework to stop torture,
and the government has pledged to increase its efforts to ensure
these laws are implemented. The Philippines is also party to key
international anti-torture laws and mechanisms. And yet a culture
of impunity persists.

GOOD NEWS
Alfreda Disbarro
In the last couple of months, Amnesty activists
around the world began campaigning for torture
survivor Alfreda Disbarro, from the Philippines.
The Philippines National Police Internal Affairs
Service have now begun to investigate four police
officers for grave misconduct. The authorities
said that their decision to begin an investigation
was because of letters from Amnesty.
Amnesty activists are continuing to campaign
for Alfreda.

General arrested
Retired Major General Jovito Palparan was
arrested on 12 August 2014. Often referred
to as Berdugo (the butcher), he faces charges
of kidnapping and illegally detaining university
students in 2006. It is an encouraging sign
that the authorities are finally tackling serious
human rights violations by security forces.

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China

Human rights campaigner Liu Ping was sentenced to six-and-a-half

years in prison in 2014, after organising an event which called on
the Chinese Government to step up its fight against corruption.
She is one of many in China persecuted for their links with the
New Citizens Movement, a network of human rights activists.
Liu Ping has tried to tackle corruption by pushing for government
officials to make their assets such as property and investments
public. In her trial, she was found guilty of picking quarrels and
provoking trouble, gathering a crowd to disturb order in a public
place, and using an evil cult to undermine law enforcement.
Liu Ping states that she was tortured while in detention.
Liu Pings sentence is part of a wider crackdown on the New Citizens
Movement, which encourages people to participate in society and
hold meetings to discuss social issues. Her case highlights the
hypocrisy of Chinese Government officials, who claim to be clamping
down on corruption yet persecute those who try to expose it.

Show solidarity with Liu Ping

You can send a birthday message for Liu Pings 50th birthday
on 2 December, which we will pass on to her. Use the solidarity
template provided.

Write to the Chinese President

Please write on an international aerogramme ($2.20 from Australia
Post). Leave your letters unsealed and send back to Amnesty
International, so we can add them to the global tally.

Amnesty International Australia

ABN 64 002 806 233
Locked Bag 7, Collingwood VIC 3066
1300 300 920
supporter@amnesty.org.au

amnesty.org.au/writeforrights

Start your letter: Your Excellency

Calls for your letter:

Release Liu Ping immediately and

unconditionally, as she has been
imprisoned solely for exercising her rights.

Ensure Liu Ping is not subjected to torture

and other ill-treatment in prison, and is
allowed access to her family and any
medical treatment that she may require.

Ensure that all human rights defenders can

carry out their peaceful activities without
fear of hindrance, intimidation, arbitrary
detention or imprisonment.

Send by 15 December 2014 to:

Write for Rights, Locked Bag 7
Collingwood VIC 3066 Australia
Short on time?
Sign the template letter provided.

COUNTRY SNAPSHOT > CHINA

REGION > ASIA
Human rights defenders
The civil society movement in China is growing. However human
rights defenders who attempt to report on human rights violations,
challenge policies or rally others to their cause, face serious risk
of abuse.
Petitioners and human rights defenders are often arbitrarily
detained and experience violence and other ill-treatment at the
hands of authorities.

New Citizens Movement

Individuals associated with the New Citizens Movement have
been campaigning against corruption and for human rights.
As of 26 February 2014, nearly 70 people allegedly connected
with the movement have been detained or subjected to enforced
disappearance.

Unfair trials
Failures to uphold international fair trial standards in China include
lack of prompt access to lawyers, lack of presumption of innocence,
political interference in the judiciary and failure to exclude evidence
extracted through torture. Many trials take place in absolute secrecy,
with families and lawyers informed of the trial dates at very short
notice or not at all.

I am innocent; every step that I have taken,

it has all been in the legitimate pursuit of
equality, freedom and democracy. I have lived
with what I believe in. History will declare
my innocence!
Liu Ping

GOOD NEWS
Anti-corruption activist Liu Hua was released
from detention on 17 April 2014, after being
detained for over five weeks on the charge
of picking quarrels and making trouble.
It was widely believed that she was being
punished for appearing in a documentary that
exposed torture and ill-treatment in Chinas
Re-Education Through Labour system.
Amnesty issued an Urgent Action on her case
to thousands of activists, which may have
contributed to her release. Liu Hua has
thanked all those who took action on her behalf.
Wang Jing, Liu Xuehong, and Xing Jian,
citizen journalists for a website on human
rights issues in China, were released on bail
on 7 April 2014. The organisation they work
for has thanked Amnesty International for
acting for the journalists.

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Raif Badawi was jailed for 10 years in May 2014 after starting a
website for social and political debate in Saudi Arabia. His sentence
also includes 1,000 lashes, a 10-year travel ban, and a ban on
appearing on media outlets.

Start your letter: Your Majesty

Calls for your letter:

Release Raif Badawi immediately and

unconditionally as he is being held solely
for the peaceful exercise of his right to
freedom of expression and assembly.

Quash all charges against him, and ensure

he is not flogged.

Raif is one of many activists in Saudi Arabia persecuted for expressing

their views online. Facebook and Twitter are incredibly popular in a
country where people cant voice their opinions in public. The authorities
have responded to this increase in online debate by monitoring social
media sites and baning applications such as Skype.

Ease the crackdown on activists and their

use of social media.

Show solidarity with Raif Badawi

Short on time?
Sign the template letter provided.

The charges related to articles Raif wrote criticising religious

authorities in Saudi Arabia, as well as pieces written by others which
were published on his website. The prosecution had called for him
to be tried for apostasy (when a person abandons their religion),
which carries the death sentence.

You can send a message of support and hope which we will pass on to
Raifs wife, Ensaf Haidar. Raif's birthday is 13 January, if you wish to
send him birthday messages too. Use the solidarity template provided.

Please write to the King of Saudi Arabia

Please write a letter on an international aerogramme ($2.20 from
Australia Post). Leave your letters unsealed and send back to Amnesty
International, so we can add them to the global tally.

Amnesty International Australia

ABN 64 002 806 233
Locked Bag 7, Collingwood VIC 3066
1300 300 920
supporter@amnesty.org.au

amnesty.org.au/writeforrights

Send by 15 December 2014 to:

Write for Rights, Locked Bag 7
Collingwood VIC 3066 Australia

COUNTRY SNAPSHOT > SAUDI ARABIA

REGION > MIDDLE EAST
Freedom of expression, association and assembly
Since March 2011 the Saudi Arabian authorities have continued
their campaign of repression in the name of security. They have
cracked down on peaceful activists calling for reforms and protesting
against human rights violations. Hundreds have been imprisoned.
Many have been released within days but many others remain in
detention and are yet to be charged or taken to court. Torture and
corporal punishment are commonplace.
The Constitution gives the King and the ruling family absolute
power over government institutions and the affairs of the state.
The countrys 27 million residents have no political institutions
independent of government, and political parties and trade unions
are not tolerated.
Those who try to organise or take part in protests are often arrested,
held incommunicado without charge and denied access to the courts
to challenge the lawfulness of their detention. Human rights
organisations have been crushed and their founders are in prison or
undergoing unfair trials on trumped up charges.
The media is severely constrained and those who express dissent
face arrest and imprisonment.
The authorities are also attempting to monitor all social media
applications and ban encrypted applications such as Skype and
WhatsApp.

I want to thank Amnesty for

all the efforts they have made
to bring Raif home to us.
I hope that all of you will sign
this petition. Thank you.

Ensaf Haidar, Raif Badawis wife


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Egypt

In June 2014 an Egyptian court imprisoned Australian journalist

Peter Greste and his Al Jazeera colleagues Mohamed Fahmy and
Baher Mohamed, on charges of broadcasting false news and
involvement with the Muslim Brotherhood movement. Amnesty
International considers them prisoners of conscience.
The court sentenced Peter Greste and Mohamed Fahmy to seven
years in prison. Baher Mohamed received 10 years on an additional
charge of possessing a bullet casing, which he claimed he had taken
as a souvenir.
The court tried a total of 20 people in the case, 11 in their absence.
Those on trial included other Al Jazeera staff and a group of
Egyptian students.
Egypts highest court of law, Court of Cassation, will review the Al Jazeera
case on 1 January 2015. The Court will examine how the Cairo
Criminal Court applied the law in the case. It may then either uphold
the lower courts verdict or quash it, which would mean that the
Cairo Criminal Court would have to retry the men before a different
panel of judges.

Show solidarity with Peter Greste and his colleagues

Peter Greste's birthday is on 1 December. You can write a birthday
message for Peter, which his family will give to him. Use the
solidarity template provided.

Write to the President of Egypt

Please write on an international aerogramme ($2.20 from Australia
Post). Leave your letters unsealed and send back to Amnesty
International, so we can add them to the global tally.

Amnesty International Australia

ABN 64 002 806 233
Locked Bag 7, Collingwood VIC 3066
1300 300 920
supporter@amnesty.org.au

amnesty.org.au/writeforrights

Start your letter: Your Excellency

Calls for your letter:

Release Peter Greste, Mohamed Fahmy

and Baher Mohamed immediately and
unconditionally.

Quash the convictions of the three men

and any other defendants based solely on
their peaceful exercise of the rights to
freedoms of expression and association.

Respect, protect and uphold the right to

freedom of expression and association.

Send by 15 December 2014 to:

Write for Rights, Locked Bag 7
Collingwood VIC 3066 Australia
Short on time?
Sign the template letter provided.

COUNTRY SNAPSHOT > EGYPT

REGION > THE MIDDLE EAST
Freedoms of expression, association and assembly
While Egypts new Constitution appears to protect human rights,
over the last year authorities have routinely violated those rights,
particularly to free expression, peaceful assembly and association.
Thousands have been detained. Many have faced months of detention
without charge or trial, while others have faced a litany of cut-andpaste charges and then denied access to fair trial procedures.
Since 3 July 2013, security forces have repeatedly opened fire on
crowds of largely peaceful demonstrators. At least 1,400 protesters
have been killed.
In November 2013, the government issued a new law granting the
Interior Ministry free rein to ban any protest, forcefully disperse
demonstrations and arrest participants on vague grounds such as
impeding citizens interests.

Imprisoned journalists
Egypt is among the worst jailers of journalists in the world.
According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, Egypt is
currently detaining 14 journalists. Egypt has particularly targeted
the Qatar-based TV station Al Jazeera, closing its Egypt offices
and arresting many of its reporters.

The Muslim Brotherhood

In September 2013, a Cairo court banned the activities of the
Muslim Brotherhood and ordered a confiscation of its assets.
In December 2013 the government designated the Brotherhood
a terrorist organisation and set a range of sanctions against it.
The government has yet to put forward any evidence to support
the terrorist designation.

GOOD NEWS
Al Jazeera Arabic journalist, Abdallah Elshamy,
was released on 17 June after spending 10
months detained without charge. The public
prosecutor announced he had ordered the
journalists release on health grounds, following
a prolonged hunger strike. The public prosecutor
also ordered the release of 23 other detainees
for the same reason. Abdallah Elshamy was
reunited with his family who were waiting
outside the police station. He told reporters he
was grateful to all those who had campaigned
for his release.
Canadian nationals Tarek Loubani and John
Greyson were released in October 2013 after
being detained for 50 days in Egypt. The men
have thanked those who campaigned on their
behalf: Thank you so much for all of your
support, thank you so much for all of your
help, thank you so much for all you have done
for us.
Amnesty International issued Urgent Actions
for both cases.