Newsletter December, 2011 |
|
|
Working for a world where every person's right to a fair trial is respected, whatever their nationality, wherever they are accused. In this issue
Benny Wenda: refugee pursued through Interpol red notice
Benny leads an international campaign for the independence of West Papua from Indonesia. Due to his activities he has reported how he was persecuted by the Indonesian government, subjected to torture and to a politically-motivated prosecution. He escaped to the UK and was given asylum in 2002. Benny is now a British citizen and lives with his wife and six children in Oxford. In 2011, Benny discovered that Interpol had listed a “red notice” against him following a request from the Indonesian police. This red notice authorizes Benny’s provisional arrest with a view to extradition to face prosecution on the same politically-motivated charges that caused him to flee West Papua. If Benny leaves the UK he could therefore be arrested and extradited to Indonesia. Despite being the leader in exile of his people, Benny is now unable to travel to meet with international campaign supporters or with other West Papuan exiles. Interpol is the second largest international organisation, after the United Nations, with 190 member countries and an annual budget of more than 50 million euro. Benny’s case demonstrates how this powerful international body is open to abuse. Furthermore, despite the impact on Benny’s life, there is no effective way to challenge the red notice against him. Interpol is currently operating in a legal vacuum. FTI is calling for the notice against Benny to be removed and for broader reform of Interpol to make it accountable and prevent its abuse. For more information about Benny’s case, click here. For more information about Interpol and FTI's campaign for reform, click here. New advice notes launchedFor nearly twenty years Fair Trials International has helped people arrested outside their own country to defend their right to a fair trial. We now offer general information, practical tips and referrals to hundreds of people every year. For many of our beneficiaries, not understanding how the local legal system works is one of the most difficult things. We are therefore delighted to launch a series of new advice notes on criminal proceedings and defence rights in a selection of the countries from which we receive the most requests for help (including, Spain, Italy and the United States). These notes draw on our experience over many years and provide practical answers to the questions we are most frequently asked, such as: “How long can I be held before trial?” and “What will happen in court?”. We will continue to add to these with new notes on other countries. These notes will enable us to reach many more people and to do so much more quickly. They can, for example, be downloaded from our website and we are working with Ministries of Foreign Affairs to ensure people receive them as quickly as possible after arrest, when advice and information can make an enormous difference. We would like to thank the many individuals and organisations without whose generous support and advice we could not have produced these notes. To learn more about the assistance we provide, click here. To access our notes, click here. UK Parliament demands urgent reform of European Arrest Warrant
This month several FTI clients delivered a joint letter to all MPs, calling on them to vote for urgent reform of Europe's fast-track extradition regime. The letter was signed by Deborah Dark, Edmond Arapi, Garry Mann , Michael Turner, Andrew Symeou and Tracey Molamphy, all of whom have suffered injustice under the European Arrest Warrant. During the debate in the UK Parliament on 6th December, there was substantial recognition of our clients’ cases and of Fair Trials International's work to highlight problems with the operation of Europe’s extradition system. MPs from across the political spectrum backed our proposals for the reforms needed to create a fairer extradition system and voted in favour of a motion to demand “reform of the UK’s extradition arrangements as a matter of urgency”. The UK Government confirmed that it is considering what action to take in response to the growing pressure for reform. To read the letter, click here. To read more about the debate and vote in Parliament, click here. EU moves closer to Information on Rights for all suspects
This month the European Parliament voted overwhelmingly in favour of a new law that will ensure that people arrested in any EU country receive clear information about their defence rights and about the charges against them. Our clients’ experiences of justice systems across Europe present compelling evidence of the need for an effective guarantee of this basic human right. Garry Mann, for example, suffered a grossly unfair trial in Portugal because of a lack of information about his rights and about the prosecution case against him. The 27 Member States of the EU will now have two years in which to implement these new laws. This is the second measure under the procedural rights Roadmap adopted two years ago to deliver stronger fair trial rights across Europe. The first guaranteed the right to interpreting and translation facilities and was passed in June 2010. The third, on access to legal advice and the right to notify others of arrest, is being negotiated. For more information on our work for defence rights in Europe, please click here. Support us
Read more at www.fairtrials.net |
Subscriptions[email address suppressed] received this because you subscribed on our website, or you indicated you would like to receive our newsletter. If you no longer wish to hear from us, you can unsubscribe instantly. You can always re-subscribe.. Pass it onIf you know someone who may be interested in receiving this newsletter, you can easily forward it to a friend (or 5!) KEEP INFORMEDAs well as our newsletter, all our website updates can be read on our RSS News Feed. You can also find us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter SUPPORT USFair Trials International relies on your generosity to continue our ever-increasing case work and campaigns to promote fair trials according to international standards of justice. Read how you can help. Contact UsFair Trials International Registered England & Wales: |