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URGENT APPEAL: By Amnesty International
(AI)
PUBLIC AI Index: ASA 33/028/2006
20 July 2006
UA 199/06 Possible
'disappearance'/fear of torture
PAKISTAN Obaidullah Ali Baloch (m), aged 26
Samiullah Baloch (m), aged 24, his brother
Brothers Obaidullah and Samiullah Baloch were arrested by unidentified men
on 16 July 2006 in the Askari area of Quetta, Balochistan province. They
have not been seen since then. They may have 'disappeared' and are at risk
of torture.
In the afternoon of 16 July the two brothers were returning in a car from
Quetta airport, where they are working on a government-funded construction
project. When they noticed two jeeps following them, they sought
protection from military and civil police at a checkpoint. However, the
police refused to protect them. The brothers were forced to stop their
vehicle, and the unidentified men, thought to be intelligence agents,
arrested Obaidullah and Samiullah Baloch and forced them to get into
separate jeeps. They were then driven away in the direction of a nearby
military headquarters.
The family of Obaidullah and Samiullah Baloch believe that they were
arrested in connection with the activities of their elder brother
Sanaullah Baloch, who is a Senator and information secretary of the
Balochistan National Party.
He has recently been visiting other countries and discussing human rights
violations in Balochistan. Neither Obaidullah nor Samiullah Baloch is
involved in politics; nor had they previously been threatened.
The family are preparing to file a habeas corpus petition in the Quetta
Court challenging the lawfulness of their arrest and seeking to establish
their whereabouts. Senator Sanaullah Baloch described the arrest as
"political victimisation" of innocent people, saying, "If the government
has to settle political scores with me, I should be taken in, not my
innocent brothers who have no link to my political struggle."
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
A report issued by the non-governmental organization, the Human Rights
Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) in late January 2006 found scores of cases
of arbitrary arrests and detention, torture, extra judicial executions,
"disappearances" and use of excessive force by security and intelligence
forces committed in Balochistan since early 2005. The findings of the HRCP
fact-finding mission corroborate a large number of reports received by
Amnesty International from Baloch activists and civil society
organisations since early 2005. Amnesty International has issued several
urgent actions expressing its concern about arbitrary arrests and
"disappearances" of political activists. According to a January 2006
statement by Senator Sanaullah Baloch, at least 180 people have died in
bombings, 122 children have been killed by paramilitary troops and
hundreds of people have been arrested since the beginning of the campaign
in early 2005. On 8 December 2005, the federal Interior Minister stated
that some 4,000 people had been arrested in Balochistan since the
beginning of 2005. The identities, whereabouts of and
charges against many of these detainees remain unknown. Having monitored
some of these cases of arrest, detention and "disappearance", Amnesty
International believes that some of the detainees may have been
arbitrarily detained. Some of those who were found, have been subsequently
held under preventive detention legislation or on politically motivated
criminal charges, in violation of Pakistan statutory law and international
human rights standards.
A number of members of the Baloch Students Organisation (a group which
campaigns on behalf of the people of Balochistan) who had previously
'disappeared' were recently released from detention. They stated that they
had been tortured in detention including having their feet shackled, heads
covered and use of electric shocks.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible, in English or your
own language:
- expressing concern for the safety of Obaidullah and Samiullah Baloch who
were reportedly arrested by intelligence personnel on 16 July 2006;
- urging the authorities to launch an immediate investigation into the
whereabouts of the two brothers;
- reminding the government that incommunicado detention is a violation of
an individual's fundamental rights underlined by Articles 9 & 10 of the
Pakistan Constitution;
- seeking assurances that they are not being subjected to torture or
ill-treatment if they are in detention;
- calling for them to be granted access to their families, lawyers, and
any medical attention they may require;
- calling for them to be released if they are in custody, unless they are
charged with a recognizably criminal offence, in which case they must be
given a fair and prompt trial.
APPEALS TO:
(Please note that email addresses in Pakistan can be unreliable. If you
receive notification that your message has not been delivered, please
re-send your email. If it fails again, please use fax numbers or postal
addresses to send your appeal.)
President Pervez Musharraf
Pakistan Secretariat
Islamabad, Pakistan
Fax: + 92 51 9221422
E-mail: CE@pak.gov.pk
Salutation: Dear President
Mr. Muhammad Wasi Zafar
Minister of Law, Justice and Human Rights
S Block, Pak. Sectt. Islamabad, Pakistan
Fax: + 92 51 9202628
E-Mail: minister@molaw.gov.pk
Salutation: Dear Minister
Governor of Balochistan
Awais Ghani
Governor House
Quetta, Balochistan, Pakistan
Fax: + 92 81 920 2178 / 2992
Salutation: Dear Governor
COPIES TO:
diplomatic representatives of Pakistan accredited to your country.
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY. Check with the International Secretariat,
or your section office, if sending appeals after 31 August 2006.
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