Hanging the womb of Iraq; Stop the executions!

Hanging the womb of Iraq; Stop the executions!

On the imminent execution of three women in Iraq:

Dear Friends,

I am forwarding this urgent appeal to intervene against the proposed executions of three Iraqi women. Last year, your help saved the life of a woman Iraqi journalist.

Below is a very complete package of information regarding these women, a call for endorsements, and people to write to. Please consider endorsing and writing/emailing . If you need copies of this in Arabic or French, contact Ms. Bayaty, whose email is below.

My apologies for duplications.

Thank you,
Judith Karpova

Dear Judith,

thank you very much for your support, you have been added to the list of endorsers.
I shall keep you updated on the advancement of the campaign. But, for now, please read, use, and distribute the following document. It comprises possible political and legal steps to be taken, with relevant contacts.
Some people are lobbying the EU, UN bodies in Geneva, others the press etc...

Thanks in advance for your help.

yours in struggle,
hana al bayaty
hanaalbayaty@gmail.com

On the imminent execution of three women in Iraq:

THERE ARE TWO PARTS TO THIS MESSAGE:

1. STATEMENT in English. Please click here to endorse.

2. What we can do (PRACTICAL ACTION).

PART ONE: STATEMENT

We are working to gather endorsers for this statement and to constitute a team to organize coordinated action on behalf of the three women who face imminent execution. Please send endorsements or expressions of willingness to work to hanaalbayaty@gmail.com
_______________

We hope all endorse, distribute widely, organize and act. Please reply to hanaalbayaty@gmail.com
Statement by Hana Albayaty, Ian Douglas, Abdul Ilah Albayaty, Iman Saadoon, Dirk Adriaensens and Ayse Berktay (14 February 2007)

Hanging the womb of Iraqso
Stop the executions!

Wassan Talib, 31 years old, Zainab Fadhil, 25 years old, and Liqa Omar Muhammad, 26 years old, face imminent execution in Iraq, all charged with “offences against the public welfare” by a government that cannot even provide electricity but fills the streets with dead bodies. All are in Baghdad’s Al-Kadhimiya Prison. Two have small children beside them. The 1-year-old daughter of Liqa was born in prison. All women deny the charges for which they face hanging.

Paragraph 156 of the Iraqi Penal Code, under which they were judged, reads: “Any person who wilfully commits an act with intent to violate the independence of the country or its unity or the security of its territory and that act by its nature, leads to such violation is punishable by death.” Iraq’s “puppet” government charges these women with its own crimes.
None of the three women was permitted to see a lawyer. The trials to which they were subject are illegal under international law. All three are prisoners of war with protected rights under the Third Geneva Convention. Their execution would not only be illegal and summary, it would be utterly immoral. Civilization around the world reviles the death penalty while Iraq’s feudal leaders make a public spectacle of executions.

In a country where it is evident there is no state or judicial system, the occupation and its puppet government use, as all repressive regimes in history, fake tribunals to exterminate those who oppose them. No legal judgement can be issued while there isn’t the civilised conditions of due process, at least the presence and security of lawyers.

Iraqi women are testament to the life of the nation of Iraq. By contrast, the US-installed government, in its backwardness, imposes only a culture of death. Whereas Iraq was the most progressive state in the region for women’s rights, with the US invasion protective legislation was cancelled. The United States and its local conspirators, in creating hundreds of thousands of widows and reducing life in Iraq to a struggle for bare survival, have placed women in the crosshairs and now on the gallows.

Women are always the first and last victims of war. We celebrate the numberless acts of resistance of Iraqi women, whether their resilience in the face of a culture of rape, torture and murder by US and Iraqi forces, their fortitude in continuing to give life amid state-sponsored genocide, their dignity as they try to maintain a semblance of normality for their children and families, their courage in burying their husbands, sons, daughters or brothers, or in direct action against an illegal and failed military occupation.
We demand the release of Wassan, Zainab and Liqa and all political prisoners in Iraq. We call upon all persons, organisations, parliaments, workers, syndicates and states to withdraw recognition from this pro-occupation, sectarian Iraqi government. We call for immediate protest in front of every Iraqi embassy worldwide. There is no honour in murdering women. Occupation is the highest form of dictatorship. It is not these three women who should be prosecuted; it is this government and its foreign paymaster.

Hana Albayaty
Ian Douglas
Abdul Ilah Albayaty
Iman Saadoon
Dirk Adriaensens
Ayse Berktay

First endorsers:

Dr Lieven De Cauter, initiator of the BRussells Tribunal, philosopher, K.U. Leuven / Rits – Belgium
Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, former Prime Minister of Malaysia, chairman of the Perdana Global Peace Organisation – Malaysia
Eduardo Galeano, Essayist, journalist, historian, and activist – Uruguay
Ramsey Clark, former attorney general of the United States, founder of the International Action Center – USA
Dr Curtis Doebbler, international human rights lawyer, professor of law at An–Najah National University – Palestine
Hans Von Sponeck, former UN assistant secretary general & UN humanitarian coordinator for Iraq, 1998-2000 – Germany
Anna Karamanou, former member of the European Parliament, former chairwomen of the Committee of Women’s Rights of the European Parliament
Amy Bartholomew, professor of law – Canada
Aida Seif El Dawla, founding member and chairperson of the Egyptian Association Against Torture, El–Nadim Centre for the Psychological Rehabilitation of Victims of Violence – Egypt
Karen Parker, Attorney, Association of Humanitarian Lawyers – USA
Dr Paola Manduca, Professor of Genetics, Anti–war movement – Italy
Susan George, director of the Transnational Institute – France
Salah Omar Al Ali, former representative of Iraq at the UN, Al-Wifaq – Iraq
Nilofer Bhagwat, vice president of Indian Lawyers Association – Mumbai / India
Fabio Marcelli, Vice secretary of the International Association of Democratic Lawyers – Italy
Saadallah Al-Fathi, former head of the Energy Studies Department at OPEC – Iraq
Mondher Adhami, research fellow at Kings College London – Iraq / UK
Wafaa Al-Natheema, founder of the Institute for Near Eastern and African Studies – USA
Dahlia Wasfi, Anti-war activist, speaker, Global Exchange – Iraq / USA
Eman Ahmed Khammas, former co-director of Occupation Watch, journalist, translator – Iraq
Dr Fadhil Bedran, author – Iraq
John Catalinotto, International Action Center – USA
Sara Flounders, International Action Center – USA
Sigyn Meder, member of the Iraq Solidarity Association – Sweden
Socorro Gomes, president of the Brazilian Center for Solidarity with the Peoples’ in Struggle for Peace – Brazil
José Reinaldo Carvalho, Brazilian Center for Solidarity with the Peoples’ in Struggle for Peace – Brazil
Carlos Varea, coordinator and Spanish Campaign against Occupation and for the Sovereignty of Iraq, CEOSI – Spain
Corinne Kumar, Secretary General of El Taller International - Tunesia / India
Khaled Mouammar, National President of the Canadian Arab Federation – Canada
Ahmed Manai, director of the Tunisian Institute for International Relations – France
Ali Al-Sarraf, author – Iraq
Hussein Al-Alak, chair of The Iraq Solidarity Campaign – UK / Iraq
Paola Pisi, founder of Uruknet – Italy
Dr Esmail Nooriala, Iranian-American writer and Lecturer on Islam University of Denver – USA
Dr Chris Busby, Scientific Secretary to the European Committee on Radiation Risk. Expert and author on DU – UK
Dr Suhair Abbas, senior lecturer at the University of Sains, Malaysia – Iraq
Mona Baker, professor of translation studies, University of Manchester – UK
Sarah Meyer, independent researcher – UK
Samia Mehrez, professor of Arabic studies – Egypt
Petros Constantinou, national coordinator, Campaign Genoa 2001 – Greece
Jean Bricmont, scientist, specialist in theoretical physics, U.C. Louvain-La-Neuve – Belgium
Yiannis Sifakakis, coordinator, Stop the War Coalition Greece – Greece
Maria Ligia Centurion Prieto, member of La Unión de Mujeres Paraguayas (Paraguay-Sud América) – Paraguay
Ludo Abicht, University of Antwerpen – Belgium
Dr Barbara Nimri Aziz, executive producer, “Tahrir”, Pacifica WBAI Radio, NY – USA
Lamis Jamal Deek, attorney, member of Al-Awda New York – Palestine
Ceylan Özerengin, journalist – Turkey
Jan–Erik Lundström, director of the BildMuseet in Umea, co-organiser of the Iraqi Equation – Sweden
Amira Howeidy, journalist, Al-Ahram – Egypt
Serene Assir, journalist, Al-Ahram – Egypt
Dr Herman De Ley, emeritus professor, Department of Philosophy and Moral Science, Ghent University – Belgium
Alison Weir, executive director, “If Americans Knew” – USA
Susan Stout, Vancouver – Canada
Judith Karpova, writer, renewable energy consultant – USA
Mark Richey, member of Earthlink
Gurdial Singh, professor of law, University of Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur – Malaysia
Yusra Marwan Jamous - Palestine
Nada Kassass, activist
Basem Khader
Meissoon Azzaria
Shokook Mirzadegi, writer and journalist
Marie Noelle Lombard
Roland Lombard
Frigga Karl
Lim Ai Yim
Malika Manai
Raymonde Coudert, lecturer at the Université Paris VII – France
Michael Letwin, co-convener New York City Labor Against the War & former president of the Association of Legal Aid Attorneys/UAW Local 2325 – USA
Nancy McGuire
Frans Dumortier (Charles Ducal) poet - Belgium
Geert Van Moorter, medical doctor – Belgium
Catherine Thys, translator – Belgium
Laurie Bretz
Hedy Epstein, St Louis – USA
Gilda Della Ragione – Italy
Jim Harding
Janet Stoody
Karin Friedemann
Hanna Braun – UK
Claude Grégoire – Luxembourg
Mirene Ghossein, NY – USA
Mireille Delamarre, publisher www.planetenonviolence.org – France
Sara Powell – Oakland
Barbara Laxon
Megan Aghotte, NY – USA
Janine Borel, Comité de lutte contre la barbarie et l'arbitraire – France
Ivan Dhondt – Belgium
Marinella Correggia – Italy
Marlene Newesri, NY – USA
Ramsis Lutfy
Judy Lutfy
Howard Johnson
Samira Kinani, Syndicalist – Morocco
Luke Skinner, founder, administrator of the Olive Branch Network
Mariana Pérez – Mexico
Asma D. Al-Haidari
Stefan van den Broeck, author/teacher – Belgium
Brigitte Demeester
Coekelberghs Ralph
Irtiqa Faris
Yvonne Schmidt, Institute of International Law and International Relations, Karl-Franzens-University of Graz – Austria
Dee Reynolds, School of Languages, Linguistics and Cultures, University of Manchester – UK
Rich Siegel – USA
Daria I. A. Mercer – Canada
Mohammed Mrabti
Frank Stappaerts, Antwerpen – Belgium
Susan Stout, Vancouver – Canada
Nadia Soubat, Syndicalist at the Democratic Confederation of Labor – Morocco
Shannon Lee Mannion, member of the Nowar/Paix and Together Against War groups in Ottawa – Canada
Sally Bland, teacher and writer, resident in Amman  – Jordan
Violette Daguerre, member of the Commission Arab of Human Rights  – France
Ahmed Simozrag: Algerian lawyer
Gérard CHEVROT – France
Paul Vanden Bavière – Belgium
Enrique Ferro, peace activist  – Belgium
El Madani El Wafi
D.A. Thomson, Vancouver  – Canada
Agatha Haun, free-lance translator
Eileen Lundy, Ph.D., texas – USA
Dr Helen Hills, Reader in History of Art, University of York
Athan Gregoriades
Christopher Norris, Distinguished Research Professor in Philosophy, Cardiff University, Wales  – UK
Sulafah Awad
Heike Weber
Bannoura Awad
Haitham Awa
Ghassan Hassaki
Nesrien Amro
Ramia Rashied
Samia Rashied
Ezdihar Al Haj
Abdelhak JALLANE Jalal, FONCTIONNAIRE. ARTISTE  – France
Jean-Pierre ROBERT, webmaster Roncq – France http://www.palestine-solidarite.org
Jeanne vercheval-Vervoort
Ginette hss skandrani, écologiste – France
Jean-Paul CRUSE, Journaliste indépendant, écrivain Le Monde Réel – France
Robert Hunger Fredericton, NB  – Canada
Malika Abdelaziz
Merih IPEK, Turkey
Diakalia OUATTARA  – Côte d'Ivoire
Sungur SAVRAN, author, economist  – Turkey

Organizations

Iraq Solidarity Association – Stockholm
Centro Brasileiro de Solidariedade aos Povos e Luta pela Paz Cebrapaz – Brazilian Center for Solidarity with the Peoples’ in Struggle for Peace – Brazil
The BRussells Tribunal Committee
Spanish Campaign against Occupation and for the Sovereignty of Iraq, CEOSI
International Action Center – USA
International Anti-Occupation Network
International Movement for a Just World (JUST)
Gerald and Maas
Canadian Arab Federation – Canada
Tunisian Institute of International Relations – France
Planete Non-Violence
Comite de lutte contre la barbarie et l’arbitraire – France
La Unión de Mujeres Paraguayas – Paraguay
Stop The War Coalition – Greece
Campaign Genoa 2001 – Greece
Association of Humanitarian Lawyers – USA
El Taller International, Tunis
Asian Women’s Human Rights Council, India
Lola Kompanyera, Phillipines
Centre for Development Studies, India
Institute of Philosophy, Cuba
Gender Equity Unit, University of the Western Cape, South Africa
Agir Contre la Guerre (ACG)
Americans Against War (AAW)

Statement by Abdul Ilah Albayaty

(11 February 2007)

Wassan Talib, 31 years old, Zainab Fadhil, 25 years old, and Liqa Omar Mohammed, 26 years old, accused of belonging to and participating in the Iraqi resistance, summarily judged in a simulacra of a trial, in the absence of lawyers, will be executed 3 March 2007 in Baghdad.

Lawyers, persuaded that your very presence is the guarantee of justice

Syndicates and workers who celebrate the international feast of 1 May in memory of the American workers judged on false accusations

Religious of all religions who carry in you the suffering of Christ, crucified after a false trial

Marxists revolted by the false trials fabricated by powers like the one of Rosa Luxembourg

Militants conscious that this could happen to you whatever is your cause

Defenders of human rights, in particular the right to fair trial

Women who give life and of whom the flesh shakes in front of the atrocity of such executions

Arabs, proud and in solidarity with the sacrifices of the Iraqi people against the barbarity of the occupation and its puppet government

Civilised beings, human beings who refuse the so-called “legal” murders perpetrated by states

ALL, let’s unite ourselves, raise our voices to scream our indignation, refuse the horrors and the regression of our civilisation, and prevent the assassinations of Wassan, Zainab and Liqa.
Abdul Ilah Albayaty
___________________

We hope all endorse, distribute widely, organize and act. Please reply to hanaalbayaty@gmail.com
____________________

PART TWO: PRACTICAL ACTION

These impending executions are illegal, immoral, summary and an outrage. For context, I encourage all to read the last piece by Layla Anwar and another posted on Truth-About-Iraqis.

There are at least four sets of things we can do:

1. Spread information in all of our networks, and in the media, on the imminent summary execution of the three Iraqi women. Contact local and national newspapers. Build pressure that way.

2. Organize protests at US or Iraqi embassies worldwide.

3. Pressure key human rights practitioners to intervene. Find below suggestions.

4. Written protest to the holding authorities (Iraqi Ministry of Justice and the occupation). Find below draft letters.
Points 1 and 2 people can organize themselves.

Please keep us updated on your actions.
Send mail to ian@powerfoundation.org and hanaalbayaty@gmail.com

3. Pressuring key human rights practitioners to intervene

We need pressure feeding upwards and downwards from all levels. I and others — including legal specialists — will work to submit urgent action petitions to the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention and the UN special rapporteur on extra-judicial, summary or arbitrary executions.

Others could usefully put pressure on (click on hyperlinks for emails):

a) the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). Write directly to High Commissioner Louise Arbour and Cc this email. Mark all mails "Urgent Action". +41-22-917-9022 (fax) It may be useful to review the OHCHR model complaint form.

b) the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq. Contact director Said Arikat or information officers Furat Al-Jamil and Adnan Jarrar, or Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Iraq Ashraf Qazi directly. Mark all mails "Urgent Action". (no known fax number — email only)

c) the EU Commissioner for Human Rights. Mark all mails "Urgent Action". + 33 (0)3-9021-5053 (fax)

NOTE: The response (if any) from Geneva and Brussels might well be that this is a issue for the Iraqi government, over which they have no power or influence. Kindly remind them that there is an occupation, and that there is no such thing as national jurisdiction under occupation. Remind them that several European countries are contributing, in one way or another, to Multinational Force-Iraq.

Human rights organizations can also be pressed to issue urgent alerts on this case and to take a position. Amnesty International already has and should be supported in this action and pressed to go further. Others (like Human Rights Watch) should be alerted and pressed to act.

Relevant human rights instruments:

International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
Third Geneva Convention relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War
Fourth Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilians in Time of War
UN Safeguards Guaranteeing Protection of the Rights of Those Facing the Death Penalty
Iraqi Law of Criminal Proceedings with Amendments (1971)

4. Written protest to the holding authorities

Individuals must decide for themselves if they are willing to take the step of addressing the puppet forces of the occupation, or indeed the occupation itself.

a) Iraqi government:

Minister of Justice Hashim Al-Shilbi (Cc this email and also his deputy)
Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki
President Jalal Talabani

Draft letter of enquiry/protest to Iraqi authorities:

To Iraqi authorities in occupied Iraq
Cc: International Committee of the Red Cross
      UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
      UN representant in Iraq
      IRIN news agency
      Amnesty International
      Al-Jazeera, Reuters, BBC

RE: The Imminent Execution of Wassan Talib, Zainab Fadhil and Liqa Omar Muhammad

I am appalled by reports of the conviction and imminent execution of Wassan Talib (31), Zainab Fadhil (25) and Liqa Omar Muhammad (26) after unfair trials during which they had no access to legal counsel and faced charges that cannot be brought in national courts in Iraq.

All three are held in Baghdad’s Al-Kadhimiya Prison. Two have small children beside them. The 1-year-old daughter of Liqa was born in prison. All three women deny the charges brought against them. Amnesty International has highlighted their case in an "Urgent Alert": http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGMDE140052007

Wassan Talib, Zainab Fadhil and Liqa Omar Muhammad were reportedly all convicted under Article 156 of the Iraqi Penal Code, which reads: "Any person who willfully commits an act with intent to violate the independence of the country or its unity or the security of its territory and that act, by its nature, leads to such violation is punishable by death."

Wassan Talib, Zainab Fadhil and Liqa Omar Muhammad are accused of being part of — or taking part in — the Iraqi resistance. These are not charges that the Iraqi government can bring upon anyone. International law affirms: "the legitimacy of the struggle of peoples for independence, territorial integrity, national unity and liberation from colonial and foreign domination and foreign occupation by all available means, including armed struggle” (UN General Assembly Resolution 37/43, adopted 3 December 1982). If these women are to be detained at all, international law demands that they be treated as combatants and prisoners of war. As POWs, all three women enjoy protected rights under the Third Geneva Convention. They cannot be tried and executed summarily. Strict conditions apply to their treatment in all respects.

Once again, all three women deny the charges brought against them.

In light of the above:

I add my name to the many now demanding the immediate release of Wassan Talib, Zainab Fadhil and Liqa Omar Muhammad.
I add my name to the many who demand, as a minimum, that all three women are given immediate independent legal counsel, as is their right under international humanitarian law, whether treated as combatants (Article 99 of the Third Geneva Convention) or civilians (Article 113 of the Fourth Geneva Convention). Iraq and the United States, individually and severally, are also bound to the principles of international human rights law, including Article 14 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which guarantees the right to fair trial.

I add my name to the many who oppose completely the execution of Wassan Talib, Zainab Fadhil and Liqa Omar Muhammad. Their execution would not only be immoral and an outrage, it would be illegal under international law. The fact alone that they had no access to legal counsel makes their imminent execution "arbitrary", "summary" and "extra-judicial" by definitional legal standards.

Civilization reviles the death penalty in all cases. I remind you that Article 3 of the UN Safeguards Guaranteeing Protection of the Rights of those Facing the Death Penalty (ECOSOC resolution 1984/50, adopted 25 May 1984) stipulates that the death penalty cannot be imposed on new mothers. Further, Article 5 demands that no death penalty be passed unless the legal process is competent and all due process rights are safeguarded, in particular by allowing defendants free and regular access to legal counsel. None of the women was able to consult a lawyer. Article 6 of the UN Safeguards guarantees that anyone sentenced to death shall have the right to appeal before a court of higher jurisdiction. Article 8 of the UN Safeguards demands that capital punishment shall not be carried out pending any appeal.

I also remind you that holding detainees in an unsafe location is a violation of Article 85 of the Fourth Geneva Convention.

In light of the above:

I request immediate information on the well-being of Wassan Talib, Zainab Fadhil and Liqa Omar Muhammad.

I request information on the legal standing of Wassan Talib, Zainab Fadhil and Liqa Omar Muhammad.

I request detailed information on the charges Wassan Talib, Zainab Fadhil and Liqa Omar Muhammad have faced and been convicted on.

I await your timely reply to these requests. Kindly confirm the full names and dates of birth of Wassan Talib, Zainab Fadhil and Liqa Omar Muhammad in any communication.

Sincerely,
[ Signature here]

Cc addresses:

International Committee of the Red Cross: + 41-22-733-2057 (fax) and Email.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: +41-22-917-9008 (fax) and Email.
UN representant in Iraq: +1-212-963-2800 (fax) and Email.
IRIN News Agency: +971 (4) 368-1024 (fax) and Email.
Amnesty International: +44-20-7956-1157 (fax) and Email.
Al-Jazeera: +974-442-6865 (fax) and Email.
Reuters: +44-20-7542-4064 (fax) and Email.
BBC: +44-20-7557-1254 (fax) and Email.

b) Multinational Force-Iraq:

Address to: General David H. Petraeus Commanding General Multi-National Force - Iraq
Lieutenant General G. C. M. Lamb Deputy Commanding General Multi-National Force - Iraq
Care of: MAJ Vincent Mitchell / CPT Tommy Mitchel.

Draft letter of enquiry/protest to the occupation:

To US command in occupied Iraq
Cc: International Committee of the Red Cross
      UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
      UN representant in Iraq
      IRIN news agency
      Amnesty International
      Al-Jazeera, Reuters, BBC

RE: The Imminent Execution of Wassan Talib, Zainab Fadhil and Liqa Omar Muhammad

I am appalled by reports of the conviction and imminent execution of Wassan Talib (31), Zainab Fadhil (25) and Liqa Omar Muhammad (26) after unfair trials during which they had no access to legal counsel and faced charges that cannot be brought in national courts in Iraq.

All three are held in Baghdad’s Al-Kadhimiya Prison. Two have small children beside them. The 1-year-old daughter of Liqa was born in prison. All three women deny the charges brought against them. Amnesty International has highlighted their case in an "Urgent Alert": http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGMDE140052007

Wassan Talib, Zainab Fadhil and Liqa Omar Muhammad were reportedly all convicted under Article 156 of the Iraqi Penal Code, which reads: "Any person who willfully commits an act with intent to violate the independence of the country or its unity or the security of its territory and that act, by its nature, leads to such violation is punishable by death."

Wassan Talib, Zainab Fadhil and Liqa Omar Muhammad are accused of being part of — or taking part in — the Iraqi resistance. These are not charges that the Iraqi government can bring upon anyone. International law affirms: "the legitimacy of the struggle of peoples for independence, territorial integrity, national unity and liberation from colonial and foreign domination and foreign occupation by all available means, including armed struggle” (UN General Assembly Resolution 37/43, adopted 3 December 1982). If these women are to be detained at all, international law demands that they be treated as combatants and prisoners of war. As POWs, all three women enjoy protected rights under the Third Geneva Convention. They cannot be tried and executed summarily. Strict conditions apply to their treatment in all respects.

Once again, all three women deny the charges brought against them.

In light of the above:

I add my name to the many now demanding the immediate release of Wassan Talib, Zainab Fadhil and Liqa Omar Muhammad.

I add my name to the many who demand, as a minimum, that all three women are given immediate independent legal counsel, as is their right under international humanitarian law, whether treated as combatants (Article 99 of the Third Geneva Convention) or civilians (Article 113 of the Fourth Geneva Convention). Iraq and the United States, individually and severally, are also bound to the principles of international human rights law, including Article 14 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which guarantees the right to fair trial.

I add my name to the many who oppose completely the execution of Wassan Talib, Zainab Fadhil and Liqa Omar Muhammad. Their execution would not only be immoral and an outrage, it would be illegal under international law. The fact alone that they had no access to legal counsel makes their imminent execution "arbitrary", "summary" and "extra-judicial" by definitional legal standards.

Civilization reviles the death penalty in all cases. I remind you that Article 3 of the UN Safeguards Guaranteeing Protection of the Rights of those Facing the Death Penalty (ECOSOC resolution 1984/50, adopted 25 May 1984) stipulates that the death penalty cannot be imposed on new mothers. Further, Article 5 demands that no death penalty be passed unless the legal process is competent and all due process rights are safeguarded, in particular by allowing defendants free and regular access to legal counsel. None of the women was able to consult a lawyer. Article 6 of the UN Safeguards guarantees that anyone sentenced to death shall have the right to appeal before a court of higher jurisdiction. Article 8 of the UN Safeguards demands that capital punishment shall not be carried out pending any appeal.

I also remind you that holding detainees in an unsafe location is a violation of Article 85 of the Fourth Geneva Convention.

In light of the above:

I request immediate information on the well-being of Wassan Talib, Zainab Fadhil and Liqa Omar Muhammad.

I request information on the legal standing of Wassan Talib, Zainab Fadhil and Liqa Omar Muhammad.

I request detailed information on the charges Wassan Talib, Zainab Fadhil and Liqa Omar Muhammad have faced and been convicted on.

I await your timely reply to these requests. Kindly confirm the full names and dates of birth of Wassan Talib, Zainab Fadhil and Liqa Omar Muhammad in any communication.

Sincerely,
[ Signature here]

Cc addresses:

International Committee of the Red Cross: + 41-22-733-2057 (fax) and Email.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: +41-22-917-9008 (fax) and Email.
UN representant in Iraq: +1-212-963-2800 (fax) and Email.
IRIN News Agency: +971 (4) 368-1024 (fax) and Email.
Amnesty International: +44-20-7956-1157 (fax) and Email.
Al-Jazeera: +974-442-6865 (fax) and Email.
Reuters: +44-20-7542-4064 (fax) and Email.
BBC: +44-20-7557-1254 (fax) and Email.
Dr Ian Douglas
Visiting Professor
Political Science Department
An-Najah National University
Nablus, Palestine

+44 207 067 8399 (fax)
+972 59 9 426 906 (mobile Nablus)
+972 54 794 1029 (mobile Jerusalem)
+20 12 167 1660 (mobile Cairo)
http://www.najah.edu