AI: Cameroon bulletin 1/28/00 for nytaf@ursula; Fri, 11 Feb 2000 09:02:00 -0500 Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit +------------------------------------------------------+ + AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL URGENT ACTION BULLETIN + + Electronic distribution authorised + + This bulletin expires: 25 February 2000. + +------------------------------------------------------+ PUBLIC AI Index: AFR 17/03/00 28 January 2000 Further information on EXTRA 168/99 (AFR 17/12/99, 26 November 1999) and follow-ups (AFR 17/13/99, 3 December 1999, AFR 17/01/00, 5 January 2000) - Fear of "disappearance"/Extrajudicial execution CAMEROON Maurice Tchambou Maurice Tchambou has now been held without charge or trial by the security forces for more than two months, and is being denied all visits. Amnesty International is seriously concerned for his safety. Maurice Tchambou was arrested by the paramilitary police, the gendarmerie, on 21 November 1999, in Maroua, Far-North Province. He was then transferred to the custody of the brigade anti-gang, a combined military-gendarmerie unit deployed to combat armed robbery in northern Cameroon. The brigade anti-gang has carried out up to 700 extrajudicial executions of suspected armed robbers since it was first deployed in March 1998 (see Cameroon: Extrajudicial executions in North and Far-North Provinces, AI Index: AFR 17/16/98, December 1998). Maurice Tchambou is a member of the non-governmental human rights organization Mouvement pour la defense des droits de l'homme et des libertes (MDDHL), Movement for the Defence of Human Rights and Liberties, which has actively investigated and campaigned against these killings. MDDHL members have been repeatedly intimidated and threatened because of their work. Under Cameroon law, Maurice Tchambou should have been referred to a judicial authority to be either charged or released within 72 hours of his arrest. He has not been charged with any offence and there is no legal basis for his continuing detention. It appears that he may have been arrested solely because of his association with the MDDHL. +-----------------------------------------------------------+ + Supporters of Amnesty International around the world are + + writing urgent appeals in response to the concerns + + described above. If you would like to join with them in + + this action or have any queries about the Urgent Action + + network or Amnesty International in general, please + + contact one of the following: + + + + Ray Mitchell, ua@amnesty.org.uk (UK) + + Scott Harrison, sharrison@igc.apc.org (USA) + + Guido Gabriel, ggabriel@amnesty.cl.sub.de (Germany) + + Marilyn McKim, mmckim@amnesty.ca (Canada) + + ua@aibf.be (Belgium) + + Anne Nolan, ua@amnesty.iol.ie (Ireland) + +-----------------------------------------------------------+ ================================================================= NY Transfer News Collective * A Service of Blythe Systems Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us 339 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012 http://www.blythe.org e-mail: nyt@blythe.org ================================================================= nytaf-02.11.00-09:01:58-20951