Wire March/April 2014 by Wire magazine

A letter from you could help free a prisoner, stop an execution or help a bereaved family recieve justice.

torture surViVor in 14 prisoners forcibly 13th year without trial disappeared

health fears for poet

name: Mohamed al-Qahtani location: USA

name: Liu Xia location: China

Saudi Arabian national Mohamed al-Qahtani has been in US military custody without trial for more than 12 years. In December 2001, after 11 days in Pakistani custody, he was handed over to US forces in Afghanistan. He has been held at the US naval base at Guantánamo Bay in Cuba since 13 February 2002. In 2002, US authorities started to suspect Mohamed al-Qahtani of prior knowledge of the 9/11 attacks. He was put into isolation for six months, confined to a cold, permanently-lit cell without sunlight for 24 hours a day. He was subjected to interrogation techniques including sleep deprivation, loud music, bright lights, stress positions, the use of dogs to instil fear, sexual humiliation and forced nudity. Mohamed al-Qahtani was charged for capital trial by military commission in 2008, but the charges were soon dismissed. “We tortured Qahtani,” the official responsible explained in 2009. “His treatment met the legal definition of torture”. No one has been brought to justice for this. The Obama administration labelled Mohamed alQahtani as “referred for prosecution” in January 2010, but he has not been re-charged. There has been no ruling on the legal challenge to his detention, first filed in 2005. In December 2013, a US federal judge put a hold on court proceedings because Mohamed al-Qahtani “still appears to be incompetent and unable to assist effectively in this case”.

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your letter can help protect him: Please call for Mohamed al-Qahtani to be released immediately, unless he is promptly charged and brought to fair trial in federal court. Also call for those responsible for torturing and otherwise ill-treating him to be brought to justice. start your letter ‘dear president obama’ and send it to: President Barack Obama The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Washington, DC 20500 USA

names: El Khadim Ould Semane, Sidi Ould Sidna, Mohamed Ould Chabarnou, Maarouf Ould Haiba, Mohamed Abdellahi Ould Ahmednah Ould Mohamed Salem, Mohamed Ould Abdou, Abderrahmane Ould Areda, Mohamed Ould Chbih, Amar Ould Mohamed Saleh, Taghi Ould Youssouf, Salem Ould Hemmod, Tiyeb Ould Saleck, Mohamed Mahmoud Ould Sebty dit Dahoud Sebty and Mohamed Khaled. location: Mauritania Fourteen men convicted on terrorism-related charges and imprisoned in Mauritania’s capital, Nouakchott were subjected to enforced disappearance on 23 May 2011 (two of their relatives are pictured above). At least six of them had previously told Amnesty that they had been tortured and denied access to a lawyer, their families, or a doctor. At 3am, policemen with their faces hidden reportedly came to the prison with a list of names: “They called out names and asked the detainees to come with them. Nobody knew what was going on,” a fellow prisoner told Amnesty. Military police then took the 14 men away. A month later, the prisoners’ personal belongings, including mattresses, books and clothes, were returned to their families without explanation. While the families recently received letters from the detainees after two years of silence the authorities keep refusing to say where the men are and why they were taken. Amnesty’s Researcher Gatean Mootoo recently met the families: “We could see their devastation. Many had difficulty even speaking, they were so upset.”

your letter could help protect the 14 men: Please urge the President to disclose where the 14 prisoners are, to give them access to their families, lawyers and medical treatment if they need it. start your letter ‘dear president’ and send it to: General Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz President of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania Secretary of the President, Ely Kyakh Presidency, BP 184 Nouakchott, Mauritania

Poet and artist Liu Xia (above, right) had a heart attack in January and has been diagnosed with a heart condition. She has been prevented from receiving the treatment she needs in hospital and we are increasingly worried about her physical and mental health. In addition to her heart condition, we believe she is also suffering from severe depression. Liu Xia has been under illegal house arrest since 8 October 2010. On the same day, her imprisoned husband Liu Xiaobo won the Nobel Peace Prize for his human rights work. Hours after the announcement, police confiscated Liu Xia’s phone. They took her to Liaoning province to visit her husband in prison. Afterwards, Liu Xia tweeted that Liu Xiaobo had broken down in tears. Security officers returned Liu Xia to Beijing the same day. Since then she has been a prisoner in her own home. She cannot go out and is not allowed visitors.

your message could make a difference: Liu Xia turns 53 on 1 April. Please send her supportive birthday messages via http://messagesforliuxia.tumblr.com/ Please also call on the Chinese authorities to ensure that Liu Xia has immediate access to any medical treatment she requires, and to lift all restrictions on her freedom of movement and expression. start your letter ‘your excellency’ and send it to: President Xi Jinping The State Council General Office 2 Fuyoujie, Xichengqu Beijingshi 100017 People's Republic of China