Killing / Torture /
Arbitrary detention / Release
Pakistan
February 14, 2019
The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a
partnership of FIDH and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), requests
your urgent intervention in the following situation in Pakistan.
Brief description of the information:
The
Observatory has been informed by reliable sources about the beating and
subsequent killing of Mr. Ibrahim Arman Loni, a teacher and Pashtun
Tahaffuz Movement (PTM)[1] core committee member in Balochistan
Province, the arbitrary arrest, incommunicado detention, and subsequent release
of Ms. Gulalai Ismail[2], a Pashtun and women’s
rights defender, and the arbitrary detention of 17 other PTM members.
According
to the information received, on February 2, 2019, Mr. Ibrahim Arman Loni was
targeted by several police officers, who beat him in public with a rifle butt,
giving blows to his head and neck. Mr. Ibrahim Arman Loni had just participated
in a peaceful sit-in protest against a bomb blast at Loralai police station,
Balochistan Province. His co-workers were prevented from visiting him in the
hospital. By the time they managed to do so, a few hours later, he had passed
away.
On February
5, 2019, Ms. Gulalai Ismail and other members of the PTM were arrested outside
the National Press Club in Islamabad while they were taking part in a protest
to denounce the killing of Mr. Ibrahim Arman Loni. Ms.
Gulalai Ismail was first taken to G9 Women's Police Station before being moved
to an unknown location. Seventeen of the PTM members arrested[3]
were sent to Central Jail Rawalpindi (also known as Adiala jail) under charges
of violating Section 3 (1) of the 1960 West Pakistan Maintenance of Public
Order Ordinance (MPO) relating to “anti-state slogans”.
On February
6, 2019, Islamabad police released Ms. Gulalai Ismail. After her release, Ms.
Gulalai Ismail said that she had not been officially arrested. During her
detention, she was separated from the other PTM members who had been arrested,
was not charged with any offense, and was not allowed to contact her lawyer.
On February
7, 2019, 15 of the 17 PTM members were released from jail and the charges
against them were withdrawn. At the time of the publication of this Appeal, Mr.
Abdullah Nangyal and Mr. Idrees Mehsud, one of PTM leaders, are
still detained in Adiala jail.
The Observatory condemns in the strongest terms the
killing of Mr. Arman Loni and urges the Pakistani authorities to carry out a
thorough, impartial, and transparent investigation into the killing without
undue delay and to hold those responsible accountable.
The Observatory also condemns the arrest and
harassment of Ms. Gulalai Ismail and the above-mentioned PTM members. The
Observatory also recalls that this is not the first time Ms. Gulalai Ismail has
been targeted for her human rights activities and that since October 2018 she
has been placed on Pakistan’s Exit Control List and prevented from leaving the country.
The Observatory calls upon the Pakistani authorities
to immediately and unconditionally release Messrs. Abdullah Nangyal and Idrees
Mahsud and end any acts of harassment, including at the judicial level, against
them, Ms. Gulalai Ismail and all human rights defenders in the country.
Please
write to the authorities in Pakistan, urging them to:
i.
Guarantee, in all circumstances, the physical integrity and psychological
well-being of Ms. Gulalai Ismail, Mr. Abdullah Nangyal and Mr. Idrees Mehsud
and all human rights defenders in Pakistan;
ii. Immediately and unconditionally release
Mr. Abdullah Nangyal and Mr. Idrees Mehsud, as their detention is arbitrary since it only aims at punishing them for
their legitimate human rights activities;
iii. Carry
out an immediate, thorough, impartial, and transparent investigation into the
killing of Mr. Arman Loni in order to identify all those responsible, bring
them before an independent tribunal, and sanction them as provided by the law;
iv. Put an
end to all acts of harassment - including at the judicial level - and
obstacles to freedom of movement against Ms. Gulalai Ismail, Mr. Abdullah
Nangyal and Mr. Idrees Mehsud, all PTM members and all human rights defenders
in Pakistan, and ensure that they are able to carry out their legitimate
activities without any hindrance and fear of reprisals in all circumstances;
v. Conform
to the provisions of the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, adopted by
the General Assembly of the United Nations on December 9, 1998, in particular
with Articles 1 and 12.2;
vi. Ensure
in all circumstances respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms in
accordance with international human rights standards and international
instruments ratified by Pakistan.
Addresses:
·
Mr. Arif Alvi, President
of Pakistan; Fax: +92 51 920 8479; Email: secretary@president.gov.pk
· Mr. Imran
Khan, Prime Minister of Pakistan, Minister in Charge for Interior and Narcotics
Control; Fax: +92 51 922 04 04 ; Email: info@pmo.gov.pk
·
Mr. Shehryar Khan Afridi,
Minister of State for Interior, Fax: +92 51 920 2624, Email: interior.complaintcell@gmail.com
· Ambassador
Farukh Amil, Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva,
Switzerland; Fax:022 734 80 85; Email: mission.pakistan@ties.itu.int
Please also write to the diplomatic mission or embassy
of Pakistan located in your country.
***
Paris-Geneva, February 14, 2019
Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code of this
appeal in your reply.
The Observatory for the Protection of Human
Rights Defenders (the Observatory) was created in 1997 by FIDH and the World
Organisation Against Torture (OMCT). The objective of this programme is to
prevent or remedy situations of repression against human rights defenders. FIDH
and OMCT are both members of ProtectDefenders.eu, the European
Union Human Rights Defenders Mechanism implemented by international civil
society.
[1] PTM
is an alliance that calls for the de-mining of the former tribal areas, greater
freedom of movement in these areas, an end to extrajudicial killings, enforced
disappearances and arbitrary detentions, and for the accountability of
perpetrators of such acts within a truth and reconciliation framework.
[2] Ms.
Gulalai Ismail was awarded the 'Reach all Women in War' Anna Politovskaya Award
in 2017. She is the founder of the Seeds of Peace network and co-founded the
Aware Girls NGO in 2002, an organisation aiming at strengthening the leadership
of young people, especially women and girls, enabling them to act as agents of
change for women empowerment and peace building.
[3] Messrs. Abdullah Nangyal s/o
Rehmatullah, Syed Badshah s/o Minallah Khan, Mohammad Idrees Mehsud s/o
Mohammad Alam, Hidayat Wazir s/o Haq Nawaz Khan, Rehmat Khan s/o
Abdul Razzaq, Abdul Rehman s/o Gul Zadeen, Muhammad Zubair s/o
Muhammad Afzal, Sameeullah s/o Rehmatullah, Abdul Jabbar s/o Fazal Din,
Amanullah s/o Salah Aldin, Saifullah s/o Noor Zada, Muhammad
Sadeeq s/o Rasool Khan, Qasim Jan s/o Ameen Jan, Hunaryar s/o
Zahir Shah, Wahid Khan s/o Saleem Shah, Rehmatullah s/o Bakhtiar
and Fidullah s/o Gul Ramzan.
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