The following is a WAN letter to Kuwait’s Crown Prince and Prime Minister asking him to consider releasing two imprisoned journalists: His Royal Highness Sheikh Saad al-Abdallah al-Salem al-Sabah
The following is a WAN letter to Kuwait’s Crown Prince and Prime Minister asking him to consider releasing two imprisoned journalists:
His Royal Highness Sheikh Saad al-Abdallah al-Salem al-Sabah<br
Crown Prince and Prime Minister
Kuwait
C/o Embassy in France
Fax: 01 47 20 33 59
14 January 2000
Your Royal Highness,
We are writing on behalf of the World Association of Newspapers and the World Editors Forum, which represent more than 17,000 publications in 93 countries, to respectfully request that you consider releasing journalists Fawwaz Muhammad al Awadhi Bseiso and Ibtisam Berto Sulaiman al-Dakhil. You will remember that we wrote to you on this matter on 7 July 1999.
Mr Bseiso, Mr al-Dakhil and three colleagues from the newspaper Al-Nidaa were sentenced to death in June 1991 for having collaborated with occupying Iraqi forces. The sentences were commuted to life imprisonment ten days later. Their defence, that they had been coerced into working for the Iraqi newspaper, was reportedly not rebutted by prosecutors.
We understand that Mr Bseiso and Mr al-Dakhil’s three colleagues, who were convicted of the same charges and subject to the same sentence, were released from jail on 25 February 1999.
We respectfully request that you take the opportunity presented by your country’s National Day on 25 February 2000 to release Mr Bseiso and Mr al-Dakhil and permit them to rejoin their families.
We hope you will look favourably on this request and look forward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience.
Yours sincerely,
Bengt Braun
President
World Association of Newspapers
Ruth de Aquino
President
World Editors Forum
cc: Mr Kofi Annan, Secretary-General, United Nations
Mrs Mary Robinson, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
Mr Koichiro Matsuura, Director-General, UNESCO
The family of Fawwaz Muhammad al Awadhi Bseiso
Recommended Action
Similar appeals can be sent to:
His Royal Highness Sheikh Saad al-Abdallah al-Salem al-Sabah
Crown Prince and Prime Minister
Kuwait
c/o Embassy in France
Fax: +1 47 20 33 59
Please copy appeals to WAN.
