UPDATE (Pakistan): Torture victim abducted after testifying about abuse 

ASIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION - URGENT APPEALS PROGRAMME

Urgent Appeal Case: UP-191-2006
ISSUES: Enforced disappearances and abductions,

NOTICE: The AHRC have developed a new automatic letter-sending system using the “button” below. However, in this appeal, we could not include e-mail addresses of some of the Pakistan authorities. We encourage you to send your appeal letters via fax or post to those people. Fax numbers and postal addresses of the Pakistan authorities are attached below with this appeal. Thank you.]

[RE: UA-171-2006: PAKISTAN: Twelve persons disappeared following their arrest by the police]
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PAKISTAN: Enforced disappearance; torture; impunity; un-rule of law
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Dear friends,

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) wants to inform you about an alleged illegal arrest and subsequent enforced disappearance of Mr. Abid Raza Zaidi by the elite force personnel in Lahore, Punjab province on 4 October 2006. The victim’s enforced disappearance took place soon after he gave his testimony about his earlier illegal arrest, prolonged 110 day detention and constant brutal torture by the army and police officers at the conference jointly organised by Amnesty International and a local organization called Human Rights Commission of Pakistan from 30 September to 1 October 2006.  To date he was not been produced before any court of law and his whereabouts remain unknown.

Mr. Abid Raza Zaidi (aged 23), PhD student of University of Karachi has been missing since he was arrested by the elite force, the special force against terrorism, on 4 October 2006 from Lahore, the capital city of Punjab province, Pakistan. To date he was not been produced before any court of law. This is his second arrest by the special force.

Before his arrest and subsequent disappearance, Mr. Zaidi attended a two day conference on “disappearances and torture” jointly organised by Amnesty International and a local organization called Human Rights Commission of Pakistan held from 30 September to 1 October 2006 at Islamabad. During conference he narrated the whole story of his first arrest, illegal detention and torture in relation with a bomb blast case of 11 April 2006 of Nishter Park, Karachi, Sindh province. He was arrested on 26 April 2006 and was disappeared along with 12 persons of the Shia sect of Islam. He was released on 18 August 2006 after illegally being detained for 110 days in different military torture camps. During this period, he was never produced before any court of law. To see details of the victim’s first arrest, please refer to our previous appeal: UA-171-2006.

Mr. Zaidi testified at the conference that he was taken from his home on 26 April 2006 at night by plain cloth persons and taken blind folded to a military camp in Karachi. He was then tortured by army officers to confess to the bomb blast at a religious gathering on 11 April 2006 at Nishter Park, where 55 persons were killed. He also testified that army officers accused him of masterminding the blast. Mr. Zaidi also reported that several times he was taken blind folded to different cities of Pakistan by an army airplane and produced before several army and police officers for interrogations and all times he was tortured. He remembered that one time, some law enforcement agency persons were talking themselves that they were in Multan, Punjab province. Mr. Zaidi was very brave to tell the people at the conference about whole story of his illegal arrest, prolonged detention and brutal torture and showed them marks of torture on his body.

After the conference, Mr. Zaidi went to see his sister Mrs. Fatima, who lives at Islam Pura Ansari road, Lahore, Punjab province on 3 October 2006. On the following night, some persons in plain clothes raided his sister’s house and took Mr. Zaidi along with his maternal uncle Mr. Javed Zaidi to unknown place. His uncle was then released at 11 o’clock that night, while Mr. Zaidi was taken to another unknown place. The uncle reported that during his custody, the person from the elite force shouted at MR. Zaidi saying, “how you dared to tell at the conference about your torture and disappearance. Now you will face the good torture”.  Since his illegal arrest, Mr. Zaidi’s whereabouts remain unknown. His family fear that he might be subjected to brutal torture again and his life is in grave risk.

ADDITIONAL COMMENT:

Enforced disappearance of persons following illegal arrest is a common phenomenon in Pakistan since the military government took power in 1999. For example, For example, in Balochistan province alone where Pakistan army conduct on-going military operations, the Federal Minister of the Interior reported that 4,000 people have been arrested since 2001. The actual number of the arrested will be much higher when the disappearance cases are included. Out of 4,000 persons, only less than 200 people have been produced to the courts. In Sindh province, several journalists and political & human rights activists have been disappeared after their arrests. To see relevant cases of forced disappearance, pleases visit our previous appeals: UG-003-2006UA- 227-2006UG-013-2006UA-145-2006UP-127-2006UA-171-2006UA-169-2006 and UA -132-2006.

SUGGESTED ACTION:
Please write to relevant authorities listed below and urge them to take immediate intervention to locate the victim and ensure his release. Please also urge them to inquire about the incident and bring those responsible for the victim’s illegal arrest and disappearance.

 

 

 

To support this case, please click here: SEND APPEAL LETTER

SAMPLE LETTER

Dear __________,

PAKISTAN: A torture victim arrested again and remains disappeared after testifying his case to human rights groups

Name of the victim: Mr. Abid Raza Zaidi, aged 23, PhD student of University of Karachi, Sindh province, Pakistan
Alleged perpetrators: Elite force personnel, the special force made against terrorism
Date of incident: 4 October 2006
Place of incident: House of the victim’s sister at Islam Pura Ansari road, Lahore, Punjab province

I am writing to draw your urgent attention regarding the illegal arrest and subsequent enforced disappearance of Mr. Abid Raza Zaidi by the elite force personnel in Lahore, Punjab province on 4 October 2006. To date he was not been produced before any court of law.

I am so disturbed to learn that his enforced disappearance took place after he gave his testimony about his earlier illegal arrest and prolonged detention by the army and police officers at the conference jointly organised by Amnesty International and a local organization called Human Rights Commission of Pakistan from 30 September to 1 October 2006.

Prior to this incident, the victim had been arrested on 26 April 2006 along with 12 persons of the Shia sect of Islam of suspicion of being involved in a bomb blast case of 11 April 2006 in Nishter Park, Karachi, Sindh province. He was released on 18 August 2006 after illegally being detained and torture for 110 days in different military torture camps. During this period, he was never produced before any court of law.

After the conference, the victim went to see his sister Mrs Fatima, who lives at Islam Pura Ansari road, Lahore, Punjab province on 3 October 2006 and on the following night he was arrested by some persons in plain clothes along with his maternal uncle Mr. Javed Zaidi. According to the victim’s uncle who was released on the same night, the person from the elite force shouted at the victim, “how you dared to tell at the conference about your torture and disappearance. Now you will face the good torture”. Till date, Mr. Zaidi’s whereabouts remain unknown.

I am deeply concerned about the victim’s security and strongly believe that his life is in grave risk. I therefore strongly urge you to take prompt action to locate the victim’s whereabouts and ensure his prompt release. I also urge you to identify the elite force personnel responsible for the victim’s illegal arrest and forced disappearance and bring them to justice as soon as possible.

I am aware that enforced disappearance of persons following illegal arrest is a common phenomenon in Pakistan. For example, I was informed that only in Balochistan province where the Pakistan army conduct on-going military operations, the Federal Minister of the Interior reported that 4,000 people have been arrested since 2001. The actual number of the arrested will be much higher when the disappearance cases are included. Out of 4,000 persons, only less than 200 people have been produced to the courts. In Sindh province, several journalists and political & human rights activists have been disappeared after their arrests. I therefore strongly urge the Pakistan government to take all measures to stop the common practice of forced disappearances committed by the law enforcement officers.

As a member of the UN Human Rights Council, the Pakistan government must take genuine action to deal with this serious matter, protect the rights of the people and provide effective remedies to the victims. I also urge the Pakistan government to ratify the International Covenant for Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and implement it into domestic level to prevent such violations in the future.

Yours sincerely,

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SEND YOUR LETTER TO:

1. General Pervez Musharraf
President
President’s Secretariat
Islamabad
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 51 922 1422, 4768/ 920 1893 or 1835
E-mail: (please see- http://www.presidentofpakistan.gov.pk/WTPresidentMessage.aspx)

2. Mr. Muhammad Wasi Zafar
Minister of Law, Justice and Human Rights
S Block
Pakistan Secretariat
Islamabad
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 51 920 2628
E-Mail: minister@molaw.gov.pk

3. Joint Secretary for Law, Justice and Human Rights
Islamabad
PAKISTAN
Tel: + 92 51 920 2819
Fax: + 92 51 920 3119

4. 8. Justice Iftekhar Choudhry
Chief Justice of Pakistan
Supreme Court building
Islam abad
PAKISTAN
Fax: + 92 51 9213452

5. Lt. General Khalid Maqbool
Governor of Punjab
Governor House
Mall Road, Lahore
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 42 9200023
E-mail: governor.sectt@punjab.gov.pk

6. Mr. Choudhry Pervez Ihhahi
Chief Minister of Punjab
Chief Minister House
Lahore
PAKISTAN

7. Chief Secretary of Government of Punjab
Punjab Secretariat
Lahore
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 42 7324489
E-mail: chiefsecy@punjab.gov.pk

7. Mr. Khusro Pervez Khan
Home secretary
Punjab Secretariat
Lahore
PAKISTAN
E-mail: home@punjab.gov.pk

8. Prof. Philip Alston
Special Rapporteur on Extra-judicial, Summary, or Arbitrary Executions
Attn: Lydie Ventre
Room 3-016
OHCHR-UNOG
1211 Geneva 10
SWITZERLAND
Tel: +41 22 917 9155
Fax: +41 22 917 9006 (ATTN: SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR EXECUTIONS)

Thank you.

Urgent Appeals Programme
Asian Human Rights Commission (ahrchk@ahrchk.org)

Document Type : Urgent Appeal Update
Document ID : UP-191-2006
Countries : Pakistan,
Issues : Enforced disappearances and abductions,