Front Line

Front Line and Human Rights First strongly condemn the murder of Mr Edwin Legarda Vazquez, husband of human rights defender, Ms Aída Quilcué, Chief Counsel of the Consejo Regional Indígena de Colombia - CRIC (The Indigenous Regional Council of Cauca), on 16 December 2008. We ask that you urge the Colombian Government to undertake a prompt, impartial investigation into the murder and to protect Ms Quilcué and her family.  

Update

Front Line is concerned by the reported arbitrary detention of over 60 civil society activists and journalists in Kenya who were taking part in a peaceful demonstration on the occasion of Kenya's Jamhuri Day celebrations on 12 December 2008. Activists who arrived outside the Nyayo National stadium in Nairobi wearing t-shirts condemning the failure of MPs to pay taxes were reportedly targeted for detention. The majority of those detained were released without charge.

Mr Mwalimu Mati, Chief Executive of Mars Group Kenya (marsgroupkenya.org), and his wife, Jane Mati, remained in detention for two nights. An investigation against them on the grounds of “incitement to violence” is currently pending. Mars Group Kenya describes itself as a leadership, governance, accountability and media watchdog organization whose "goal is to create awareness and to generate an effective demand, by Kenyans, for accountability from Kenya’s leadership and to encourage Kenyans to hold to account those who have committed improprieties."  

Update

Front Line welcomes the release of human rights defender, Khalid Abdul-Wahab El-Sharif from prison on Friday 19 December. He had been detained since 5 July 2008 in the Political Security Prison, San´a, where he had been denied legal consultation, regular visits and was never officially charged. Despite his release, Front Line remains deeply concerned about the ongoing detention without charge of human rights defenders, Mr Yasre Abdul-Wahab Al-Wazeer and Mr Mu’een Ibraheem Al-Mutawakel.  

Front Line is deeply concerned following reports received the authorities arrested, tried and fined ten human rights defenders following their organisation of, and participation in, a peaceful demonstration in Tashkent on 6 December 2008. The defenders were members of the Ezgulik Human Rights Society, the Committee of Prisoners of Conscience and Uzbek Human Rights Alliance.