Urgent action network: Good news
Maldives: Jennifer Latheef released
The release of prisoner of conscience Jennifer Latheef marks the latest victory
in her campaign for greater democracy and freedom of speech in the Maldives.
She was informed of her release from house arrest through a Presidential pardon. Initially she refused to accept the government offer because she believed her release should have been unconditional and secondly because she insisted that the four other political prisoners, who were convicted at the same trial, should also be released. After talking with friends she agreed to accept the offer of release from house arrest.
Jennifer Latheef has since said that she will continue to campaign for the release of other political prisoners, and for her conviction to be quashed.
In October 2005, Jennifer Latheef was sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment after being convicted of 'terrorism'. Her crime was to have joined a protest in September 2003 against the killing of four prisoners by prison guards.
Prior to her sentencing, Jennifer Latheef had been repeatedly detained without charge for periods of one to six weeks. During one of these periods in August 2004, Jennifer was blindfolded and subjected to verbal and physical assaults. She was also badly beaten by the arresting police officers. No one has yet been brought to justice for these abuses.The conditions in Maafushi Prison, where Jennifer Latheef was held, are notoriously harsh.
These conditions and a lack of medical treatment exacerbated Jennifer's back problems and she was eventually admitted to hospital. She was subsequently put under house arrest on the recommendation of the doctor.
Jennifer Latheef has expressed her gratitude to the members of the UA network and other activists, for their part in securing her release and helping her to continue her work in promoting reform in the Maldives. In a message sent to Amnesty International she said:'I believe that Amnesty and friends from Maldives and all over the world have put tremendous effort into securing my freedom. I would like to think each and every person who has believed in my innocence and given their emotions, time and energy to not just my cause, but the cause of each and every Maldivian.'
 | Interview with Jennifer Latheef - Maldives Human rights defender Jennifer Latheef talks about the represssion of protests in The Maldives |
Vietnamese teacher released from prison
Le Thi Hong Lien was the focus of our Junior Urgent Action from January to April 2005.
Family and friends from the Mennonite Community took her home to Ho Chi Minh City where she will be seeking medical attention for her poor physical and mental health, which was made much worse by her stay in prison.
Le Thi Hong Lien was arrested in June 2004 along with a number of other members of her church and sentenced to 12 months in prison on 12 November on charges of resisting a person performing official duty. However, Amnesty believes that she was only imprisoned because of her religious beliefs not because of anything she did wrong.
Members of the Mennonite Church, and other religious organisations forbidden by the state, have suffered harassment from officials and imprisonment for many years. Le Thi Hong Lien had taken part in demonstrations against the Government's policies on religion and had been arrested many times. During her recent detention she was beaten and denied appropriate medical treatment.
