Good News for March 2015

Claudia Medina Tamariz - Mexico

Mexican authorities have dropped all criminal charges against this Mexican mother of three, who was tortured and forced into a false confession.

In 2012, Marines broke into her house and took her away to a local naval base, where she suffered terrible torture including electric shocks and sexual assualt. They aimed to force her to incriminate herself in drug-related crimes and had to sign 'a confession' to crimes she had not committed.

Claudia thanked AI members throughout the world, especially the 300,000 who sent letters to the Mexican Attorney General.

Celestina Okenve, Antonio Nguema and Miguel Mbomio - Equatorial Guinea

These 3 men were arrested in mid-January in relation to the distribution of pamphlets protesting against the hosting of the Africa Cup of Nations in thier country. They were arbitrarily detained without charge for over 2 weeks, given only restricted access to their families and a lawyer, who was not allowed to be present during police interrogation. After a public appeal for their release by AI and other human rights organisations, the Chief of Police discharged them unconditionally.

Louay Hussein, Syria

Louay Hussein, co-founder and President of 'Building the Syrian State' (a pro-democracy political movement), is an outspoken opposition writer who was arrested on 12 November at the border with Lebanon. He was brought to trial before the Criminal Court in Damascus on 4 December, on charges of 'weakening national sentiment' and 'weakening the morale of the nation'. In an article published in June 2014, he wrote that the Syrian state was falling apart and collapsing.

The Good News is that he was released on bail on 25 February but AI will continue to monitor him.

Violence against women, Brazil

Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff has signed a new law which sets tough new penalties for the killing of women and girls.

Murders linked to domestic violence will carry sentences of betwen 12 and 30 years.

President Rousseff said the new law sends a clear message to women that the state would protect them. She said 15 women were killed daily in Brazil.

Published on behalf of Pam Thickett, group researcher