An Amnesty International Plea From Michael Lackner

Michael Lackner, not stranger to Inditer.com, where he has displayed his wonderful paintings has something more urgent on his mind. Michael says;

I've become very involved in a tragic case of a woman imprisoned in Kuwait. I wrote her an Amnesty International "Holiday Action" letter in December ... and in March I received a response from her! I was only one of two people in North America who received word from her. She begs us to help her. I must do what I can. I have since received a second letter. She is really a decent human being, a victim of circumstance. If you could publish the attached piece, that would be wonderful. Whether you can publish it or not, if you could forward this email to everyone you know who might help, that too would be wondeful.

I've not done much painting ... a few portraits from a portrait class that are truly unremarkable, haha. I took this college-level painting class with my 11-year-old daughter, however, and that aspect of it was very rewarding.

Wishing you all the best,
Michael

---

Ibtisam Berto Sulaiman al-Dakhil
Should be Released from Kuwait Central Prison

Please help a journalist who has been imprisoned in Kuwait since the end of the Gulf War in 1991. Her name is Ibtisam Berto Sulaiman al-Dakhil. She was the subject of an Amnesty International "Holiday Action" mailing in December of 1999 and was a "Prisoner of Conscience" featured in April of 2000.

Her life was good, her professional achievements admirable. Though a single mother and an Iraqi national by birth, she became a successful journalist for the major newspaper al-Qabas in Kuwait. Can you imagine the pride she felt in achieving this? This was before the Gulf war.

Then her world was turned upside down. The newspaper al-Qabas was closed down by the Iraqi authorities shortly after the invasion in August of 1990 and replaced by the Iraqi-controlled newspaper al-Nida'. Ibtisam courageously refused to work for al-Nida', but was twice forced to do so after being detained by the Iraqis. They threatened to kill her children if she did not cooperate. She felt that she had to do what she did to protect her children. No mother should ever be placed in that position.

After the Iraqi defeat, in April of 1991, Ibtisam was summoned for interrogation by the Kuwaiti authorities and was later arrested. In June of 1991, Kuwait's Martial Law Court convicted her of "collaboration" together with 14 other people who had worked for al-Nida'. Those who, like Ibtisam, were not Kuwaiti by birth faced especially severe sentences (Ibtisam was once married to a Kuwaiti but is originally from Iraq). In June, 1991, a martial law court sentenced Ibtisam to death. This was later commuted to life imprisonment. Ibtisam has not seen her children since she was imprisoned in 1991.

Amnesty International has condemned the trial as "manifestly unfair." In these martial law proceedings defense lawyers were denied access to their clients and some are believed to have been convicted solely on confessions extracted under torture. Ibtisam’s defense -- that she was coerced to work for the Iraqi newspaper -- was not rebutted by prosecutors. She was denied the right of appeal, in contravention of international standards for due process.

Amnesty International views Ibtisam as a prisoner of conscience, imprisoned solely for her unwilling association with the newspaper al-Nida'.

An Austrian Amnesty International Group was informed in 1998 by Kuwait's Office of the Minister of State that Ibtisam was pardoned by His Highness Sheikah Jaber al-Ahmad al-Sabah, Amir of the State of Kuwait, in February of 1998. This pardon was a very appropriate expression of compassion and mercy. However, to compound tragedy upon tragedy, she was not released from prison, and remains there to this day. Apparently, all Iraqis thus detained, if amnestied, are to be deported to Iraq - a fate which Ibtisam wishes to avoid. Since deportation to Iraq is not presently possible, because there are no diplomatic relations between Kuwait and Iraq, Ibtisam has been left to rot in prison -- notwithstanding the fact that she was pardoned in 1998!

Helping Ibtisam is not a matter of politics. It is simply a matter of human decency. To show compassion and mercy for a poor woman who has suffered enough. His Highness the Amir expressed his willingness to pardon her. All we should ask is that the Amir's will be done. Ibtisam al-Dakhil should be unconditionally released from prison. Please help.

You can obtain more information, including a sample letter, a petition, and background information, from the following web site:

http://home.earthlink.net/~spenners/kuwait.html

Best Regards,
Michael Lackner

---

Email Michael Lackner - - - The Inditer Index - - - The Inditer Main Page - - - Michael Lackner's Main Page

---