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Amnesty & Justice Issues:  your help is much appreciated





C O N T E N T S
__________________________________________


Please find discussion of these topics, below:


1]  Introduction to Amnesty International

2]  Jobs with Amnesty International

3]  Help SAVE a life for the price of a stamp.

    An American tourist: prisoner of conscience in France.
    On July 2, Barry will pass his 6th consecutive birthday, in 
    isolation, behind French bars.  Help the effort to keep him 
    alive; send him a card, note or message of encouragement, to
    bolster his morale, and lend support for his Human Rights.

    The more contact a prisoner has with the outside, generally
    the better he will be treated.  

    At last, a new Justice list has been set up to keep us updated
    on this case, and to share ideas on how we in the international
    community might be able to help.  Also, receive informative,
    insightful reports from Paris-based Human Rights monitors 
    following their prison visits with Barry.

    WE WILL PRINT OUT & AIRMAIL YOUR PERSONAL MESSAGE TO BARRY

    Go to:   http://www.poboxes.com/justice

        to write/post a personal message for Barry, 
        of any length.

    Or, E-mail your message to:

              FreeBarry1@aol.com
              BarrySupport@starmail.com

        and we will mail it to his prison address.


    [continued below]



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           A m n e s t y����I n t e r n a t i o n a l


Go to:

http://www.amnesty.org/
http://www.amnesty.org/aboutai/index.html


INTRODUCTION 

Amnesty International is a worldwide campaigning movement that works to 
promote all the human rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of 
Human Rights and other international standards. In particular, Amnesty 
International campaigns to free all prisoners of conscience; ensure fair 
and prompt trials for political prisoners; abolish the death penalty, 
torture and other cruel treatment of prisoners; end political killings 
and "disappearances"; and oppose human rights abuses by opposition 
groups. 


[2]

For JOBS with Amnesty, go to:

      http://www.web.amnesty.org/web/hrpjobs.nsf

Employment at Amnesty International Amnesty International has around a 
million members and supporters in 162 countries and territories. 
Activities range from public demonstrations to letter-writing, from 
human rights education to fundraising concerts, from individual appeals 
on a particular case to global campaigns on a particular issue. 

Amnesty International is impartial and independent of any government, 
political persuasion or religious creed. Amnesty International is 
financed largely by subscriptions and donations from its worldwide 
membership. 

More about Amnesty International: Statute of Amnesty International

As amended by the 23rd International Council, meeting in Cape Town, 
South Africa, 12 -19 December 1997 Facts and figures about Amnesty 
International Amnesty International on-line FAQ (Frequently Asked 
Questions)

The History of Amnesty International Against the Death Penalty Amnesty 
Internationals recommendations for the protection and promotion of human 
rights Contact us Supporters and sponsors of this web site 


3]


A M N E S T Y   &   J U S T I C E 
________________________________________

..Letters with Wings   ///\_[_/\\\


    B a r r y   B R A I M A H 


New address:

     8674 B-Sud 227
     Centre Pen. de Clairvaux
     10310 Ville sous La Ferte
          FRANCE


Issues:

*  Non-respect of Vienna Convention consular agreements
*  Association avec malfaiteurs - guilt by association
*  Inquisitorial versus adversarial justice systems
*  Underlying racism & xenophobia
*  Excess of the State


Version francaise

Les details sur l'epreuve de Barry, touriste africain-americain,
     se trouvent a ces sites:

     http://x13.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=338585794
     http://www.poboxes.com/JUSTICE

Tout d'abord, on doit lire la Lettre Ouverte
     ecrite au President de la Republique.

Merci d'avance !


...................

Anglais:

We realize that the United States has Human Rights problems
that loom at least as large as those in France, though they are
not necessarily the same.

Our criticism of the US is even more intense in many respects,
particularly for the legacy of racism that is perpetuated (e.g., 
the death penalty and the practice of racial profiling
by American police).

Here, however, we are focusing on the plight of especially ONE
person in France.  We will speak about some patterns of Human
Rights abuse that France has become too well-known for, and 
most assuredly that many a concerned French citizen feel a humane 
need to try and correct.

________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________


Barry:  young American tourist, turned Human Rights victim, 
   given a virtual "death sentence" in France:

   - held 20 months without trial, bail or opportunity to defend himself
   - finally sentenced to 18 years without right to appeal in the
          normal sense -- case handled by the Cour d'Assises Speciale
   -  all petitions to reconsider verdict & sentence have been rejected,
          including the pourvoi en cassation and demande de grace


ANOTHER BIRTHDAY TO BE PASSED IN ISOLATION

Captain of an intramural soccer team...winner of
5K and 10K contests, well-rounded athlete known
also for his voracious appetite for reading...

In July, Barry will pass his 6th consecutive birthday behind
French prison bars, confined to a 6X12-ft cell.

At 6'4" (1m95), he has seen his weight drop to 139 lbs (63 kilos)
due to malnutrition in the French prison -- where suicides
are out of control, propelled by deplorable conditions.

Please help.  We are encouraging concerned persons to send
him cards, notes and messages of goodwill (in support of his basic
Human Rights) to help bolster his morale.

Or, please send the President de la Republique a strong
message letting him know that an 18 year sentence for this
tourist is intolerable.  The address is at:

       http://members.aol.com/FreeBarry1/index.html

Help make a difference for someone who cannot help himself.


WE WILL PRINT OUT & AIRMAIL YOUR MESSAGE TO BARRY

Go to

       http://www.poboxes.com/justice

to write/post a personal message for Barry, of any length.

Or, E-mail your message to both:

          FreeBarry1@aol.com
          BarrySupport@starmail.com


We will print out your message and AirMail it to him
at his prison address in France (optional: include
your street address in case he is able to reply; he
does not have access to E-mail).

Also, find below his direct mailing address.



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Excerpts from Amnesty International's Report on France:

i]

.a French police officer at the Menton-Ventimiglia
border post sexually assaulted a 24-year-old
French citizen of Tunisian origin who was returning from
Italy. She had already been raped by Italian police officers
before they handed her over to the French border post, where
she said the police made racist remarks during the assault.
The two Italian officers were detained and were given prison
sentences in July this year. The investigation in France is
still unfinished.


"United States..shit country..only good for eating hamburgers.."

ii]

Verbal abuse, particularly of foreigners, is also
widespread. Max Blechman, a 22-year-old American from New
York was arrested filming a demonstration on 25 March.
Numerous allegations of ill-treatment were received after
this demonstration. He managed to record remarks made
to him by the police: "This isn't the United States...You
can't throw stones at the police with impunity...Instead of
making your film you should learn French...Stupid
Bastard...Generation of degenerates...Shit country...it's
only good for eating hamburgers..."


The European Council

Go to:  http://www.poboxes.com/droits

The European Council's Committee for the Prevention
of Torture (CPT) has exposed a shocking pattern of
physical and even sexual abuse perpetrated by French
police on prisoners, and of deplorable conditions
in French detention centers and prisons -- ranging from
suspension of fundamental Human Rights for detainees, to
"...decrepit beds, worn and dirty mattresses and
blankets, sinks and toilets which are 'dilapidated and
unhealthy ...,' lice, rats, limited use of the showers."

Articles from Liberation and mainstream French press
provide overdue documentation of conditions that are
common in countries ruled by despots, free to ignore
Human Rights and scoff at the public clamor for "Justice"
and fairness.



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Your Invitation

We are inviting you to take part in an urgent Human
Rights action on behalf of an African-American
tourist in France, turned Human Right victim.

You are urged to participate by joining the
Justice List, to stay informed on developments
in this case, and to exchange ideas on what
concerned persons in the international community
may be able to do to help.

Send ANY msg to both:

           Justice@comports.com,
           BarrySupport@starmail.com

with "Join Justice List" in the Subject

Reply to the Confirm Request when it arrives.


Here is background information:

***********************************************


A M N E S T Y   &   J U S T I C E
______________________________________

.Letters with Wings  ///\_[_/\\\



http://www.poboxes.com/JUSTICE



     A Troubling Human Rights Case in France


re:
       B a r r y   B R A I M A H

       wrongfully imprisoned since May 1994


           "A Forgotten Tourist"

Barry (originally from Africa, becoming an American
citizen during his studies in the USA) traveled as 
an American tourist to France for the only time 
in May 1994.

He was wrongfully arrested on arriving in France, for
"association avec malfaiteurs" -- that is, for
"knowing" someone whom French police had under
surveillance for drug trafficking.

The US Embassy was not notified of Barry's arrest,
but read about it much later in a local newspaper.

Barry was held 20 months without bail or trial,
and not given any opportunity to defend himself;
finally, he was sentenced to 18 yrs, with no right to
appeal.

The gravity of what happened to Barry in France
bodes dismally for Human Rights, and must
neither be tolerated nor ignored.

Barry's case speaks to two of the most neglected,
troubling problems, not only in French Justice,
but among many Justice systems worldwide: guilt by
association, and absence of presumption of innocence.

Barry did not know that the person who was to help
him with his stay in France, was, in fact, under
surveillance by French police.  Nothing whatsoever
illegal or untoward was found on Barry or in his
possession.

Barry has no police record of any kind, anywhere, and
has never been under investigation or a suspect, for
any reason.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Reports from HR Monitors in Paris

We will post to the List the reports of the
Paris-based Human Rights Monitors following
their visits with Barry.

France is currently under severe criticism from
world Human Rights organizations and from the
European Court for its worsening climate for Human
Rights, and particularly for treatment of ethnic
minorities.

Translations of French Articles

Periodically, we will share with the List
translations of articles from French press on
Human Rights and prison issues in France and
elsewhere.

This will be a low-volume, moderated list.

Barry was arrested and condemned to 18 years without
right to appeal, despite the fact that he:

- had no drugs or anything illegal on him,
- had not been a suspect, nor had he been under
       surveillance, and
- has no arrest or criminal record, anywhere

Cruel & Inhuman

Verdicts rendered by the Cour d'Assises Speciale,
under so-called Pasqua Laws, are not allowed to
be appealed in the normal sense.

An 18 year sentence without the possibility of appeal
would be cruel and inhuman by any standard, even if
Barry WERE guilty.  It goes way beyond the pale for
"civilized" society.  Cell mates of Barry's convicted
of heinous crimes (murder and rape) have been
sentenced to years less than he.  Persons up
for murder in France often are released in 6 to
10 years.

Apart from the issue of his innocence (which
subsequent independent investigations have
supported), Barry's sentence is of a kind almost
exclusively reserved in France for persons of African
and Arab descent, and for foreigners, who quite
disproportionately make up France's prison
population.  Amnesty International charges that this
is NOT mere coincidence (links to AI's 1994, 1997
and 1998 Reports on France, are found below).

Appeals to the French government to have Barry's
case reconsidered on the basis of procedural errors,
and numerous appeals to French President Chirac for
a pardon ("demande de grace") for Barry, have been
ignored.

DEPLORABLE CONDITIONS

In May, Barry will begin his 6th year of imprisonment,
held in isolation currently at the notorious, dreaded 
Clairvaux Prison (compared to the Alcatraz Prison of old)
.. in a 6X12-ft cell.

Conditions are deplorable.  At the Fresnes prison,
where he was held for over a year, there was no heat 
of any kind, except body heat.  Barry, at 6'4" (1m95), 
has seen his weight drop to 139 lbs (63 kilos), triggered
by malnutrition.

Depression and suicide are "l'ordre du jour" all
around him.  Recently, Barry's young French cell
mate (of Senegalese descent) attempted suicide by
jumping off a building -- ironically, all this
happening while Barry was visiting with Human Rights
Monitors.

They say of the prison where he is:  

  "You check in, but you might not check out."

Barry, still a young man, would be nearly 50 years
old if he survived to be released in the year 2012.

Since May 1994, only 4 persons outside the
French criminal justice system, have succeeded
in obtaining the "permis de visite" necessary
to visit Barry in prison.  Others who have
applied have received no response from
French authorities, despite months, even years,
of waiting, and despite follow up letters and
phone calls, to both French authorities and to the
American Embassy.


BEYOND THE REACH OF THE US GOVERNMENT?

The American Embassy and US State Department, in 
response to numerous appeals for help, have stated in
pat responses that they "cannot interfere in the 
judicial affairs of a foreign power."

"Americans who travel abroad, do so at their own
risk."


PURPOSE OF NEW JUSTICE LIST

The main purpose of this List will be to keep us
all informed, and to exchange ideas on how we can help.

Please help SHARE information on this case with
others.


THANK YOU!

Family & Friends

BarrySupport@starmail.com
JUSTICE@comports.com

______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________


Main Websites:

http://www.poboxes.com/justice
  At the above site, write/send Barry a msg; read Open Letter
  Also, read the OPEN LETTER to French President Chirac
    itemizing how and where French police erred

http://members.aol.com/FreeBarry1/index.html

French Press on MASS ARRESTS, MASS TRIALS in France:
http://x1.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=401425138

Charges against France of HR and sexual abuse, by European Court
http://www.poboxes.com/droits

Read the Saga of a Dutchman who set out to "Find" Barry
http://x1.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=399961874


  Peril for Tourists & Visitors in France: 2 Deaths

For an update on 2 shocking deaths in France -- of
an American and a Zairian while in custody of
French police -- please go to:

http://x2.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=416955645
http://x10.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=417329391

_____________________________________________________


HELP BARRY CELEBRATE HIS BIRTHDAY

Barry in July will pass his 6th consecutive
birthday behind French bars, in isolation, in a
cell in which he barely has room to stretch his
6'4" frame.

IF WILLING TO WRITE...

Pls send Barry a short msg of encouragement and
support for his Human Rights.

Barry is powerless to help himself.  The more contact
a prisoner has with the outside world, the better he
will be treated, as a rule.  Help buttress his morale.

You may a) write to Barry directly at his prison
mailing address, found above, b) send him a message
in care of FreeBarry1@aol.com and BarrySupport@starmail.com,
or c) post a message for him at the Justice site:

         http:///www.poboxes.com/justice

In writing to him directly, please allow 7 to 9 days for 
delivery, on average (i.e., if there are no French holidays  :-)


THANK YOU

Justice@comports.com
Moderator@eGroups.com


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Lavanya Radhakrishnan, Coordinator-Amnesty Int'l-USA
      in Urbana Champaign, Illinois


I hope that Barry will get a chance to defend himself.  I
spent a year in France about 3 years ago, and my boyfriend,
a Parisian of Senegalese descent, was also wrongly convicted
of drug trafficking.  He was innocent, that I was sure of,
but the police brutalized him, and threw him in jail with no
sight of a trial.  He also experienced bad conditions in his
prison environment, and he was denied visitation from
anyone, even his own mother, for 5 months.

However, for reasons unknown to his friends and family, he
was released after 365 days of confinement - no trial, no
explanation from the judicial system. Maybe there is a
chance that Barry will be released earlier than 18 years,
but we must all fight for him now.


Sincerely,

Lavanya Radhakrishnan
Amnesty International-USA

_____________________


Updates and the archive of Barry's "Prison Letters"
       are found at:

       http://www.egroups.com/list/barry



SMALL DONATIONS..MUCH NEEDED..MUCH APPRECIATED

       Barry, like his family, is indigent...
       His needs are considerable.

       If you are willing to help in some small way,
       please write to receive the address where donations
       may be mailed:

                FreeBarry1@aol.com

       For a discussion of his needs, pls go to:

                http://www.poboxes.com/JUSTICE

       Thank you in advance !!





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