Help ensure Walid receives a fair trial in Iraq

Write for Rights Update: Walid Yunis Ahmad is finally charged. Help us ensure he receives a fair trial!

Dear Rector, Walid Yunis Ahmad has persevered through torture, enforced disappearance and solitary confinement in Iraqi prisons. After almost eleven long years of unlawful detention, Walid's case was finally referred to local courts only after Amnesty International highlighted his plight. This past fall, we highlighted the appalling case of Walid Yunis Ahmad in our Write for Rights campaign. Your letters made a huge difference in Walid's case — now that he has finally been charged with a crime, he has a chance to defend himself in court. Although this is a promising first step, it is not the end of the story.Walid is accused of serious offenses and faces the death penalty if convicted. The shortcomings of the judicial system in Iraq have been well reported. Evidential standards are poor, due process rights are frequently violated and corruption is widespread. Walid has faced so much injustice already. Demand that the Kurdish regional authorities respect Walid's right to a fair trial! Walid Yunis Ahmad's nightmare began in February 2000. He was arrested by the Kurdish security forces after he hitched a ride in a car that allegedly contained explosives. Although the driver of the vehicles was soon released, Walid was held in secret and shuffled off from prison to prison, simply disappearing from the outside world and his loved ones. For three years, Walid's wife and children had no idea where he was. Human rights violations in the name of security — including torture, indefinite detention and unfair trials — are widespread in Iraq. We can help make progress towards justice for all Iraqis by calling on the authorities to give Walid Yunis Ahmad a fair trial, without recourse to the death penalty. Justice is long overdue for Walid and his family. Already, your letters have made a difference in Walid's case. Now, go the extra mile and demand a fair trial for Walid Yunis Ahmad today! In solidarity, Michael O'Reilly Senior Campaign Director, Individuals at Risk Amnesty International USA  Share on Facebook  Share on Twitter Join us March 2011 in San Francisco for our 50th Anniversary AGM!