Civil liberties - in brief (5)
01 March 2000
UK: Zoora Shah has sentence reduced: Zoora Shah, who killed Mohammed Azam after suffering ten years of persistent cruelty and violence at his hands, has been informed by Home Secretary Jack Straw that her tariff is to be reduced from 20 years to 12 years (see Statewatch vol 8 no 6). In April 1998 Zoora lost an appeal against her conviction in a decision that her daughter, Naseem, said failed to take into account the cultural issues involved. The Southall Black Sisters (SBS), who have campaigned on Zoora's behalf, believe that her treatment is an indictment of a criminal justice system that "cannot distinguish between those who kill from a position of power and those who do so out of despair". They condemned the Home Secretary's "lack of moral courage" and pointed out that Zoora "does not present a threat to the public...". The Home Secretary's decision means that Zoora, who suffered repeated sexual assaults and feared for the safety of her daughters, will be eligible for parole in 2004. However, a Home Office spokesperson stressed that there was no guarantee that she would be released in four years time. The Southall Black Sisters can be contacted at 52 Norwood Road, Southall, Middlesex. Tel 020 8571 9595
Italy: Argentine generals tried: The second penal section court in Rome will decided to prosecute seven members of the Argentinian armed forces in connection with the disappearance of eight citizens with Italian origins after the 1976 military coup. On March 30, judge Mario D'Andria ruled the admissibility of cases against former general Santiago Omar Riveros, retired naval prefect Juan Gerardi, and junior officers Roberto Rossin, Hector Maldonado, Jose Luis Porchetto and Alejandro Puertas. The judge argued that amnesty decrees such as the one issued by former Argentinian president Carlos Menem in 1989, affecting an investigation into Riveros' activities, have "no jurisdictional value". Riveros was in charge of the greater Buenos Aires region, and was considered one of the ideologues behind the "disappearances" of up to 30,000 of the regime's opponents. Prosecuting magistrate Francesco Caporale spoke of the murder of thousands of Argentinians "who were only guilty of being left-wingers". Riveros and Gerardi are accused of ordering the abduction and murder of Mario Marras and Martino Mastinu, between 1976 and 1978. The junior officers, serving in the Tigre police district, are accused of carrying out the orders. The trial will take place without the accused being present as, unlike Spain in the case of Pinochet, Italy allows for trials when the people charged are not present. Corriere della Sera 31.3.00; Il Manifesto 31.3.00
UK: Liberty Summer Conference: "Criminal Justice and Human Rights", Saturday 24 June 10am-5pm at Hamilton House, Mabledon Place, London WC1, fee ?35.00. In light of the Auld Review of the Criminal Courts, this conference will include debates on the current criminal justice system and investigate opportunities for reform. For further information contact: Zoe Gillard, Liberty Events Co-ordinator: zoe@liberty-human-rights.org.uk tel: 020 7378 3667.