[fse-esf] Urgent Appeal to support Javied Aslam

[ΣΥΜΜΑΧΙΑ ΣΤΑΜΑΤΗΣΤΕ ΤΟΝ ΠΟΛΕΜΟ]

URGENT APPEAL TO SAVE JAVIED ASLAM
NO EXTRADITION TO PAKISTAN
 
Dear friends, we appeal to you for stepping up the pressure against
Javied Aslam's extradition process.
Amnesty International announced support for Javied Aslam. A
demonstration is organized for January 13th 2007. Please send solidarity
messages especially from personalities, MP's, leading activist's of
peace and civil rights movement's, trade unions and parties.
You can also sign the appeal on the website
http://www.stop-the-war.gr/taslam_en.html.
You can make donation to IBAN GR8201101590000015962075105 SWIFT (BIC)
ETHNGRAA
Send letters to Ministry of Public Order elasgrty at mopo.gr, fax
00302106929764, Ministry of Justice minjust at otenet.gr,
Stop the War Coalition jspg at otenet.gr 
Petros Constantinou, Campaign Genoa 2001 Greece
Yiannis Sifakakis, Stop the War Coalition Greece
 
Press release from Stop the War Coalition Greece
Athens 21/12/2006
 
The appeal trial that will decide on the extradition request concerning
Javied Aslam., president of the Pakistani community in Greece was
postponed for January 16th, 2007.
Javed Aslam's barristers requested the adjournment of the trial because
of the total lack of data sent by the Pakistan authorities that accuse
Javied Aslam for human trafficking. In addition, and because they object
to his extradition to Pakistan, they requested that he be tried by a
Greek Court. 
The Appeal Council ruled that the lawsuit will be adjourned for 
1/16/2007, expecting for the Pakistani authorities to dispatch more
specific data that would facilitate their decision on the above
mentioned extradition and justify the bill concerning the accused.
Javied Aslam is still free though on a restrictive state. 
This is one more victory of the Pakistani Community, the Coalition Stop
the War, and of the whole solidarity movement that has developed in
Greece as well as internationally, and has denounced since the first
moment Javied Aslam persecution, as it is politically 
motivated and aims at silencing the person who played a leading part in
revealing the abduction of the 28 Pakistani immigrants by Greek and
British secret agents  in the summer of 2005. 
Coming out of the courtroom the president of the Pakistani community 
stated: "Today we won one more victory. We thank all the Greek friends
who stand by our side. We will persist till we are vindicated!" 
Among the witnesses for the defence were Yannis Sifakakis, Coordinator
of the Coalition Stop the War, Gregoris Felonis, president of the Athens
Labor Centre(EKA), Aristides Mousionis, Deputy for PASOK in the city of
Serres, Stratis Korakas, Euro deputy for the Communist Party, Antonis
Karras, Head of the Department for Human Rights and International
Relations of PASOK, and Angelos Rembis, from the Democratic Coalition
for civil liberties and democratic rights.
 
 
Announcement for Amnesty International
Amnesty asks Greece not to hand alleged human trafficker to Pakistan 
ATHENS (updated on: December 12, 2006, 23:32 PST): Amnesty International
on Tuesday called on Greece not to extradite a prominent member of its
Pakistani community to Islamabad on alleged human trafficking charges
because of the country's human rights record.

Amnesty said it wrote to the Greek government about the "very serious
danger to the physical safety and life" of Javed Aslam because of the
country's use of torture and other violations of human rights.

Interpol issued an arrest warrant for Aslam in response to accusations
by Pakistani authorities that Aslam served as a middle man in
transferring clandestine immigrants from Pakistan to Greece.

But his supporters claim that he is being persecuted for condemning the
alleged illegal detention and interrogation of some 10 Pakistani
immigrants in Greece last year after the July 7, 2005 public transport
bombings in London.

Aslam has lodged a request for political asylum in Greece. Amnesty said
it was "probable" that Aslam's charges were "linked to his attempts to
defend the rights of his compatriots, kidnapped in Greece most likely by
(Greek and British) secret service agents".

An Athens tribunal is due to rule on Wednesday on whether Aslam will be
extradited.

Greece, Britain and Pakistan have denied his accusations. 



Copyright AFP (Agence France-Presse), 2006
 
 
 
Petros Constantinou, national coordinator, 00306932828964
 
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