Tanzania Urgent Action: Human rights advocate jailed

Tanzania Urgent Action: Human rights advocate jailed 

(Another rabidly pro-Nepad African elite, Benjamin Mkapa, shows how
seriously good governance and environmental protection are taken in
Tanzania... Although the action-request below is from -- and for action in
relation to -- Canada, please do follow this and make noises, if you can, in
relation to Pretoria... *Another* test case for Nepad that will, we can
safely predict, highlight Mbeki's lack of caring.)

Urgent Action:
Human Rights Advocate Jailed in Tanzania -- Please Write Letters!

(January 3, 2003) Tundu Antiphas Lissu, a Tanzanian human rights
lawyer and outspoken advocate for an independent international
inquiry into the evictions at Bulyanulu in August 1996, was detained
by police on December 23 in Dar Es Salaam, and held for over 24 hours
in an underground jail known as "The Hole."

There was no probable cause and no warrant for his arrest. He and his
colleagues at the Lawyers Environmental Action Team (LEAT)
[http://www.leat.or.tz/] have been subjected to increasing harassment
for their dogged pursuit if justice for the small scale miners who
were evicted in 1996 to make way for Barrick Gold's enormous
Bulyanhulu gold mine [http://www.barrick.com/]. They have been
charged with sedition, but argue that the sedition law is
unconstitutional. On December 7, Lissu returned voluntarily from the
United States to Dar Es Salaam with his wife and twin baby sons.

LEAT lawyers are also restrained by magistrate's order, from travel
and from speaking out about the events at Bulyanhulu. They hope to
speak to the World Bank Extractive Industries Review

[http://www.eireview.org/eir/eirhome.nsf/englishmainpage/about?Opendocument]
in Maputo on January 13-17, since Bulyanhulu will be one of the case
studies. Their right to travel to this meeting must be protected.

We ask that concerned persons write or fax the Honourable Bill
Graham, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the Tanzanian High
Commission, asking that there be an independent international inquiry
and that the harassment of Lissu and others be stopped.

Hon. Bill Graham, Minister of Foreign Affairs
fax (613) 996-9607, e-mail Graham.B@parl.gc.ca

His Excellency the High Commissioner
High Commission of the United Republic of Tanzania
fax (613) 232-5184, e-mail tzottawa@synapse.net
50 Range Road, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1N 8J4


See the issues page of our web site for background and details of the
situation at Bulyanulu
[http://www.miningwatch.ca/issues.html#anchor867406].

Letter sent by MiningWatch Canada to Canada's Minister of Foreign
Affairs that you can use as a model:

January 3, 2003

The Honourable Bill Graham
Minister of Foreign Affairs
House of Commons
Ottawa ON K1R 6K7

Dear Mr. Graham:

I am writing to express our dismay about the detention of Tundu
Antiphas Lissu in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania on December 23, 2002.

We understand that he was arrested without probably cause and without
a warrant, and was held in "The Hole" at the Central Police Station
in Dar Es Salaam. We understand that he and his colleagues are also
restrained from speaking about the events at Bulyanhulu or traveling
outside Dar Es Salaam without permission of the magistrate.

We are aware that there are outstanding sedition charges against Mr.
Lissu, which he says are unconstitutional, however, we fail to
understand the reasons for his detention at this time. Mr. Lissu
voluntarily returned to Tanzania from the United States in early
December.

We ask once again ask the Canadian government to:
- support an independent international investigation of the events
including the evictions and alleged deaths at Bulyanhulu in August
1996
- demand that the Tanzanian Government end the harassment of Mr.
Lissu, Rugemeleza Nshala, August Mrema and other persons who have
been calling for the international investigation, and a withdrawal of
the sedition charges against them.

The on-going refusal of the Tanzanian government to behave in a
democratic manner in regard to this issue is extremely disturbing and
lends credence to the allegations of wrong-doing put forward by the
Small Scale Miners Association.

I look forward to your reply,

Yours truly,

Joan Kuyek, National Co-ordinator