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"When they refused to identify themselves, the neighbor closed the door on them." |
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Amnesty Action:
Fear
for Safety
by Kathy Gay
his week VegSource presents an
action on 
Costa Rica
from Amnesty International. It concerns the on-going harassment
of a woman and her three young daughters who sought and
were granted asylum in Costa Rica after having received
death threats in their native Honduras.
Specific information about this action, including the names of the individuals involved, is included in the sample letter that follows.
Background Information
Unfortunately, being granted asylum in a
foreign
country does not always ensure that no harm will come to
the individuals granted the asylum. For this particular
mother and her children, the harassment which began in
their native country, Honduras, has followed them to another
country, Costa Rica, where they hoped to be safe. The
father of the two oldest girls testified during investigations
into past human rights violations in Honduras and has himself
sought asylum in Canada. The family's connection with him
is probably the reason they are being sought by the
Honduran security forces.
In this particular case, although it is
generally known who the perpetrators are, even after
repeated acts 
of intimidation, they
have not been apprehended. They recently came looking for
the mother at the family's former address after she had
deliberately moved the family to a new location. She has received
a series of anonymous telephone calls at their new home:
the phone would ring, but when she answered, the caller would
immediately hang up. On one occasion, one of her
daughters picked up the phone and the caller asked to
speak to her mother. When her mother then took the call, the
line went dead.
Men claiming to be members of the Costa Rican police recently went to a former neighbor's house and requested information on the family's current whereabouts. When they refused to identify themselves, the neighbor closed the door on them. The Costa Rican police have stated that no one from their police force had been looking for them.
Amnesty International is very concerned that this family continues to be harassed and intimidated and fears that their lives are in danger.
How you can help
This action expired on December 17, 1996,
and the accompanying sample letter with detailed
information about the case has been removed. Thanks to everyone
who sent letters to Costa Rican authorities on behalf of
this woman and her three young daughters.
Questions?
f you have any questions, just post a message to me (Kathy Gay) on the Pub, and I will respond as soon as I can. I greatly appreciate your interest and support.
__________________________________________________
Kathy Gay is a vegan, and has been a member of Amnesty International for nearly 10 years, where she has worked on numerous campaigns. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area and is a business analyst for a leading California bank.
Kathy's column, To All Living Things, is a regular feature of VegSource On-Line Magazine.