- Conference
- 2006 National Black Members' Conference
- Date
- 22 September 2005
- Decision
- Carried
Conference notes:
1. Samar Alami, a Palestinian Lebanese woman, and Jawad Batemh, a
Palestinian man, have been wrongfully convicted in relation to the 1994 bombings of the Israeli Embassy and Balfour House, they were sentenced to twenty years and they have been in prison ever since;
2. In 2001 the Court of Appeal dismissed their cases even though it revealed a series of “errors” and cover-ups on the part of the intelligence services, police and prosecution; the appeal is now before the European Court of Human Rights which is seeking further information from the United Kingdom government before deciding whether it will proceed to a hearing;
3. Both at the original trial and at the appeal the prosecution case depended on Public Interest Immunity Certificates, that is the bulk of the evidence was withheld from the defence and in November 2001 Amnesty International expressed its concern that Samar and Jawad have been denied the right to fair trail;
4. Meanwhile, Samar and Jawad have consistently met their sentence plan requirements and now more than half way through their sentences, have applied for parole but are experiencing delays with decisions just as their earlier applications for decategorisation met delays.
Conference also notes that:
1. UNISON National Delegate Conference 2003 carried a resolution supporting Samar and Jawad;
2. UNISON West Midlands has a working party to support the campaign; and,
3. UNISON’s General Political Fund, Northern Ireland, Scotland and South West Regions and several branches have all offered financial and political support.
Conference welcomes UNISON’s support for the campaign to have Samar and Jawad released from prison and their convictions overturned. It considers that spurious political considerations have stopped Samar and Jawad getting a fair or a normal progression through the prison system and this has happened because of discrimination against them as Arabs and Muslims.
Conference therefore instructs the National Black Members Committee to:
1. Write to the Home Secretary supporting Samar and Jawad’s applications for parole;
2. Send this conference’s greetings and solidarity to Samar and Jawad; and,
3. Continue working with the campaign as appropriate.