Freedom for Wissam T. Abyad

To:  Counselor Maher 'Abd al-Wahid

WE write to you out of deep concern over the situation of Wissam
Toufic Fuad Abyad, who was detained on 16 January 2003 in the
Heliopolis district of Cairo and charged with "habitual debauchery"
upon meeting a contact he had made on an Internet website. On 17
February 2003, a court of appeals in Cairo upheld the sentence of 15
months' imprisonment. An appeal is pending before the Court of
Cassations.

Amnesty International considered Wissam Abyad to be a prisoner of
conscience, detained solely for his perceived sexual orientation.
We continue to call for his immediate and unconditional release.

In the interim, we ask that you ensure that his sentence is
suspended immediately pending the outcome of his hearing before the
Court of Cassations. Without such intervention, there is a very real
risk that he may serve his entire sentence before the appeal is
heard, an even greater injustice if the Court of Cassations finds
that his conviction and sentence were unjustified.

We request an immediate suspension of his sentence pending the outcome of his appeal.

Thank you and hope you work with us for a better world based on justice and tolerance.

Sincerely,

The Undersigned

The Freedom for Wissam T. Abyad Petition to Counselor Maher 'Abd al-Wahid was created by Friends and Supporters of Wissam Abyad and written by Imad Mortada.  This petition is hosted here at www.PetitionOnline.com as a public service. There is no endorsement of this petition, express or implied, by Artifice, Inc. or our sponsors. For technical support please use our simple Petition Help form.

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