May 12
24
Janos Ader
Incoming President of Hungary,
Your Highness:
The Women Human Rights Defenders International Coalition (WHRD IC) is concerned about Dr. Agnes Gereb’s impending imprisonment for two years and other criminal procedures against her and other midwifes. We write to ask that you reply positively to her request for a Presidential pardon and for the cancellation of all criminal procedures against them involved in the same cases, Agnes Kiraly.
The prison sentence and 10 year ban on practicing handed down to Dr. Gereb on February, 10th, 2012, has shocked our human right’s community of which Dr. Geréb is rightly seen as an important member.
Dr. Geréb is not only known internationally as a renowned midwife but is also regarded as Hungary’s foremost defenders of women’s rights in the area of maternity services. No later than February 28th, 2011 at the UN General Assembly the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, Margaret Sekaggya, stated that ” notwithstanding the information provided by the {Hungarian} Government the Special Rapporteur reiterates her concern that the arrest and detention of Dr. Agnes Gereb may be linked to her work in the defense of human rights.[1]
In the 15 months that has passed since the UN Special Rapporteur expressed those clear and accurate concerns to the United Nations and to the Government of Hungary, Dr. Gereb was nevertheless forced to remain under unnecessary and severe house imprisonment. Dr. Geréb also has had to endure a court trial where all court experts called upon were entirely unfamiliar with homebirth deliveries and had adopted public positions against the safety of homebirths. It is therefore reasonable to conclude that it was impossible for Dr Gereb to receive a fair trial when the two fundamentals requirements of an expert witness, to be an expert and unbiased, were glaringly absent.
On the basis of what we have outlined above, WHRD IC believe that Dr. Gereb has been singled out for abuse and mistreatment based on her work as a human right’s defender and that in the process her own human rights have been trampled upon and defiled. As the new President of Hungary we believe that you are in a unique position to bring an end to the unwarranted and highly personal attack by the State Authorities on Dr. Gereb. You have the power and the opportunity to bring resolution, reconciliation and justice to bear on this matter and we hope you have the wisdom and the courage to grant the clemency request that Dr. Gereb so justly deserves.
The Women Human Rights Defenders International Coalition (WHRD IC) is a resource and advocacy network for the protection and support of women human rights worldwide.
