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South America News and Action Update July 2014

August 1, 2014 by zarganar

Christchurch Street Collection

First, just a quick thanks to everyone who turned out last Saturday and endured the heat in Christchurch. We raised a few pence short of £150. Ted and May also raised £30 at “Muscliffe Fun Day”. Whilst our main purpose isn’t fundraising, with international letters now costing £1 we need an inflow of money to keep up the work we do.

Below is the latest update from our South American coordinators. This month they are highlighting two issues on which they would particularly like us to take action. The first relates to yet another threat to the Peace Community of San José de Apartadó in Colombia. The second is a call to the President of Bolivia to take steps to put an end to impunity for human rights violations perpetrated during past military governments. They also draw our attention to another Urgent Action on Colombia and a report by another NGO about threats to human rights defenders in Peru.

They have started a new Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/amnestyinternationaluksouthamerica, but they have a long way to go to match our page! https://www.facebook.com/aipbc

Colombia

On 21 July a member of the Colombian armed forces told an inhabitant of San José, who has close links with the Peace Community of San José de Apartadó, that “the time has arrived for that son-of-a-bitch community, we are coordinating with the paramilitaries for the extermination of that son-of-a-bitch Peace Community”. On 19 July a local newspaper ran an article with statements from the new commander of the XVII Brigade (which has a grave human rights record) that the Brigade would do special work with the hamlets of San José de Apartadó to recuperate the space they had lost, alluding to the areas which make up the Peace Community. The Peace Community understands this as a further threat to exterminate them. Full details of the Urgent Action are here:
[Read more…]

Free Khalil Matouq

July 19, 2014 by zarganar

On 2 October 2012, Syrian human rights lawyer Khalil Ma’touq set off on a drive to work. He never arrived and his family have not seen him since.

Free Khalil Ma’touq — new chairman Andy Turner takes part in campaign

Khalil Ma’touq’s home is in Sahnaya, a suburb roughly 20km south of the centre of Damascus. His normal route to his office in the city takes him through a number of government-controlled checkpoints. Given Khalil’s work as a human rights lawyer, there were immediate concerns that he had been arrested by government forces.

Khalil Ma’touq’s family and lawyer have received various unconfirmed reports that Khalil was being held at a number of different branches of the security forces. The Syrian government have not responded to the family’s requests for information on the whereabouts of Khalil Ma’touq. Following an official inquiry by a group of lawyers the government denied that they are holding Khalil Ma’touq.

Khalil Ma’touq has been a human rights lawyer for many years. He has defended hundreds of political prisoners and prisoners of conscience, including at Syria’s Supreme State Security Court. He is a prisoner of conscience, detained solely for his peaceful and important human rights work.

Our group took part in a monthly action to try and secure the freedom of Khalil Ma’touq. We all were photographed holding the message shown, which were then sent to AIUK to make a photo collage as part of a petition. To take part yourself download this july_ma_international_disappeared_day_syria_action PDF.

Newsletter July 5th 2014

July 5, 2014 by zarganar

Hello

Welcome to the latest news from your local Amnesty Group
Our next meeting is Thursday, 10th July 2014 at 7.30pm at Moordown Community Centre, Bournemouth. We didn’t appoint a “Chair” at the recent AGM, as Ted Stevens has stood down. Hopefully we will resolve this issue at the meeting next week. Please come along if you possibly can.

Remember, we have no meeting in August

Cuban Urgent Actions

Sue Bingham, country coordinator for Cuba, returned to give a fascinating talk and update at our May meeting. Sue has done a tremendous amount of work, and visited Cuba numerous times, to ensure we are kept up to date with campaign work. Ironically, since her visit, Amnesty International has issued two Urgent Actions relating to prisoners of conscience in Cuba. Sue has sent us some model letters, plus the original Urgent Action details, and urged us to do something if we can.

Please go to our blog http://amnestyat50.co.uk/cuban-urgent-actions for the downloads [Read more…]

Cuban Urgent Actions

July 4, 2014 by zarganar

For some years our group has focussed on Campaigns and Actions relating to Cuba – Amnesty has always encouraged groups and individuals to focus their energies on particular countries or individual cases. The country coordinator, Sue Bingham, last visited the group in 2010, so we were delighted to welcome her back for an update at our May meeting in Moordown. Sue has done a tremendous amount of work, and visited Cuba numerous times, to ensure we are kept up to date with campaign work.

Ironically, since Sues visit there have been updates and now two Urgent Actions. This is a message from Sue last week when she enclosed the first action…

“I visited Cuba on holiday in May, and it is very chilling for me to receive this Urgent Action, as Roberto was assaulted in the street in broad daylight in the neighbourhood where I was staying. As Amnesty is not officially allowed in Cuba, I did not make contact with any dissidents or attempt to do any Amnesty related research. I did chat to lots of people informally though, of course, and there were several occasions when strangers (e.g. bookseller, guesthouse owner) told me freely that Cuba is a highly controlled society, with no freedom of information or expression. This has never happened before on my previous trips.

The streets seemed busier with a wider range of cars, now that restrictions have been lifted on buying/selling them, but the “pop-up” shops in people’s houses with imported clothes had gone, following the backtracking by the authorities on the new economic freedoms, replaced with tourist T shirts and souvenirs.”

Sue was in touch again a couple of days ago with the second case….

“Three brothers who have been in pre-trial detention in Cuba since late 2012 have now been tried and are due for sentencing. They are at risk of being sentenced to between three and five years’ imprisonment. Amnesty International believes they are prisoners of conscience, detained solely for exercising their right to freedom of expression.”

Sue has sent model letters:- UA 20 Jun 14 Journalist attacked model letter

and UA 27 jun 2014 POCs await sentence model letter

These are the original urgent actions:-

UA 15914 UK Cuba journalist threatened 20 jun 2014

and UA 20113 prisoners of conscience awaiting sentence

Do try to find time to download these letters, personalise, and send to Cuba and/or the UK Embassy. You can also email them if you prefer.

Summer Quiz 2014

July 4, 2014 by zarganar

Quiz nights have been a major social event and fundraiser for many years now. And for at least a decade we’ve relied on the Ye Olde George in the centre of Christchurch for our spring quiz – despite their function room being somewhat gloomy (and grubby) and their charging for the privilege.

quiz at starre — ye olde starre inn proved a pleasant venue

But with the George converting their function room into a restaurant we were left without a venue. Having energies focussed on the Art Exhibition it took a while before we managed to find “ye Olde Starre Inn”, not far up the road from the George. What was great is we had their restaurant area for free and it appeared ideal for our purposes.

David Brown again proved an excellent host, and more than a match for Uruguay v Costa Rica in the adjoining bar! With England starting their campaign later in the evening – that moment of soon to be dashed hope and expectation – it was perhaps unsurprising numbers were a bit lower. We had also raised prices, and of course were in a new venue on the edge of our “catchment” area. But we managed to raise £157, much welcome after some of the expenses for the Art Exhibition.

Thanks again to David (and May for the raffle) and to all who turned out.