Thanks for everyone who helped out with last Saturdays Street Collection. 
The middle of August isn’t the best date – we have no say over when allocated – as many usual helpers were away. So it was great to make £91.65 – only slightly down on last year. Thanks again to all who turned out.
Raisa Radchenko in Psychiatric Hospital
This is an updated Urgent Action (which we hadn’t previously seen or acted on) relating to the Ukraine. Raisa Radchenko, a 70 year old human rights activist, was detained on 11 July 2013 by police and taken to Zaporizhzhya Regional Psychiatric Hospital. Despite having no history of mental illness and without a court order authorising treatment without consent, she was nevertheless subjected to psychiatric treatment.
The sample letter – to the regional Govenor – is self explanatory. There are more details on the AIUK website, also including a TEXT campaign if you prefer. The address of the Embassy of Ukraine is 78 Kensington Park Rd, London W11 2PL
Update – Raisa has since been released. No further action.
July 2013 News Update – South America Region
Going back a couple of decades, the group was an active participant in a Regional Action Network involving Paraguay, Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay – although 90% of the work centred on Brazil. This has gradually evolved into the South America Region and we get periodic updates and actions from the hard working voluntary coordinators. We thought you may find it useful if we shared the updates to give you a feel for some of the ways Amnesty currently works and the campigning that is being done. At the end of the report is a link to an Urgent Action and sample letter:-
Paraguay
In early July AIUK coordinators and staff at the International Secretariat were able to brief the new UK Ambassador to Paraguay, Jeremy Hobbs, before he departed to take up his post. The Embassy closed in 2005 and is just now reopening. We were able to brief the Ambassador on the human rights situation in Paraguay and, in particular, the two case files of indigenous communities removed from their lands, Yakye Axa and Sawhowyamaxa.
Venezuela
On 14 June Judge Alfiuni was released from detention. In December 2009 she released banker Eligio Cedeño in accordance with Venezuelan law and was herself arrested the following day. Amnesty International has consistently denounced her detention as undue political interference and arbitrary in nature, in contravention of the independence of the magistrates and judges. The conditions imposed on her release are harsh: she may not leave the country, speak to the press or communicate on social networks.
Colombia
In theory, paramilitarism ended with the demobilisation process. However, groups continue to operate with impunity. Since our last update a paramilitary plan to kill human rights activists has been exposed. Members of the National Movement of Victims of State Crimes in Sucre (MOVICE) have been threatened and attacked by paramilitaries. These and other organised crimes have been planned from within prison. On 3rd June the police commander of the Department of Sucre in northern Colombia received an e-mail saying paramilitaries (believed to be the bloque Héroes de los Montes de María) were intending to kill human rights defender Juan David Díaz, his wife and another person. His father Eudaldo was killed after he denounced links between paramilitaries, local politicians and the Armed Forces in February 2003. [Read more…]
Indonesia and Laos
At our July meeting we did a substantial amount of letter writing (for us!). In the curious absence of Urgent Actions or news from our other campaigns, we revisited some ongoing pages from the A.I.U.K. site. The letters are all edited versions of what you can find on the site – and again you can personalise them further yourself.
Teacher jailed for Waving a Flag
Johan Teterissa, a primary school teacher, is serving a 15-year sentence for leading a peaceful protest in 2007. He was arrested with 21 activists during a government-organised event in Ambon, the capital of Maluku province, attended by the President of Indonesia. The protestors performed a traditional war dance and unfurled the Benang Raja flag, perceived by government authorities to be a symbol of the Republic of South Maluku independence movement. He never received medical treatment for the injuries he sustained after being tortured in the early days of his detention.
There is some background information here.
Please write:- Johan Teterissa letter
Imprisoned for Peacefully Calling for Change
On the morning of 26 October 1999, a group of 30 young people belonging to the Lao Students Movement for Democracy (LSMD) gathered in front of the National Assembly building in the Lao capital, Vientiane to call for peaceful political, social and economic change. As they attempted to unfurl banners they were quickly surrounded by policemen and five of the protesters – Thongpaseuth Keuakoun, Seng-Aloun Phengphanh, Bouavanh Chanmanivong, Keochay and Khamphouvieng Sisaath – were arrested and sentenced to long terms in prison for treason.
Less than two years later, 40-year-old Khamphouvieng Sisaath died in custody after he was ill-treated by prison guards. He had been tied spread-eagled to a post in the prison yard and left in the hot sun for hours until he died of heat exhaustion. No investigation is known to have been carried out into the circumstances of his death. [Read more…]
Art Exhibition Update
There never seems an ideal time to do this as things are moving at a huge pace. But we’ve finally hit the Bournemouth Echo – twice!! – so it must be happening. Thanks to Genevieve Talon for her persistence, as there was a good article on Monday. This followed a short piece the previous week – as in the photo below.
If you are new to the whole concept of an Art Exhibition, firstly check out the Art page. Following our successful music event in 2011 we decided to follow up with something else that would attract the interest and attention of the wider public – not just Amnesty followers. An Art Exhibition appeared an ideal medium, as the theme of human rights would also given opportunity to create discussion and debate around Amnesty Internationals work.
Over the past 8 months a small sub-committee has got the project off the ground. From our initial enquires it became clear that the event couldn’t happen in 2013, as most venues were already booked. But we have now lined up venues such as Christchurch Priory, Red House museum, St Peters Church and the Lighthouse in Poole – with negotiations continuing with others. The main exhibition looks set for Spring 2014 (the Lighthouse may well be Autumn – wait for updates!).
Energy has also been spent contacting 6th Form College Art Tutors and professional and amateur artists and art groups. We have distributed our leaflet far and wide. We have started to get enquiries about how to submit entries. Its happening! [Read more…]
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