Amnesty International Bournemouth Poole Christchurch Group

local news & events Amnesty International group for Bournemouth, Poole & Christchurch

South America Newsletter July 2016

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This month we ask you to sign and publicise a petition, asking the Brazilian authorities to safeguard rights and life ahead of the Rio Olympics, as well as Urgent Actions on behalf of Belén, the Argentine imprisoned after suffering a miscarriage in hospital, and on behalf of Venezuelan HR defenders Raquel Sánchez and Oscar Ríos, who were attacked 6 June.brazil olympics

We bring you the latest report Violence Has No Place in These Games, with suggested actions you can take to the Brazilian authorities. There is good news from Colombia and we analyse the historic ceasefire and disarmament agreement between the FARC rebels and the government. We report on the OAS’s resolutions on human rights for the Americas and other news from the region.

REGIONAL

On 13 June the Organization of American States (OAS) informedcivil society organizations (CSOs) that “due to space limitations at the venue of the General Assembly, they would not be able to access the premises of the OAS General Assembly” being held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Registered CSO participants were invited to follow the plenary sessions on television screens located in a hotel in the city. Amnesty said that this exclusion of civil society showed an unprecedented lack of respect that left over a hundred people who travelled to Santo Domingo to witness and participate in the plenary sessions to watch the proceedings in front of screens. Details here.

However, on 17 June the Assembly approved a resolution on human rights which includes agreements on the prevention and reduction of statelessness and the protection of stateless people in the Americas, as well as measures to prevent torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishments with a gender perspective. Amnesty has commended this as an important step forward. Details here.

BRAZIL

As Rio de Janeiro sets up its final preparations for the Olympics, Amnesty has released a new Report highlighting the risk of increased human rights abuses in the context of the public security operations entitled, “Violence Has No Place in These Games.”

With the experience of major sports events hosted in the country, alongside the human rights violations committed by the Brazilian security forces which disproportionately affect young, black, males living in favelas, Amnesty is increasingly worried about these games and therefore calls you to action. [Read more…]

AGM & Meeting 10th March 2016

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At our last meeting on 10th March we held our AGM and went on to have “normal” meeting as well! 

AGM

Chairman’s Report

The year started remarkably well with a quiz in early January at the Arts University Bournemouth campus. We had nothing to do with the organisation, which was down to someone called Wendy Gardner who most of us had never heard of.  Wendy organises these quizzes in aid of various charities, this year deciding on us and the Parkinson’s Society. But as we turned out en masse, she divvied it up 75:25, so we came away (literally) with £750!

We had two other quiz nights of our own, at the Brunswick in Charminster in April and The Queen Mary in Poole in November. Thanks to David Brown, David Rogers and Sally Hawksworth for running these events, but particularly to everyone who turns up. We don’t promote these events much outside the group, so they do need your support to continue.

Likewise street collections. These are strange events; I don’t think anyone enjoys the experience of being invisible for a few hours on a Saturday in the middle of town. As our Treasurer will explain, they do continue to generate useful revenue. Although this has dropped, it’s more to the passing public missing their cue to donate rather than lack of volunteers to take part.

The weather didn’t help with the Muscliffe Family Funday, which was held over until August due to bad weather. Thanks to May and Ted for manning their stall. Ted continues to give his talks to any school or organisation that is prepared to listen! This can be productive financially – The Women’s Fellowship West Parley donated over £50 – but also spreads the word about what Amnesty does and gets others involved in taking action.

We had two new events this year. We manned (or mainly womanned) a stall and took part in the procession at Bourne Free Pride Festival in July. This was quite successful as all our cards were signed and much interest shown in the LGBT cases Amnesty is involved in.  Also in July we supported a screening (and had a stall) of the documentary film “The Look of Silence” at Pavilion Dance. There was only a small public turnout to see this very moving film, but those who went from the group felt it was worth the effort to be there.

This year we managed to get two marvellous venues for our Write for Rights campaign.  Most of you know how difficult this has been in the past, leading to near arrest outside Borders about 8 years ago. Thanks to Ted, May and Genevieve for their persistence in getting these spots. Castlepoint was decimated by appalling weather, although we found a more direct, in your face, approach did work.

Finally the year ended as it had begun, with an unexpected donation. Fiona McDonald is an old member who has moved back to Poole, and wanted to celebrate a “special” birthday – OK she hit 50. But she wanted friends to donate to Amnesty International, rather than give her presents. Another £150 came our way. Thank you Fiona.

Thanks to David Rogers for maintaining our blog and producing the newsletter, that now goes out to over 200 people. He also informs me we have over 1000 followers on our Facebook page – far more than any other local group – and where actions get shared and followed up several times a week.

We’ve continued to meet at Moordown Community Centre every month, except August.  And every month we have written letters linked to our various campaigns in Cuba, South America, China and other Urgent Actions that arise. Unfortunately the China Coordinator, who was scheduled to speak to us in June, couldn’t get to us. However, in October we had an excellent talk by Dr Howard Davis, lecturer in Public Law at Bournemouth University about the Human Rights Act.  Thanks to all of you for turning out over the course of the year.

[Read more…]

South American Newsletter August 2015

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This is the latest from AIUKs South America Team…

“Thanks to everyone who has written on behalf of the recent Brazil urgent actions and the individual cases of Laisa Sampaio, Alexandre Anderson and Jorge Nunes. Richard was at the Brazilian embassy last week and they have received hundreds of letters from British citizens that they have passed on to Brasilia.

This month we have more actions for you on the ban on abortion in Chile, a human rights defender in Ecuador, extrajudicial executions in the State of Rio de Janeiro and the forced eviction of indigenous families in Brazil.

Remember, we keep a running update on South America human rights on  facebook.

CHILE

There have been some positive developments in the campaign to end the total ban on abortion in Chile.  September will be a key month for the debate in Congress, so please encourage your group members to sign if they haven’t already done so; and to spread the word more widely, especially through social media.  The link to the online petition is here.

ECUADOR

Dozens of people have been injured, including police officers, amid clashes between the security forces and protestors in nationwide demonstrations in Ecuador. Amnesty has received reports of excessive use of force by police and the military during the attempted dispersal of protests, as well as clashes between protesters and security forces. Many protestors have been detained and there is a risk of more injuries and detentions.  We shall send you an Urgent Action shortly.

Earlier this month, we sent you an Urgent Action on behalf of Paulina Muñoz Samaniego, a human rights defender.  It is not too late to take action.  See here.

PARAGUAY

The 11-year-old girl who became pregnant after she was repeatedly raped, allegedly by her step father, has given birth via caesarean section.  She was denied the option of an abortion. Thankfully, both the girl and the baby appear to be in stable health condition.  Amnesty has again called for Paraguay to repeal its draconian anti-abortion law.  Read more here.

COLOMBIA

Amnesty has campaigned for decades against efforts to broaden the scope of military jurisdiction into areas that should properly be dealt with in the criminal courts. The reform of Article 221 of the Political Constitution, approved by Congress on 10 June, threatens to exacerbate the already high levels of impunity in cases of human rights violations in Colombia. The Constitutional Court has repeatedly rejected law reforms related to this, but the Colombian government persists in pushing for them. More information will soon be issued on Article 221. Meanwhile, we attach an Amnesty press release from June 2015 on this.

There will be a feature article on the Peace Community of San José de Apartadó in the September issue of Amnesty magazine.

BRAZIL

Extrajudicial Executions in Rio de Janeiro: 1,272 people were killed by the police in the City of Rio de Janeiro (population 6.3 million) between 2010 and 2013. 79% were black. Only 1 of the 230 people killed by police officers in 2011 has led to a prosecution. In 9 out of 9 cases investigated by Amnesty, there are signs that the police committed extrajudicial executions. With these alarming facts, AI Brazil’s extensive report (sent to you 19 August) highlights the cycle of violence, impunity and fear that dominate the favelas – the poor suburbs – of the city. Military Police have killed people by firing on them from inside an armoured car or helicopter. Read You Killed my Son here.  

Indigenous community faces forced eviction: Fifteen families of the Apika’y Indigenous community in central-western Brazil will be forcibly evicted in early August if a judicial decision by a Federal Justice Court is carried out. Please take action by 7 September, sending copies to His Excellency Roberto Jaguaribe, Embassy of Brazil, 14-16 Cockspur Street, London SW1Y 5BL. You can read the urgent action here.

Lynchings are increasingly frequent in Brazil. The New York Times reports on how violence in the country with the most murders in the world (56,000 in 2013) has led to people taking the law into their own hands. You can read more here

Forced evictions in the Rio favela for 2016 Olympics trigger violent clashes.  The Guardian reports that, as in the run up to the World Cup least year, the Brazilian authorities  are evictingfavela residents from their homes ahead of the Rio Olympics. You can read more here

Richard Crosfield
Brazil Country Coordinator
South America Team
Amnesty International UK

The Look of Silence

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There is going to be a screening of “The Look of Silence” at Pavilion Dance, Bournemouth, next Monday the 27th July 2015 at 6.45. We are going to have a table in the foyer handing out an information leaflet from AIUK about the film, and what individuals can do to help bring perpetrators to justice. The information leaflet is largely published below. For a review of the film try IMBd

Waiting 50 Years for Justice

The Look of Silence is another vivid reminder of the continuing impunity for grave human rights violations in Indonesia from the same director as Oscar-nominated and BAFTA-winning 2013 documentary The Act of Killing.
look of silenceIn The Act of Killing, director Joshua Oppenheimer and his anonymous Indonesian co-director and crew broke the taboo around this dark period in Indonesia’s history and opened the debate on justice for crimes of the past. This year, he is back with The Look of Silence, a companion documentary that follows Adi Rukun on his journey to confronting the men who killed his brother. Both documentaries show how some of those behind grave human rights abuses in Indonesia in 1965-66 not only continue to walk free but enjoy virtual celebrity status, leaving the victims still in anguish.

About the film

The award-winning The Look of Silence follows a family of survivors as they discover how their son was killed and who killed him. The film focuses on the victim’s younger brother who, determined to break the shackles of silence and fear, finds and confronts those responsible for the murder of his brother – something unimaginable while the killers remained in power. This unprecedented film bears witness to the collapse of fifty years of silence.
The Look of Silence premiered on 10 November 2014 in Jakarta, Indonesia. It was endorsed and sponsored by the National Human Rights Commission and the Jakarta Arts Council. [Read more…]

South America Newsletter June 2015

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This is the latest newsletter from the South American team. Its copied virtually verbatim – obviously we’ve not tried out all the links!

Columbia

A Colombian trade union leader, Gilberto Torres, is beginning an unprecedented claim for damages against BP in the high court in London, alleging the oil company’s complicity in his kidnap and torture 13 years ago. Read a recent article in the Guardian.

The FARC suspended an almost five-month unilateral ceasefire on Friday after troops killed 26 of its fighters, a move that looks set to ratchet up tension at the talks. Read more: http://reut.rs/1PO4k1D

The Colombian Human Rights Lawyer Jorge Molano is in the UK from 3rd to 7th June 2015. He represents victims in some of the most emblematic human rights cases in Colombia, including the 2005 massacre against the San José de Apartadó Peace Community. Actions to follow.

The text of a prospective American Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples has been compromised during discussions by members of the Organization of American States and, if not corrected, will result in a Declaration that denies the rights enshrined in the landmark 2007 United Nations Declaration. Read Amnesty’s public statement attached.

Key witnesses and lawyer harassed. Andrea Torres Bautista, the witness’ lawyer and other members of the human rights organisation Fundación Nydia Erika Bautista, have also been threatened. Another witness in an emblematic case of enforced disappearances has been attacked.

Brazil

Evany José Metzker, who had investigated child prostitution and drug dealing, was found dead in Minas Gerais State. He was tortured before being decapitated. At least 14 Brazilian journalists have been killed since 2011. Read more at http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/may/20/brazil-blogger-known-for-reporting-on-corruption-found-decapitated

[Read more…]

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