Amnesty International Bournemouth Poole Christchurch Group

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

Urgent Action Argentina

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A new Urgent Action for Argentina has been published. It’s not yet on the AIUK website, so please follow the link below to take action.

President Javier Milei vetoed a bill that had been passed by Congress to improve pensions for older people. This was to adjust for the large loss of purchasing power they have suffered in recent months. This Urgent Action is to urge the Congress to insist on approving the law as a measure towards the guarantee of a dignified standard of living for older people.

https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/amr13/8497/2024/en/

(if you prefer to work with the Spanish version its here https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/amr13/8497/2024/es/)
This is a letter to the Chamber of Deputies; not specifically to one Congress person.

Email
We have been sent individual congress members to email.  There are four main targets:-

• Congressman Rodrigo De Loredo: rdeloredo@hcdn.gob.ar
• Congressman Germán Pedro Martínez: gpmartinez@hcdn.gob.ar
• Congressman Miguel Angel Pichetto: mpichetto@hcdn.gob.ar
• Congressman Cristian Ritondo: critondo@hcdn.gob.ar
then an additional seven…
1. Congresswoman Pamela Caletti
pcaletti@hcdn.gob.ar
2. Congressman Juan Manuel López
julopez@hcdn.gob.ar
3. Congresswoman Ana Carla Carrizo
ccarrizo@hcnd.gob.ar
4. Congressman Martín Tetaz
mtetaz@hcdn.gob.ar
5. Congresswoman Silvia Lospennato
Slospennato@hcdn.gob.ar
6. Congresswoman Luana Volnovich
lvonovich@hcdn.gob.ar
7. Congresswoman Mónica Fein
Mfein@hcdn.gob.ar
If you email please also CC Amnesty Argentina so they can track the emails sent and be able to share with other authorities at direjecutiva@amnistia.or.ar
With both letters and emails, please CC (or write directly to) the fairly new Ambassador in London.
Her Excellency Mrs Mariana Edith Plaza
Ambassador of Argentina
The Embassy of the Argentine Republic
65 Brook Street
London W1K 4AH
ambassadors-office@argentine-embassy-uk.org
Social Media
As with most Urgent Actions we are supplied a link to an internal folder with social media suggestions (and sometimes other assets). Please let David know if this is something you would like more information on.

Please write to your Member of Parliament

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Apologies to those living in Christchurch, but most of you are still getting used to having a new MP.  And, hopefully, one with a much more progressive outlook than the person they replaced.
As an Amnesty International supporter you can help. Let your MP know you want them to commit to supporting and defending human rights in this country and internationally. You can download this pre-forma letter to edit and send. Please personalise as much as you can.
If you are not sure of your MP, check here- https://www.theyworkforyou.com/ – you can also send them a message via this site. But some of us still believe posting a letter has more impact. MPs do reply!
Still write if your MP hasn’t changed – let them know you are a supporter of Amnesty International.  Ask them as your MP to commit to supporting and defending human rights in this country and internationally, both in parliament and more widely.
https://amnestyat50.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Template-for-post-election-letter-to-MP.docx

Group Newsletter August 2024

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Welcome to the latest newsletter.
Our next meeting  is on Thursday 5th September 2024, 7.30pm – 9.00pm at Moordown Community Centre. We will catch up on campaigns, letter writing, and finalize planning for…

Jamnesty

After lasts years success, we are holding another Jamnesty on

Saturday 7th September at Chaplin’s Bar

Last year was our first Jamnesty, but we still had a fantastic day with 11 bands and 6 poets – and we raised over £1600! This year we don’t have to contend with the Air Show and can build on what worked best last year. Cakes will again feature – please get in touch if you would like to make/donate some.  Details of the performers, etc are on our Events page. Please contact us if you would like to help on the day.
Roxanne Phillips will be returning to Jamnesty next month.

Please write to your Member of Parliament

Apologies to those living in Christchurch, but most of you are still getting used to having a new MP.  And, hopefully, one with a much more progressive outlook than the person they replaced. Our group last met on election day, so we will discuss how to build relationships with the new MPs at our next meeting.
But as an Amnesty International supporter you can help. Let your MP know you want them to commit to supporting and defending human rights in this country and internationally. You can download this pre-forma letter to edit and send. Please personalise as much as you can.
If you are not sure of your MP, check here- https://www.theyworkforyou.com/ – you can also send them a message via this site. But some of us still believe posting a letter has more impact. MPs do reply!
Still write if your MP hasn’t changed – lets remind Sir Christopher that many of his constituents don’t share his views on the treatment of refugees…
https://amnestyat50.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Template-for-post-election-letter-to-MP.docx
Protests in Venezuela earlier this month

South America Newsletter

The latest South America Newsletter has updates on Colombia, Argentina, Peru, Paraguay, Venezuela, Chile, Ecuador and Brazil. This was published just after the election in Venezuela, and there already there were protests as President Maduro claimed victory. Now the  authorities have carried out mass arbitrary arrests of demonstrators. Over two thousand people were arrested for protesting or being seen as critical of the government. Most of the detainees are young people, including at least 105 aged between 13 and 17. At least 16 people with disabilities, such as visual or hearing impairments, remain in detention. Credible allegations of incommunicado detention and denial of legal counsel persist, leading to a high risk of ill-treatment and torture. Please act on this Amnesty Urgent Action (its a letter, but you can email it), urging the authorities to release all those detained for exercising their rights.
https://amnestyat50.co.uk/south-america-newsletter-august-2024
https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/amr53/8396/2024/en/

[Read more…]

Europe Newsletter August 2024

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Dear Amnesty activists and supporters. The Olympic games should be a time of celebrating diversity, but the French ban prohibiting Muslim women from wearing sports hijabs is excluding French athletes from taking part. Please join the on-line campaign to end discrimination in France. For any inquiries about France please contact our coordinator for Western Europe Jovana Bosnjak Jovana.Bosnjak@amnesty.org.uk

We also have a postcard action supporting the Saturday mothers in Turkiye. Please print the attached postcard templates and send cards to the Interior Ministry of Turkiye. For further questions please contact Chris Ramsey country coordinator for Turkiye  chris.ramsey@amnesty.org.uk

How we respond to refugees fleeing wars and oppression defines us as a society and civilization. On 14th of June vigils and demonstrations were held in many European countries including Greece, Denmark, Germany, France, Bulgaria, Turkey, UK and others to call for justice for the 600 people who drowned when the “Adriana”, a clapped out fishing boat packed with refugees including many children, sank near Pylos Greece. Investigations by Amnesty, Human Rights Watch and the BBC point to the culpability of the Greek authorities particularly the Hellenic coastguard for this horrendous and preventable loss of life.  Just this week Amnesty released a report investigating the suffering of people detained in the EU-funded Closed Controlled Access Centres in Samos Greece. And in Finland a new law on migration is a green light for violence and pushbacks at the border. For more information please contact Ulrike Schmidt Balkan and regional team coordinator Ulrike.schmidt@amnesty.org.uk

In Poland refugees are still dying in the forests pushed back and forth by Belarussian and Polish border guards. Refugees from Afghanistan, who have often helped Western troops and are persecuted by the Taliban are not receiving the welcome that Ukrainian refugees rightly receive. Used by Belarus and forcibly returned by Polish border guards refugees from Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and other oppressive and war-torn countries are forced back and forth over the border. Many, including children have died in the swampy and unforgiving forests. Our new coordinator for Central Europe Lucja Jastrzebska is giving us overview and updates. For further information please contact lucja.jastrzebska@amnesty.org.uk

Finally Amnesty has released a detailed report called “Under protected and over restricted“ about the right to protest in 21 countries. Chris Ramsey, our coordinator for Turkey  has worked through the 209 pages of the report for us and produced a more digestible summary for us. For further inquiries please contact chris.ramsey@amnesty.org.uk.

Malta

El Hiblu update :

Apologies to all the groups who expressed an interest in adopting the El Hiblu 3. The Action circular on the case has still not been issued, and I finally received an answer from the research team: The courts in Malta are currently hearing preliminary issues, following the attorney generals decision to indict the El Hiblu 3. The first preliminary issue is that they are examining whether Malta has jurisdiction over the case. At the moment all we can do is wait. I will keep you updated as soon as I receive more information. In the mean-time all we can do is continue to write solidarity messages. [Read more…]

South America Newsletter July 2024

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This month we bring you news from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, Suriname, and Venezuela. 

Highlights are: 

  • Amnesty has raised an alarm about the proliferation of legal initiatives to curtail the work of civil society organisations in Latin America and which seriously threaten the efforts of these organisations to promote and defend human rights in the region. 
  • In Argentina, a violent police operation during protests on 12 June resulted in 33 people being arbitrarily detained and charged with several offences, including attacks on constitutional order and democratic life. Amnesty International has issued an Urgent Action urging the prosecutor to immediately drop the charges against them. 
  • El Pais (English version) reports on the findings of the Gamboa case in Brazil where three police officers are charged with the killing of three young Black individuals during Carnival in 2022. 
  • Yuly Velásquez, President of FEDESPAN (Federation of Artisanal, Environmental, and Tourist Fisherfolk of Santander Department), received AI Germany’s human rights award on 4 June. 
  • Amnesty has submitted a briefing to the UN Committee against Torture setting out its main concerns with regard to the current crisis within Ecuador’s prisons. 
  • There will be a new Amnesty report this month focusing on demanding justice and accountability for the victims of the military and police repression of the 2022/23 Peruvian protests. 
  • The United Nations published an update denouncing the growing restriction of civil liberties in Venezuela, especially before the election later this month. 

REGIONAL 

Amnesty has raised an alarm about the proliferation of legal initiatives to curtail the work of civil society organisations in Latin America and which seriously threaten the efforts of these organisations to promote and defend human rights in the region.  Taking cues from questionable, regressive and authoritarian measures that certain countries in the region have adopted, the parliaments of Paraguay, Peru and Venezuela are currently considering passing laws that would arbitrarily restrict and unduly interfere with civil society organizations, associations, and groups. These measures threaten to silence criticism, compromise the pursuit of justice and undermine progress on human rights.  [Read more…]

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