Amnesty International Bournemouth Poole Christchurch Group

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

Metropolis Gallery is Superb Finale

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This should be the final post about the Human Rights Art Exhibition! We have now dismantled the exhibitions at Christchurch Priory, Red House Museum, Bournemouth Library and St Peters Church. To some extent it was hard to motivate ourselves to curate some of the work for yet another exhibition – especially when only over 5 days!human rights art exhibition

But I hope those that see it agree, that the Exhibition at the Metropolis Gallery in Westbourne, Bournemouth is stunning in its own right. A very fitting finale to all the work that has gone on over the past 18 months. Please get to see it if you can.human rights art exhibition

Red House Museum & St Peters Church

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Our recent blog posts have featured the launches of the Art Exhibition at Christchurch Priory and Bournemouth Library. As we are now well into the second half of the Exhibition, here is a selection of images from the Red Hose Museum, Christchurch and St Peters Church in Bournemouth.

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sculptures at the red house museum
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picutes at the red house museum
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more pictures at the red house museum
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sculpture at st peters church
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exhibits at st peters church

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instillation at st peters church

So do find time to visit before 4th April 2014….

Launch of Art Exhibition part 2

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Two days after the successful launch at Christchurch Priory – with the Christchurch Mayor – we had a successful launch of the Bournemouth end of the Exhibition at Bournemouth Library.

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On with the introductions… In the foreground is “Freebird” by Ellen Morgan
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local group chairman ted stevens with mayor and mayoress

amnesty internationalThe Mayor of Bournemouth, Councillor Dr Rodney Cooper, accompanied by the Mayoress, showed great interest in the exhibits as he was shown around by local group members. The library did a great job in helping to organise the launch and in their providing hospitality.
amnesty internationalThanks also to June Power for the photographs and to the many artists both for submitting their work and turning out in great numbers to launch the event.

Launch of Art Exhibition

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After 18 months of hard work, our Human Rights Art Exhibition is now live. Last night (Tuesday 11th March) we welcomed the Mayor of Christchurch John Lofts to offically open the Christchurch end of the exhibition.

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artist neville cooper shows his work to christchurch mayor john lofts and local Amnesty International group’s genevieve talon

 

Many of the artists who had submitted work turned out, along with group members, friends and well-wishers.

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Chairman Ted Stevens gives a short(ish) introduction

 

We had quite a crowd, as you can see below. Thanks to the staff of Christchurch Priory for their help in hosting the launch, and for letting us have the church as a venue. They have many visitors who come to admire this beautiful, historic place of worship, so allowing us space in a venue not designed for pictures (you can’t nail or screw into 900 year old walls!) was particularly nice of them.

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Many turned out for our art exhibition launch

July 2013 News Update – South America Region

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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…]

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