Amnesty International Bournemouth Poole Christchurch Group

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Group Newsletter November 2024

November 21, 2024 by zarganar

Welcome to the latest newsletter.
Our next meeting  is on Thursday 5th December 2024, 7.30pm – 9.00pm at Moordown Community Centre. We will mainly focus on Write 4 Rights...
Professor Şebnem Korur Fincancı

Write 4 Rights (W4R)

W4R is Amnesty International’s annual campaign, sending greetings cards to prisoners of conscience, their families and other human rights defenders around the world.  Worldwide several million messages of support and appeal letters are now sent during a W4R campaign. They made a big difference to the people and communities confronting injustice and facing human rights violations.
One case featured is forensic medicine expert and human rights defender Professor Şebnem Korur Fincancı. She has dedicated her life to eradicating torture and defending human rights. Trying to silence her, the Turkish authorities have subjected Şebnem to baseless criminal investigations. In 2023, she was convicted for allegedly “making propaganda for a terrorist organization” after she had called for an investigation into allegations that the Turkish military was using chemical weapons in Iraq. Şebnem is appealing against her conviction but could be imprisoned for almost two years if unsuccessful. More comprehensive details, a sample appeal letter and links are on our website.
We have decided not to have a stall in the library this year. As well as signing cards at our meeting on 5th December, we will also be at St Johns Church, Vicarage Road,  Moordown on 8th December (after service,11.15am). Also at the Social Canteen at the Garden Rooms Café, 118 Haviland Road, Boscombe on Friday 13th December, 5 – 7pm.
Another person featured in the W4R campaign is  Argentinian Joel Paredes. See the video about him below and read comprehensive details, a sample appeal letter and links on our site.
https://amnestyat50.co.uk/write-for-rights-2024

Joel Paredes

Autumn Quiz

Many thanks to everyone who came to our Quiz Night, We had a great evening and raised £300. Special thanks to the Brunswick again for giving us a great venue, for free. Also David Rogers for setting the questions and Sally Hawksworth for being the hostess.
Read more about the event and download  all 70 questions (and answers!). Do you know on which television show Simon Cowell made his debut – as a contestant? Can you name two members of Coldplay? What was the bestselling book in the UK, 2023? Which city is furthest north – Lincoln, Liverpool or Leeds? Who are the two women below?

Questions 9 and 10, see above

South America Newsletter

The latest South America Newsletter has updates on Peru, Colombia, Argentina, Venezuela, Chile, Brazil, Paraguay and Ecuador. In Brazil the trial has started of two former military police officers who have confessed to the murder of Marielle Franco and Anderson Gomes. As a group we have campaigned for justice since their murders 6 years ago; they featured in 2018’s W4R. Whilst an important step, Amnesty International have stated true justice will only be achieved when “those responsible for the crime, including its masterminds, as well as all those responsible for any deviations and obstructions of the investigations, are also brought to justice.”
https://amnestyat50.co.uk/south-america-newsletter-november-2024

Filed Under: amnesty international, Group Newsletter, newsletter

Group Newsletter October 2024

October 11, 2024 by zarganar

Welcome to the latest newsletter.
Our next meeting  is on Thursday 7th November 2024, 7.30pm – 9.00pm at Moordown Community Centre. We will catch up on campaigns, letter writing, and finalize planning for…

Friday 15th November  8pm

Yes, its back. Get ready for an evening packed with trivia, fun and friendly competition!  Test your knowledge on a broad range of topics –  from current events and TV, to history and everything in between. We always start with a picture quiz.  Enjoy a night head scratching, frustration, joy and  groaning out loud!

Our quizzes are informal but competitive! We are returning to one of our favourite venues, The Brunswick Hotel (199 Malmesbury Park Road, BH8 8PX)  Please help planning by reserving your tickets via Eventbrite. As ever you pay on the night, but we need to ensure we don’t exceed the room limit. Teams of up to 6, entrance £5 a person. If you aren’t in a team they can be adjusted/formed on the night to ensure no one’s on their own. As ever we will have a raffle (prize donations very welcome).
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/amnesty-international-quiz-night-tickets-1040456552557

Keith Dear, a founder member of our Amnesty group (in 1986!), singing with blues band For Pete’s Sake at Jamnesty

Jamnesty

This was a great success. It rained all afternoon, which curtailed outdoor performances, but didn’t dampen spirits. We raised over £1300. This couldn’t have happened without the generous support of all the musicians, poets, cake makers as well as raffle prize donators.
Special thanks are due to Nick Humphrey, Conrad Barr and the owner Harry Secombe, who made Chaplin’s and the Cellar Bar available, and to their lovely staff who couldn’t have been more helpful.
And thanks to everyone who came to the event and supported us. You can find more photos on our website.
https://amnestyat50.co.uk/jamnesty-september-2024

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Group Newsletter, newsletter

Group Newsletter August 2024

August 27, 2024 by zarganar

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…]

Filed Under: amnesty international, Group Newsletter, newsletter

Group Newsletter July 2024

July 2, 2024 by zarganar

Welcome to the latest newsletter.
Our next meeting  is on Thursday 4th July 2024, 7.30pm – 9.00pm at Moordown Community Centre. We will catch up on campaigns, letter writing, and discuss new ideas about campaigning. We don’t meet in August.

Future Events

After lasts years success, we have now booked for this years 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 worked best last year. So still plenty of cakes! We will soon put up details of the performers, etc on our Events page. Please contact us if you would like to help on the day.

We had planned to return to BourneFree, which is next Friday and Saturday.
Unfortunately the organisers now insist stalls have to be set up (and run) over both days of the Festival. We don’t have enough volunteers to do this, so cannot now have a stall. We are obviously are unhappy at effectively being excluded for not being “corporate” enough!

Young girls at a Women-Friendly Space at a Rohingya refugee settlement
in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh

I Don’t Agree with Nick

In 2017, almost one million Rohingya refugees were forced into Bangladesh from Myanmar following wide scale persecution, Human Rights violations, extrajudicial killings, summary executions, arson of Rohingya villages and schools, and diverse other atrocities.
Leading up to the 2017 atrocities, Facebook became an echo chamber of virulent anti-Rohingya content, which Meta was warned about repeatedly. The Myanmar authorities even temporarily blocked the Facebook platform in 2014 because of its role in fuelling ethnic violence and “instigation” during the Mandalay riots. Meta failed to take meaningful action.
The Rohingya community have asked for $1 million US dollars as part of a remedy to help fund educational projects for refugee children – a drop in the ocean to Meta, but a life changing intervention to hundreds of thousands of children.
Our group have written to Nick Clegg, the former Deputy Prime Minister, and now the President of Global Affairs of Facebook. Download the letter and write to Nick in London. Or you can sign the AIUK petition
https://www.amnesty.org.uk/activist-actions/Meta-remedies

[Read more…]

Filed Under: amnesty international, Group Newsletter, newsletter

Group Newsletter May 2024

April 30, 2024 by zarganar

Welcome to the latest newsletter.
Our next meeting  is on Thursday 2nd May 2024, 7.30pm – 9.00pm at Moordown Community Centre. We will catch up on campaigns, letter writing, and discuss new ideas about campaigning.
Leidy Cadena shares her powerful personal story of what a rubber bullet did to her          Content Warning: contains scenes of injury and (police) violence

Regulate the trade in policing equipment

Amnesty has launched a campaign for an international treaty to regulate the trade in policing equipment. Across the world, peaceful protesters face waves of repression from police and military forces in deliberate attempts to crush dissent. While less lethal weapons like tear gas, rubber bullets, pepper spray, and batons are promoted as safer alternatives to firearms, all too often these weapons are used unlawfully to harass, intimidate, punish, or drive away protesters, undermining their right to peaceful assembly.
24-year-old Leidy Cadena – see video above –  was blinded during a protest in Colombia by a Mobile Anti-riot Squads agent, who shot her directly, causing her to lose sight in her right eye. The same injury happened to Payu Boonsophon, 29-year-old in Thailand. In Chile, Gustavo Gatica 26 years-old, was blinded in both eyes. In France, 80-year-old Zineb Redouane was killed when, during a protest, a tear gas grenade struck her head. Sign the petition…
https://www.amnesty.org/en/petition/take-the-torture-out-of-the-protest/

Future Events

After lasts years success, we have now booked for this years 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 this year we don’t have to contend with the Air Show…
We are also planning to return to BourneFree, on Saturday 6th July. We had to miss last year, after several successful years attending the event in Bournemouth Gardens. And, despite reservations, the 2022 switch to Meyrick Park was a great success.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: amnesty international, Group Newsletter, newsletter

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