Amnesty International Bournemouth Poole Christchurch Group

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

South America Newsletter December 2023

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This month we bring you news that:

  • Regional – Amnesty has a new report focused on human rights defenders in the Americas, the world’s deadliest region for those defending land, territory and the environment.
  • Colombia – Amnesty has a new report on the lack of a safe space to defend human rights in Colombia, calling for a complete review of the model for protecting human rights defenders
  • Brazil – Amnesty calls on the Brazilian Federal Government to implement a national plan to reduce homicides committed by police officers in the country.
  • Peru – Amnesty has updated its Urgent Action calling on the Peruvian government to repeal its decree, dictating the expulsion of all foreigners with an irregular migratory status
  • Venezuela – The Venezuelan government has agreed that opposition candidates for the 2024 Presidential election can appeal bans on running for office placed upon them by the state.
  • Chile – Amnesty has updated to the Urgent Action calling for the end to police impunity, following an intervention by the UN special rapporteurs on peaceful assembly and extrajudicial execution.
  • Argentina – President-elect Javier Milei takes office on 10th December, human rights day, with protests and concerns relating to his pronouncements during the election campaign.

 REGIONAL

In a new report, No future without courage: Human rights defenders in the Americas speaking up on climate crisis, Amnesty presents the cases of six people, groups and organisations who are defending human rights in the context of the climate crisis in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Colombia and Ecuador.  The report notes that environmental defenders are at the forefront of the struggle for climate justice in the Americas but are not meaningfully included in decisions on these issues.  The Americas is the world’s deadliest region for those defending land, territory and the environment.

COLOMBIA

Emiro El Sanchez, president of the Land Restitution Foundation, San Pelayo, Córdoba, killed by ex-paramilitaries 12 June 2023

Amnesty International has published a major report on human rights defenders at risk, Hope at risk: The lack of a safe space to defend human rights in Colombia continues. Finding that violence against HRDs, social leaders and rural communities has not abated since President Petro took office in 2022, we propose a long series of new policies and actions for the Colombian government. These include more resources for the National Protection Unit and those who investigate and prosecute the perpetrators. But the main call is for a complete review of the model for protecting HRDs which would include contributions from the UN, donor states and NGOs.

The Peace Community of San José de Apartadó (PCSJA) has denounced the collaboration between the army and paramilitaries in the municipality of Tierralta, Córdoba. 12th September, masked men identified as members of the 17th Brigade and paramilitary intimidated the residents. Also, the PCSJA denounce the frequent incursion of the AGC (Clan del Golfo paramilitary narcotraffickers) into the homes and lands of the community, terrorising its residents, while units of the army and public prosecutors idly stand by. Residents fear that if they denounce the AGC they will be killed.

Colombia Reports that President Petro has replaced the peace negotiator Danilo Rueda with Otto Patiño, who has led the peace negotiations with the ELN (National Liberation Army). This follows the failure to secure ceasefires and peace accords on the 2016 model with the FARC with many other illegal armed groups, which are at the centre of the President’s policy of “Total Peace”. [Read more…]

Europe Newsletter November 2023

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The latest update from the AIUK Europe Country Coordinators Team:-

Introduction

As the year 2023 nears its closure we can report some positive developments from Türkiye and Poland but there are still many Human Rights Challenges! Please find an Urgent Action for Türkiye.

There are also leaflets for the 2 demonstrations we are organising: For Saturday 2nd December we are gathering at 3pm in front of the Polish Embassy in London at 47 Portland Place. We have teamed up with a number of Polish organisations to call for the prosecution of Women’s Human Rights Defender Justyna Wydrzynska to be reversed and for women in Poland to have access to safe and legal abortions in Poland.

Please also sign the petition at https://www.amnesty.org.uk/actions/JusticeforJustyna

On 14th December Amnesty International is releasing the investigation into the drowning of 600 people when a small boat packed with an estimated 750 people sank near the coast of Greece. Together with Care4Calais we are organising a vigil outside the Embassy of Greece on 14th December at 3pm.  Please join us if you can!

Stop Deaths at Sea!  Vigil 14th Dec

Stop the Deaths at Sea! Safe and Legal routes for refugees! Seeking asylum is a Human Right! Refugees Welcome!  Vigil 14th December 3pm at the Embassy of Greece.

On 14th of June 2023 the “Adriana” packed with an estimated 750 refugees sank off the coast of Pylos, Greece. Over 600 people, many women and children died at sea.  Amnesty’s investigation points to the action of the Greek coastguard contributing to the sinking of the boat.  The full report will be released on Thursday the 14th December. The policies of Fortress Europe, to keep refugees out at all cost, have again cost many lives.  Amnesty Europe have teamed up with Care4Calais https://www.facebook.com/care4calais/ to organising a vigil outside the Embassy of Greece on 14th December, when the report is released. We are calling for safe and legal routes for refugees and for the Universal Human Right to seek asylum from persecution to be respected by all countries including the UK.

For further information on the demonstration please contact Ulrike.schmidt@amnesty.org.uk [Read more…]

South America Newsletter November 2023

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This month we bring you news that:

  • Colombia – Colombia’s Defence Minister has apologised to the families whose sons were wrongly killed by the military.
  • Venezuela – The Supreme Court has suspended the results of October’s opposition primary election.
  • Brazil – Amnesty’s Write for Rights 2023 campaign features Ana Maria Santos Cruz, who is fighting for justice for the killing of her son Pedro Henriquez by the police in the state of Bahia in 2018.
  • Argentina – Human rights lawyer Alberto Nallar, subject of an Amnesty Urgent Action, has been sentenced to 3 years and 6 months in prison for crimes of “instigation to commit crimes and sedition.”
  • Chile – An Amnesty Urgent Action calls on a regional prosecutor to act against impunity for human rights violations by police commanders.
  • Peru – The UN has called on the authorities to undertake reforms to ensure that human rights are respected during demonstrations.

 COLOMBIA

Amnesty International
Defence Minister Velásquez with mothers whose sons were killed by the military.

In a new gesture of reconciliation, Iván Velásquez, Colombia’s Minister of Defence, has apologised to the families whose sons were killed by the military and known as ‘false positives’. The transitional justice body (JEP) has found that over 6,000 young men were recruited by army units, killed and presented as guerrillas to gain rewards and comply with quotas set by the Army in its fight with FARC and other guerrillas.

AIUK´s Mayfair and Soho Group, who continue to act on behalf of the Peace Community of San José de Apartádo, received a letter from Admiral José Joaquín Amezquita García, head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.  He informed them that units of the 16th Brigade were acting to ‘mitigate the factors of instability which are present in the locality in the area which is inhabited by the beneficiaries of the Provisional Measures decreed by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights’. The decree was issued in 2018.  This follows a visit from the Minister of Defence late last year.

16 October the Colombian government and the FARC-EMC reached an agreement for a 3-month ceasefire to 15 January 2024. These three months are to be used for talks to lead to a permanent peace. This is part of the government’s plan for ‘Total Peace’, which has to date yielded little relief for rural communities who find themselves in the crossfire of a conflict which never seems to end.

The UN’s Colombian Office for Human Rights found that more than 14,000 people were affected by the ongoing conflict in Colombia between 2 and 30 October. Over 6,000 were displaced, over 3,000 suffered some form of aggression and over 3,000 were confined and did not have access to humanitarian aid.

The UK NGO ABColombia reports on the humanitarian crisis in southern Bolivar department, which includes numerous indigenous communities. The Ombudsman explains in a video (subtitles in English) how the fighting between the ELN (National Liberation Army), FARC dissidents (not the same group as the EMC) and former paramilitaries/organised criminals known as the Clan del Golfo are in dispute for control of territory, illicit economies and extortion rackets and the impact on the region’s people.

El Pais (English) reports on the October regional elections that candidates from more traditional political backgrounds triumphed, led by Carlos Fernando Galán’s resounding victory in Bogotá. This is seen as a setback for President Petro, a former Mayor of Bogotá, and his coalition parties.  Colombia Reports alleges that organised crime, called the ‘clans’, won control of the Caribbean region, which is the main area for the illegal processing and export of cocaine. They claim that politicians in five departments who won office are associated with drug cartels. [Read more…]

Group Newsletter November 2023

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Welcome to the latest newsletter.
Our next meeting  is on Thursday 2nd November 2023, 7.30pm – 9.00pm at Moordown Community Centre. This is a reminder our quiz night is next week on…
Friday 10th November 8pm  at the
The Brunswick Hotel, 199 Malmesbury Park Road, BOURNEMOUTH,  BH8 8PX
Our quizzes are informal but competitive! We are returning to one of our favourite venues, The Brunswick Hotel. Sally Hawksworth will again be reading the questions and keeping order!
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 (50). Do be quick as we usually sell out some time before the event. At the time of sending this newsletter over two-thirds have gone.
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/quiz-night-tickets-730232534167

Europe Newsletter

The latest newsletter has updates on Cyprus, Greece, Türkiye and Poland. This includes a sample letter to the Cypriot Ambassador relating to attacks on refugees; the upholding of sentences against the “Gezi 7” defendants in Türkiye; planned demonstrations in December outside the embassies of Greece (deaths at sea of refugees) and Poland (rights of women to have access to safe and legal abortions)
There is also a link to a petition for a treaty to regulate the trade in policing equipment. Whilst tear gas, rubber bullets, pepper spray, and batons are promoted as safer alternatives to firearms, all too often these weapons are used unlawfully (see also Gustavo Gatica below) to harass, intimidate, punish, or drive away protesters, undermining their right to peaceful assembly.
https://amnestyat50.co.uk/europe-newsletter-october-2023

[Read more…]

Europe Newsletter October 2023

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Here is our latest Newsletter with updates and actions.  AIUK Europe Team:-

Ulrike Schmidt  (Central and Eastern Europe and Balkans),  Jovana Bosnjak (Western & Northern Europe), Chris Ramsey (Türkiye)

Cyprus

Letter Writing Action

On 27th August, after an anti migrant demonstration organised by the far right and supported by some local representatives, refugees, migrants and Cypriot citizens of colour were violently attacked by far right groups and their supporters.

 An anti-migrant demonstration took place in the village of Chloraka on 27 August, in which local political representatives participated. Later that day, and the following day, far-right groups attacked racialized people, including migrants and refugees, and their property. Two weeks before the attacks, authorities had decided to remove dozens of migrants and asylum-seekers residing in the “Ayios Nikolaos”, an abandoned residential complex, the use of which had been formally banned in 2020.

Similar protests and attacks took place in the city of Limassol on the evening of 1 September. Demonstrators, several of whom were masked, threw Molotov cocktails, chanted racist slogans, attacked and damaged shops owned by racialized people, and physically attacked at least five racialized people, including several delivery drivers. Local reports criticized how the Cypriot police, who were present at the scene, failed to intervene to effectively prevent the violence or protect victims.

Racist attacks have been documented in both Chloraka and Limassol in the past. In January 2022, similar racist demonstrations and attacks were carried out at the “Ayios Nikolaos” residential complex. Earlier this year, racist attacks were also carried out in Limassol.

Please read the full background of these shocking events and write a personal letter to the High Commissioner of Cyprus. It would be useful if Amnesty groups write a group letter signed by several people, You can also take a letter to a stall to have it signed by members of the public. Please see Ulrika’s sample letter below, keep the letter very polite assuming the Ambassador is on our side.

To the High Commissioner of the Republic of Cyprus His Excellency Andreas S. Kakouris

13 St James’s Square, St James’s London SW1Y4LB

Dear Excellency

I am deeply concerned about the violent attacks against migrants and refugees in Limassol and Chlorakas end of August- beginning of September, where people were attacked, and migrant owned shops destroyed. According to verified reports by Amnesty International racist rhetoric, hate speech and xenophobia promoted by the far right, but also supported by some politicians played a part in encouraging the violent pogrom-like attacks against people and property. I trust that by now there has been an investigation into the violence and the failure of the police to prevent and stop the attacks.

I would be very grateful if you could share the outcome of the investigation with us and the measures taken by the authorities to prevent such violence happening again.

Yours sincerely [Read more…]

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