Group Newsletter June 2025

Welcome to the latest newsletter. Our next meeting  is on Thursday 3rd July 2025, 7.30pm – 9.00pm at Moordown Community Centre. We will have updates on campaigns, letter writing and planning future events. But before, help us celebrate Refuge Week at…
This is a community festival to celebrate Refugee Week. Established in 1998 in the UK, Refugee Week takes place every year around World Refugee Day (20th June). It’s the world’s largest arts & culture festival celebrating the contributions, creativity and resilience of refugees and people seeking sanctuary.
We have been directly involved in organising this event and will have a stall there throughout the day. There are more details on the Eventbrite page, (Eventbrite like you to register for tickets, but this isn’t essential  –  please just turn up – its FREE!)
So we hope to see you Saturday 21st June, anytime 12 -7, at Winton Recreation Ground, Bournemouth BH9 1BZ
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-great-community-get-together-at-winton-recreation-ground-tickets-1397975565549
https://refugeeweek.org.uk/

Europe Newsletter

The latest Europe Newsletter has just been published. This does expand extensively about the importance of Refugee Week. Its an opportunity to roll back the tide of misinformation, scapegoating, hate speech and hostility directed at refugees. Also a reminder that seeking asylum is a human right.
This right is seriously under threat in Poland, where a law “suspending” asylum claims is a  flagrant violation of international law and poses a serious threat to the rights of refugees and migrants.
There is also a reminder that five Gezi Park defendants remain in prison and have been responding to solidarity cards and messages.
https://amnestyat50.co.uk/europe-newsletter-june-2025

Urgent & Activist Actions

We know that many of you take actions arising from campaigns highlighted in this newsletter. Thank you, please keep going (we know activism can be hard to sustain when you don’t get feedback or noticeable results from what you do).
At our group meetings we usually catch up on the latest Urgent Actions on the AIUK website. Urgent Actions are normally international, mainly individuals at risk, and usually quite time limited. Once you click Take Action on a particular case you usually have a choice of email or letter, enter your details and complete the action. Unfortunately with letters you still have to print off and post – sending just one letter overseas now starts at £3.20…
This page is now being updated quite frequently – there are 5 new or updated cases since our meeting last week.
https://www.amnesty.org.uk/urgent-actions
A relatively new feature from AIUK is Activist Actions. These tend to be generated by activists withing the UK, such as Country Coordinators, rather than by the International Secretariat. The three currently on the page are linked to petitions and quite different.
https://www.amnesty.org.uk/activist-actions
Eduardo Torres, a lawyer and human rights defender in Venezuela.

South America Newsletter

Publication of the June edition is imminent, you will find it here. However, there has just been an update to the Venezuelan Urgent Action we featured in the last newsletter. After concealing Eduardo Torres’ fate and whereabouts since 9 May, high ranking Venezuelan authorities confirmed his detention on 13 May and disclosed he was being held at the infamous El Helicoide in Caracas. Other human rights defenders are also being arbitrarily held in this facility, including Javier Tarazona, Rocío San Miguel, Carlos Julio Rojas, and Kennedy Tejeda.
Currently we have the Urgent Action and how best to campaign on the newsletter page.
https://amnestyat50.co.uk/south-america-newsletter-june-2025