AmnesTea

We are planning our fourth AmnesTea, our first post lockdown.  This will be on

Sunday the 19th June 2022, 3pm to 5pm.

Our secretary, Lucy Freeman has offered to host this event again at her home in Southbourne.What is an AmnestyTea? Well you, and any friend come along – possibly bringing cake  – and drink tea (or coffee, or whatever your favourite beverage)
We will also have a book stall. So basically bring along (1) people (2) cake (3) books to donate (4) cash to spend..
June 19th also happens to be Fathers Day, so celebrate in style!
On a more serious note its at the start of Refugee Week. The theme for 2022 is ‘healing’. With the Nationality and Borders Bill now passed, the desperate situation with people crossing the Channel, the treatment of people seeking asylum in the UK including the appalling deal to send people seeking asylum to Rwanda and the war in Ukraine, now is a really important time to show support for refugees. We aim to have some action you can participate in at the AmnesTea.
Please respond to this newsletter if you would like to attend and want more details.

Rwanda

As mentioned above, last month the UK government announced plans to send people seeking asylum to Rwanda. A statement from AIUK states:-
“The UK government is flaunting a fundamental absence of humanity with no regard for people fleeing danger, violence or war. Banishing people to Rwanda, which has an appalling human rights record, is the same as the UK tearing up its commitment to give people who need asylum sanctuary.”
Read the full statement  https://www.amnesty.org.uk/press-releases/uk-banishing-people-seeking-asylum-rwanda-appalling
We are all encouraged to write to our MP. We have a template letter available for you to download.

BourneFree 2022

Another event getting properly off the ground again is BourneFree. This is Bournemouth’s LGBTI Pride event, which has moved from Bournemouth Gardens to Meyrick Park. In many countries the LGBTI community are persecuted and, sadly, there are always cases we can feature. Unlike some events we do, its relatively easy to get cards signed and have conversations about Amnesty International and the work we do.
We will have a stall on

Saturday 8th July

so any help will be very welcome. More details nearer the time.

South America and Europe

Both newsletters for May are now on our website. The Europe newsletter reminds us that the exceptional generosity of civil society and willingness of Polish authorities to receive people fleeing from Ukraine contrast starkly with the Polish government’s hostility toward refugees and migrants who have arrived in the country via Belarus since July 2021. Hundreds of people who crossed from Belarus have been arbitrarily detained in Poland in appalling conditions and without access to a fair asylum proceeding.
This newsletter has two letters we wrote and sent at our May meeting – one relating to a Ukrainian women who is facing deportation back to Russia. The other Polish lady  faces three years in prison solely for supporting people in need of an abortion.
The letter templates are available to download from the newsletter. https://amnestyat50.co.uk/europe-newsletter-may-2022
The South America newsletter brings news from Brazil, Colombia, Peru and Venezuela.
https://amnestyat50.co.uk/south-america-newsletter-may-2022

Ukraine

The human rights catastrophe of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is showing no sign of letting up. Amnesty International released a briefing last week stating Russian forces must face justice for a series of war crimes. The UK government must do its part to help those fleeing the war. AIUK are calling for the UK Government to urgently:-

•     Strengthen international efforts to protect civilians, provide humanitarian relief and help bring suspected perpetrators of crimes under international law to justice.
•     Press for parties to the conflict to create & respect humanitarian corridors to safe havens, for all civilians to have access to transportation and time to leave, and for international observers to be granted access to monitor their safe passage.
•     Fulfil the commitment to provide sanctuary to 200,000 Ukrainian refugees in the UK by providing safe routes to travel here, such as by a temporary visa waiver.
•     Abandon measures which will do serious damage to the UK’s asylum system.

You can email the Prime Minister to urge him to help people fleeing the war
https://www.amnesty.org.uk/actions/UkraineCrisis
There is a template letter to send to Members of Parliament, with an accompanying briefing, that can be downloaded from the AIUK website. Please let us know if you write to your MP, so we can track which MPs have been contacted.
https://www.amnesty.org.uk/resources/invasion-ukraine-resources