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Read all about it! Report from our February meeting

In March 2010, Darius Evangelista was arrested by police in the Philippines, on suspicion of theft. Fellow detainees saw him brought back to their cell badly injured. “Get rid of him” a policeman ordered. They never saw him again. Neither have his family.

No one has been brought to justice for his torture, enforced disappearance and possible extrajudicial execution. As part of Amnesty’s focus this year on victims of torture, we wrote to the Director General of Police in Manila. Find out how you can join us in appealing for justice for the Evangelista family.

The Group held their AGM this month. Highlights have been Laura’s development our new website, our campaign for Dr Tun Aung of Burma, Barbara’s untiring efforts on the Death Penalty and Pat’s very successful Write for Rights day.

National feed-back on Write for Rights (where people are asked at Christmas to send greetings & appeals for those imprisoned or persecuted) has been encouraging. Ihar Tsikhanyuk of Belarus wrote: “When I feel left with no hope to fight, I’ll get a letter and it inspires me. The light of hope appears again.”

At our March meeting Ann Marcus of Amnesty UK will speak on the Middle East and North Africa. All are extremely welcome to attend at 8pm on Tuesday March 11th 2014 at the Silver Street Baptist Church, Taunton.

Tags: 2014, enforced disappearance, group meeting, human rights, take action, Taunton

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Categories Group meetings and news, Take action

Missed January’s meeting? Read all about it here…

25 Jan

The first meeting of 2014: an occasion to look forward to new plans and initiatives, and maybe, even, in hope.

One for whom we hope, and on whom we are still concentrating as the New Year begins, is Dr. Tun Aung, the Group’s adopted Prisoner of Conscience in Burma. He has been sentenced to 17 years’ imprisonment after an unfair trial, having been arrested following riots between Rakhine Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims in Maungdaw, a town in western Burma, in June 2012. Independent eyewitnesses confirm that Dr Aung actively tried to calm the crowd during the rioting and played no role in the violence. Nevertheless, he was convicted of inciting riots and various other criminal offences.

Speaking in London in July 2013, Burma’s President Thein Sein gave his guarantee that all prisoners of conscience would be freed from his country’s jails by the end of the year; we continue to press him for Dr Tun Aung’s release.

We heard reports on the Death Penalty (possibly some improvement in China, Singapore and Saudi Arabia, but more, and more brutal, in Iran) and signed a plea for a prisoner in Iraq. One of Amnesty’s main campaigns for 2014 is for victims of torture.

The group’s AGM will be held in February; in March Ann Marcus will speak on the Middle East and North Africa. All are welcome at our meetings, 8pm the second Tuesday of the month at the Silver Street Baptist Church.

Tags: 2014, Amnesty, Burma, death penalty, Dr Tun Aung, group meeting, human rights, meeting, MENA, Middle East, Myanmar, prisoner of conscience, take action, victims of torture

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Categories Group meetings and news

December group meeting: Tuesday 10th December at 8pm.

7 Dec

wordcard Our last Taunton Amnesty meeting of 2013 will be an informal seasonal one.

Join us at 8pm on Tuesday 10th December at the Silver St Baptist Church, for festive food & drink and the opportunity to send messages of hope to those suffering human rights abuses around the world. This year, Dr Tun Aung (the group’s adopted prisoner of conscience) features in the Write for Rights campaign.

We would like to thank everyone for their continued interest and support throughout the year.

Wishing you all a joyful festive season and peaceful New Year.

About Write for Rights: Every year during November and December, Amnesty International asks people to write a letter and send a message of hope to someone suffering human rights abuses. Presidents, police chiefs and prison governors do take note when they receive hundreds of appeals to release a prisoner, stop the harassment of an activist or change an unjust law. For more information on this year’s cases please click here.

Tags: 2013, Amnesty, December, Dr Tun Aung, group meeting, human rights, prisoner of conscience, take action, Taunton, Write for Rights

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Categories Group meetings and news

Missed our October meeting? Read all about it here…

20 Oct

The Journalist Who Disappeared: Prageeth Eknaligoda, journalist and cartoonist, disappeared on his way home from work in Sri Lanka in January 2010. He has not been seen or heard of since. His wife believes his work displeased someone in power, and he has been ‘disappeared’. His fate? Unknown.

The Commonwealth Heads of Government meet in Sri Lanka next month, and our Action this month has been to write to the Foreign Secretary, William Hague, and to the Commonwealth Secretary General to draw their attention to the dismal human rights record of the Sri Lankan government, and urge action.

We discussed affairs in the Middle East, North Africa, Burma and China, and the continued use of the death penalty, and signed letters written by Group members on a selection of these topics.

Don’t forget our fund-raising concert later this month: the Taunton Deane Male Voice Choir, together with the Farey family, are putting on a concert at St Michael’s Church, Galmington, at 7.30pm on Saturday 26th October, in aid of the Church and of the Taunton Group of AI. Tickets £10 from the Group Treasurer (01823 284001) or from the Church Office (01823 332371). It sounds like a rousing evening. Hope to see you there!

The Group meets on the second Tuesday of the month at 8pm in the Silver Street Baptist Church. Interested in human rights? Do join us there.