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Report from our September meeting

20 Sep

image001Matsumoto Kenji of Japan has been on death row since 1993 – twenty three years. Appeals on his behalf have been turned down; he could be executed at any time.

Prison conditions for those condemned to death in Japan are harsh: they are held in solitary confinement, visitors are infrequent, exercise is limited to two or three sessions a week, and they must remain seated in their cells. Little wonder that Matsumoto, now 65, has become delusional; he is now in a wheelchair. He has had from birth an intellectual disability, related to mercury poisoning, with an IQ of no more than 70.

We wrote on his behalf to the Minister of Justice, pleading for mercy and a moratorium on executions in Japan, and to the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare with concerns about his health.

We held a stall on Castle Green on 16 July, highlighting the issues of Female Genital Mutilation and Early Forced Marriage, with particular reference to Burkino Faso and Sierra Leone. The event was very successful, raising £178.90 in donations from the public; this has since been doubled by the UK government and so the sum of £357.80 has been sent to Amnesty International UK to support its work in this area. We are very grateful to everyone who made donations and also signed a petition concerning these issues.

Susan Mew of the Minehead Group will be speaking at our October meeting (11th October) on Amnesty’s Global Refugee Campaign. We meet at 7.30pm on the second Tuesday of the month at the Quaker Meeting House in Bath Place, Taunton. Visitors are very welcome.

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Refugees Welcome march

19 Sep

20160917_120621.jpgTaunton Amnesty Group member Michael Benison representing us at the Refugees Welcome march in London on Saturday, with a petition signed by us and other residents of Taunton.

Thank you Michael!

Next Taunton Amnesty Group meeting Tues 13th Sept at 7.30pm

6 Sep

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Our next monthly meeting is on Tuesday 13th September at the earlier time of 7.30pm at Taunton Quaker Meeting House, 13 Bath Place, TA1 4EP (there is nearby parking behind Boots). 

Join us to hear about our campaigns, human rights and the work of Amnesty International.

We hope to see you there!

Report from our July meeting

26 Jul

DSCF3275Brazilian Jorge Lazaro has seen two of his children, Ricardo and Enio, murdered in the last 5 years and has been fighting for justice ever since. Ricardo and Enio were young black men. Every year thousands of young black men are murdered throughout Brazil – killed by military police, by death squads and militias with links to the police.

We wrote to the State Governor, Jacques Wagner and to Joaquim Barbosa, President of the National Council of Justice calling on them for a fair and timely investigation into these killings, and support for Jorge Lazaro and his family.

We were pleased to get a letter from Rebecca Pow MP supporting our stall on Castle Green on 16 July, highlighting the issues of Female Genital Mutilation and Early Forced Marriage, with particular reference to Burkino Faso and Sierra Leone. The event was very successful, raising £178.90 in donations from the public; this has since been doubled by the UK government and so the sum of £357.80 has been sent to Amnesty International UK to support its work in this area. We are very grateful to everyone who made donations and also signed a petition concerning these issues.

We remembered Jo Cox MP, a supporter of Amnesty, murdered in a hate crime last month, and wrote to our local District Councils urging them to make a stand against recent rises in racism and xenophobia.

There is no meeting in August so our next meeting will be Tuesday 13th September at the earlier time of 7.30pm at the Quaker Meeting House, Bath Place, Taunton. We look forward to seeing you there.

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Reminder: Amnesty stall this Saturday

14 Jul

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If you are in Taunton this Saturday (16th July) please drop by our stall at Castle Green (near the museum). We are raising awareness about and fundraising for one of Amnesty’s key campaigns on Women’s Rights, focusing on Burkina Faso and Sierra Leone.

The Department for International Development will be doubling any money raised by Amnesty to support projects to prevent cases of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and Early Forced Marriage (EFM) in Burkino Faso and Sierra Leone.

Please come along to make a small donation (which will be doubled by the UK government) and sign our petition calling on Burkino Faso’s government to protect girls and young women from forced marriages.

We’ll be there from 10am until 2pm. Hope you can pop along!

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Next Taunton Amnesty meeting Tuesday 12 July

6 Jul

against_hate_1200x600px2_0Our next monthly meeting is on Tuesday 12th July at 8pm at Taunton Quaker Meeting House, 13 Bath Place, TA1 4EP (there is nearby parking behind Boots). 

Join us to hear about our campaigns, human rights and the work of Amnesty International.

We hope to see you there.

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Report from our June meeting

23 Jun

The Tunisian Penal Code criminalises same-sex sexual relations between adults. It also includes articles that criminalise acts and expression that are ‘offensive or undermine public morals and decency’ and which are used to prosecute people based on the expression of their gender identity. These laws put LGBTI people at risk of arrest and prosecution and create a climate of abuse from the police and the community with little accountability. Activists and organisations that call for LGBTI rights to be protected in law are also threatened and harassed.

We wrote messages of support on balloons as part of a solidarity action by Amnesty International members worldwide, the photos of which will be used on postcards and posters and shared with LGBTI activists and organisations in Tunisia. We also signed a letter to the Tunisian authorities.

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Diary date: On Saturday 16 July (10am–2.30pm) we will be holding a fundraising stall by Castle Green, Taunton, to raise awareness about the issues of Early Forced Marriage (EFM) and Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). Any money raised will be doubled by the Department for International Development to support a project to prevent cases of FGM and EFM in Burkina Faso and Sierra Leone. We hope you can come along and show your support.

Our next meeting will be held at the Taunton Quaker Meeting House, 13 Bath Place, TA1 4EP at 8pm on 12 July. All are welcome.

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Next Taunton Amnesty meeting Tues 14th June

7 Jun

Our next monthly meeting is on Tuesday 14th June at 8pm at Taunton Quaker Meeting House, 13 Bath Place, TA1 4EP (there is nearby parking behind Boots). 

Join us to hear about our campaigns, human rights and the work of Amnesty International.

We hope to see you there.

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Save the date! Taunton Amnesty stall Saturday 16th July

6 Jun

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On Saturday 16th July we will be holding a stall event from 10am until 2.30pm at Castle Green in the centre of Taunton. We are aiming to raise awareness about one of Amnesty’s key campaigns on Women’s Rights, focusing on Burkina Faso and Sierra Leone where discriminatory attitudes and high costs create barriers to women accessing contraception and sexual and reproductive services and information.

From 18 April to 18 July this year, the Department for International Development will be doubling any money raised by Amnesty to support a project to prevent cases of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and Early Forced Marriage (EFM) in Burkino Faso and Sierra Leone.

Please come along to make a donation (which will be doubled by the UK government) and sign our petition calling on Burkino Faso’s government to protect girls and young women from forced marriages.

We look forward to seeing you there!

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Next Taunton Amnesty group meeting 10th May

3 May

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Our next monthly meeting is on Tuesday 10th May at 8pm. Please note this will be at a different venue from usual: Taunton Quaker Meeting House, 13 Bath Place, TA1 4EP. 

Join us to hear about our campaigns, human rights and the work of Amnesty International. Our monthly action will be for Khadija Ismayilova, an award-winning Azerbaijani journalist and prisoner of conscience, locked up by the Azerbaijani authorities for exposing corruption.

We look forward to seeing you there!

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