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Update from our June meeting

20 Jun

An unusual meeting: we were expecting an online talk by Carla Torres, the Country Coordinator for Zimbabwe, as we have adopted the case of Zimbabwean Makomborero Haruzivishe, an Amnesty Individual at Risk.  At the last minute we learnt that Makomborero himself was also joining online. Fearful for his safety, he has recently left Zimbabwe and is living as a refugee in the UK.

He talked at length about his own experiences as a front line Human Rights activist and the state of affairs in Zimbabwe. Despite the 2017 coup ousting Mugabe, a military dictatorship is now in power, and corruption, killings and arrests are rife. Makamborero was elected to represent the National Union of Students; he was arrested and expelled from the University two weeks before graduating. 

Speaking out against corruption, he organised country-wide protests but was abducted and imprisoned.  He finally left the country during 2022.

What can we do?  It looks a difficult task, but Carla recommended keeping up a series of smaller actions: writing to the local press, trying to involve MPs and Parliamentary Groups.

The next big event for the Taunton Group is the Pride March in Taunton on Saturday 22 July.  Members of the group will take part and run a stall in Vivary Park.

We discussed a number of issues covered by the May Local Groups Newsletter, particularly Refugee Week, from 19-25 June. Its theme is Compassion, and the Museum of Somerset is running events to celebrate it on Saturday 24 June.  A diary clash here, since the Minehead Group is celebrating its 21st birthday that day with a concert in St Andrew’s Church, Minehead at 3pm.

We signed a letter to the Moroccan authorities on behalf of Mohamed Ziane, imprisoned human rights lawyer and an ex-Minister.  We signed cards of encouragement to more members of the BK16 group in India.  We were encouraged to write Father’s Day cards to Alaa Abdel Fattah, still in prison in Egypt.

Our next meeting is on Tuesday 11 July at 7.30pm in the Friends Meeting House, Bath Place, Taunton.  Do join us to hear more about our work, and for lively discussions!

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Update from our May meeting

30 May
Makomborero Haruzivishe of Zimbabwe is a case the group has taken on

Prompted by the Local Groups Newsletter from AIUK, we discussed our recent ‘Football Welcomes Refugees’ action at the Taunton Town match on 25 April.  It was felt to be a valuable consciousness raising action in unfamiliar territory, and one replicated nationally by over 100 AI Groups. Taunton got a mention and a picture in the Local Groups Update, which is a welcome pat on the back for everyone’s efforts.

The Update highlighted AI’s Israeli Apartheid campaign, which was well referenced in a recent well- attended House of Commons debate.

The Immigration Bill is another grave matter of concern, characterised by Amnesty as ‘inhumane, racist and divisive’.  We were encouraged to write to our MPs and sign an online petition.

The Urgent Actions campaign is 50 years old this year; it has proved to be a very effective tool, with 500,000 volunteers working on it over the years.

Our India specialist had written a letter, for all to sign, to the Indian High Commissioner about the BK 16 group, and had prepared cards for all to send to some of those imprisoned. AI is planning a campaign on Kashmir, still only in the planning stage.

Encouraged by a recently joined member we have taken up the case of Makomborero Haruzivishe of Zimbabwe, a member of the opposition CCC Party, at odds with the governing Zanu-PF.  A law student, and student leader, he has been jailed for ‘inciting violence’ aka peaceful protest.

The documentary film ‘Navalny’, about the poisoning of Alexei Navalny with novichok,  was chosen as our media of the month.

Our next meeting is at 7.30pm on Tuesday 13 June at the Quaker Meeting House, Bath Place, Taunton.  We’d love to see you there.

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Request to our supporters

12 Apr

We are working for two prisoners of conscience this month, both journalists, one from Morocco, one from Egypt, both imprisoned after grossly unfair trials for criticising their respective governments.

Please send a postcard to the prison in Tiflet where Omar Radi is being held (postage £2.20) and, more urgently, before the 17th April during Ramadan, to the President of Egypt, care of the Egyptian Embassy in London to appeal for the release of Alla Abdelfattah. All details in the photo above.

Many thanks!

April monthly meeting

9 Apr

Our next monthly meeting is on Tuesday 11th April at 7:30pm in the Quaker Meeting House, Taunton. All welcome! If you’d prefer to join us online, email: amnestytaunton@gmail.com and we’ll send you a link to a Teams meeting.

Action for Omar Radi

23 Mar

Omar, a journalist from Morocco, was arrested and charged on July 29th 2020 with ‘harming national security’ and ‘rape’ because he had been investigating corruption by the authorities. He was sentenced after a grossly unfair trial to 6 years in prison.

He was awarded the 30th annual Reporters without Borders Press Freedom Prize for Independence in Dec 2021. His mother collected the award in Paris. A question about his case was put down in the House of Commons with the OFCD replying that they are monitoring his case.

In our Amnesty Group each member agreed to send 2 cards to the Minister of Justice in March and 2 to Omar’s prison in April.

Please can you help us by sending a card (£1.85 stamp) to:

Minister of Justice Ben Abdel Kader
Ministry of Justice
Mamounieh Square
P.O. Box 1015
Rabat 
Morocco

Suggested message: We urge you to drop the espionage charges against Omar Radi and grant him a fair re-trial in line with international standards, for the ‘rape’ charge.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

Update from our March meeting

21 Mar

We were updated through the AIUK Local Groups news on Amnesty activities round the country. A section on 2023 Priority Campaigns, including ‘Protect the Protest and Freedom of Expression’, and  ‘Ending Israeli Apartheid’ made disturbing reading. 

There are reports on the Central England Conference and the national Student Conference.  Speaking of Conferences, don’t forget that Amnesty’s South West Conference is in Exeter on 25 March, 10am-4pm,  at the Mint Methodist Church Centre.

We plan to attend the Pride march through Taunton on 22 July, with a stall in Vivary Park.  We’re hoping too for a presence at the BTC Freshers Fair in September.

Regretting the absence of  the actions we used to take for specified individual prisoners, one of our Group has initiated a letter writing programme for Moroccan Omar Radi, an activist and human rights journalist.  First arrested in 2019, and tried on what appear to be spurious charges, his sentence of 6 years imprisonment has recently been confirmed.  We wrote individually to the Moroccan Minister of Justice.

Our Middle East and North African specialist has been writing on behalf of Abderrahmane Zitout of Algeria, imprisoned and on hunger strike, and for Hassan al Rabea, threatened with extradition from Morocco to Saudi Arabia.  The case of Egyptian Alaa ab del Fattah is for the moment on hold while the best way forward is considered by Amnesty.

A newly rejoined member has begun work on Afghanistan. No surprise that women’s rights lead the field of concerns.  The UN Special Rapporteur has a report on this same subject.

We selected as Media of the Month the film Till, the dreadful story of a 14 year old black youth tortured, shot and lynched in Mississipi in 1955,  and his mother’s fight for justice.

Our next meeting will be at the Friends’ Meeting House in Bath Place at 7.30pm on Tuesday 11 April – hope to see .you there!

Write for Rights – today and Saturday

8 Dec

On Thursday 8th December from 10 until 2, people are invited to come to 14 George’s Need, TA1 2LX to sign supportive greetings cards to 3 prisoners of conscience, chosen from 10 in the Write for Rights booklet produced annually by Amnesty UK. We are supporting Aleksandra Skochilemko in jail in Russia for opposing the Ukraine invasion, Shahnawaz Chowdhury a Bangladeshi environmentalist facing jail for posting an opinion on Facebook and Dorgelesse Nguessan from Cameroon in prison for attending her first peaceful demonstration.

Mince pies and homemade cake, tea and coffee offered as reward for good deeds!

We will also have a Write for Rights stall in St Mary Magdalene Church this Saturday (10th December) from 10am until 1.45pm, and there is a lunchtime concert from 12.30pm to 1.30pm. Please pop along!

Report from our November meeting and Write for Rights

1 Dec

Cherry Bird, AIUK’s Country Co-ordinator for South East Asia, gave a talk on Sri Lanka, a once peaceful and prosperous country now mired in conflict. For decades there have been tensions between the majority Sinhalese, Buddhist population and the Tamil minority who are mainly Hindu.  The Tamils are poorer and have felt excluded – remember the Tamil Tigers?

The Civil War  lasted for 25 years, with a draconian Prevention of Terrorism Act enacted in 1979. Amnesty is concerned at the very high number of disappearances – estimated at 60,000.  More recently the country has been ruled, in turn, by the Rajapaska brothers, described as muscular populists. Their time has now passed (one has fled the country) and a new president elected – Ramil Wickremesinghe. He has a lot to sort out.

Cherry reminded us that there’s a Regional Conference in Exeter next March – details to follow.

Members updated the meeting on appeals for a number of political prisoners, most prominently Alaa Abdul Fattah, imprisoned in Egypt and on prolonged hunger strike which has come to a head during the COP 27 conference.  His fate is still uncertain.

As usual our own country co-ordinator for the Middle East and North Africa had been busy: she has written for Moroccan Rida Benotmane, charged with putting up critical Facebook posts. Another Moroccan, Fatimah Kassim is in solitary confinement and has now gone on hunger strike. Mohammed Ben Lima of Algeria has been sentenced to death in absentia, but is now being extradited by Spain.

Cherry made the point that writing to Embassies is an effective way of communicating.  Amnesty’s programme on Kashmir is about to be re-launched. What pressure can be brought to bear on India for their human rights violations in the area?  The UK has trade agreements with them.

Write for Rights

November/December bring us round to Amnesty’s annual letter writing campaign, Write for Rights.  We will have a stall in St Mary Magdalene Church in the town centre from 10am-2pm on Saturday 10 December, which, most appropriately, is Human Rights Day. We will break from 12.30 to 1.30 when the church has a lunchtime concert, Opera Muses.

There’ll be no other December meeting – it would be good to see you on Saturday 10 December, when we’ll have information about this year’s Write for Rights cases.  Come along and write a card to a prisoner of conscience.

Next meeting at the Quaker Meeting House will be Tuesday 10 Jan at 7.30pm.

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Ibrahim Ezz el-Din

11 Mar

An Appeal to our Amnesty Supporters

Taunton Amnesty Group have taken on the case of Ibrahim Ezz el-Din, a young Egyptian researcher specialising in housing at the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedom. He was arrested in June 2019 and was ‘disappeared’ for 167 days until November 2019. He alleged he had been tortured. Charges were made with no evidence and in January 2021 a judge decided to release him. He was sent to a police station awaiting release where he was interviewed by the state security force (NSA) who decided to charge him with new offences. He is back in prison. This pattern is common in Egypt. He had twice attempted suicide but has been refused medical help.

Our first action as a group is to attempt a 3-month blitz of letters, each volunteer agreeing to write a letter (rather than an email), on the same day each month, for 3 months (3 letters in all). WOULD YOU HELP US? We would like to cover every day of the month with a letter. Please click here for more details or contact us at amnestytaunton@gmail.com

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February meeting and AGM report

13 Feb

We met in person for our AGM. Our Chair reported on another year shaped by the pandemic. However, he reflected that we had nonetheless managed to host a number of speakers on a good variety of topics: the Calais Jungle, Women living under Muslim Law, the Human Rights Act.  There were some notable initiatives, for example contacts with Taunton Town Football Club who joined forces with members of Amnesty Taunton to raise awareness about refugees.

Write for Rights was marked by resilient members of the Group running a stall in Taunton High Street during Storm Arwen – we have a photo taken after the gazebo cover had blown away!

No meaningful fund-raising has been possible during the pandemic and it has been hard to get publicity in the local press, which appears (due to its own pressures admittedly) to have given up on reporting on the activities of local groups.

We had a full Agenda for our regular meeting. After intensive research and legal analysis Amnesty has launched a new campaign to highlight Israel’s ‘crime against humanity of apartheid in its treatment of Palestinians’: ‘Demolish Apartheid, not Palestinian Homes.’

A new online action is planned against the Nationality and Borders Bill. ‘Amongst the many other areas of concern, the Bill seeks to largely shut down the UK’s asylum system and criminalise and punish refugees.’

A new activist-led campaign on Human Rights in Afghanistan is being launched; one  particular aim is to ensure that Afghan women’s rights remain in the public eye.

The Human Rights Act is under threat; the Government has launched a consultation and invites public comment. Amnesty is anxious its members should voice their views, and will shortly have a link on its website.  Links to all the above topics (and many others) are also available amnesty.org.uk

A steady stream of Urgent Actions for North Africa continues.  As a group we are focusing on one particular case, Ibrahim Ezz El-Din, with the aim of blitzing the Egyptian authorities with letters, underlining that they are breaking their own laws in this detention.

Our next meeting will be on Tuesday 8 March at 7.30pm in the Quaker Meeting House, Taunton.

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