As Sri Lanka gears up to host the leaders of the Commonwealth from 15-17 November, it’s time for the Sri Lanka Government to come clean about torture and countless other abuses.
Follow this link to call on the UK Foreign Secretary William Hague to send a clear message that Sri Lanka’s human rights abuses will not be given a Commonwealth seal of approval.
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.
In Afghanistan, 26 schools were bombed or burned down in 2010 and at least 126 students and teachers killed in the same period. In 2008, Taliban members threw acid in the faces of five girls on their way to school in Kandahar (Oxfam source).
These are the daily threats still facing women in Afghanistan. Susan Mew of the Minehead group of AI spoke to us about Women’s Rights in Afghanistan, and how vital pressure from the international community is in improving the situation. Justine Greening, the International Development Secretary, has described the violence worldwide against women and girls as ‘the greatest challenge of our times’.
We discussed the case of Dr Tun Aung, our Burmese prisoner of conscience, and how pressure can be brought to bear on the Burmese authorities to hasten his release.
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!
Further details about this and our other activities can be found on our website amnestytaunton.wordpress.com. Meetings on the second Tuesday of the month at 8pm in the Silver Street most welcome!
Tickets £10 from Taunton Amnesty group Treasurer 01823 284001 or from the Church office 01823 332371. Cheques payable to St Michael’s Church. Seats reserved for payments received by 1st October 2013.
Our earlier post about Dr Tun Aung did not include the full postal address to send your messages to. Here it is:
Please send a supportive message to Dr Aung’s family. ”Dr Tun Aung’s Family, c/o Myanmar Team, International Secretariat, Amnesty International, 1 Easton Street, London, WC1X 0DW”
Click here to read original post with more details of the case
Dr. Tun Aung
In 2012, Dr Tun Aung was asked by the Burmese police to help defuse tensions during a riot between Rakhine Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims in Maungdaw. However he was later arrested for inciting communal violence, held incommunicado and denied the right to appoint his own lawyer or meet them in private
Please send a supportive message to Dr Aung’s family. “Dr Tun Aung’s Family, c/o Myanmar Team, International Secretariat, Amnesty International, 1 Easton Street, London, WC1X 0DW”. Please write in English, Burmese or your own language. Please do not send religious cards and please do make sure the card arrives at the address above by September 15th 2013.
Click here to read more about this case and how you can help.
Click to download the briefing report.
Join us for our group meeting next Tuesday 10th September at Silver Street Baptist Church. Meeting starts at 8PM. Click here for map and directions.
All are welcome to come along and meet the group, discuss human rights and take part in our workshop on Women’s Human Rights in Afghanistan.
Six human rights defenders in China are being detained by authorities after freeing activists who were being illegally detained in a guest house.
Three are now missing, their whereabouts unknown. One (Ding Hongfen, pictured) has already been subjected to torture.
Amnesty International Taunton Local Group 