Report from our September meeting

29 Sep

We based the first part of our meeting on the Amnesty Group Report for August. This updates us on the activities of other Groups and alerts us to current actions within AIUK. 

There is concern over El Salvador, where a State of Exception – in effect a state of emergency – has run since March.  Over 60,000 people have been imprisoned and more than 150 have died in custody.  There’s an online Amnesty petition demanding their government should end the state of exception and respect the human rights of all their citizens – this can be found on the AI website. 

There was a debate earlier in the month in the House of Commons about British Nationals detained abroad – Alaa Abdel Fattah in Egypt,  and Morad Tahbaz and Mehran Raoof in Iran – we are anxious to keep our MPs briefed and working on these cases.

Our plans for Write for Rights in December were discussed – we’ll probably aim again, if it’s possible, for St Mary Magdalene Church in Taunton.

Sue, our Middle East & North Africa lead, wrote a detailed letter (signed by all) protesting about the prolonged detention in inhumane conditions, and the 5 year imprisonment, after an unfair trial, of  Egyptian Badr Mohamed. The reason? Involvement in an alleged protest in 2013 when he was 17.  She also wrote to the Algerian authorities about Slimane Bouhafs, an Algerian activist kidnapped from Tunisia and brought back for trial in Algeria. He has been imprisoned for 3 years.

Alun re-capitulated the sorry story of the BK16 in India.  The Minehead Group held a vigil for them earlier this month.  Cherry Bird, Minehead Group and South Asia Co-ordinator, keeps us up to date with South Asia briefings.

Media of the Month – several suggestions here:

Bringing Down Goliath: How Good Law Can Topple the Powerful – Jolyon Maughan KC  

Emergency State: How We Lost Our Freedoms in the Pandemic and Why it Matters – Adam Wagner

The Last Colony – Philippe Sands – about the British Indian Ocean Territories

Homelands – A Personal History of Europe – Timothy Garton Ash

Living Next Door to Putin – A two part piece on BBC1 by Katya Adler, Europe Editor.

Our next meeting will be on Tuesday 10 October, 7.30pm as usual at the Quaker Meeting House in Bath Place.  Do join us there!

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

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!

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

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.

Tags: , , , , , , ,

Next Taunton Amnesty meeting

7 May

Our next monthly meeting will be on Tuesday 9th May at 7:30pm in The Quaker Meeting House, Bath Place, Taunton – all welcome. If you’d like to join remotely via Teams then please email amnestytaunton@gmail.com and we’ll send you a link.

Hope to see you there!

Tags: , , , , , , ,

Football Welcomes Refugees

2 May

As part of the April Amnesty campaign, Football Welcomes Refugees, our Taunton group took a stall to Taunton Town Football Club’s game against Weymouth on Tuesday 25th April. We had an overwhelmingly positive response, people coming up to the stall to sympathise and offer support, taking leaflets and stickers. We also met Zealand Shannon, American ‘football influencer ‘ on YouTube, who came to find out more about Taunton FC. He was very sympathetic to our initiative and said he had donated a sum to Amnesty during the World Cup.

All in all a worthwhile venture and one we hope to repeat next year.

Tags: , , , ,

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!

← Older Entries
Newer Entries →