Tag Archives: 2014

Read all about our May 2014 local group meeting

20 May

This month we invited Rebecca Pow, the Conservative Parliamentary candidate for Taunton Deane, to discuss her position on the human rights issues that concern Amnesty.   Although Human Rights issues were not a familiar topic to Rebecca, she did express interest in Amnesty’s work on Women’s Human Rights and was able to tell us about the Conservative party’s position on issues such as repealing the Human Rights Act and reducing the influence of the European Court of Human Rights. 

Mahdi Abu Dheeb

Mahdi Abu Dheeb

Mahdi Abu Dheeb, President of the Bahrain National Teachers’ Association, is the subject of this month’s appeal. For normal Union activities he was arrested, thrown from a second floor window, beaten up and held incommunicado for days. He’s now in prison serving a 5 year sentence. His plight links to one of Amnesty’s main campaigns this year, “Stop Torture”.  As well as writing on his behalf, we sent appeal cards  to the governments of other victims: a sudden tidal wave of cards and letters undoubtedly has, at the least, an unsettling effect on such regimes.

We meet at 8pm on the second Tuesday of the month in the Silver Street Baptist Church.  All are very welcome.

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Stop execution and flogging of pregnant mother in Sudan

17 May

27-year-old Meriam Yehya Ibrahim is being held in prison with her 20-month-old son and is heavily pregnant with her second child.  

Meriam was first arrested in August last year because her husband is Christian. One of her relatives had claimed that Meriam was committing ‘adultery’ for marrying outside of Islam, and reported her to the authorities.

When Meriam appeared before the courtroom in Khartoum, Sudan, on 15 May and refused to renounce her Christian religion, the judges sentenced to death by hanging for ‘apostasy’. She has also been sentenced to 100 lashes for being married to a Christian man.

Meriam has committed no crime. She is a prisoner of conscience and should be released immediately.  

Please follow this link to send an email to the Sudanese government, or write to the following addresses:

  • Minister of Justice Mohamed Bushara Dousa, Ministry of Justice, PO Box 302 Al Nil Avenue, Khartoum, Sudan  moj@moj.gov.sd
  • Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Ahmed Karti, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, PO Box 302, Republic Street, Khartoum, Sudan Fax: + 249 183 772941
  • Minister of Interior Ibrahim Mahmoud Hamed mut@isoc.sd

 

 

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Protect the lives of refugees and migrants

12 May

From Amnesty UK:

Refugees and migrants are risking their lives to reach Europe. If they make it to Europe’s borders, they are often met with violence and ill-treatment and turned away without question.

‘Somebody showed them the baby, asking for help but the coastguards swore at us instead of helping us… when the coastguards cut the rope and tried to move away we started sinking.’

These are the words of Sabur Azizi, an Afghan refugee who lost his wife and son last year when the boat they were travelling in ran into trouble off the coast of Greece.

No matter how high European countries build their walls, no matter how much pressure countries like Greece come under to push people back at their borders, men, women and children will still be compelled to flee persecution, conflict & poverty by coming to the EU.

Recently, you persuaded the UK government to offer sanctuary to some of the most vulnerable refugees from the conflict in Syria. The first families are now rebuilding their lives here.

Now we must build on this progress, and make sure that the lives of all refugees and migrants headed for Europe are protected, whatever their route or reason for coming.

On 26-7 June, EU leaders meet to agree the future direction of asylum and migration policies across the EU. Please make sure it is a future in which no more refugees and migrants risk losing their lives to get here.

Ask your MP to call on David Cameron to protect lives on Europe’s borders at the EU this June.

 

 

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Nigeria: Find and protect abducted schoolgirls

10 May

Over 240 schoolgirls are still missing, weeks after they were abducted from their school by armed militant group Boko Haram.  The group kidnapped eight more girls this week.

We now know that Nigerian security forces had more than four hours warning, but did not do enough to stop their abduction.

Take Action: Call on the Nigerian High Commissioner to the UK to demand authorities do everything in their power to secure the girls’ release.

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Amnesty Taunton group meeting Tuesday 13th May @ Silver Street Baptist Church

6 May

Our next monthly meeting is on Tuesday 13th May at the Silver Street Baptist Church, Taunton, TA1 3DH.  8pm start.

All are most welcome to join us for campaign updates, news and actions and to find out more about human rights and the work of Amnesty International. 

This month we will also be hearing from Rebecca Pow, Conservative parliamentary candidate for Taunton Deane, about her views on human rights.

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Act now to stop mass executions in Egypt

2 May

From Amnesty International USA:

An Egyptian court has sentenced 720 men to death, mostly in their absence, in two mass trials targeting alleged supporters of ousted President Mohamed Morsi.

Amnesty International believes both of these trials to be deeply flawed and grossly unfair.

Alone, each of these mass trials represents the largest number of death sentences handed down in one case in recent years. Taken together, the scale of injustice is staggering. It is a grotesque example of the shortcomings and selective, arbitrary nature of Egypt’s justice system.

This is definitely not justice. It’s the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment, and it could be an attempt to wipe out political opposition.

Please follow this link to contact the Egyptian Minister of Justice Nayer Abdel-Moneim Othman and urge him to overturn the convictions.

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Defending your rights is not ‘inciting hatred’. Call on the Bahrain authorities to free Mahdi

24 Apr

In April 2011, Mahdi Abu Dheeb, a school teacher in Bahrain and then president of union the Bahrain Teachers’ Association, was arrested for encouraging members of the union to strike.

Along with his colleague Jalila al-Salman, Mahdi proposed a teachers’ strike to support widespread protests at the time, calling for governmental reform. Both Mahdi and Jalila were arrested soon after.

Jalila was freed a couple of years ago, but Mahdi remains in prison. He was interrogated by police at a secret location, subjected to 64 days in solitary confinement, reportedly beaten by the police, and tried in a military court despite being a civilian.

Click here to call on the Bahraini authorities to release Mahdi and investigate reports of torture and ill-treatment.

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Take Action: Pakistan: Drop Charges Against 69 Year Old On Death Row

19 Apr

69-year-old Mohammad Asghar is physically and mentally frail. He was arrested under Pakistan’s blasphemy laws in 2010 and sentenced to death in January.

Mohammad was arrested for allegedly writing letters claiming he was a prophet. However, his lawyers maintain it was never established that he posted or even intended to post the letters.

He is both physically and mentally frail. He suffered a stroke in 2000 and has been diagnosed by an expert in Scotland as suffering from paranoid schizophrenia. He attempted suicide in 2010.

His appeal has been lodged, but it could take up to five years to be heard. He remains in detention in Adiala jail, Rawalpindi.

Text ‘SAVE1’ and your full name now to 70505 to sign our petition to the Pakistani authorities. Over 14s only please.

OR

Write/Email/Fax the authorities in Pakistan, before 30 April 2014, at the following addresses:

  • Minister for Interior Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Room 404, 4th Floor, R Block, Pakistan Secretariat, Islamabad, Pakistan. Fax: +92 51 920 2624. Email: ministry.interior@gmail.com. Salutation: Dear Minister Khan
  • Chief Minister Punjab Mian Mohammad Shahbaz Sharif, Chief Minister’s Office, 7 Club Road, GOR I Lahore, Pakistan. Fax: +92 42 9920 3310. Salutation: Dear Chief Minister Sharif
  • Minister of Law, Justice and Human Rights Pervaiz Rashid, Room 305, S Block, Pakistan Secretariat, Islamabad, Pakistan. Fax: +92 51 921 0062. Email: contact@molaw.gov.pk

Sample letter:

I am writing to call on your to immediately and unconditionally drop all charges against Mohammad Asghar, and that he has immediate access to appropriate medical and/or psychiatric treatment. I also ask that you provide his lawyers with all medical records made during his detention.

Mohammed Asghar’s lawyers maintain that it has never been established that Asghar posted, or even intended to post, letters claiming he was a prophet. In addition he is mentally frail and an expert in Scotland has diagnosed him as suffering from paranoid schizophrenia. The charges against him should be dropped.

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Here’s what happened at the April 2014 Taunton Amnesty meeting…

11 Apr
Hakamada leaves prison after 46 years on death row © JIJI PRESS/AFP/Getty Images

Hakamada leaves prison after 46 years on death row © Jiji Press/AFP/Getty Images

A piece of welcome good news! Japanese death row prisoner Hakamodo Iwao has at last been released. He was sentenced to death in 1968 after a trial of dubious validity, and has been under sentence of death for an unbelievable 44 years.  However, the prosecution has appealed against this release.  The Tokyo High Court could take up to two years to rule, adding to the psychological distress already endured by this elderly gentleman.

The Group debated what campaigns and countries to focus on particularly this year. We will be working for the Stop Torture and Crisis and Tactical Campaigns. We will continue to work for Dr Tun Aung of Burma; two members will focus on North Africa, and another on China, besides continuing work on such issues as the Death Penalty.

April’s monthly action highlighted the dreadful plight of persecuted civilians in the Central African Republic, where society has broken down in a series of sectarian and inter-ethnic conflicts. Amnesty is appealing to the Americans to support an immediate intervention by international peacekeeping forces. Click here to sign the petition.

Our May meeting will be addressed by Rebecca Pow, prospective Conservative candidate for Taunton, on human rights issues. All are most welcome to come and hear her at 8pm on the Tuesday 13th May 2014 at Silver Street Baptist Church. 

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Act for 529 Egyptians sentenced to death

8 Apr

PeacefulPeteD's avatarAmnestyBrum

Last month 529 people sentenced to death in Egypt in the biggest single batch of death sentences seen in recent years.

Amnesty described the ruling as ‘grotesque’ and called for it to be quashed.  Meanwhile there is an AVAAZ petition asking for the death sentences to be overturned.

Unfortunately AVAAZ did attempt to present this petition on Friday and were blocked.  However, this demonstrates that the authorities are worried about petitions like this, which is all the more reason to add your signature and show that the pressure will not be dropped.

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