Thanks to FL for these updates. If you prefer, you can read them as a PDF!
March Updates
Attendees at monthly meeting (10th March):
FL, CC, GC
Anti-Racism March, Sat 19th March
We're taking part in the Stand Up to Racism march on Saturday 19th March. Meet us at 11am outside the Park Gardens entrance to Kelvingrove Park (bottom of the granite steps, G3 7YE). We should be easy to spot with Amnesty International banners/ placards. Come and join us!
Any questions please email Mal (malcolm.ds@gmail.com).
Facebook event for full details: https://www.facebook.com/events/274432127988168/?ref=newsfeed
Saudi Arabia Campaign Updates (CA)
Raif Badawi
You might remember taking action for Raif Badawi a Saudi Arabian poet and activist, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison and 1,000 lashes for setting up a website that allowed people to voice their views.
He was sentenced in 2014, and after too many years of unfair imprisonment we are happy to report that Raif was released last Friday. The conditions of his release - and the possible 10-year travel ban - are unclear at this point.
Reprieve Petition
Petition from the organisation, Reprieve, calling on Boris Johnson to cancel his trip to Saudi Arabia and condemn the killings: Reprieve
Local Group Update from AIUK
Please follow the link to read the latest Local Groups Update - Local Group Update from Amnesty UK
Issues covered in this month's mailing:
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Board elections 2022
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AGM role vacancies
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Rise Up, a free campaigning course for 16-24 year olds
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New online portal where you can access all of Amnesty International
courses, training and resources in one place -
Update on the Nationality and Borders Bill
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Learn more about Israel's Apartheid against Palestinians
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Amnesty's position on vaccine mandates
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Human Rights Act consultation
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Local group fundraising update
Ukraine Refugee Crisis: Call on the UK Government to do more!
With the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Ukraine, we need to ensure that the UK government steps up to support refugees. We want to see the UK play its part in strengthening international efforts to protect civilians and in bringing to justice those suspected of crimes under international law.
According to the UN refugee agency, more than 2.8 million people have fled from Ukraine since Russia's criminal invasion on 24 February. Amnesty believes the UK's deeply inadequate response to the Ukraine refugee crisis is evidence of a "corrosively anti-refugee attitude" within the Home Office. The Government is currently taking its Nationality and Borders Bill through Parliament, which will fundamentally undermine the UK's asylum system and damage refugee rights globally.
Please contact your local MP as soon as possible to encourage them to raise these concerns with the Prime Minister. On the link below, you will find a template letter and a briefing to send to your MP. There is also a template press release for you to send to local media to raise awareness locally and help put pressure on your MP and the government.
Amnesty AGM and National Conference 2022
This year's AGM will be predominantly virtual, and held on the 25th June 2022. The in-person activities will be taking place at the Human Rights Action Centre in London.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions at the Human Rights Action Centre, we will be asking those who can, to join virtually as there will be a limited number of spaces available to join in person. To join us in person, please register your interest here: using this Google Form
Urgent Actions
Thank you to MR for sharing these urgent actions.
China: Imprisoned Bookseller At Risk Of Ill-Treatment
Hong Kong bookseller Gui Minhai was sentenced on 24 February 2020 to 10 years' imprisonment and deprivation of political rights for five years, on the charge of "illegally providing intelligence to foreign entities". Since then, he has been denied access to his family and, having obtained Swedish citizenship in 1996, to Swedish consular assistance. There are grave concerns over Gui Minhai's poor health, and that he is at risk of torture and other ill-treatment. The Chinese government must release Gui Minhai immediately; pending his release, he must be granted access to his family, lawyers of his choice, consular support, and adequate medical care.
imprisoned Bookseller At Risk of Ill-Treatment
Iran: Tortured Kurdish Men At Risk Of Execution
Anwar Khezri, Ayoub Karimi, Davoud Abdollahi, Farhad Salimi, Ghassem Abesteh, Kamran Sheikheh and Khosrow Basharat, all from Iran's Kurdish Sunni minority, are at risk of execution at Raha'i Shahr prison, near Tehran. They were convicted of "corruption on earth" (efsad-e fel-arz) and sentenced to death in grossly unfair trials marred by claims of torture to extract "confessions".
Tortured Kurdish Men At Risk of Execution
Singapore: Halt Resumption Of Unlawful Executions
The authorities of Singapore are poised to resume hangings, after a two-year hiatus linked to pending appeals and the COVID-19 pandemic. In violation of international law and standards, several people who were sentenced to the mandatory death penalty for drug-related offenses are facing imminent execution, and more executions may follow. The Supreme Court has been petitioned to halt the executions and there are concerns on the use of the death penalty on those with mental and intellectual disabilities. The government of Singapore must halt all scheduled executions, commute these sentences and establish an official moratorium on all executions as a first step towards full abolition of the death penalty.
Halt Reumption of Unlwaful Executions in Singapore
You can download the full PDF or click Take Action at the top of the page for a link to a pre-prepared email/letter action.
Keep checking the Urgent Actions sites for actions you can take from your home - Urgent Actions at AIUK
Next meeting
Thursday 14th April, Woodlands Methodist Church, Woodlands Road, 7:30pm. Full details in our Facebook event: https://fb.me/e/737MR4jN2
Please bring your face masks and do a lateral flow test prior to attending if you can.
You can also contact Freya (freya_lyte@hotmail.co.uk) with any questions.