Iran: Youth, Salar Shadizadi, arrested at 15 and Sentenced to Death - URGENT ACTION by January 27, 2017

Amnesty International
      Salar Shadizadi, who was sentenced to death for a second time in November for a crime committed when he was 15 years old. He has been on death row since 2007. In early 2016, he had been granted a retrial after his scheduled execution was halted due to a global outcry in December 2015.
Send letters to: 
 
 Head of the Judiciary 

Ayatollah Sadegh Larijani

Secretary General of
Iran’s National Body on the Convention on the Rights of the Child
Mozaffar Alvandi
And copies to:
Dr Will Parks
UNICEF Teheran
P.O. Box 19395-1176
Teheran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Email: tehran@unicef.org
Please send your appeals to the care of Iranian embassy in your country, listed below. If there is no Iranian embassy in your country, please mail the letter to the Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations, 622 Third Avenue, 34th Floor, New York, NY 10017, United States. Please insert local diplomatic addresses below:
Name Address 1 Address 2 Address 3 Fax Fax number Email Email address Salutation Salutation 

Click here for ENTIRE URGENT ACTION information. 

USA: Don't Leave Guantánamo to Trump! - ACTIONS

Amnesty International
     Only 59 individuals remain there – nearly all have been held for more than a decade, and nearly half were first held in CIA “black sites” where torture occurred.  

President-elect Donald Trump will take office in January 2017:

• "I would absolutely authorize something beyond waterboarding" February 7, 2016
• "Nothing’s nice about it [waterboarding], but it’s your minimal form of torture." March 22, 2016
• "Guantánamo Bay—which, by the way, we are keeping open! And we’re going to load it up with some bad dudes. We’re going to load it up." February 23, 2016
• “We’re going to have to do things that are unthinkable almost.” June 30, 2016

 Visit our action hub at: www.amnestyusa.org/CloseGuantanamo. There you can find the tools necessary to: 

• Join us in Washington, D.C., for a rally on January 11, 2017. We’ll update details on the action hub as they become available – we’ll hold a demonstration on Guantánamo’s fifteenth anniversary.
• If you can’t make it to Washington, hold your own event. We’ve included a guide to hosting a tabling, and included handouts and petitions you can use. We’re happy to send you orange jumpsuits or “Close Guantánamo” signs if you’d like those, as well.
• Publish a letter to the editor. Educate your community through your local or campus paper, and show your support for Guantánamo closure. Sample text and tips for getting it published can be found on the action hub.
• Share your support on social media! Retweet this tweet or share this Facebook post to show your networks that you support closing Guantánamo and preventing a return to torture. 

In solidarity, 

Naureen Shah
Director, Security With Human Rights

Cuba: International Human Rights Attorney Kimberly Motley Arrested - ONLINE PETITION

Change.Org Petition
     Human Rights Foundation has reported that internationally recognized human rights attorney Kimberly Motley was not only denied a visit with artist Danilo Maldonado Machado, but after she held a news conference in Havana regarding his arbitrary detention, she was arrested by Cuban state police.

Click here for ONLINE PETITION link. 

Dominican Republic: Urge The President To Decriminalize Abortion - URGENT ACTION by January 25, 2016 & NEWS

Amnesty International
     The Dominican Congress adopted a comprehensive reform of the Criminal Code which maintains the criminalization of abortion except where the pregnancy poses a risk to the life of a pregnant woman or girl. It is now with the President of the Republic to enact into law. If enacted, it would violate the rights of women and girls.

Write a letter, send an email, call, fax or tweet:

• Urging the President of the Republic not to enact the adopted reform of the Criminal Code;
• Expressing your profound concern that women and girls in the Dominican Republic are at risk of having their rights to life, health and freedom from discrimination, torture and ill-treatment violated under this law;
• Calling on the President to ensure access to abortion both in law and in practice, at a minimum, in cases where pregnancy poses a risk to the life or to the physical or mental health of a pregnant woman or girl, in cases where the foetus will be unable to survive outside the womb, and in cases where the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest.

President of the Republic

Danilo Medina

Palacio Nacional

Avenida México esquina Doctor Delgado

Gazcue, Santo Domingo

Dominican Republic

Fax: +1809 682 0827

Email: prensa2@presidencia.gob.do

Twitter: @PresidenciaRD

Salutation: Señor Presidente / Dear President

 

Ambassador José Tomás Pérez

Embassy of the Dominican Republic

1715 22nd St. NW, Washington DC 20008

Fax: 202 265 8057 I Phone: 202 332 6280

E-mail: embassydominicanrepublic@gmail.com

Salutation: Dear Ambassador

Click here for ENTIRE URGENT ACTION information. 

Also:  "Dominican Republic: President Medina must stop a regressive reform for women’s rights," from Amnesty International, December 15, 2016

 

Amnesty International URGENT ACTIONS Dec 16 to Dec 23, 2016

Click here for entire list of URGENT ACTION for the week of December 16 to December 23. (This post is updated daily.)  

Countries include:

Note: Most Urgent Actions require a written letter. See our guidelines for writing letters. Countries are added to this list during the week. The link contains all Urgent Actions for the week.

Amnesty International Group #139 Weekly Update - December 16, 2016

 Greetings Everyone!

     This week we have all watched breathlessly as families fled Aleppo. Our hearts break for the war-torn families caught in the crossfire. On December 14, Amnesty International issued a plea to have UN monitors into Aleppo and has demanded a safe evacuation for the people of Aleppo. Click here to add your voice for their safe evacuation. Also see this BBC report describing Aleppo as a "Mini World War."

     This is also our once-a-year 2016 fundraising appeal. No one is paid in our group. We are all volunteers. Our funds are primarily used for mailing expenses, community outreach, education (conferences), and local group membership to Amnesty International. Your donations to "Group #139 of Amnesty International" are completely tax deductible. Donations are greatly appreciated and can be sent to Dr. Azam Niroomand-Rad at 350 South Hamilton Street, Unit #501, Madison, WI 53703. If you have any questions, just send her an email at Azamnrad@gmail.com.

     IMPORTANT: We are looking for some volunteers to expand our social media outreach. Help us from the comfort of your home and work with Azam and Debbie. If you are interested or have any questions about this exciting opportunity, please contact Azam at azamnrad@gmail.com
   Write for Rights 2016:  Our Group #139 will mail your letters. Please send them to 350 South Hamilton Street, Unit 501, Madison, WI  53703 or send them electronically to Azamnrad@gmail.com. All of our Write for Rights cases can be found here. Each case has background information, addresses for letters, online petition options, and often email, twitter, or other actions. Act before December 31, 2016!
    We have many petitions, letter-writing opportunities, actions, events, videos, and organizational information included in this week's Weekly Update. Check them out below!

Peace to All,

     -Debbie, Weekly Update Editor
Click here for links to this week's Amnesty International and Human Rights Information and Actions.

National Geographic Features Young Transgender Girl on Cover - NEWS

Human Rights Campaign
December 15, 2016
     Avery Jackson, a young transgender girl featured in HRC’s Moms for Transgender Equality video series, is on the cover of National Geographic’s new special issue on the “Gender Revolution.”

“The best thing about being a girl is, now I don’t have to pretend to be a boy,” Avery says in a quote on the cover.

     Avery’s mother, Debi Jackson, was the subject of one of HRC’s Moms for Transgender Equality videos and is a member of HRC’s groundbreaking Parents for Transgender Equality Council.
The issue shares stories of transgender and gender-expansive youth, as well as the impact their families, friends and communities have had on their transition. National Geographic visited 80 homes on more than four continents to collect these vital stories.

Click here for ENTIRE article.

Iran: Day 256 #FreeNazanin – Hanging Out to Dry – Update on "Free Nazanin Ratcliffe" - PETITION UPDATE

Dec 15, 2016

"Some weeks ago I spoke with Nazanin. She was no longer angry, but tired. She said she had spent too long being strong. She could no longer take the endless waiting, waking with hope and fear for Gabriella and her family. She had lost interest in conversation outside family, indifferent to her roommate continually changing or absent.

She reported not knowing how she managed her glacier days, how she lost concentration and often had to repeat the page when reading, to remember the world outside her walls.

And she said that two weeks previously she had decided to end it, had written me a goodbye letter - handing over Gabriella into my care, saying she had never loved anyone more. She left the letter with someone for her parents, and stopped praying."

Click here for ENTIRE PETITION UPDATE and ONLINE PETITION. 

Mariela Castro's March: Cuba's LGBT Revolution - Documentary Dec 21, 2016

 HBO

A rare look inside Cuba’s LGBT community, this compelling film follows the efforts of Mariela Castro, daughter of President Raúl Castro, as she champions LGBT social reforms and acceptance of diversity.

Click here for LINK.

Cuba: Urgent Action Immediate Release of Artist El Sexto Prisoner of Conscience in Cuba - ONLINE PETITION

Change.Org
Cuatro Caminos

     Cuban Artist and Human Rights Activist Danilo Maldonado Machado artistically known as ‘El Sexto’ – named a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International in 2015 – has been jailed again without charge in Cuba. On November 26, shortly after the announcement of Fidel Castro’s death the artist spoke about the deceased leader in a video and made a small piece of graffiti art in reference to the passing with the words, "se fue" he has gone.

Click here for ONLINE PETITION.  

(Video is in Spanish, 11:00 min)

Syria: Demand the safe evacuation of people from Aleppo - SEND MESSAGE NOW

Amnesty International

Right now, people in East Aleppo are posting their final goodbyes online as government forces gain full control of the city. Instead of being given a safe path out, they face being trapped, tortured or executed.

Every second counts.

The lives of tens of thousands of people are in the hands of the Russian and Syrian governments.
Take two minutes to demand they safely evacuate the people trapped there now and that UN monitors are deployed to monitor evacuations and protect people from harm.

Click here to send ONLINE MESSAGE. 

Iran: Apply Domestic ‌Law & Provide Prisoners with Adequate Medical Care- ONLINE PETITION #HealthCare4Prisoners

Change.Org

Atena Daemi from Tehran, Iran

 

      My name is Atena Daemi. By the time you read this petition I will probably be in prison.  I have been sentenced to 7 years for my peaceful human rights activism –a fact that has been widely criticized by human rights organizations, including Amnesty International.         Imprisonment is difficult for anyone but, it is especially challenging when you are suffering from an illness and denied medical care. Denying prisoners medical care is a form of torture.
     Today, some of Iran’s bravest and most dedicated activists are imprisoned and suffering because the authorities refuse to provide them with medical care. This is a clear violation of domestic and international law. Additionally, the conditions of prisoners who are detained on non-political and criminal charges are even worst.

 

Click here for ONLINE PETITION. 

Iran: Iranian Women Against the Odds - NEWS

IranWire
November 18, 2016
Article covers: The Mandatory Islamic Veil, Gender Segregation, Restrictions in the Arts,
Professional Limitations, Limitations in Diplomatic Positions, Limitations in Sports, and 
State Violence in the Context of the Family.

     "With the help of discriminatory laws and policies, state violence against women has become institutionalized and enforced in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The current constitution does not allow legal reforms that are not in line with Sharia and Islamic principles as they are defined and interpreted by the leaders of the Islamic Republic. 
     Therefore, eliminating state violence against women is not really possible as long as a religious government is in place. Many Iranians object to these forms of discrimination and violence, risking their freedom and safety by doing so. 
     Ultimately, the precondition for the removal of of such legal and institutionalized forms of violence against women in Iran relies on the separation of religion and state. In other words, gender equality is not really possible in the current circumstances of the country, as the legislative structure of the Islamic Republic prevents the introduction of democratic laws."

Click here for ENTIRE article.

Algeria: British-Algerian journalist dies after hunger strike - NEWS

The Guardian
December 11, 2016
     A British-Algerian journalist has died after staging a hunger strike in protest against a two-year jail term for offending Algeria’s president in a poem posted online, according to his lawyer.
     “I can confirm the death of the journalist Mohamed Tamalt in Bab el-Oued hospital after a hunger strike of more than three months and a three-month coma,” Amine Sidhoum said on Facebook.
The prison service said in a statement Tamalt had died of a lung infection for which he was receiving treatment since it was detected on 4 December. He had been in hospital since the end of August. Tamalt, a dual national, launched the hunger strike on the day of his arrest near his parents’ house in the capital Algiers on 27 June, according to Human Rights Watch.
     The 42-year-old blogger and freelance journalist, who ran a website from London where he lived, was charged with offending President Abdelaziz Bouteflika and defaming a public authority, in the poem he shared on Facebook. A court in Algiers sentenced him to two years in prison on 11 July and fined him 200,000 dinars (£1,400). An appeals court upheld the ruling a month later.
     Amnesty International urged Algerian authorities on Sunday to open an “independent and transparent investigation into the circumstances” of the journalist’s death.

Click here for ENTIRE article.

Egypt: Toughens penalties for female genital mutilation - NEWS

CNN
December 8, 2016
     Egypt has brought into effect an amended law that toughens penalties on those who perform female genital mutilation, a practice that reportedly affects over 90% of Egyptian women, the health ministry announced.

     The government this week told both state and privately-run health facilities that medics who carry out the procedure could now face up to 15 years in jail. Parents who subject their daughters to circumcision could get a three-year prison sentence.

     "The prosecutor general issued a memo to all prosecutors, emphasizing the importance of investigating all FGM cases," Mayssa Shawky, the deputy health minister, told CNN on Wednesday by phone.

Click here for ENTIRE article 

Wisconsin Network for Peace and Justice - FOUR ACTION ALERTS for Dec. 13, 2016

Wisconsin Network for Peace and Justice

Action Alert 1: Night Out of Darkness Solidarity Event
Action Alert 2: ACLU Legal Observer Training Sessions
Action Alert 3: "Getting Ready for the Trump Regime" Discussion
Action Alert 4:  Register for RENEW Wisconsin's 2017 Energy Policy Summit

---

Action Alert 1: Night Out of Darkness Solidarity Event - Milwaukee
Take Action: Wednesday, December 21, 6:30 p.m., Milwaukee Muslim Women’s Coalition, 5235 S 27^th St., Greenfield, Wisconsin
Contact for more info: milwaukee@jewishvoiceforpeace.org

---

Action Alert 2: ACLU Legal Observer Training Sessions - Madison and Appleton
Take Action:  Wednesday, December 14, 6 p.m., Hawthorne Branch Library, 2707 E Washington Ave, Madison, WI 53704
Appleton Training: Tuesday, Decemeber 20, 6 p.m.
Fox Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 2600 Philip Ln., Appleton, WI 54915.
Contact for more info: liberty@aclu-wi.org. 

---

Action Alert 3: "Getting Ready for the Trump Regime" Discussion - Madison
Take Action:  Thursday December 15, 6:30pm at the Madison Central Library Room 104
Contact for more info: 608-284-9082

---

Action Alert 4: Register for RENEW Wisconsin's 2017 Energy Policy Summit - Madison
Take Action:  Thursday, January 19, 2017,  Monona Terrace Convention Center, 1 John Nolen Dr. Madison, WI 53703.  Register here.
Contact for more info:  2017 Policy Summit website.

Click here for ENTIRE email.

Syria: Reports of execution-style killings in Aleppo point to war crimes - AMNESTY STATEMENT

Amnesty International
December 13, 2016

“The reports that civilians - including children - are being massacred in cold blood in their homes by Syrian government forces are deeply shocking but not unexpected, given their conduct to date. Such extrajudicial executions would amount to war crimes,” said Lynn Maalouf, Deputy Director for Research at the Beirut Regional office.  

 

“Throughout the conflict Syrian government forces, backed by Russia, have repeatedly displayed a callous disregard for international humanitarian law and utter disdain for the fate of civilians. In fact, they have regularly targeted civilians as a strategy, both during military operations and through the mass-scale use of arbitrary detention, disappearances and torture and other ill-treatment. As government forces gain full control of eastern Aleppo the risk that they will commit further atrocities raises grave fears for thousands of civilians still trapped.

 

“In recent months the world, including the UN Security Council, has watched from the side-lines as civilians have been slaughtered on a daily basis and eastern Aleppo has been flattened and transformed into a mass grave. The global inaction in the face of such inhumanity is shameful. The lack of accountability for war crimes and crimes against humanity has allowed the parties, particularly government forces, to commit such crimes on a mass scale. It is now crucial that 

independent monitors are deployed to ensure that the civilian population is protected and that humanitarian access is granted so that life-saving aid can reach all those in need.”

 

Sara Hashash

Media Manager, Middle East and North Africa

Amnesty International – International Secretariat

Click here for ENTIRE AMNESTY STATEMENT

China: My father, Ilham Tohti, is no criminal. He’s a hero. Bring him back - ONLINE PETITION

Amnesty International Australia
     China's Government would like you to forget about my father. His name is Ilham Tohti. A few weeks ago, he won the prestigious 2016 Martin Ennals Award for human rights. Yet he has been cruelly punished by the Chinese Government solely for peacefully expressing his views as an academic and writer. Please help by urging the Chinese authorities to immediately and unconditionally release my father. The relentless efforts by Chinese authorities to silence my dad are part of widespread and violent repression of the Uighur minority in China. He has worked tirelessly to fight discrimination against Uighurs in his home region. He adamantly opposed violence. But Chinese authorities see even peaceful criticism as a threat.

Click here for ENTIRE email. 

Also see:

• Amnesty's Write for Rights 2016 Campaign Case information here. 

Take Your Stand: Help Speak Out Against Hate-Filled Violence - SIGN THE PLEDGE

Human Rights Watch
      Hate crimes are spiking and elected leaders are rejecting basic standards of decency. None of us can afford to stay silent. Take action now. Pledge to speak out against hate.

• I will not stand by and ignore hate-filled rhetoric and violence, and neither should our leaders.
• I call on all Americans to respect their neighbors, whoever they may be.
• I believe that violence and hate crimes are unacceptable and must be publicly rejected and appropriately prosecuted.
• I believe that racist, sexist epithets and bullying are wrong.
• I stand with Human Rights Watch as it fights to oppose the forces of racism and hatred in the US and around the world.

Click here to sign the PLEDGE.

Philippines:Halt Plans to Reinstate the Death Penalty - URGENT ACTION by Jan 23, 2017

Amnesty International
     The House of Representatives and Senate of the Philippines will consider and vote on draft legislation to reintroduce the death penalty from as early as 13 December. If adopted, the draft law would allow for the imposition of the death penalty for a wide range of crimes, against international law obligations on this issue.

Write a letter, send an email, call, fax or tweet:

• Asking the authorities of the Philippines to fully oppose the adoption of draft legislation to reintroduce the death penalty in the country;
• Reminding them that the Philippines has undertaken international law commitments to the abolition of the death penalty and that the move would undermine positive efforts to support Filipinos overseas workers facing the death penalty abroad;
• Highlighting that there is no evidence that the death penalty has a unique deterrent effect and more and more countries have been abolishing the death penalty.

Contact the following people: 
Important note: Please do not forward this Urgent Action email directly to these officials. Instead of forwarding this email that you have received, please open up a new email message in which to write your appeals to each official. This will help ensure that your emails are not rejected. Thank you for your deeply valued activism!

 

Speaker of the House

Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez

House of Representatives

Rm. S-217-218 

Constitution Hills 1126 

Quezon City, Philippines

Fax: (632) 9316277

Email: speakerpda@congress.gov.ph

Twitter: @speakeralvarez

Salutation: Dear Mr. Speaker

 

Ambassador Jose L. Cuisia, Jr.

Embassy of the Republic of the Philippines

1600 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington DC 20036

Fax: 1 202 467 9417  I  Phone: 1 202 467 9366

Email: ambassador@philippinesusa.org

Salutation: Dear Ambassador

 

Click here for the ENTIRE URGENT ACTION information. 

• Also see: "Philippines: Don’t Reinstate Death Penalty," Human Rights Watch, Dec 3, 2016

Iran: Free Iranian human right activist Narges Mohammadi - ONLINE PETITION

Change.Org

Ida Irani, Portland, OR

 Narges Mohammadi, an Iranian woman in her forties and the mother of two young children, is a longtime activist for human rights and women’s rights, who has been in and out of prison for the last fifteen years.  She served as Executive Chair of the Center for Human Rights Defenders, where she was closely associated with Iranian Nobel Peace Prize winner, Shirin Ebadi. The Center was closed by the Iranian government in 2008.  Narges Mohammadi also founded and worked for an organization to oppose the death penalty.

     
In May, 2016, she was sentenced to sixteen years in prison for her non-violent human rights activities. She is currently serving this sentence in Evin Prison, and she is suffering from several severe medical problems such as seizer, long and neurological problems.

Click here for ONLINE PETITION. 

Sacramento, CA: ACLU of California Conference & Lobby Day - April 1 to April 3, 2017

ACLU
"As you may know, the president-elect has been suggesting a number of policy proposals that threaten our civil liberties and civil rights. But with a diverse population of nearly 38 million people of all races, faiths, sexual orientations, gender identities and immigration status, Californians will not waver. That's why we need you to register for our annual.ACLU of California Conference & Lobby Day."

Saturday, April 1 to Monday, April 3
Holiday Inn Capitol Plaza
300 J Street
Sacramento, CA

AI Madison Group #139 Member List of "Other" Links & Petitions - December 9 to December 16, 2016

We have such a wonderful membership! Not only do we hold human rights dear to our hearts but there are also  other issues such as the environment, poverty, children's health, etc that can be related to human rights but may not be addressed by Amnesty International.

•  Australia's epically stupid plan, AVAAZ, ONLINE PETITION
•  Science and the Public Interest: An Open Letter to President-Elect Trump and the 115th Congress, letter from Union of Concerned Scientists

USA: Muslim Registry - VIDEO 2 min

December 9, 2016
MoveOn.org

"The last time the U.S. tried to implement a registry targeting Muslims, Kamal Essaheb, who is currently the Director of Policy and Advocacy at the National Immigration Law Center, was almost deported." Efforts may be underway to implement a Mulsim registry again. 

Change.Org: Human Rights Day ACTIONS - ONLINE PETITIONS

Change.Org
On this day in 1948, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. For the first time in history, the international community agreed to a set of fundamental rights and freedoms to which all human beings are entitled. Since then, activists worldwide continue to fight to have those rights upheld and respected. Today you can join them by speaking up for people whose rights are denied and whose voices are silenced.

•  Get Canadian humanitarian out of North Korean prison!
• Release my wrongfully accused friend, open-Internet advocate Bassel Khartabil (Safadi), from Syrian prison.
•  Free American Imprisoned for Helping Homeless Children
•  Apply Domestic ‌Law: Provide Prisoners with Adequate Medical Care

USA: Free Leonard Peltier, the longest held political prisoner in United States history - ONLINE PETITION & Other ACTIONS

DIYRootsAction
     Leonard Peltier was convicted of murder on "cooked" evidence after the Oglala uprising and has been in prison for over 40 years. He is suffering from cancer and should be pardoned, at the very least on humanitarian reasons. If there was really equal justice in this country, those responsible for poisoning the people of Flint, MI, for example, would be convicted and imprisoned. Peltier is not guilty, and testimony proves it. He is being held because the FBI insists on punishing him for an act he did not commit. For information on this case, see "Incident at Oglala" -- a film by Robert Redford.

Click here for ONLINE PETITION.  

• Amnesty International Write for Rights 2016 Campaign Case: Native American activist jailed over 40 years after an unfair legal process. Click here for MORE ACTIONS. 
•  "Free Leonard Peltier," ONLINE PETITION from Amnesty International USA

Iran: Iran fashion workers jailed for 'spreading prostitution' - NEWS

BBC
December 5, 2016
     The 12 were convicted of charges including spreading prostitution and promoting corruption via the publication of obscene images online, inciting Muslims to corrupt themselves through putting on fashion shows, and spreading a "Western-style culture of nudity".
     They were not named by Mr Taravat in his interview with Ilna. But he said they included a man given a six-year sentence and banned from working in journalism or government service for two years following his release; a woman and a man jailed for five years and banned from working in fashion design; and a man jailed for two years and banned from working in photography.
     Iran's judiciary launched a crackdown on "un-Islamic" behaviour by fashion models earlier this year.

Click here for ENTIRE article. 

"Keeping You Connected" - Email/Newsletter December 11, 2016

Angie Hougas
Member, AIUSA BD of Directors

1  GOOD NEWS

• Individuals At Risk 3 Aug - 4 Nov 2016           

2  AIUSA UPDATES:       

• 3 Dec International Day of Disabilities
• Government Halting Dakota Pipeline - AIUSA Statement
• 4 Dec Guantanamo Prison Transfer - AIUSA Statement      

3  REMINDERS

• Iran #FreeAtists Camapign
• AGM 2017 March 10-12 (links directly to AIUSA website)
• Customize Your Actions (links directly to AIUSA website)
• Last 100 Days (links directly to action alerts)
• Write For Rights 2016 (links directly to AIUSA website)
• Letter Writing Guide (direct link to Guide)

4  REPORTS

Click here for ENTIRE "Keeping You Connected."

Aleppo, Syria: Eva Bartlett - Independent Writer and Rights Advocate

November 29, 2016
     "In early November, Fares Shehabi, a member of the Syrian parliament from Aleppo, organized a trip to Aleppo for 13 Western journalists, including myself, with security provided by forces in the Syrian Arab Army.While I had traveled to Aleppo independently as recently as July and August, for many others in the delegation, it was their first visit to the city or their first visit since the war on Syria began in 2011.
     On previous visits to Aleppo, I met with the Aleppo Medical Association and saw a maternity hospital hit twice by rocket and mortar attacks by militants under Jaysh al-Fatah (the Army of Conquest), a loose alliance of anti-government terrorist groups. I met with members of a branch of the Syria Civil Defense and Christian and Muslim religious leaders. Just north of the city, I visited Nubl and Zahraa, towns besieged for more than three years by the Free Syrian Army, the Nusra Front, and other affiliated terrorist factions before the Syrian Arab Army drove them out in February of this year. I saw the liberated region of Bani Zaid and the al-Layramoun industrial district. I interacted with civilians in public parks, streets, and markets."

Click here for ENTIRE article. 

She will be speaking in Los Angles on Saturday, December 17.

 Note: One of our members submitted an item regarding Ms. Bartlett. She continues to blog and speak across the country. Amnesty International does not condone or endorse one reporter over another. This information is provided so that YOU can read another point of view.

Madison, WI: "Call for Peace": Dancing The Dream of Peace, A New Hope For Humanity! - FILM

A short film "Call for Peace": Dancing The Dream of Peace, A New Hope For Humanity!  represents eight Artistic Directors of Cultural Dance Companies that came together through the arts in an inclusive Circle Dance to celebrate our diversity and offer a vision of hope for a more peaceful and sustainable world. This timely film embraces the wisdom of Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr, Chief Seattle, and Mother Teresa, who said, "If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other!" It includes an indigenous "Ancient Wisdom Dance," the first ever to be created in the history of dance!

Call For Peace, visit www.callforpeace.org Questions? 

Since 1990, Call for Peace Drum Dance Company--a Global Treasure based in Madison, Wisconsin--has been inspiring national and international audiences with its performance, “From All Nations They Come Dancing.”--the dream of a new hope for humanity. Having performed at the 4th Global Summit for the Nobel Peace Prize Laureates in Rome, Italy, throughout the United States, in Germany, Russia, Israel and at the Great Pyramids of Egypt, Call for Peace is a must-see spectacular for all ages. Through the universal language of dance, traditional drums and contemporary music, Call for Peace weaves the pageantry of life, the power of hope and the wisdom of our Elders into a tapestry of rhythm, color and dance.

How to Mobilize Around Police Accountability - Members Only WEBINAR December 14, 7:00 pm (EST)

Amnesty International USA
     In this webinar, you’ll learn about the goals for the Deadly Force campaign, how to get involved, and a timeline for what you can do today, tomorrow and into the next year to contribute to the movement for justice and accountability in your community. During this session, you’ll hear about levels of engagement on the group, city and state level. You will walk away with resources on how to get started if this campaign is new to you and your Amnesty base. We will also share tips on coalition-building if this work is already happening in your area and you’d like to support it. 
     There is something for everyone in the movement for police accountability – get organized in this fight for a human rights issue at home. I hope you’ll join us for this important opportunity.

Noor A. Mir
Campaigner for Deadly Force, Criminal Justice and Ending Gun Violence

Register here. 

Iran: Children, Yet Convicted As Adults: Juvenile Executions in Iran - NEWS

Human Rights and Democracy for Iran
     Mohammad Reza Haddadi, a 15-year-old boy from Kazerun, Fars Province, was coerced and tricked into taking the blame for a murder he had not committed. Despite serious questions about failures and irregularities in his interrogation and trial, highlighted in an animation produced by Abdorrahman Boroumand Foundation (ABF), he was convicted of homicide and sentenced to death in 2004. Now 27 years old, Mohammad Reza has awakened every day of the last eight years to the prospect of the gallows. His sentencing violates both Iranian and international law. 

Click here for ENTIRE article.