Texas, USA: December 3rd Execution of Scott Panetti - Sample Letters and Petition from Angie

"Supporters of a mentally ill Texas man (from Hayward, Wisconsin) on death row are petitioning state officials to commute his sentence to life in prison. Scott Panetti, 56, rejected a plea deal in the 1992 double-murder of his in-laws, and was allowed to represent himself at trial, despite the state's knowledge of his schizophrenia, his lawyers said. Panetti is scheduled to die by lethal injection Dec. 3." -Huffington Post November 14, 2014

Links for full information from Angie Hougas regarding the upcoming execution of Scott Panetti
Angie's email 11/3/2014 (9 pages with links to more information)
Sample letter to Texas Parole Board
Sample letter to Governor Perry
AIUSA Petition (to sign and mail in)

Wisconsin, USA: Take Sensible Steps to Reduce Gun Violence, Save Lives and Keep Gun Away from Dangerous people Deadline: ASAP - ONLINE PETITION

Take Sensible Steps to Reduce Gun Violence, Save Lives and Keep Gun Away from Dangerous people Deadline: ASAP

Last Thursday (11/6/2014), a five year old was killed by a stray bullet while sitting on her grandfather’s lap in a Milwaukee home. And, once again, people across the state were left crying out for answers. This latest tragedy is just one more reason we need to take sensible steps to reduce gun violence. Click here to ask our elected officials to keep guns away from dangerous people and take firm actions to reduce gun violence and save lives in Wisconsin.

NOTE: This petition is sponsored by Wisconsin Anti-Violence Effort.

President Obama: Make sure Indigenous women can access post-rape care - ONLINE PETITION

From Amnesty International USA Facebook post:
"1 in 3 Native American and Alaska Native women will be raped during their lifetimes. They are 2.5 times more likely to face sexual violence in the US. The extreme levels of sexual violence make it critical that Indian Health Services adopts standardized, written sexual assault protocols which also ensure that Native American and Alaska Native women have unrestricted access to Emergency Contraception."

Click here for more information and an online petition

Russian Federation: IMPRISONED ACTIVIST MUST BE RELEASED IMMEDIATELY - URGENT ACTION

IMPRISONED ACTIVIST MUST BE RELEASED IMMEDIATELY 
      On 31 October, the Supreme Court of the Chechen Republic ruled that the term of Ruslan Kutaev’s imprisonment must be reduced by two months but did not quash his conviction. Ruslan Kutaev is a prisoner of conscience and must be released immediately and unconditionally.

For full information and addresses, click here.

Write for Rights 2014: Video

Published on Nov 12, 2014

Write for Rights is Amnesty International’s annual global letter writing marathon for people whose basic human rights are under attack. Every December, Amnesty supporters like you write millions of messages to change lives worldwide. Your words will help release prisoners of conscience. Bring torturers to justice. And change laws to protect people’s freedom.

Write for Rights 2014: the Women and Girls of El Salvador

from Amnesty International Mid-West Office Facebook post...

"Another reason to Write for Rights this December is the Women and Girls of El Salvador. In El Salvador, it doesn't matter if you're pregnant as a result of rape, or whether the pregnancy is a risk to your life: abortion is banned in all cases. If you have a miscarriage, you could be jailed for up to 50 years for aggravated homicide because the state suspects you of having a clandestine abortion.
With no proper education on sex and relationships and obstacles to accessing contraception, El Salvador has the highest teen pregnancy rate in Latin America. Furthermore, suicide accounts for 57 per cent of the deaths of pregnant females aged 10 to 19, though it is likely many more cases have gone unreported.

Join us in calling on the President of El Salvador to release the women and girls jailed for having abortions or miscarriages and to reform the punitive abortion laws! Sign up for Write for Rights today! http://bit.ly/1obvRwN

European Union: Stop Trade of Tools of Torture Deadline: Urgent - ONLINE PETITION

European Union: Stop Trade of Tools of Torture Deadline: Urgent 

To stop torture, we must stop trade of tools used for torture. Thumb screws, spiked batons, leg irons, and neck shackles and many other torture devices are used every day in torture chambers, police stations and at public demonstration all over the world. The European Union (EU) is currently reviewing the law prohibiting the trade of tools used for torture and death penalty. Click here to urge EU to urgently close the loopholes that allow people to buy, sell, and advertise cruel torture equipment.