Chicago, USA: Book Event with Former New York Times Iran Correspondent Nazila Fathi - Jan 22, 2015

 The Perils of Being a Journalist in Iran

Book Event with Former New York Times Iran Correspondent Nazila Fathi

Ms Fathi will talk about her new book The Lonely War: One Woman’s Account of the Struggle for Modern Iran which will be available for purchase and signing by the author. She was the longest serving correspondent for the New York Times based in Tehran and before that reported from the country for TIME and Agence France-Presse. She has written for the New York Review of Books, Foreign Policy, Vogue, and Harvard Nieman Report and has been a guest speaker on CNN, BBC, CBC and NPR.
The Book Cellar, 4736-38 N. Lincoln Avenue in Chicago January 22 at 7 pm. This event is sponsored by Amnesty International USA, the Association for Women Journalists, Chicago and the Committee to Protect Journalists

Click here for more information.

2014 National Vigil for Victims & Survivors of Gun Violence - December 11, 2014

Thank you to our member, Farideh, who sent us the link to this National vigil. She is lighting up LA this evening with her candle. Here is our candle in Madison, Wisconsin. We join her tonight and  support the national vigil which honors and gives voice to ALL victims and survivors of gun violence.  http://newtownaction.org/2014-national-vigil/

Facebook Posting from Art for Amnesty

Thanks, Art for Amnesty, for another inspiring post.

 "History says, don’t hope
On this side of the grave,
But then, once in a lifetime
The longed-for tidal wave
Of justice can rise up,
And hope and history rhyme"

Seamus Heaney and Salil Shetty, together for a moment of art and human rights.

Annual Appeal for Tax-Deductible Donations to Group #139

Dear Friends, 
     Today is United Nations Human Rights Day. Because of many people like you, who strive to uphold human rights, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is becoming the common standard of achievement for all peoples at home and around the world. We continue to work so that Human Rights Day is every day     On behalf of Amnesty International Local Group 139 in Madison, I would like to request for your tax-deductible end-of-year donation to our Amnesty Group. Your donations along with others, which are entirely voluntary, will help us to meet our local expenses including printing and mailing expenses of our Amnesty petitions.
     Please make your check payable to Amnesty Group 139, Madison and mail it to our Treasurer, Dr. Debbie Lloyd [350 S. Hamilton St., Unit 401, Madison, WI, 53703]. Thank you for caring and for acting.
     I would like to take this opportunity to wish you and family Peace, Joy, and Hope this Holiday Season.     
     Warm Regards,
     Azam, AI Madison Group #139 Group Leader

"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." – MLK

Bahrain: A Year in Prison for "Insulting the King' (This is the Third Update for Urgent Action 5/14) - URGENT ACTION

A YEAR IN PRISON FOR 'INSULTING THE KING'

 

 Ahmad Hassan ‘Ali Mshaima’ was sentenced on 9 December by a Lower Criminal Court to one year in prison for publicly insulting the King of Bahrain, under article 214 of the Bahraini Penal code, which criminalizes insulting the ruler of the country. He had been charged after reading a poem on 1 November during a religious festival commemorating Ashura in al-Muharraq island, north-east of Manama, which cites growing injustice in Bahrain and describes the ruler as an unjust ruler who breaks promises and sheds blood.

Click here for more information and addresses. 

U.K.: UK Must Investigate Its Role with Torture - ONLINE PETITION

The release of a damning US report on CIA torture reveals how they used waterboarding, 'rectal feeding', mock executions, sleep deprivation, stress positions and other cruel and degrading treatment against detainees.
But we still don’t know how deeply the UK was involved.
Demand the UK government investigates the truth.

Click here for more information and the ONLINE PETITION. 

11 Books to Read for Human Rights Day

11 Books to Read for Human Rights Day That Take a Good, Hard Look at Justice and Equality
Written by Karen Green, Bustle

"Sure, as you read this list, you’ll be struck — some of these books are not easy nor exactly pleasant to read. But then again, neither are the headlines in the news these days. These reads are important, and touching, and will tear at you. And you’ll be better for reading them and celebrating the lives within their pages."

•  Little Bee by Chris Cleave
•  The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
•  A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
•  Les Miserables by Victor Hugo
•  I am Malala by Malala Yousafzai
•  Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi
•  A House in the Sky by Amanda Lindhout and Sara Corbett 
•  Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok
•  Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo
•  Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson
•  Brokeback Mountain by Annie Proulx

Click here for entire article.