Ban design for killing or torture - ONLINE PETITION

Change.org Petition
     Thank you for continuing to consider the proposal from Architects / Designers / Planners for Social Responsibility to prohibit the design of spaces intended for killing, torture, or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment (http://adpsr.org/home/ethics_reform). This is an issue that defines the limits of the civilized practice of architecture, and indeed the limits of civilized behavior itself. I appreciate that the National Ethics Council is taking the time to consider the issue thoroughly. I urge the National Ethics Council, and then the AIA national Board of Directors, to stand up for human rights and implement ADPSR’s proposal.

Click here for more information and ONLINE PETITION. 

International Women's Day Events - March 6 and March 8, 2016

Society for Democracy in Iran

Amnesty Imagine - VIDEO (4:35 min)

Art for Amnesty
 Oct 30, 2007

"You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one.
I hope some day you'll join us, and the world will live as one"

Azerbaijan: Activists, Arif Yunus and Leyla Yunus, Denied Vital Medical Treatment Abroad - URGENT ACTION

Amnesty International

     Prominent human rights defenders Leyla Yunus and Arif Yunus were convicted to eight and seven-and-a-half years, respectively, on 13 August 2015 for their human rights work. The charges against them were fabricated and they were recognized as prisoners of conscience.

     Arif Yunus and Leyla Yunus were finally released conditionally on medical grounds on 12 November and 9 December, respectively. As part of the conditions they were placed under a travel ban.

    In a conversation with Amnesty International on 29 February, the couple explained that their health is worsening daily and that they are not receiving adequate medical care in Azerbaijan. Arif Yunus suffered two strokes in April 2014 and needs regular medical check-ups on his heart. He has also developed a lump on his head, which could not be diagnosed by doctors in Azerbaijan. Leyla Yunus has hepatitis C, diabetes and urgently needs to be operated to treat gallstones. The couple said doctors in Azerbaijan have previously refused them treatment out of fear of reprisals from the authorities. Leyla Yunus also explained that she has been humiliated by Azerbaijani doctors in the past whenever she complained of her deteriorating health, with a reminder that she was “an Armenian spy and deserved no less”.

     In February Leyla Yunus and Arif Yunus filed a request to the Court in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, to have their travel ban lifted on humanitarian grounds. The Court rejected their request on 11 February and the couple appealed the decision to the Appeals Court. The Appeals Court will consider the case on 4 March and it can revoke the decision of the lower court and grant them the right to leave Azerbaijan for medical treatment abroad.

 

Click here for more URGENT ACTION information. 

AIUSA: Feedback on the Strategic Plan - SPECIAL MEMBERSHIP CALL March 3 or March 8, 2016

AIUSA

Dear Membership, 

We’re happy to report that Amnesty International USA’s new draft strategic plan is ready for your review. We began developing our new plan last year, and we were so fortunate to benefit from the input of thousands of Amnesty members across the country. Through surveys, workshops, one-on-one interviews, and written feedback, AIUSA members shared their thoughts about what we should focus on in our human rights work and how we could strengthen our organization to be even more effective. Those ideas have informed the draft plan that we share with you now.

We encourage you to read the draft plan and to share with us your thoughts by March 8th. Please tell us what you like about the plan. Are there any changes you’d like to recommend? Please send your feedback to: strategicplan@aiusa.org or join one of our membership calls

March 3rd at 8pm (EST) or March 8th at 9:00PM (EST) by calling the below number:

Phone Number: 212-231-7870

Conference ID: 739703

Click here for DRAFT Strategic Plan.

After receiving input from members and staff by the March 8 deadline, we will revise the plan and discuss it at our upcoming Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Miami, Florida on April 1-3.

Thank you for your ideas, your commitment, and your continuing support for human rights and Amnesty International USA.

Very best regards, Margaret Huang, Interim Executive Director& Govind Acharya, General Secretary, Board of Directors 

"A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness" - 2016 Academy Award Short Documentary

 February 28, 2016
     Every year, more than 1,000 girls and women are the victims of religiously motivated honor killings in Pakistan, especially in rural areas. Eighteen-year-old Saba, who fell in love and eloped, was targeted by her father and uncle but survived to tell her story. The "Price of Forgiveness" premieres Monday, March 7 at 9pm, on HBO. In her acceptance speech, Obaid-Chinoy said that after Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif watched the film, he said he would change the laws on honor killing.
"This is what happens when determined women get together," she said. "That is the power of film."

University of Wisconsin Madison Law School: The Annual Mildred Fish-Harnack Lecture - April 20th, 2016

The Human Rights Program  is pleased to invite you to:

The Annual Mildred Fish-Harnack Lecture

Wednesday, April 20th, 2016, 4:00pm

Rooms 325 & 326, Pyle Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Informal reception to follow.

"From Auschwitz to International Law and

International Human Rights"

 Judge Thomas Buergenthal

Lobingier Professor  of Comparative Law & Jurisprudence, George Washington University

Former Judge, International Court of Justice 

Former President,  Inter-American Court of Human Rights

This event is free and open to anyone interested in attending.  

To facilitate planning, please register here. Walk ins are also welcome to attend.

Click here for a 30 minute video with Judge B discussing Human Rights and International Law.