Monday, April 4, 2016

Amnesty International URGENT ACTIONS - April 1 to April 8, 2016

Click here for entire list of URGENT ACTION for the week of April 1 to April 8. (This post is updated daily.)  

Countries include: Iran, Myanmar, Belarus, Honduras, Singapore, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Malawi, and Turkey.

   
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.
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Sunday, April 3, 2016

AI Madison Group #139 Member List of "Other" Links & Petitions - April 1 to April 8, 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. 
Here are some of those links submitted by our members:

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Bahrain: In Their Own Words with Nabeel Rajab, "The Real Bahrain" - PODCAST

Amnesty International UK
The people who run his country would prefer it if you didn't hear from Nabeel Rajab. They would like you to think that Bahrain has undergone great reforms in recent years. But it’s far from true.
Bahrain is still one of the worst countries in the world for free speech. 
‘The Bahraini government is trying to present Bahrain through Formula 1 as an open and liberal society.  But if you go to Bahrain, the picture is very different. They care only for their image abroad, but there is a human rights disaster here in Bahrain.’
Nabeel Rajab
Nabeel should know. He has spent his life fighting for the right to speak freely – and it’s still being denied to him by authorities determined to repress their citizens at any cost. And through world-class events like the F1 they can pretend that all is well in Bahrain.
Click here for Nabeel Rajab's PODCAST.
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Angola: Youth Activists Sentenced, Health Concern for Two - URGENT ACTION (More Action Needed)

Amnesty International
     Seventeen youth activists who were on trial for ‘preparatory acts of rebellion’ and ‘criminal conspiracy’ were sentenced on 28 March and sent to prison immediately. Domingos da Cruz was sentenced to 8 years and 6 months; Henrique Luaty da Silva Beirao to 5 years and 6 months; Nuno Alvaro Dala, Sedrick de Carvalho, Manuel Chivonde “Nito Alves”, Inocêncio de Brito, Laurinda Gouveia, Fernando António Tomás “Nicola”, Afonso Matias “Mbanza Hamza”, Osvaldo Caholo, Arante Kivuvu, Albano Evaristo Bingobingo, Nelson Dibango, Hitler Jessy Chivonde and José Gomes Hata to 4 years and 6 months; and Rosa Conde and Benedito Jeremias to 2 years and 3 months in prison. They were all fined 50,000 kwanzas or approximately 300 US dollars for court costs. Their lawyers will be appealing this decision.

Click here for URGENT ACTION information.  

Also:
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United Arab Emirates: Mass Trial of 41 Men Ends Amid Serious Fair Trial Concerns - URGENT ACTION

Amnesty International

 Please write immediately in Arabic, English or your own language:
  • Calling on the UAE authorities to ensure the convictions of the 34 men are quashed and to order a retrial before an ordinary criminal court in accordance with international fair trial standards, including the right to appeal, and without recourse to the death penalty; adding that those under 18 at the time of arrests should be retried in a court abiding by international standards of juvenile justice;
  • Calling on them to ensure that any “confessions” obtained by torture and other ill-treatment are not used as evidence in court and that the men are protected from any further ill-treatment; and calling on them to order an independent and impartial investigation into the allegations of torture, in line with the Istanbul protocol.
     The trial of 41 men, including 37 UAE nationals, two Iranians, one Syrian and one Comorian before the State Security Chamber at the Federal Supreme Court, ended on 27 March. They were convicted of terrorism-related charges, including establishing a group called the Shabab al-Manara (Minaret Youth Group) in order to overthrow the UAE government and replace it with an “ISIL-style caliphate” and smuggling weapons, ammunition and explosives into the UAE with the aim of “endangering the security and safety and the lives of people, including the leadership of the country”. The court sentenced eleven men, including one who was a juvenile at the time of his arrest and two men in their absence, to life imprisonment. The rest of the group received varying lengths of sentence: two men were sentenced to 15 years in jail; thirteen men to 10 years; two men, who were under the age of 18 at the time of their arrest, were jailed for five years; and seven men were sentenced to three years. The court also acquitted seven men. The four foreign nationals will also be deported after they serve their sentences. Those convicted have no right to appeal their sentences.
Click here for more information about this URGENT ACTION.
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Amnesty International Australia - March Newsletter

  •  The government in Burkina Faso have launched an action plan to put an end to forced early marriage for good. 
  •  More than 28,000 people in Australia took action demanding a lasting and peaceful solution to the crisis in Syria. 
  •  Last year we launched our Community is Everything campaign to help close the gap on justice between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people.
  •  Next Tuesday an appeals court in Singapore will decide Kho Jabing's fate.
  • And, much, much more!
Click here for newsletter.
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Friday, April 1, 2016

AI Madison Group #139 Weekly Update - April 1, 2016

Greetings Everyone!
     Everyone must be celebrating S-P-R-I-N-G as we have received fewer posts this week than usual.  Please consider writing letters to these thirteen countries. This link includes each case and their contact information. Besides our Amnesty International Urgent Actions, we have some AI organizational news, and some very exciting local events. Enjoy Spring Break :-)

     Thanks, again, for submitting posts and taking action!
    
     -Debbie, Weekly Update Editor

Click here for links to this week's Amnesty International and Human Rights Information and Actions.
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