Amnesty International, Eastern PA

Thursday, July 10, 2008
7:00 pm
Cobblestones Restaurant, 205 S. George St., York PA

From the York Daily Record/Sunday News

The York chapter of Amnesty International will host a Burmese scholar, who will talk Thursday about human rights in his native country of Burma, officially named the Union of Myanmar.

Tun Lin Moe, who specializes in disaster preparedness and development, will speak at the group’s 7 p.m. meeting at Cobblestone’s Restaurant and Sports Emporium, in the loft. The event is free.

The restaurant is at 205 S. George St. For information, e-mail AmnestyYorkPA@comcast.net or visit
www.hractivists.org

Next, here is an update from Kathleen Lucas, central Pennsylvania area coordinator and York, PA Amnesty group member. It concerns Sameh Khouzam, whose case many of us have come to know and follow. Sameh sought asylum from religious persecution and torture in Egypt, but instead was imprisoned and faced deportation. He is at grave risk of torture if returned to Egypt.

The hearing yesterday in the Third Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia went better than expected yesterday. We faced a tough panel of judges. Attorneys for the good guys were articulate, precise, well prepared to address intricate details of the law and reminded the court of the torture Sameh Khouzam has already endured, which, by the way, has not been disputed.

There is an article in this morning’s York Daily Record about the hearing. Overall it is positive although, as always, some of the details are incorrect. Specifically, Egypt has NOT been trying to extradite Sameh for ten years. In fact, Egypt has not expressed any interest in Sameh beyond their initial contacts when he first arrived in the US over ten years ago. OUR government reached out to ASK Egypt for diplomatic assurances. As you may remember, Sameh was the subject of an Urgent Action issued by Amnesty International in London [link is to a PDF document].

When I spoke with the reporter, he mentioned that he had been surprised to see so many responses from his earlier article that came from as far away as Canada. He said he hadn’t realized the international significance of the case. Let’s keep reminding him about that and about how wrong it is for the executive branch to try and circumvent the consistent findings of several US courts that Sameh would face torture if he was sent to Egypt.

There is also an article in today’s Philadelphia Inquirer here as well as one yesterday. Again, please take a few minutes to post supportive comments.

The story also hit the wires through the Associated Press. That article appeared in many local newspapers. Please check to see if it made it into your local paper and again, please make supportive comments.

Thanks for your ongoing support.

Kathleen Lucas

Thanks to Kathleen Lucas and Jen Horwitz for this alert:

The Lancaster Intelligencer Journal’s “People Poll” asks, “Do you favor the death penalty?” Please call 1-866-346-7655, and press 2# for “no”. It literally takes 20 seconds. Voting ends Friday at 5pm, and the results will be published on Saturday.

This is a key area of the state for us. There is a significant Latino population, a diverse faith community, including strong Mennonite and Catholic communities, and a strong peace-and-justice crowd there. And there are key legislators in this county. Call now!

From the MARO Weekly Update

Needed: A volunteer to coordinate the group activities and meetings of AI Group 438

This job requires a dedication to and an understanding of the human rights mission of Amnesty International. The group members are from all walks of life – twenties, middle aged, and retirees. The group focus areas include: refugees, outreach to the Latino senior center, and relevant current Amnesty actions. The group works from an annual strategic plan and meetings have a formal agenda and follow-up notes. The current coordinator will help with the transition. The current group has been intact for many years.

For more information, please contact Jen Horwitz, jhorwitz@aiusa.org, 202.544.0200 x344