Love Lessons from Abu Ghraib*
Posted June 19th, 2008 by April | Other Human Rights News
June 21, 2008
7:00 pm
Virginia Evans Theater at the Please Touch Museum, 210 N 21st St., Philadelphia PA
*Not an Amnesty International event
Call 215-991-7642 to order
The improbable bravery and beauty of victims of torture in Abu Ghraib Prison is told through the eyes of Jennifer Schelter, founder of Yoga Schelter. Inspired by interviews of Iraqi prisoners of war, these powerful tales uncover the best of friendship, justice, art, and even dating advice.
AIUSA Weekly Update for Pennsylvania, June 18
Posted June 19th, 2008 by Jen | Amnesty News
HIGHLIGHT
Your Letters Helped Free a Political Prisoner: Reverend Bienvenido Samba is Free!
Amnesty International welcomed the release of 14 prisoners of conscience in Equatorial Guinea. Reverend Bienvenido Samba from Equitorial Guinea, a pastor who was an outspoken critic of government treatment of minorities, was released.
Since 2002, Amnesty members have worked steadily on his behalf, publicizing his plight and sending thousands of letters calling for Reverend Samba’s release. Reverend Samba was the subject of ongoing campaigning by the local group in Allentown, PA and in December 2007, individuals sent messages of encouragement and support to Reverend Samba through AIUSA’s Holiday Card Action.
Reverend Samba’s case is a clear illustration of the power your letters and actions hold – the affects are far reaching and can change the lives of people in faraway corners of the world like Equatorial Guinea.
Read the full press release
Participate in our summer postcard action to show your solidarity with other individuals at risk
TAKE ACTION
Stop Executions of Children in Iran
84 known juvenile offenders currently await execution in Iran. The total number could be much higher. Iran is one of the only countries left in the world today that still executes children and child offenders in violation of its commitments to international treaties banning the practice.
Teenager Mohammad Hassanzadeh was hanged on Tuesday. However, Mohammad Feda’i whose execution was postponed, will live for another month. Feda’i has been on Iran’s death row since the age of 17 and after an unfair trial, with inadequate representation and allegations of a tortured confession, Feda’i's life will continue to hang in the balance.
Take action for Feda’i and other juvenile offenders
CAMPAIGN UPDATES
Supreme Court Supports Habeas Corpus for Gitmo Detainees
In a crushing blow to the Bush Administration, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled this week that Guantánamo detainees have a right to challenge their detention before a legitimate court. The court’s decision is a stark indictment of wrongdoing at Guantánamo.
Still, the decision will not close Guantánamo. It will not keep the administration from transferring detainees to countries known for torture. And it will not stop the Bush administration from finding ways to circumvent the law.
Ask Congress to uphold the Supreme Court’s decision
Expert Organizing Tip - Make the most of the summer heat by asking your local ice-cream shop to donate a percentage of their profits to your group on a day when the temperature tops 100 degrees. Then, to show your appreciation and cool off, go to the shop and buy yourself two scoops to celebrate.
OPPORTUNITIES
Guantanamo Cell on MySpace
The Guantanamo Cell replica that is touring the country now has its own page on MySpace! Become its friend and keep updated with its travels!
Summer Postcard Action: Write Prisoners of Conscience Letters of Support
For many people, summer is a time for vacations, picnics and recreation. But for prisoners of conscience or those who defend human rights in many countries, summer brings no relief from the potential danger and sense of isolation they may face. By simply sending a postcard, however, you can help support these women and men. On Amnesty’s website, there is information about some of these prisoners.
Help Shut Down Guantanamo Bay
We need your help to put the pressure on Washington to close the Guantánamo Bay Detention Facility and to bring individuals responsible for crimes to account and ensure that they are given a fair trial and punished accordingly.
By meeting with U.S. Representatives and Senators who are both very supportive of closing Guantánamo, and those who might have different views, we will raise the chorus of individuals working for closure of the facility, and we will ensure that the facility is closed in the proper manner and we will also quell those voices who would have the human rights abuses persist.
Participating in a Delegation visit will take a time commitment of only about 3 hours, and entails reading background materials, participating in both a practice meeting and the actual meeting with your elected official. Please note that the official meeting with your elected official’s office is likely to be held during normal business hours during the week of June 30 – July 3, 2008.
See What the RPG is Up To: Read the Regional Planning Group’s Call Notes
The Mid-Atlantic Regional Planning Group (RPG) is a volunteer body which acts as a voice for the membership (local and student group and action team members, network members, volunteer leaders, and individual members) and as an advisory board to the Regional Office. Each month the Mid-Atlantic Regional Planning Group (RPG) has a call to discuss important issues facing the region.
Read the minutes from the RPG’s June call
Contact the RPG about issues for next month’s call
Pretty Bird Woman House Supply Drive
Help get necessary supplies to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault
Amnesty International’s Midwest Regional Office is organizing a supply drive for Pretty Bird Woman House (PBWH) through the end of June in recognition of Sexual Assault Awareness Month and Women’s Health Month. PBWH is an emergency shelter that provides temporary housing, advocacy support, and educational programs for women on the Standing Rock reservation who have been victims of domestic violence or sexual assault.
PBWH was highlighted by AIUSA’s Maze of Injustice report last year. Native American and Alaska Native women are more than 2.5 times more likely to be raped or sexually assaulted than other women in the United States in general. They face considerable barriers to accessing justice A complex maze of tribal, state and federal jurisdictions allows perpetrators to rape with impunity and in some cases even encourages assaults. This is why these women are a top priority of Amnesty International’s Maze of Injustice campaign, and PBWH is a pillar to the program as one of the few facilities set up to help Native American.
AIUSA groups and members are being asked to hold supply drives for the items needed. Get more information about how to host a supply drive and what supplies are needed.
Items should be mailed DIRECTLY to PBWH by the end of June along with a card so PBWH will know who is sending them the much needed supplies.
Address:
Pretty Bird Woman House
211 First Ave W
McLaughlin, SD 57642
All donations are tax deductible.
LOCAL EVENTS
Love Lessons from Abu Ghraib
The improbably bravery and beauty of victims of torture in Abu Ghraib prison is told through the eyes of Jennifer Schelter, founder of Yoga Shelter. Inspired by interviews of Iraqi prisoners of war, these tales uncover the best of friendship, justice and art.
When: Saturday, June 21st at 7pm
Where: Virginia Evans Theater at the Please Touch Museum, located at 210 N 21st St. Philadelphia, PA.
For more info visit: www.yogaschelter.com or www.phillyfunguide.com.
Local Group 531 Bi-Monthly Meeting
Join the Allentown, PA group for their meeting on Tues, June 24th from 7-9pm. It is located at: St. Timothy Evangelical Lutheran Church, 140 S. Ott St. Allentown, PA 18104. For more info contact: dlaxarai@excite.com
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
Fall Internships With Amnesty International
Attention all those interested in a fall internship!
Did you know that the Amnesty International office in Washington, DC offers internships for summer, fall, and spring? Now is the time to start thinking about applying for the internship. The deadline to apply for the fall term is June 30th, 2008.
This is a highly competitive internship program, so we recommend you start preparing early.
For more resources and information for the Mid-Atlantic Region visit: www.amnestyusa.org/MARO
For questions or comments please contact us at aiusama@aiusa.org
The Nightmares of Interrogation (Villanova)*
Posted April 3rd, 2008 by April | Other Human Rights News
*This is not an Amnesty International event, but may be of interest to AI supporters.
The Nightmares of Interrogation
DATE: Wednesday, April 9
TIME: 4:30pm
LOCATION: Bartley 1001, 4:30 pm
Eric Fair will speak about his experiences while serving as an interrogator in Iraq at Abu Ghraib in early 2004. He will address the corrosive effects abusive interrogation has on those who wield it as a tool as well as the irrevocable damage it has done to our nation and its institutions. Ample time will be provided for questions from the audience.
ABOUT ERIC FAIR: In 2001, Mr. Fair was hired as a police officer in Bethlehem, PA. He left the department in 2003 in order to be a part of the war effort in Iraq. He was hired as an interrogator by CACI and worked in Baghdad, Abu Ghraib, and Fallujah. He resigned this position in the summer of 2004, was hired by the National Security Administration (NSA), and returned to Iraq in 2005 as an intelligence analyst. Mr. Fair left government service in early 2006 and published an op-ed in The Washington Post in early 2007 about his experiences with coercive interrogation. He is currently a student at Princeton Theological Seminary pursuing an MDIV and seeking ordination in the Presbyterian Church (USA).
Sponsored by the Ethics Program, College of Liberal Arts, Villanova University
Eric Fair’s Op-Ed: “An Interrogator’s Nightmare”
Ask Senators to Support the Security Contractor Accountability Act
Posted November 7th, 2007 by April | Allentown, Take Action
At their last meeting, the Allentown Amnesty International group discussed AI actions to support the Security Contractor Accountability Act (S.2147). This important bill would demand accountability for U.S. government and military contractors such as Blackwater.
“In this environment, serious allegations of contractor involvement in human rights violations–including the torture at Abu Ghraib and hundreds of shootings, sometimes lethal, of Iraqi civilians–have emerged, yet Bush administration officials have made virtually no effort to hold contractors accountable or compensate victims.”
Dan from the Allentown group notes that the bill “has been referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, of which our own Sen. Specter is Ranking Minority Member.”
Find out more about Amnesty’s position on the Security Contractor Accountability Act (S.2147). Then, take action!
You can also read the bill at the THOMAS website (Library of Congress).
AIUSA is supported in the effort to get this bill passed by Working Assests. You can also send a message using their website.
Philadelphia attorney fights for Abu Ghraib torture victims
Posted October 28th, 2007 by April | Amnesty News
The Inquirer’s website features a profile of Susan Burke, who has done some work pro bono on behalf of Abu Ghraib torture victims.
“PHILADELPHIA lawyer Susan Burke is an international heroine, though you’ve probably never heard of her.
She’s using her law degree – and her time, and her money – to seek justice in the courts for victims tortured at Abu Ghraib prison and slaughtered in the Blackwater shoot-out in Baghdad.
She left a partnership with a prominent Philadelphia law firm to pursue the pro bono work when it became a source of contention.”
– Read more: “Her quest? To fight for human rights,” philly.com, October 26 2007
Film: Ghosts of Abu Ghraib (Wilmington DE)*
Posted October 11th, 2007 by April | Other Human Rights News
October 25, 1:00 pm and 7:00 pm
Limestone Presbyterian Church
3201 Limestone Rd., Wilmington, DE
This is not an Amnesty International event, but may be of interest to AI members.
Acclaimed filmmaker Rory Kennedy investigates the psychological and political context surrounding the torture that occurred at Abu Ghraib through interviews with both Iraqi victims and the guards directly involved in the torture at the prison. Through these interviews, the film traces the events and the political and legal precedents that led to the scandal, beginning with the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on Sep. 11, 2001. “How could ordinary American soldiers come to engage in such monstrous acts?” Kennedy asks. “What policies were put into place that allowed this behavior to flourish while protections granted to prisoners under the Geneva Conventions were ignored?”
Presented by the Chester County Religious Campaign Against Torture.
Film: Ghosts of Abu Ghraib (Newark DE)*
Posted October 11th, 2007 by April | Other Human Rights News
October 21, 2007
7:30 pm
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Newark
420 Willa Road, Newark, DE
This is not an Amnesty International event, but may be of interest to AI members.
Acclaimed filmmaker Rory Kennedy investigates the psychological and political context surrounding the torture that occurred at Abu Ghraib through interviews with both Iraqi victims and the guards directly involved in the torture at the prison. Through these interviews, the film traces the events and the political and legal precedents that led to the scandal, beginning with the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on Sep. 11, 2001. “How could ordinary American soldiers come to engage in such monstrous acts?” Kennedy asks. “What policies were put into place that allowed this behavior to flourish while protections granted to prisoners under the Geneva Conventions were ignored?”
Presented by the Chester County Religious Campaign Against Torture.
Film: Ghosts of Abu Ghraib (UFWC)*
Posted October 11th, 2007 by April | Other Human Rights News
October 28, 2007
6:00 pm
Unitarian Fellowship of West Chester
501 South High Street, West Chester, PA
This is not an Amnesty International event, but may be of interest to AI members.
Acclaimed filmmaker Rory Kennedy investigates the psychological and political context surrounding the torture that occurred at Abu Ghraib through interviews with both Iraqi victims and the guards directly involved in the torture at the prison. Through these interviews, the film traces the events and the political and legal precedents that led to the scandal, beginning with the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on Sep. 11, 2001. “How could ordinary American soldiers come to engage in such monstrous acts?” Kennedy asks. “What policies were put into place that allowed this behavior to flourish while protections granted to prisoners under the Geneva Conventions were ignored?”
Presented by the Chester County Religious Campaign Against Torture.
Film: Ghosts of Abu Ghraib (Westtown School)*
Posted October 11th, 2007 by April | Other Human Rights News
October 25, 2007
7:00 pm
Westtown School, Science Center Theater
1045 Westtown Rd, West Chester, PA
This is not an Amnesty International event, but may be of interest to AI members.
Acclaimed filmmaker Rory Kennedy investigates the psychological and political context surrounding the torture that occurred at Abu Ghraib through interviews with both Iraqi victims and the guards directly involved in the torture at the prison. Through these interviews, the film traces the events and the political and legal precedents that led to the scandal, beginning with the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on Sep. 11, 2001. “How could ordinary American soldiers come to engage in such monstrous acts?” Kennedy asks. “What policies were put into place that allowed this behavior to flourish while protections granted to prisoners under the Geneva Conventions were ignored?”
Presented by the Chester County Religious Campaign Against Torture.
Film: Ghosts of Abu Ghraib (Grove UMC)*
Posted October 11th, 2007 by April | Other Human Rights News
October 23, 2007
7:00 pm
Grove United Methodist Church
490 Boot Road, West Chester, PA
This is not an Amnesty International event, but may be of interest to AI members.
Acclaimed filmmaker Rory Kennedy investigates the psychological and political context surrounding the torture that occurred at Abu Ghraib through interviews with both Iraqi victims and the guards directly involved in the torture at the prison. Through these interviews, the film traces the events and the political and legal precedents that led to the scandal, beginning with the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on Sep. 11, 2001. “How could ordinary American soldiers come to engage in such monstrous acts?” Kennedy asks. “What policies were put into place that allowed this behavior to flourish while protections granted to prisoners under the Geneva Conventions were ignored?”
Presented by the Chester County Religious Campaign Against Torture.