Action of the Month – 86 Days to Shut Down Guantanamo Kickoff
Posted October 9th, 2007 by April | Amnesty News
October 17th is the launch of AIUSA’s 86 Days to Shut Down Guantanamo. Last week we sent you info on how your group can download the action guide and plan a kickoff event in your area. This week we’d like to encourage any group hosting an event to post the event details the the regional events page on the amnestyusa.org website. There are lots of groups out there looking to attend other groups’ events so please spread the word and encourage your fellow activists connect with an event in their area! Post an event to the regional events page here.
Niece of Rev. Joseph Dantica to speak in Philadelphia*
Posted September 25th, 2007 by April | Other Human Rights News
Amnesty International has been working on the case of Rev. Joseph Dantica. Rev. Dantica, a Haitian minister, sought asylum in the U.S. after receiving death threats. But instead, Rev. Dantica was put into detention and the 81-year-old was denied his medications. He died in detention.
Rev. Dantica’s niece, award-winning writer Edwidge Danticat, has just published a book on the subject. Her book, Brother, I’m Dying, centers around the stories of her own father, André and his brother, Joseph.
Edwidge Danticat speaks tonight at 8:00 pm at The Free Library of Philadelphia, 1901 Vine Street, Philadelphia, along with authors Edward P. Jones and Zakes Mda.
To send a letter requesting an investigation into Rev. Dantica’s case, please go here: Call for Disciplinary Action Surrounding Minister’s Death in Custody
86 Days to 86 Guantánamo
Posted September 20th, 2007 by April | Take Action
A message from AIUSA’s Denounce Torture campaign:
“The more I scream they will laugh and do it again…my screams all in vain.”
– Guantánamo detainee Omar Deghayes
I wanted to let you be the first to know about Amnesty International’s fall 86 day “86 it” campaign.
86 days separate two infamous dates: October 17th marks the first year anniversary of the Military Commissions Act and January 11th marks the anniversary of the first detainee held at Guantánamo Bay. Both dates represent all that is wrong with this administration’s policies: torture, indefinite detention, guilty until proven innocent. It’s time to “86″ the administration’s failed policies and restore our nation’s reputation as a leader on human rights.
We are calling on activists across the country to stand in solidarity against torture: to call for the closure of the detention facilities at Guantánamo Bay, the repair of the MCA so that it reflects international legal norms, and the end of torture in the name of “security.”
Find out how you can join the 86 Days campaign. Your efforts, along with thousands of other activists across the country, will help spread Amnesty’s anti-torture message in a big way. This 10/17 action guide has all the materials you’ll need to get started: and, it is only just the beginning! In the months to follow, you’ll receive new information on actions and mobilizations that will help you to continue to mobilize around this critical issue. Upcoming actions will include:
NOVEMBER: House Party Action Kit-Ghost of Abu Ghraib (coming your way in October)
DECEMBER: Letter Writing to detainee’s families (November)
JANUARY: Mobilization in protest of Guantánamo Bay’s detention facilities (December)
Visit our 86 Days of Action campaign site and sign up for actions these coming months. With your support we will continue to shape the America you believe in as a nation that does not condone, legislate, or execute torture.
Visit our 86 Days of Action campaign site and sign up for actions these coming months. With your support we will continue to shape the America you believe in as a nation that does not condone, legislate, or execute torture.
And if you haven’t already seen it, check out www.tearitdown.org, Amnesty International’s new exciting campaign where you can virtually tear down Guantánamo Bay!