UPCOMING
EVENTS
Thursday,
February 27, 7:00 PM. Monthly
Meeting 414 S. Holliston, Caltech
Y Lounge. Help us plan future actions for Tibet, Iraq, the abolition of the death
penalty, and more. Note: we are
meeting a half hour early this month in order to allow time to view the video
`Too Flawed to Fix: The Illinois Death Penalty Experience.'
Saturday, March
1, 9:00 AM-5:30 PM. Southern
California Amnesty activists will once again gather for a day of speakers,
workshops and discussion at Calstate Fullerton. See article below for details.
Tuesday, March
11, 7:30 PM. Letter-writing
Meeting at the Athenaeum. Corner of California & Hill in the
basement recreation area. This informal
gathering is a great for newcomers to get acquainted with Amnesty!
Sunday, March
16, 6:30 PM. Rights Readers Human Rights Book Discussion Group. Vroman's
Book Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Boulevard, Pasadena. This month we discuss A World Made New: Eleanor Roosevelt
and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by Mary
Ann Glendon. Not only a great women's history month selection but a timely
reminder of the value of international cooperation! (See inside for more
information.)
COORDINATOR'S CORNER
This month at letter writing, Group 22 members
participated in the Valentines Day Week of Action on the Congo and Diamonds by
sending postcards to California Senators Boxer and Feinstein urging them to
support legislation eliminating conflict diamonds.
On Saturday, February 15th,
Group 22 members Joyce Wolf, Robert Adams, Ido Dooseman, Don Trask and myself
along with members of other Southern California AI groups took part in the
Hollywood anti-war protest. Members carried AI banners and signs with the AI logo
focusing on a peaceful solution to conflict and the potential human rights
abuses of a war with Iraq. This is
a change in AI policy, for more information and guidelines go to www.amnestyusa.org member's section, then
`Iraq' under countries. AI is also
encouraging members to take part in local vigils should war occur. For a list of vigils in the LA area, go
to www.icujp.org.
The mini-conference at Cal State
Fullerton will be March 1st.
Workshops will be held on Iraq, use of the Internet for human rights
work, diversity outreach, women's issues and Vietnam. (See below for details)
One of the workshops will be a discussion of The Tattooed Soldier by Hector
Tobar, a novel about Guatemala.
Group 22 read this book last year!
I thought it was very interesting, as the 2 main characters are
Guatemalans living in LA.
Christina Vargas, a Bunche fellow
who works out of the Regional Office in LA, is working on reaching out to
Latinos and students. She is
organizing a conference at UCLA Saturday May 10th titled
`Imagine-freedom from discrimination'.
AI and other NGOs will speak on immigration, the criminal justice
system, and death penalty and women's issues. There will also be a student summit at the conference. For
more information contact the regional office at 310-815-0450.
For our meeting this month we
will be viewing a video about the death penalty moratorium in Illinois. Please note the death penalty action in
this newsletter which concerns a Gulf War veteran scheduled for federal
execution in March. Also at this meeting we will be continuing our on-going
discussions regarding Iraq and Tibet and planning for our annual outreach
effort at the Los Angeles County Environmental Education Fair on March 8.
Kathy aigp22@caltech.edu
ANNUAL MINI-CONFERENCE
Network, Learn,
and Take Action in Fullerton
Join us for the Amnesty
Mini-Conference on March 1st from 9am-5:30pm on the California State University
Fullerton campus. There will be a continental breakfast at 9am and the
admission is FREE! The directions are at the end of this email. The schedule follows however it is
subject to change:
9:00 - 9:20am - Continental Breakfast
9:20 - 10:20am - Opening Plenary
Michelle Williams - Deputy
Director, Western Region
Nguyen Thanh Trang from the
Vietnam Human Rights Network
Shiela Dauer of AIUSA's Women's
Human Rights Network
10:30 - 11:50am - Workshops
Domestic Violence is a Human
Rights Violation: Russia and the World
Human Rights in Vietnam
Introduction to Amnesty
International
12:00 - 12:40pm - Caucuses (informal discussions)
Death Penalty, Student/Local
Groups, AC/SAC
12:40 - 2:00pm - Lunch
2:00 - 3:20pm - Workshops
Sex Trafficking - Overthere and
Here
Response to Crisis in Iraq
Diversification
Use of the Internet in Human
Rights Work
3:30 - 4:50pm - Workshops
Myths About the Death Penalty
Book Discussion - "The
Tatooed Soldier" by Hector Tobar
Group Health, Recruitment and
Retention
Where Did the Mandate Go?
5:00 - 5:30pm - Closing Plenary
(Tentative) Former POC from
Vietnam
Directions: Cal State Fullerton
is located west of the Orange (57) Freeway in Fullerton. The university
is bordered by Nutwood Avenue to the south, State College Boulevard to the
west, Yorba Linda Boulevard to the north, and the 57 Freeway to the east.
Coming from either the south or the north on the 57 Freeway, exit at Nutwood
Avenue. Go west on Nutwood. Turn right at the main campus entrance
at Commonwealth Avenue. Follow E. Campus Drive to Parking Lot F. The
registration desk will be outside University Hall Room 252 at the south end
of the building on the 2nd floor.
DEATH PENALTY
Take Action: Gulf War Veteran to be Executed
Here is an important
action that reminds us not only of the vagaries of the death penalty system but
of the unanticipated repercussions of war. (Please also visit the AIUSA website www.amnestyusa.org to
take action on the Lawrence Jacobs case, previously featured here. Prosecutors
are again pursuing the death penalty in this juvenile case.)
Former soldier Louis
Jones (m), black, aged 52, is scheduled to be executed by the US Government on
18 March 2003 in the US Penitentiary in Terre Haute, Indiana. He was sentenced
to death in October 1995 for the murder of a white woman, Tracie Joy McBride,
eight months earlier.
Tracie McBride, a
19-year-old US Army private, was abducted from the Goodfellow Air Force Base in
San Angelo, Texas, on 18 February 1995. Louis Jones confessed to the crime, and
took investigators to where Tracie McBride's body was located. She had been
bludgeoned to death and there was evidence of sexual assault.
Since the crime had
begun on a US military facility, it was prosecuted as a federal rather than a Texas
case. At the sentencing phase of the trial, the federal prosecutor presented
reasons for execution, while the defense presented evidence against a death
sentence. This mitigating evidence included Louis Jones's lack of criminal
record, his remorse, the severe physical and sexual abuse he had suffered as a
child, his achievements during his 22-year military career for which he was
decorated, and various mental problems, including possible post-traumatic
stress disorder as a result of his experiences in the US invasion of Grenada in
1983 and the 1990/91 Gulf War. Following his return from the Gulf War, Louis
Jones had displayed significant behavioral and personality changes. He retired from the army with an honorable
discharge in 1993, attempted a series of low-wage jobs, and underwent the
break-up of his marriage.
Louis Jones faced one
of two sentences: a death sentence or life imprisonment without the possibility
of parole. Due to the kidnapping
charge, under federal law he would never be released if the jury voted for
imprisonment. However, the judge wrongly instructed the jury that it could vote
for death, life without the possibility of release, or a lesser sentence. If they chose the latter, he, the judge,
would decide its length. The jury deliberated for a day and a half before
returning a verdict of death.
After the trial, two
women jurors alleged that there had been confusion and coercion in the jury
room. They stated that the judge's instruction had led some of the jurors to
believe that if they could not reach a unanimous verdict on either death or
life without parole then the judge would impose a lesser sentence. None of the
jurors wanted that. After a while, the jury stood at 10 to 2 in favor of death,
with the two women who later came forward holding out for a life sentence. One
of the two, the sole African American juror, was singled out by the majority
for particular pressure. She finally changed her vote, and the other woman
followed. The two women later came forward to say that, until the confusion
arose about the lesser sentence, as many as nine jurors had been willing to
vote for life imprisonment without parole. When Louis Jones's death sentence
was upheld by the US Supreme Court in 1999, four of the nine Justices
dissented. They said that the jury had been misinformed by the trial judge's
instruction, and that there was at least a reasonable likelihood that this had
tainted the jury's deliberations. Louis Jones's clemency petition, which is
seeking commutation of his death sentence to life imprisonment without parole,
raises the claim that he suffers from "Gulf War Syndrome". A leading
expert on this issue has submitted that Louis Jones sustained brain cell damage
in deep brain structures as a result of exposure to chemicals and toxins during
his military service in the Gulf War in 1990/91. This was not raised at the
trial because of the limited medical and scientific knowledge on this issue at
the time of his trial. The expert has concluded that Louis Jones's brain damage
could explain the marked changes in his behavior and personality on his return
from the Gulf War, and may help to offer an explanation about how Louis Jones
came to commit such a serious crime.
At his trial, Louis
Jones apologized in court to the family of Tracie Joy McBride: "If I live
from now until the end of eternity with the pain that I have, it would never
scratch the surface of the pain that you have... I took a life that wasn't
mine". Seven years later, Louis Jones has written to President Bush
accepting his responsibility for the murder of Tracie Joy McBride and
expressing his remorse: "I am truly sorry for the terrible pain and
suffering I have left with her family and friends, of which they continue to
suffer... [O]n countless occasions, I dream of and think of the future that I
deprived... Tracie Joy McBride of; I think of her being married to the Marine
she was engaged to. I think of the children she could have had. Her son could
have discovered a cure for a disease of our time. Her daughter could have been
a loving parent who bore children that had children who could have been
scientists or explorers to new worlds. Her children go on and on for
generations and they could have touched millions and millions of lives. I have
seen this dream many many times along with other dreams and thoughts of the
wonderful life that this human being, this soldier, this father's daughter
could have had, had it not been for the evil acts I committed which ended her
future".
In the USA, the
President has the power to grant clemency to federal death row prisoners. Timothy McVeigh and Juan Raul Garza
were killed in June 2001 - the first federal executions in the USA in 38 years
- after President George Bush refused to intervene.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible, in your own words:
*
expressing sympathy for the family and friends of Tracie Joy
McBride, and explaining that you are not seeking to excuse the manner of her
death or the suffering it will have caused;
*
noting evidence that the jurors who sentenced Louis Jones to death
came to their decision under an erroneous instruction which four Supreme Court
Justices believed tainted the jury's deliberations and should have been cause
for a new sentencing hearing;
*
noting evidence, not heard by the jury, that Louis Jones sustained
brain damage as a result of exposure to toxins and chemicals during the 1990/91
Gulf War, and that a leading expert on Gulf War Syndrome has suggested that
this could help to explain why this recently-retired soldier committed such a
serious crime;
*
noting Louis Jones's long-held remorse, his model record in
prison, and his lack of a prior criminal record, and that his clemency petition
is seeking commutation to life imprisonment without parole;
*
urging the President to take a compassionate approach and one that
respects human dignity, by commuting the death sentence of Louis Jones.
APPEALS TO:
President George W. Bush
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
E-mail: president@whitehouse.gov
COPIES TO:
Alberto Gonzales, Counsel to the President
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20500
RIGHTS READERS
Human Rights Book
Discussion Group
Vroman's Bookstore
695 E. Colorado Boulevard, Pasadena
Sunday,
March 16, 6:30 PM
A World Made New:
Eleanor
Roosevelt and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
by
Mary Ann Glendon
Unafraid to speak her mind and famously tenacious
in her convictions, Eleanor Roosevelt was still mourning the death of FDR when
she was asked by President Truman to lead a controversial commission, under the
auspices of the newly formed United Nations, to forge the world's first
international bill of rights.
A World Made New is the dramatic and inspiring
story of the remarkable group of men and women from around the world who
participated in this historic achievement and gave us the founding document of
the modern human rights movement. Spurred on by the horrors of the Second World
War and working against the clock in the brief window of hope between the
armistice and the Cold War, they grappled together to articulate a new vision
of the rights that every man and woman in every country around the world should
share, regardless of their culture or religion.
Finalist for the
Robert F. Kennedy Book Award
PRISONER OF CONSCIENCE
Ngawang Pekar,
Tibetan Monk
Happy Losar! Losar is
the Tibetan New Year, which falls on March 3 this year. It is 2130, the Year of the Water Sheep,
according to the Tibetan lunar
calendar. (Check out www.latibet.org for a local event celebrating Losar.) Whether we call it 2130 or 2003, let's
hope that this is the year that
will finally bring freedom for Ngawang Pekar, Group 22's adopted prisoner of conscience. Ngawang Pekar
is a Tibetan monk who was arrested
in 1989 by the Chinese authorities for participating in a peaceful demonstration for Tibetan
independence. He has been held in
Lhasa's notorious Drapchi Prison for nearly 14 years. Group 22 has been working on his case since 1996.
You may remember that
we urged you in past issues of this newsletter to take action to support the proposed Tibetan Policy Act,
which was introduced by Sen.
Feinstein in May 2001. It didn't make any news headlines, but this legislation was passed by Congress and
signed by President Bush on Sept.
30, 2002. It got incorporated into the
Foreign Relations Authorization Act, H.R.1646, which became Public Law 107-228. Title VI concerns Tibet.
You can find the full text by
searching at http://thomas.loc.gov. Here is one part that is especially relevant to our work:
"SEC. 617.
RELEASE OF PRISONERS AND ACCESS TO PRISONS. The President and the Secretary, in
meetings with representatives of
the Government of the People's Republic of China, should-- (1) request the immediate and
unconditional release of all those
held prisoner for expressing their political or religious views in Tibet; (2) seek access for international humanitarian
organizations to prisoners in
Tibet to ensure that prisoners are not being mistreated and are receiving necessary medical
care; and (3) seek the
immediate medical parole of Tibetan prisoners known to be in serious ill health."
The President and the
Secretary appear to be somewhat preoccupied with non-Tibetan affairs at the moment, so this month to
celebrate Losar let's send a
simple letter or card of support to Ngawang Pekar himself. It's doubtful whether he will actually receive our
letters, but whatever officials at
Drapchi Prison that intercept them will be made aware of international concern for Ngawang Pekar, and
who knows, perhaps Ngawang will
hear about them somehow and find encouragement in the knowledge that we are thinking of him. Here is some
sugggested text:
Dear Ngawang Pekar,
We are thinking of
you. We admire your courage and strength of spirit. We hope that your health is good, and we wish that
you may have peace and good
fortune in the coming year.
Please send to:
Ngawang Pekar
Rukhag 5
Xizang Zizhiqu Di Yi Jianyu
Lasashi 850003
Xizang Zizhiqu
People's Republic of China
Postage is 70 cents
for a postcard, 80 cents for a letter.
LETTER COUNT
Valentines Day `Conflict
Diamonds': 14
Urgent Action 13
Death Penalty 2
POC: Nwang Pekar 6
Total: 35
Want
to add your letters to the total?
Get in touch with lwkamp@cs.com
IRAQ and NEIGHBORING STATES
The population of Iraq are in
imminent danger of a human rights and humanitarian
catastrophe. Military action could trigger a disaster for the people of Iraq
and surrounding countries.
Before launching military action, the UN
Security Council must think through the effects on the civilian population of
serious damage to the country's infrastructure, disrupting food distribution
and driving massive numbers of people to flee for survival.
A military attack could provoke a disastrous
breakdown in social order, with the danger of attacks on civilians, the use of
people as `human shields' and the possible eruption of renewed abuses by Iraqi
authorities, armed opposition groups or violence between different ethnic,
religious and social groups. The Security Council must also assess the
devastating impact of potential attacks with chemical, biological and nuclear
weapons which would kill and injure indiscriminately.
The majority of the non-combatant population
are women and children who would be at greatest risk from attacks and who would
suffer the most from damage to the country's infrastructure and the possible
ensuing human rights violations.
The Security Council must accept
responsibility for the consequences of its decisions on Iraq, it must do
everything possible to protect civilians and ensure accountability for abuses
in the wake of its decision. It should examine and debate in-depth the likely
consequences of war on the human rights and humanitarian plight of Iraqi
civilians before taking any further action. This debate should be held at an
open session of the Security Council in which all UN member states can
participate.
This is the appeal of
Amnesty International's Secretary General, Irene Khan to the President of the
Security Council and to the Secretary General of the United Nations, launching
a worldwide petition in a bid to avoid a human rights disaster of unprecedented
gravity.
RECOMMENDED
ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
* expressing concern
for the safety of the civilians in Iraq and surrounding countries in the event
of military action;
* urging the UN
Security Council to hold a session open to all member states of the UN and
undertake a full assessment of the likely consequences of war, including:
* the potential
effects of military action on the human rights of the Iraqi population;
* the effects on the
humanitarian situation as Iraqis are already suffering under severe economic
sanctions and violations by their government;
* the risk that
military action would lead to massive numbers of people being forced into
flight;
* potential grave
violations of international humanitarian law, including direct attacks on
civilians, the use of human shields and the use of inherently indiscriminate
weapons;
* urging the Security
Council to immediately deploy human rights monitors throughout Iraq to report
on human rights abuses by any party.
Please write to
two or three of the following:
German Foreign Minister:
Bundesminister Joseph Fischer
Ausw.rtiges Amt, Werderscher Markt 1
11013 Berlin , Germany
Salutation: Dear Minister
UK Foreign Minister:
Rt Hon Jack Straw MP
Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office
King Charles Street, Whitehall
London SW1A 2AH, United Kingdom
Salutation: Dear Secretary of State
US Secretary of State:
Colin Powell
Office of the Secretary of State
2201 C Street, N.W.
Washington DC 20520
Salutation: Dear Secretary of State
Russian Federation Minister
for Foreign Affairs:
Igor Ivanov
Rossiiskaia Federatsia, 121200 g. Moskva
Smolenskaya-Sennaya pl., 32/34
Ministerstvo inostrannykh del Rossiiskoi Federatsii
Ministru IVANOVU I.
Salutation: Dear Minister
Foreign Affairs Minister of
the People's Republic of China:
TANG Jiaxuan Buzhang
Waijiaobu, 2 Chaoyangmen Nandajie
Beijingshi 100701, People's Republic of China
Telegram: Foreign Affairs Minister, Beijing, China
Salutation: Your Excellency
French Foreign Minister:
Monsieur Dominique de VILLEPIN
Ministre des affaires Etrangeres 37, Quai d'Orsay
75700 Paris 07SP, France
Salutation: Dear Minister
Copies to:
permanent representatives to un of the five permanent members of the security
council:
H.E. Mr. Wang Yingfan
Permanent Representative of the People's Republic of
China to the U.N.
350 East 35th Street
New York, N.Y. 10016
H.E. Mr. Jean-Marc de la Sabliere
Permanent Representative of France to the U.N.
One Dag Hammarskjold Plaza,
245 East 47th Street, 44th Floor
New York, N.Y. 10017
E-mail: france@un.int
H.E. Mr Sergey V. Lavrov,
Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the
U.N.
136 East 67th Street
New York, N.Y. 10021
H.E. Sir Jeremy Greenstock
Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom to the
U.N.
One Dag Hammarskjold Plaza
885 Second Avenue
New York, N.Y. 10017
E-mail: uk@un.int
H.E. Mr John D. Negroponte
Permanent Representative of the U.S.A. to the U.N.
799 UN Plaza
New York, NY 10017-3505
E-mail: usa@un.int
H.E. Dr Gunter Pleuger
President of the Security Council
Permanent Mission of Germany to the U.N.
871 UN Plaza
New York, NY 10017
E-mail: germany@un.int
Editor's Last Word:
Read us on line: http://www.cco.caltech.edu/~aigp22
Martha Ter Maat, 626-281-4039 / rightsreaders@yahoo.com
