Amnesty International Group 22 Pasadena/Caltech News Volume XIV Number 3, March 2006 UPCOMING EVENTS Thursday, March 23, 7:30 PM. Monthly Meeting Caltech Y is located off San Pasqual between Hill and Holliston, south side. You will see two curving walls forming a gate to a path-- our building is just beyond. Help us plan future actions on Sudan, the War on Terror, death penalty and more. Saturday, March 25, 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.. Amnesty Mini-Conference. Calstate Fullerton. Continental breakfast at 9am and the admission is FREE! No Registration Required. Below is the program for the day (subject to change) and directions to the conference. If you need flyers or a map please contact the regional office at 310/815-0450. Program for the Day (Subject to Change): Opening Plenary - Speakers Include: * Dan Noel - Death Penalty: case of Kenneth Clair * Screening of the Film "Nobility" - Turk Pipkin's New Movie out of Austin Texas. "It is inspiring, thoughtful and intelligent look at the world's most pressing problems through the eyes of Nine Nobel Laureates including Archbishop Desmond Tutu (Nobel Peace Prize, 1984), and Jody Williams from the International Campaign to Ban Land Mines (Nobel Peace Prize, 1997)." 10:30pm-11:50pm Workshops, Set 1: * Death Penalty * Lobbing 101/Denounce Torture Teach In * Introduction to Amnesty International 12:00pm-12:40pm Caucuses (Discussion Sessions) * Death Penalty - TBD * Local/Student Amnesty Groups - TBD 12:40pm-2:00pm Lunch (Not Provided) 2:00pm-3:20pm Workshops, Set 2: * Death Penalty: The Case of Kenneth Clair * Outfront LGBT Campaign * Making Special Events Special 3:30pm-4:50pm Workshops, Set 3 * Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ESCR) * International Laws and Covenants * Border Issues 5:00pm-5:30pm Closing Plenary - Speaker: * Enrique Morones - Founder of "Border Angels" - a migrant rights group. 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. Follow the signs to University Hall. The registration desk will be outside University Hall Room 252 at the south end of the building on the 2nd floor. There are stairs outside and an elevator inside the building leading to the registration area. Friday-Sunday, April 7-9. Faces of Wrongful Conviction Conference. UCLA Law School. For more info www.stopwrongfulconvictions.com Tuesday, April 11, 7:30 PM. Letter-writing Meeting at the Athenaeum. Corner of California & Hill. Look for our table downstairs in the cafeteria area. This informal gathering is a great way for newcomers to get acquainted with Amnesty! Sunday, April 23, 6:30 PM. Rights Readers Human Rights Book Discussion Group. Vroman's Book Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena. This month we read W.G. Sebald's Austerlitz (More below.) Friday-Sunday, April 28-30. Amnesty International USA Annual General Meeting, Portland, OR. For more information visit www.amnestyusa.org/events/agm. COORDINATOR'S CORNER Hi everyone! Long time no see! I missed a few letter writing meetings, the environmental education fair at the Arboretum - all due to a sinus infection! I have finally finished my antibiotics, but am still exhausted - took off 2 days from work last week - now back and running around like a crazy person! Last weekend, several Group 22 members and friends braved the elements and volunteered at our table at the annual Environmental Fair for teachers, families and kids at the Arboretum. Although it rained on and off, the table was inside, so they stayed warm and dry (well, dry anyway - ). The event was a success, as 60 people signed a petition on the Bhopal disaster, and 110 children "signed" with their handprints Martha's kids petition to support the villagers of Bhopal, India in their demand for clean drinking water. (the wells are still contaminated with chemicals from the Union Carbide factory explosion in 1984). Go to Martha's blog- http://rightsreaders.blogspot.com - and check out the link to the marchers who are walking from Bhopal to Delhi to publicize the issues that still have not been resolved. On March 14, the marchers were met by AI India in Agra! This link also has actions you can take to support the marchers. Thanks to Paula, Stevi, Yuny, Stan, Azadeh, Medhi and Marie for staffing the table and Martha for creating the kid's petitions. And thanks to Joyce for coordinating everything, inclement weather warnings and all! The AGM will be in Portland, Oregon from April 28-30. "Make some noise-human rights at high volume" is the title. Go to http://www.amnestyusa.org/events/agm to register. Its not too late! Our own 5th annual local mini-conference will be held Saturday March 25, at Cal State University Fullerton from 9-5:30. It is free and no registration is needed. See Upcoming Events for more info. There will be workshops on death penalty, denounce torture teach in, economic, cultural and social rights plus a film looking at the world's problems through the eyes of nine Nobel laureates including Archbishop Tutu. Hope to see you at future events! Kathy aigp22@caltech.edu SUDAN Write to Congress to Support Peacekeeping Sample Letter follows: The Honorable Adam Schiff United States House of Representatives 326 Cannon House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 Dear Representative Schiff: I am grateful for past congressional action to end the devastating crisis in Darfur, Sudan. I encourage you to ensure the success of the current African Union Mission in the Sudan (AMIS) and to expand and support international peacekeeping missions in Darfur. Amnesty International has reported numerous human rights violations in Darfur specifically targeted against women and girls. These violations include abductions, rape and forced displacement. Women who survive sexual violence can also suffer from mental and physical illness, social stigmatization, and serious economic hardship. AMIS has struggled to offer security for women, their families, and their communities in Darfur. Despite the limitations under which they operate, AMIS has provided the only significant line of defense against Darfur civilians and armed violence. To prevent further violence and human rights violations, AMIS must be funded and supported until the arrival of the proposed UN peacekeeping mission in Darfur. It is urgent that you act to fully approve the President's supplemental request to support humanitarian and peacekeeping programs in the Sudan. Sincerely, YOUR NAME and ADDRESS RIGHTS READERS Human Rights Book Discussion Group Vroman's Bookstore 695 E. Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena Sunday, April 23, 6:30 PM Keep up with Rights Readers at http://rightsreaders.blogspot.com Austerlitz by W.G. Sebald Austerlitz, the internationally acclaimed masterpiece by "one of the most gripping writers imaginable" (The New York Review of Books), is the story of a man's search for the answer to his life's central riddle. A small child when he comes to England on a Kindertransport in the summer of 1939, one Jacques Austerlitz is told nothing of his real family by the Welsh Methodist minister and his wife who raise him. When he is a much older man, fleeting memories return to him, and obeying an instinct he only dimly understands, he follows their trail back to the world he left behind a half century before. There, faced with the void at the heart of twentieth-century Europe, he struggles to rescue his heritage from oblivion. LETTER COUNT Death Penalty 17 Urgent Actions 30 Total: 47 To add your letters to the total contact lwkamp@sbcglobal.net STOP VIOLENCE AgAINST WOMEN New Report on Shackling of Pregnant Prisoners Amnesty International released a new report (see: http://www.amnestyusa.org/women/custody/) on abuse of women in custody in the US, focusing on the practice of shackling or otherwise restraining pregnant inmates including during labor and delivery. Due to a new state law, California prisoners won't be subject to this abuse any longer, but we can still push for the federal government to adopt a restraint-free policy. Here's a sample letter: Director, Federal Bureau of Prisons Harley Lappin 320 First St., NW Washington, DC 20534 Dear Director Lappin: I am concerned to learn that the U.S. has no law governing the use of restraints on pregnant inmates. Federal regulations state only that the inmate is to be restrained in other than face-down four-point restraints. On March 1, AIUSA released a report updating its 2001 survey of all 50 states, D.C. and the Federal Bureau of Prisons on laws, policies and practices concerning sexual misconduct and shackling of pregnant women. Amnesty International has stated in two prior reports (1999 and 2001) that use of shackles and other restraints on pregnant prisoners is a cruel, inhuman and degrading form of treatment in violation of both the UN Convention against Torture and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, both of which the USA has ratified. The UN Standard for the Treatment of all Prisoners, Rule 33 states that shackles should not be used on inmates unless they are a danger to themselves, others or property or have a history of absconding. Women prisoners have a very low rate of violence, and very rarely attempt to escape. It is hard to imagine a pregnant woman or a woman in labor and delivery trying to escape. The Federal Bureau of Prisons policy is wholly inadequate in that it permits the use of restraints on pregnant prisoners in the third trimester, during transportation and during labor. Amnesty International believes these practices are dangerous to the inmate, and deny her rights to privacy and dignity. I strongly urge you to ensure that the Federal Bureau of Prisons supports a Federal bill to ban shackling of pregnant inmates, and adopts policies on the use of restraints and trains all corrections personnel in accordance with the following: - Restraints should be used only when they are required as a precaution against escape or to prevent an inmate from injuring herself or other people or damaging property. In every case, due regard must be given to an inmate's individual history. - Policies should prohibit the use of restraints on pregnant women from the third trimester on when they are being transported and when they are in hospital awaiting birth, during labor and delivery and after they have just given birth. Please make every effort to make this change to bring safety and dignity to pregnant inmates in Federal prisons including supporting any legislation which may be introduced prohibiting the use of restraints on pregnant prisoners. Sincerely, Your NAME and ADDRESS BRAZIL Crime and Police Abuse in the Favelas Violence and crime are widespread throughout Brazil, particularly in urban centres. In Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, violence is overwhelmingly concentrated in the socially-excluded communities (favelas) - the poorest parts of these cities. Effectively abandoned by the State, innocent women, men and children are trapped between the presence of powerful criminal gangs and corrupt and confrontational police. Brazil's police forces use repressive methods that have proved ineffective. In fact, they are contributing to the violence and crime they are meant to prevent. Apart from violating the human rights of many individuals living in favelas, violent incursions and excessive use of force have contributed to a process of marginalization and discrimination - criminalizing whole communities, and alienating large parts of the population. Successive Brazilian governments have failed to address the uncontrolled use of lethal force by the police. Aggressive police operations, poor police training and resources, and systematic impunity for police crimes have cemented a cycle of violence which is devastating poor communities and Brazilian society. Take action! Write to the State Public Security Secretary of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo urging them to adopt measures to prevent and reduce police killings and implement human rights-based policing to ensure the effective protection of all Brazilians. Sr. Marcelo Zaturansky Nogueira Itagiba Exmo. Secretário de Segurança do Estado do Rio de Janeiro Secretaria de Segurança Pública Praça Cristiano Otoni, s/nº - 4º andar - Centro 20221-250 - Rio de Janeiro - RJ Brasil Salutation: Exmo. Sr. Secretário Dr. Saulo de Castro Abreu Filho Secretário de Segurança Pública do Estado de São Paulo Rua Líbero Badaró, 39, 12º Andar São Paulo CEP 01009-000 SP - Brasil Salutation: Exmo. Sr. Secretário Your Excellency, I am writing to express my concern at high levels of violence and human rights violations committed by members of your security forces, as well as the corruption of the police in the favelas of your city [Rio de Janeiro/ São Paulo]. Current security policies have failed the poorer communities where most of the crime and violence is now concentrated. I welcome the present government's commitment to human rights-based policing when it signed up to the federal government's Single Public Security System, Sistema Único de Segurança Pública (SUSP), but the proposed SUSP reforms have not been effectively implemented so far. The violent and repressive methods used by the security forces in Rio de Janeiro/São Paulo continue to violate the human rights of large parts of the population of your city. I am urging you to adopt: --Public security reforms to create human rights-based policing agencies that are representative, responsive and accountable to all the community --A concerted plan to reduce the number of killings by the police, including preventative and punitive measures Thank you for your attention in this important matter. Sincerely, Your NAME and ADDRESS ISRAEL/OCCUPIED TERRITORIES Protect Human Rights Field Worker Here's a sample letter for a human rights defender detained in Israel: Tzipi Livni Minister of Justice and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ministry of Justice 29 Salah al-Din Street Jerusalem 91010 ISRAEL email: sar@justice.gov.il Dear Minister: I wish to bring to your attention the case of Hassan Mustafa Hassan Zaka, a 30-year-old human rights field worker from Nablus who has been held in administrative detention, without charge or trial, since January 17, 2006. Hassan Mustafa Hassan Zaka is a field worker at the Israeli human rights organization PCATI (Public Committee Against Torture in Israel), where he has investigated complaints of human rights abuses against Palestinians. He also worked with the Palestinian organization Ansar al-Sajeen, which provides legal aid to Palestinian detainees and prisoners. In addition, he served as a research assistant for an MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) doctoral candidate in a project aimed at examining the families and communities of suicide bombers. Israeli Defense Force personnel arrested Hassan Zaka on January 11, 2006 at a military checkpoint between Nablus and Tulkaram in the West Bank. He informed his lawyer that he was beaten when he was arrested. On January 17, 2006, the Israeli Army Regional Commander issued a six-month order of administrative detention against him on grounds of "endangering the security of the region," which is the customary reason given in administrative detention cases. His detention order was subsequently shortened to 4 months. I am concerned that Hassan Zaka's arrest and detention might be intended to have a chilling effect on the work of human rights defenders in Israel and the Occupied Territories. I urge you to grant his immediate and unconditional release unless he is charged with a recognizable criminal offense and promptly brought to justice in a fair trial. Sincerely, Your NAME and ADDRESS copy to: Ambassador Daniel Ayalon Embassy of Israel 3514 International Drive N.W. Washington, D.C. 20008 email: ask@israelemb.org CORPORATE ACTION NETWORK Clean Drinking Water for Bhopal Survivors! Join in solidarity with the children at the L.A. Environmental Education Fair and send letters to the Indian Embassy regarding clean water for Bhopal! The Indian Embassy 2107 Massachusetts Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20008 Dear Sir or Madam: I am extremely concerned about the lack of sufficient and regular supply of clean drinking water to the communities surrounding the Union Carbide pesticide plant in Bhopal, India, and wish to support the Bhopal survivors' MARCH to New Delhi in demand of clean drinking water. Despite an order from the Indian Supreme Court instructing the Madhya Pradesh government to supply fresh drinking water through tankers to people whose potable water supplies were contaminated by pollutants from the plant, the state government has not fully implemented the Supreme Court's order. I am concerned that without a regular supply of piped drinking water, the people of Bhopal will have no option but to continue drinking contaminated water. As this amounts to a violation of the rights to water and to health of the people of Bhopal, we urge you to: 1) Ensure the Government of Madhya Pradesh gives full and immediate effect to the Supreme Court's order, 2) Ensure all affected communities around the Bhopal pesticide plant are provided with regular and sufficient piped drinking water. Thank you for your assistance in this urgent matter. Sincerely, Your NAME and ADDRESS ChILDREN's Edition Action Help Protect Ugandan 'Night Commuters' Here's another Children's Edition Urgent Action focusing on potential child soldiers: Each night, thousands of children in northern Uganda walk from their home villages to sleep in cities or in large camps for internally displaced persons. The children fear being kidnapped by a guerrilla group called the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA). Soldiers in the LRA mistreat the children and force them to work and fight. The children are treated like slaves. Most of the "night-commuter" children, as they are known, travel without the protection of adult family members; the human rights of these Ugandan children are violated on a daily basis. Amnesty International believes that the Ugandan Government should protect children from abduction and mistreatment by the Lord's Resistance Army. Uganda ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child in November 1990 and in 2002 promised to protect the rights of children involved in armed conflict. Uganda also promised not to recruit children under 18 years of age into the Ugandan Army, but in fact has many child soldiers in its national armed services. WHAT YOU CAN DO: Please write a short, courteous letter before March 31, 2006, to the Ugandan Ambassador to the United States. Let her know that you are worried about the thousands of children who are at risk of kidnap and enslavement in Uganda every night. Explain that the Ugandan Government has an obligation to protect Ugandan children. Thank the Ambassador for reading your letter and ask her to let you know in detail what she plans to do to protect Ugandan children from the Lord's Resistance Army, and from forcible recruitment as child soldiers into the Ugandan Army. Address your letter to: Ambassador Edith Grace Ssempala Embassy of the Republic of Uganda 5911 -16th St. NW Washington DC 20011 IRAN Release Prisoner of Conscience! A sample letter for a prisoner of conscience in Iran: Head of the Judiciary Ayatollah Hashemi Shahroudi Ministry of Justice Park-e Shahr Tehran Dear Head of the Judiciary Hashemi Shahroudi: I am writing to you to express my deep concern about the detention of Mansour Ossanlu, the Head of the Union of Workers of the Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company. He may be detained solely for his peaceful trade union activities. He is reportedly suffering from a serious eye condition which I am concerned could worsen unless he receives appropriate medical treatment. I am also concerned about the detention of hundreds of other Tehran bus workers who were arrested between January 27th-30th to prevent a threatened strike. Mansour Ossanlu was among twelve officials from the Union of Workers of the Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company who were arrested by police at their homes on December 22nd 2005. They were apparently arrested in connection with their peaceful trade union activities. Other union members were arrested on December 25th after they held a bus strike to demand the release of their trade union colleagues. By December 28th all those arrested had been released except for Mansour Ossanlu, who is being held in Section 209 of Evin Prison. Mansour Ossanlu has not been granted access to a lawyer and is reportedly facing charges of contact with Iranian opposition groups abroad and instigating armed revolt. The Executive Committee of the Union of Workers of the Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company planned a strike for January 28th in support of union demands, including the release of Mansour Ossanlu. Mass arrests of hundreds of union members took place on January 27th-30th. Security forces also raided union leader Yaghub Salimi's house after he was interviewed by a Berlin-based radio station. He was not home at the time, but his wife and children were beaten and detained. On the day of the strike, January 28th, workers were beaten with batons, punched and kicked and security forces used tear gas. I respectfully urge you to insure that Mansour Ossanlu and other union activists are not subjected to torture or ill-treatment while in detention, and that they are granted access to a lawyer and to any necessary medical care. It also appears that Mansour Ossanlu and the other activists have been detained solely for their peaceful trade union activities. The right to form and join trade unions is guaranteed by Article 22 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, of which Iran is a state party. I therefore urge that, if they are not to be charged with a recognizable criminal offense, that they be immediately and unconditionally released. Thank you very much for your attention. Sincerely, Your NAME and ADDRESS