Amnesty International Group 22 Pasadena/Caltech News Volume XV Number 7, July 2008 UPCOMING EVENTS Thursday, July 24, 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. Tuesday, August 12, 7:30 PM. Letter writing meeting at Caltech Athenaeum, corner of Hill and California in Pasadena. This informal gathering is a great way for newcomers to get acquainted with Amnesty! Sunday, August 17, 6:30 PM. Rights Readers Human Rights Book Discussion Group. Vroman's Book Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena. This month we read "The Redbreast" by Jo Nesbo. COORDINATOR'S CORNER Hi everyone, I'm writing this as I await the arrival of a repairman - let's see how much I can accomplish before he arrives! The 4th of July has passed and I hope everyone enjoyed their activities - whether watching fireworks, visiting with family and friends, and picnicking. It's a time to remind ourselves of the precious freedoms we have here in the US such as voting. People in other countries are still struggling to obtain these rights and Amnesty is a vital part of this effort. Everyone should give themselves a pat on the back for trying (even in some small way) to help. (See insert in newsletter re Chevron shareholders meeting!) Speaking of voting, I wanted to learn more about the man who will more than likely be our next President - Barack Obama. (I am not endorsing any particular candidate!) I just finished reading his book "Dreams from my Father" and enjoyed it very much. I recommend it to those who haven't read it already. I am one third of the way through his second book, The Audacity of Hope, which is also interesting. This summer we are preparing for the AIUSA Western Regional Conference which will be in Pasadena November 7-9, 2008 at the Hilton hotel. See this link for more info: http://www.amnestyusa.org/regional- conferences/west/page.do?id=1091479&n1=5& n2=48&n3=788. We don't know the conference theme yet; keep checking the website and this newsletter for more info as the time approaches! We will have a table and plan to sell various items to raise money for our group. Veronica and Paula have some great ideas for craft projects Ð candles, and jewelry, for example. There will be a workshop in late July to prepare the crafts - come to one of our meetings or send an email to us at aigp22@caltech.edu to obtain the time and location. Remember that our August book selection, "The Redbreast", by Jo Nesbo, is not available in paperback in the US. For this reason we have not asked Vromans to order it for us. It may be available at local libraries and is definitely available at amazon.com and other online booksellers at a discounted rate. It is a mystery novel and the author is highly rated - should be great fun! Con carino, Kathy aigp22@caltech.edu ZIMBABWE ACTION UA 198/08 Abduction/Torture ZIMBABWE 11 youths At least a dozen armed men, believed to be linked to the ruling Zimbabwe Africa National Union - Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) party, attacked a camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs) at 1am on 7 July, and abducted the 11 youths from the camp who were keeping watch. The youths are now at risk of being tortured or killed. The men who attacked the camp, at Ruwa Training Centre, some 25 km east of the capital, Harare, were in military fatigues and masked. Some of them went into a building and attacked the men who were sleeping in one room, accusing them of supporting the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). Others went into another room and attacked the women who were sleeping there. At least five women and three men were injured so badly that they needed to be kept in the center's clinic for treatment. The IDP camp houses around 400 people forced to flee their homes by the violence that has followed the general elections of 29 March, in which ZANU-PF lost control of parliament for the fist time since the country's independence in 1980. Sources in the camp have told Amnesty International that the 11 youths have not been seen since the attack. MDC supporters abducted by similar gangs have been tortured or killed. Following the attack, a senior police officer identified only as the "DISPOL" (District Police Commanding Officer) for Harare district came to investigate the incident at about 3.30am. According to an eyewitness, he spoke only to the injured people at the clinic, not the eyewitnesses. The people at the IDP camp had complained about the inadequate security at the camp. On 29 June men believed to be members of Zimbabwe's secret service, the Central Intelligence Organization (CIO), came to the area and demanded to speak to the IDPs' leaders. About three days later some people believed to be from the police Criminal Investigations Department (CID) came and made a video recording of the people in the camp. Outsiders can easily get into the camp without proper security checks, including suspected "war veterans" from surrounding areas known to have attacked real or perceived supporters of the MDC. On the day of the attack there was only one police officer on duty providing security for the camp. The IDP camp has now been surrounded by riot police, after a CID officer was disarmed by IDPs when he went into the camp and started searching in one of the rooms on 8 July. An eyewitness told Amnesty International that the officer had tried to fire a gun when he was confronted. BACKGROUND INFORMATION Since the 29 March elections, which gave the MDC control of parliament for the first time since Zimbabwe's independence from Britain in 1980, Amnesty International has documented unlawful killings, torture and other illtreatment, including beatings, as well as harassment and intimidation, mainly of MDC supporters and human rights defenders. The bulk of the human rights violations have been perpetrated by supporters of the ruling ZANU-PF party and some members of the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association (generally known as "war veterans"). The police and other state security organizations have been unwilling to act against the groups of perpetrators Ð allowing them to kill, torture, assault and burn homes and businesses of suspected MDC supporters with impunity. In fact, in some cases the authorities have instigated or even directed attacks by these groups. Eyewitnesses have told Amnesty International that police officers appear to be reluctant to arrest "war veterans" and ZANU-PF supporters who are perpetrating human rights abuses. However, police have been quick to investigate human rights abuses allegedly committed by MDC supporters, creating an impression of partisan policing. Police have further violated the rights of those in custody, denying them access to lawyers, food and medical care. The 400 IDPs at the camp had first sought refuge at the South African embassy in Harare, and were moved to Ruwa Training Centre on 27 June with support from Zimbabwe Red Cross Society and the UN. The government undertook to provide adequate security through the Department of Social Services. About 80% of the IDPs at Ruwa Training Centre had their homes burnt down during the political violence that started after the general elections on 29 March. Most of these attacks were led by "war veterans," some soldiers and other ZANU-PF supporters. The victims fled their homes in Mashonaland East, Mashonaland Central, Mashonaland West and Midlands Provinces. At least 90 people have been killed since 29 March elections, most of them MDC supporters. RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible: - expressing concern that armed men were able to attack a camp for internally displaced persons at the Ruwa Training Centre on 7 July, and abduct 11 youths; - expressing concern that MDC supporters are coming under violent attack by suspected state security agents, "war veterans" and other ZANU-PF supporters; - urging the authorities to provide adequate security for the internally displaced persons; - calling on the police to investigate the 7 July attack and bring those responsible to justice. APPEALS TO: The Director Department of Social Services Ministry of Public Service, Labor and Social Welfare Private Bag 7707 Causeway Harare ZIMBABWE Fax: 011 263 4 791974 Salutation: Dear Director The Officer Commanding Harare Province Zimbabwe Republic Police Harare Provincial Headquarters PO Box CY 154 Causeway Harare ZIMBABWE Fax: 011 263 4 754176 011 263 4 753 501 Salutation: Dear Officer Commanding COPIES TO: Ambassador Dr. Machivenyika T. Mapuranga Embassy of the Republic of Zimbabwe 1608 New Hampshire Ave. NW Washington DC 20009 Fax: 1 202 483 9326 Email: info@zimbabwe-embassy.us Via website: http://www.zimbabweembassy. us/contact.html PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY. Check with the AIUSA Urgent Action office if sending appeals after 19 August 2008 RIGHTS READERS Human Rights Book Discussion Group Keep up with Rights Readers at http://rightsreaders.blogspot.com Next Rights Readers meeting: Sunday, August 17, 6:30 PM Vroman's Bookstore 695 E. Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena "The Redbreast" By Jo Nesbo Publisher's Comments: From one of the most celebrated crime writers in Europe comes an epic new novel, brilliant in scope and design, a deep and fearless investigation of betrayal spanning two centuries and three continents. Police Detective Harry Hole has made a terrible mistake. An embarrassment in the line of duty has pulled him off his usual beat. Reassigned to mundane surveillance tasks, he reluctantly agrees to monitor neo-Nazi activities in Oslo. But as Hole is drawn into an underground world of illegal gun trafficking, brutal beatings, and sexual extortions, he soon learns that he must act fast to prevent an international conspiracy from unfolding. Trapped in the crosshairs of the man with all the answers, Harry Hole plunges headlong into a mystery with roots deep in the past. His investigation takes him back to Norway's darkest hour, when members of the young nation's government collaborated with leaders of Nazi Germany. Dredging up a painful history of denial, Hole turns his attention to the Norwegian troops who fought for Adolf Hitler on the Eastern front. Branded by their countrymen as traitors, the soldiers who survived the brutal Russian winter - the hunger, fear, cold, grenades, and snipers - returned home as scapegoats of a nation's atonement. Sixty years later, old grudges and betrayals appear to have been laid to rest, until Hole realizes that someone has begun to pick off the surviving soldiers one by one. With only his troubled, guilt-ridden conscience as a guide, Hole must move quickly through the traps and mirrors of a twisted criminal mind. But as his sanity slips in a slow burn of anger and alcohol, his mistakes continue to pile up. And if he fails to quicken the pace, Norway's darkest hour since World War II just might lie in the future. In a tightly woven plot that takes readers from the icy steppes of the Russian front to a seemingly peaceful springtime in modern-day Oslo, Norwegian crime writer Jo Nesbo delves into a sinister national history with uncommon bravery. Transforming shades of moral gray into an explosive palette of characters, Nesbo holds readers in suspense until the final pages. His deft orchestration of parallel narratives knows no match in the genre, and his thematic reach exceeds even the most ambitious thrillers on the market. With the U.S. publication of The Redbreast, American readers will learn what European readers have known for a decade - that Nesbo's writing is "quite simply brilliant" (Weekend-Avisen, Denmark). Author Biography Jo Nesbo is a musician, songwriter, economist, and one of Europe's most critically acclaimed and successful crime writers today. His first novel featuring Police Detective Harry Hole was an instant hit in Norway, winning the Glass Key Award for Best Nordic Crime Novel, the most prestigious crime-writing award in Northern Europe. In 2004, The Redbreast was voted the "Best Norwegian Crime Novel Ever Written" by members of Norwegian book clubs. Nesbo lives in Oslo. REPORT FROM NEW YORK CITY FROM WEN CHEN, GROUP 22 MEMBER AND CHINA ACTIVIST I am in NY now. I wrote down my first day experience and the background to share with you. BACKGROUND: Since May 17, 2008, Falun Gong practitioners in Flushing, New York have been the victims of a series of hate-based organized attacks by angry groups of pro-communist Chinese. These attacks have injured several practitioners, including one 70-year-old gentleman and a woman whose two sons are both serving in the U.S. military, stationed in Iraq. NYPD arrested at least 12 thugs who physically attacked practitioners. On certain occasions, practitioners have been surrounded by several hundred near-rioting Chinese who directed discriminatory hate speech towards Falun Gong and threatened to kill the practitioners because of their spiritual beliefs. This case has been reported by, among other news sources, the New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/26/nyregio n/26falun.html?_r=1&oref=slogin The Falun Dafa Information Center has obtained a copy of a recorded phone conversation with New York City's Chinese Consul General, Mr. Peng Keyu, in which he confirmed his role as the inciter of these hate crimes in New York. To put this in context; Consul General Peng has admitted to organizing physical assaults on American citizens and legal immigrants, in an American city, for the purpose of restricting their freedoms of speech and of belief. It is well-documented that for decades, the Chinese Communist Party(CCP) has worked to solidify and expand their political influence in other nations through local Chinese communities. At this point, a huge network of political and business alliances, student organizations, social clubs, and administrative divisions under the control of the regime has been established in the United States. This network can be effectively utilized by the Chinese regime to interfere with American society, persecute American citizens, and bypass American law. CCP have financially controlled many local Chinese media, which promote the propaganda of CCP and played an important role to shape people's view (including their view towards Falun Gong). CCP also financially sponsored many Chinese organizations to gain their support. The response of Falun Gong practitioners towards these attacks is to continue their peaceful demostration in New York, hoping that their peaceful attitude and the literature they provided will gradually change people's prejudice and hatred. Wen Chen's New York trip: I arrived Flushing on Sat. morning and joined the local activities. My volunteer work is to distribute the Chinese Epoch Times newspaper, which is a free newspaper ran by Falun Gong practitioners. The Chinese Epoch Times is a regular newspaper with daily news about China and the world, focusing on human rights, politics as well as traditional Chinese culture. It has intensively reported the Flushing incidents and the persecution towards Falun Gong in China. There are also volunteers collecting signatures to stop persecution in China, or hold banners with messages regarding Falun Gong and the human rights problems in China. In some weekends, we have parades, rallies, group exercises or performances to help educate local people about what is Falun Gong and that we are a peaceful group under persecution. Local Chinese people have become much better than before, after our continuous work in the past two months. Many people realized that Falun Gong is not as bad as they thought, at least that we are always very peaceful and polite. Physical attacks rarely happen now, especially after NYPD arrested 12 thugs in the past one month, and their photos were exposed on media. However, verbal abuses can still be heard everyday, and the pressure of prejudice from local Chinese are still huge. While I handed out the newspaper, it was much more difficult than in Los Angeles (probably 20 time harder since most of people do not accept the newspaper, but almost everyone of them carried a copy of another newspaper that is controlled by the Communisit Party and defame Falun Gong.) A couple of incidents I experienced during the first day: 1. In the early morning, a middle aged man passed by me and cursed me: "A young person like you also do this (shameless thing)!" I did not get chance to reply. I felt sad but did not get chance to respond to him. I also heard quite a few other people saying similar words in a low voice, although they did not look as offensive or disgusted. 2. At noon time, a woman passed by me and said:"You betrayed China! You are XXX (which means someone who sold the country to enemies)!" I smiled, although she did not see my smile. Wen Chen, Ph.D. UPDATE FROM CHEVRON SHAREHOLDER MEETING Last month, AI Gp 22 member Paula Tavrow had a conversation with Morgan Simon, Co- Founder and Executive Director of the Responsible Endowment Coalition (REC). REC is a diverse network of students, alumni and faculty from across the country dedicated to advancing socially and environmentally responsible investment in college and university endowments. As one of their strategies, REC encourages shareholders to introduce socially- conscious proxy items for shareholder ballots. Then it encourages universities to set up committees and make decisions about how to vote on proxy measures. (Universities often hold major shares in corporations, but rarely vote on proxy measures, which REC is trying to change.) Morgan occasionally attends shareholder meetings where proxy ballots are discussed. She told Paula that she had attended the most recent shareholder meeting at Chevron, in late May 2008. Chevron has been cited for failing to clean up a serious toxic spill in the Ecuadoran Amazon. They also appear to have assisted the Nigerian government to attack environmental protesters in Nigeria. For several years, our AI group has collected signatures on letters and petitions to urge Chevron to take responsibility for the environmental damage in Ecuador. According to Morgan, the meeting at Chevron, which lasted for about 70 minutes, focused exclusively on Chevron's environmental damage and its irresponsible behavior. Eyewitnesses from Ecuador and Nigeria were flown to the meeting to discuss what they had experienced. Shareholders pointedly asked Chevron executives what they planned to do. While the executives refused to give comments, they did have to listen to the ire and concern of the eyewitnesses and shareholders. According to Morgan, an AI representative was also there, with petitions and letters from AI members. Morgan felt that it was a successful meeting because the executives were a captive audience. They were reminded that, if they did not do anything, this issue would hound them year after year. It was nice to hear that our AI group contributed in a small way to this productive meeting! Paula Tavrow, Ph.D DEATH PENALTY ACTION/UPDATE Subject: More Action Needed - 30-day Stay of Execution Granted for Kevin Black in Oklahoma (second update to UA 187/08) Note: Please write on behalf of these persons even though you may not have received the original UA when issued on June 27, 2008. Thanks! 16 July 2008 Further information on UA 187/08 (27 June 2008) and update (10 July 2008) Death penalty USA (Oklahoma) Kevin Young (m), black, aged 42 On 15 July, Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry granted a 30-day stay of execution to Kevin Young in order to review the clemency recommendation made by the state Pardon and Parole Board on 8 July. Kevin Young was scheduled for execution on 22 July. His new execution date is 21 August. In a statement announcing his decision to issue a stay, Governor Henry said: "This is a life and death matter, and a deliberative review process cannot be completed by the scheduled execution date. I take all clemency recommendations very seriously and will do my best to render a fair and just decision." The Governor can accept or reject the Board's recommendation for clemency. The statement issued by his office on 15 July emphasized that Governor Henry "has approved only one clemency recommendation since taking office in 2003." RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible: - expressing sympathy for any family of Joseph Sutton, and explaining that you are not seeking to excuse the manner of his death or to downplay the suffering caused; - welcoming the decision of the state Pardon and Parole Board to recommend clemency for Kevin Young, and the decision by the Governor to issue a stay of execution; - noting that the killing took place during a robbery that went "amiss", in the words of the state appeals court; - noting that Kevin Young is facing execution for a crime committed by two people, that no one else has been convicted, and noting the absence of proof about which of the two attackers actually fired the fatal shot; calling on the Governor to accept the Board's recommendation, and commute Kevin Young's death sentence. APPEALS TO: Governor Brad Henry State Capitol Building 2300 N. Lincoln Blvd. Room 212 Oklahoma City, OK 73105 Fax: 1 405 521 3353 Email, via: http://www.gov.ok.gov/message.php Salutation: Dear Governor PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY. MONTHLY LETTER COUNT UAs 33 China Olympics postcards 39 Total: 72 To add your letters to the total contact lwkamp@gmail.com. Amnesty International Group 22 The Caltech Y Mail Code 5-62 Pasadena, CA 91125 www.its.caltech.edu/~aigp22/ http://rightsreaders.blogspot.com