Amnesty International Group 22 Pasadena/Caltech News
Volume XVIII Number 3, March 2010
UPCOMING EVENTS
Thursday, March 25, 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, April 13, 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, April 18, 6:30PM. Rights Readers
Human Rights Book Discussion group. This
month we read "Sarah's Key" by Tatiana de
Rosnay.
COORDINATOR'S CORNER
Hi everyone
I'm hurrying to get the newsletter done this
evening (I'm a day late!), so this column will be
brief. Some of you are aware that this year I also
am doing the electronic newsletter for the Los
Angeles Council of School Nurses, our district
nursing professional organization! (I guess one
wasn't enough!).
It is with sadness that we say goodbye to two
young members of Group 22. Robert and Marie-
Helene have livened up our group activities and
made some great contributions, such as the last
two Doo-Dah parade themes. They will be
moving to Paris (Marie-Helene is French-
Canadian) where Robert will pursue a post-doc in
physics. We wish them all the best in their new
life abroad. Bon Voyage!
Remember the Chinese democracy activist Tan
Zuoren that we had children paint their
handprints on a giant petition for at last year's
Earth Day in Pasadena? Don't forget to send the
urgent action for him - found in this newsletter.
Con carino,
Kathy
RIGHTS READERS
Human Rights Book Discussion Group
Keep up with Rights Readers at
http://rightsreaders.blogspot.com
Next Rights Readers meeting:
Sunday, April 18, 6:30 PM
Vroman's Bookstore
695 E. Colorado Boulevard In Pasadena
Sarah's Key"
By Tatiana de Rosnay
Author Biography
Tatiana de Rosnay was born on September
28th, 1961 in the suburbs of Paris. She is of
English, French and Russian descent. Her father
is French scientist Joel de Rosnay, her grandfather
was painter Gaetan de Rosnay. Tatiana's
paternal great-grandmother was Russian actress
Natalia Rachewskia, director of the Leningrad
Pushkin Theatre from 1925 to 1949.
Tatiana's mother is English, Stella Jebb,
daughter of diplomat Gladwyn Jebb, and great-
great-granddaughter of Isambard Kingdom
Brunel, the British engineer. Tatiana is also the
niece of historian Hugh Thomas. Tatiana was
raised in Paris and then in Boston, when her
father taught at MIT in the 70's. She moved to
England in the early 80's and obtained a
Bachelor's degree in English literature at the
University of East Anglia, in Norwich.
Returning to Paris in 1984, Tatiana became
press attache' for Christie's and then Paris Editor
for Vanity Fair magazine till 1993. Since 1992,
Tatiana has published eight novels in France
(published at Fayard, Plon and EHO).
Sarah's Key is her first novel written in her
mother tongue, English. Sarah's Key is to be
published in 22 countries and has already sold
over 400 000 copies worldwide. Film rights have
also been sold.
Tatiana works as a journalist for French
ELLE and is literary critic for Psychologies
Magazine and the Journal du Dimanche. She is
married and has two teenagers, Louis and
Charlotte. She lives in Paris with her family.
Website: http://www.sarahskey.com/
PUBLISHER COMMENTS:
Paris, July 1942: Sarah, a ten year-old girl, is
brutally arrested with her family by the French
police in the Vel' d'Hiv' roundup, but not before
she locks her younger brother in a cupboard in the
family's apartment, thinking that she will be back
within a few hours.
Paris, May 2002: On Vel' d'Hiv's 60th
anniversary, journalist Julia Jarmond is asked to
write an article about this black day in France's
past. Through her contemporary investigation, she
stumbles onto a trail of long-hidden family secrets
that connect her to Sarah. Julia finds herself
compelled to retrace the girl's ordeal, from that
terrible term in the Vel d'Hiv', to the camps, and
beyond. As she probes into Sarah's past, she
begins to question her own place in France, and to
reevaluate her marriage and her life.
De Rosnay's U.S. debut fictionalizes the 1942
Paris roundups and deportations, in which
thousands of Jewish families were arrested, held
at the Velodrome d'Hiver outside the city, then
transported to Auschwitz. Forty-five-year-old
Julia Jarmond, American by birth, moved to Paris
when she was 20 and is married to the arrogant,
unfaithful Bertrand Tezac, with whom she has an
11-year-old daughter. Julia writes for an
American magazine and her editor assigns her to
cover the 60th anniversary of the Vel' d'Hiv'
roundups. Julia soon learns that the apartment
she and Bertrand plan to move into was acquired
by Bertrand's family when its Jewish occupants
were dispossessed and deported 60 years before.
She resolves to find out what happened to the
former occupants: Wladyslaw and Rywka
Starzynski, parents of 10-year-old Sarah and
four-year-old Michel. The more Julia discovers--
especially about Sarah, the only member of the
Starzynski family to survive--the more she
uncovers about Bertrand's family, about France
and, finally, herself. Already translated into 15
languages, the novel is De Rosnay's 10th (but her
first written in English, her first language). It
beautifully conveys Julia's conflicting loyalties,
and makes Sarah's trials so riveting, her innocence
so absorbing, that the book is hard to put down.--
Publishers Weekly (starred review) This is the
shocking, profoundly moving and morally
challenging story . . . It will haunt you, it will help
to complete you . . . nothing short of miraculous.
--Augusten Burroughs
Have You Lobbied your Congressman
Today? Yes, says AI Group 22 Member
Vincent De Stefano
By Laura G. Brown
I first met Vincent De Stefano via email, when he
asked for AI members to form a delegation to
lobby Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Pasadena). He held a
meeting at his house to prepare for the session,
and then off we went. Four of us showed up to
meet with Schiff's representative, and I was
impressed at De Stefano's aplomb at running the
meeting. After brief introductions, he outlined
several points Amnesty wanted the congressman
to act upon, including closing Guantanamo, and
then asked for follow-up contact.
I've gone with De Stefano two other times since -
to visit representatives for Dianne Feinstein (D-
CA) and Rep. David Dreier (R-San Dimas). I
found each meeting to be well-organized, concise,
and effective, and I plan to accompany him again
in the future. His formula is methodical: 1.) He
emails legislative staffs, politely asking for face
time for Amnesty's views; 2.) He forwards the
accepted meeting times and dates to members
who are likely to come; 3.) He confirms those who
will attend via email; 4.) The AI delegation meets
with the representative; and 5.) He sets a date for
follow-up action by phone.
I recently asked the AI Group 22 member about
the niche he's found in promoting AI's agenda.
Vincent De Stefano is a fit, engaging Pasadenan
with lifelong ties to the area, and a decided gift of
gab. He said he began his program of lobbying
elected officials about 1 _ years ago when he lost
his sales job after 30 years. He had always been a
letter writer, he said, but now had the time to
take activism a step further.
De Stefano fears that our wars in Afghanistan and
Iraq show the US hasn't learned its lessons from
Vietnam. "They don't have the willingness to
admit that the light at the end of the tunnel - is
the headlights of an oncoming train," he said,
adding: "Not doing something to change the
things about government you do not like means
you are complicit in supporting their actions."
A recent delegation to Schiff's office moved
De Stefano to tears and reinforced his belief that
the primary mission of AI is pursuing justice and
civil liberties. "Lupe introduced herself and
spoke through an interpreter, describing how
she'd been tortured in El Salvador. Her legs were
broken; her teeth were broken," he said, adding
that the woman downplayed her ordeal and said
that preventing torture from happening to others
was paramount.
Do the delegation visits from Amnesty actually
affect legislation? De Stefano says that the lizard
skin he grew during his years of sales work helps
him to not expect immediate results. "I've been in
sales my entire life. The closure rate is about 20
percent," he said, adding that he takes the longest
possible view of any success the group might have
with legislators. Yet, he asserts that elected
officials pay attention to groups who take the
time and trouble to drag people into their offices.
"Keep poking them" is his squeaky wheel
philosophy.
CHINA ACTIVIST TAN ZUOREN
URGENT ACTION
At the Pasadena Earth Day event nearly one
year ago, Group 22 collected signatures and
children's handprints on a giant petition for
environmental activist Tan Zuoren. He was
recently sentenced to 5 years' imprisonment.
Please join us in participating in the following
Urgent Action from AIUSA.
(UA 91/09) CHINA, Tan Zuoren (m), aged 55,
Chinese environmental activist and writer.
Tan Zuoren was sentenced to five years'
imprisonment on 9 February, for "inciting
subversion of state power". He is at risk of
torture and other ill-treatment.
Tan Zuoren, from Sichuan province in
southwestern China, was convicted for criticizing
the Chinese Communist Party and the government
authorities' military crackdown on the 1989 pro-
democracy movement in Beijing. The verdict
stated Tan Zuoren was "(u)nsatisfied with how
the Chinese government handled the June 4th
issue and over the years slandered the Chinese
government through actions such as blood
donations on June 4th commemorating the
anniversary and writing articles such as "The last
beauty - A witness's diary on Tiananmen
Square" in 2007 posted on overseas website "The
Fire of Liberty"." The verdict also accused him of
"contacting an overseas enemy" by sending to
Wang Dan, an exiled Chinese student leader from
1989 an email titled "Suggestions for 20th
anniversary activities".
Tan Zuoren's trial was held on 12 August 2008 at
the Chengdu Intermediate People's Court, but his
sentence was only announced on 9 February 2010
after more than five months' delay, in
contravention of Chinese Criminal Procedure
Law. In addition to his prison sentence, Tan
Zuoren was also sentenced to three years'
deprivation of political rights after he is released.
This means that for these three years, he will not
be able to vote, stand for election, or hold a
position in any state body or state-owned
company and shall submit to supervision.
Tan Zuoren's trial disregarded China's criminal
procedures. His lawyers reported they were
unable to call their witnesses to testify in court,
show the video footage they prepared, or present
their defense. Journalist were harassed and
prevented from reporting both on the trial and the
sentencing.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Tan Zuoren is a prominent environmentalist. He
previously issued a report warning against
possible health, safety and environmental
hazards of the government's chemical projects in
Sichuan province. Following the earthquake in
Sichuan in May 2008, he joined a team of
volunteers who distributed food and clothing to
survivors. He also worked with several academics
to investigate the cause of the deaths in the
earthquake and improve building standards to
prevent a reoccurrence.
He was detained by the police in Chengdu city,
Sichuan province, on suspicion of "inciting
subversion of state power" on 28 March 2009. He
was detained for five months before his trial took
place. He is held at Wenjiang Detention Centre
and has appealed.
When his trial took place on 12 August 2009,
internationally acclaimed artist Ai Weiwei was
due to give evidence for the defense. However
individuals claiming to be police came to Ai
Weiwei's hotel room on the day of the trial
severely beat him and illegally detained him for
hours until after the trial had ended. Two Hong
Kong journalists were prevented from covering the
trial when local police detained them in their hotel
room under the guise of searching for drugs. Police
barred supporters of Tan Zuoren from the
courtroom, allowing only his wife and one of his
daughters, to attend the trial. Court officials filled
the rest of the seats.
At his trial in August 2009, the indictment
focussed both on his criticism of the Chinese
government's handling of the 1989 crackdown
and his investigation into the deaths of children in
the 2008 Sichuan earthquake due to corruption
and the collapse of poor-quality school buildings.
His defence lawyers' arguments at trial mainly
focussed on his right as a citizen to investigate
these deaths and speak out on human right
abuses. However, the verdict said that lawyer's
defence statements in August were "irrelevant".
On 9 February 2010, the day his sentence was
announced, journalists were again harassed as
they tried to cover the story at the court. His wife,
Wang Qinghua, and his two daughters were not
allowed to go into the court room. They were told
that the room was full.
According to a local source, his indictment said
that he was originally detained because he had
intended to publish sensitive information about
the 2008 Sichuan earthquake. On the first
anniversary of the earthquake, he had reportedly
planned to publish a list of children who died in
the earthquake, along with an independently
investigated report on the collapse of many
school buildings due to corruption. However in
his verdict announced in court the charges
connected to the earthquake were removed.
Prior to his detention in March 2009, Tan Zuoren
had been repeatedly questioned by the police. He
was also previously harassed by unidentified
individuals who stole his computer twice and
stabbed and injured his dog.
Human rights activists in China who attempt to
report on human rights violations, challenge
policies which the authorities find politically
sensitive, or try to rally others to their cause, face
serious risk of abuse. Many are jailed as prisoners
of conscience after politically motivated trials,
while growing numbers are being held under house
arrest with the police conducting intrusive
surveillance and standing guard outside.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send
appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
* Calling on the authorities to release Tan Zuoren
immediately and unconditionally;
* Urging authorities to ensure he has access to a
lawyer, his family and any medical treatment he
may require;
* Calling on them to guarantee Tan Zuoren will
not be tortured or otherwise ill-treated;
* Calling on them to take effective measures to
ensure that all human rights defenders can carry
out their peaceful activities without fear of
arbitrary detention, imprisonment, hindrance or
intimidation, in line with the UN Declaration on
Human Rights Defenders.
APPEALS TO:
Director of the Sichuan Provincial Higher People's Court
Liu Yushun Yuanzhang
Sichuansheng Gaoji Renmin Fayuan
108 Zhengfujie
Qinyangqu
Chengdushi 610017
Sichuansheng
PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA
Email: yuanzhangmailbox@sina.com
Salutation: Dear Director
Director of the Chengdu City Department of
Public Security
LI Kunxue Juzhang
Chengdushi Gonganju
144 Wenwulu, Qingyang Qu
Chengdushi 610016
Sichuansheng
PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC IF CHINA
Email: cdsgaj@cheng.gov.cn
Salutation: Dear Director
COPIES TO:
Prime Minister
WEN Jiabao Guojia Zongli
The State Council General Office
2 Fuyoujie, Xichengqu
Beijingshi 100017
PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA
Fax: 011 86 10 65961109
(c/o Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
Salutation: Your Excellency
Ambassador Wen Zhong Zhou
Embassy of the People's Republic of China
2300 Connecticut Ave. NW
Washington DC 20008
Fax: 1 202 328-2582
Email: Chinaembassy_us@fmprc.gov.cn
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.
Check with the AIUSA Urgent Action office if
sending appeals after 24 May 2010.
DEATH PENALTY NEWS
By Stevi Carroll
The past month has seen the executions of
Joshua Maxwell (3/11/10 - Texas), Lawrence
Reynolds (3/16/10 - Ohio), and Paul Powell
(3/18/10 - Virginia). Jack Harold Jones, Jr. was
granted a stay of execution March 16, 2010.
Lawrence Reynolds' execution was carried out
nine days after he attempted suicide. Paul
Powell died in the electric chair. To read an
account of his execution, go to "Post reporter
recounts Paul Powell's execution"
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/crime-
scene/josh-white/detailed-account-of-powells-
vi.html.
Upcoming executions include Hank Skinner
(3/24/10 - Texas), Franklin Alix (3/30/10 -
Texas), and Richard Smith (4/8/10 - Oklahoma).
Jurors in Richard Smith's case have come forward
to oppose his execution.
Six Jurors Oppose Oklahoma Execution
Death Penalty, United States | Posted by:
Brian Evans, March 18, 2010 at 1:04 PM
Oklahoma has the opportunity to save a life
on April 8, 2010 and it is our responsibility to
take action to prevent another state killing.
(http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/siteapps/ad
vocacy/index.aspx?c=jhKPIXPCIoE&b=2590179
&template=x.ascx&action=14014) Richard Smith
was convicted of murder in 1987, and now has
been on death row for more than half of his life.
Not only do six jurors from his trial now oppose
his execution, but so does a brother of the victim.
Similar to many other death penalty cases,
Richard Smith was not given an adequate
defense. His lawyer presented almost no
evidence, and no expert testimony. He did not
begin investigating until seven to ten days before
the date of trial, and he failed to present evidence
of Smith's past abuse as a child, addiction
problems, psychological problems, brain injury,
and borderline intelligence.
If the jury at the time of the trial had heard
this evidence, the outcome of Smith's case could
have been significantly different. The six jurors
who now oppose his execution exemplify the very
reason why we should act in the name of justice.
Due to Smith's poor representation in trial, we
must act to commute the death sentence of
Richard Smith.
Executive clemency is in place so that justice
can be upheld even when the courts drop the ball.
In the case of Mr. Smith, powerful mitigating
evidence was never heard by a jury. Justice
would not be served by executing Richard Smith
under these circumstances. The Oklahoma
Pardon and Parole Board should recommend that
Governor Brad Henry commute this death
sentence, and Governor Henry should accept that
recommendation.
source:
http://blog.amnestyusa.org/deathpenalty/six-
jurors-oppose-oklahoma-execution/
MONTHLY LETTER COUNT
Postcards for Eritrea 11
UA's 13
Total 24
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