ai newsletter december 2010

8/8/2019 AI Newsletter December 2010

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2Letter fromthe executiveDirectorMessage ofThanks

3Ai NeWSStruggles ofThe Invisibles |Tibet in Song |Landmark TribalLaw andOrder Act

6the YeAr iNrevieW

8Ai turNS 50Our Legacy inPictures

11the YeAr AheADAI Celebrationsand Mobilizations

12LegAcY ofShAme U.S.PrisonerTransfers to Iraq

14SALiL ShettYtAkeS theheLmIntroducing AIsNew Secretary-General

17Demand DignityCampaign

18Death PenaltyAbolitionCampaign

19Crisis Preventionand Response

20Counter TerrorWith JusticeCampaign

21Individuals at RiskCampaign | JoinAIs Global Write-a-thon

23ArchbiShopDeSmoNDtutu

Reects onUbuntu

WiNter 2010


2/242 AMNST INTRNATIONAL

letter from the executive director

golden AnniversAry,golden opportunity

Every day we are barraged by news and images o men,

women and children embroiled in war, feeing persecu-

tion or struggling to survive unimaginable deprivation.

It may be tempting to tune out such news in an eort

to avoid eeling helpless; yet deep down we cannot

erase the pain o those who suer immensely simply

because o where and when they were born, their eth-

nicity, their sexual orientation or their belies.We are not powerless in the ace o these injustices,

however, as Amnesty International has proven. Fity years ago, British lawyer

Peter Benenson took action ater reading a newspaper story about two Portu-

guese students who were jailed or raising their glasses in a toast to reedom. He

published his now amous 1961 appeal in The London Observerurging readers

to write letters on behal o prisoners o conscience. His appeal sparked an

international grassroots campaign to protect human rights, and Amnesty Inter-

national was born.

Amnesty International is now the worlds largest human rights organiza-

tion, and our model o grassroots collective action has achieved remarkableresults. Over the past ve decades, we have helped win the reedom o tens o

thousands o people, prevent torture, halt lie-threatening persecution and

commute death sentences. We have been instrumental in building the ground-

swell o public support necessary to establish an international human rights

ramework o treaties and institutions that bring war criminals to justice, ban

torture and eliminate discrimination. Our activism on behal o countless hu-

man rights deenders has protected them rom mortal danger and empowered

them by putting authorities on notice: We are watching.

Amnesty International, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, shines a light on hu-

man rights violations around the globe and ocuses massive, unrelenting public

pressure on those responsible. As todays headlines prove, our mission has never

been more vital. Fighting or human rights does not require going to prison

or your belies, but it does require taking action. I thank you or adding your

voice to a powerul chorus speaking truth to powerand saving livesand I

encourage you to continue taking action to deend human rights or all.

Larry Cox, AIUSA Executive Director

messAge of thAnks

Amnesty Internationals 50th Anniversary Is a Call to Action

Dear Amnesty members,I would like to take thisopportunity to thank youfor the moral support thatyou have provided throughthe letters you have sent

to human rights defenderswho are being threatenedin the Democratic Republicof Congo. Not only do theseletters encourage us byletting us know that we arenot aloneand that thereare thousands of peoplethroughout the world whosupport us from thousandsof miles awaythese

letters also save humanlives, because writing to thelocal authorities pressuresthem to treat us differentlybecause they know that ifthey do us harm, the entireworld will react. Thank youso much for your support.

Human rights defender Justine MasikaBihamba is the coordinator for Synergy ofWomen for Victims of Sexual Violence, anorganization in the Democratic Republicof Congo that helps victims of rampantsexual violence in the conict zones ofthe North Kivu region. As a result of thegroups work, Justines children wereviolently attacked at gunpoint during a2007 attack in which one of her daughterswas sexually assaulted. Justine and herchildren identied the perpetrators assoldiers to the military police, who refusedto arrest the men, claiming there was noevidence against them. Bihamba is an AIpriority case assigned to AI group 49 in

Providence, R.I., and group 471 in SanDiego, Calif., and her case was featured inAIs 2008 Global Write-a-thon.

AI


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Ai neWs

Mexican actor and producer Gael GarcaBernal and Amnesty International launched

The Invisibles (Los Invisibles), a series of fourlms that record the journey of hundreds ofmigrants from the border between Guatemalaand Mexico on their way to the United States.

The Mexican authorities must protect mi-grants in our country. The law must protectus all, whether nationals or foreigners. Its

essential Mexico sets a good example in theway it treats migrants, said Garca Bernal,who worked with AI researcher Sarah Sheb-

beare to produce the series.Nine out of ten undocumented migrants to

the United States come from Central Ameri-ca, and Mexico is one of the few countries in

the world that is both destination and transitroute for migrants. very year thousands ofmigrants are kidnapped, raped or murdered

in Mexico. Bernals four lms offer testimonyfrom migrants, aid workers and medicalprofessionals about the danger and hopes of

the thousands of people who cross Mexicoin search of a better life. The November

premiere of The Invisiblescoincides with thestart of this years Global Forum on Migration

and Development in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

STRS T INISISGael Garca Bernal and AI launch a lm series on migrantsfrom the Mexico-Guatemala border.

Amnesty International staffmet Joan aez after herctober 30 concert at the NewJersey Performing Arts Centerin Newark. Joan mentionedonstage that the two AI issuesmost important to her areabolishing the death penaltyand immigrants rights.From left: Karen Scott, Gouri Sadhwani,

Joan Baez, Suzanne Trimel and AnaPolanco.

Directors Gael Garca Bernal and Marc Silver on the setof The Invisibles, a series of lms Bernal produced withAI about migrants travelling through Mexico to the UnitedStates.

AI

AI



tibetAN ethNo-muSicoLogiSt and Fulbright

scholar Ngawang Choephel returned to theland of his birth in 1995 to lm a documen-tary about Tibetan song and dance. Hopingto preserve the music of his people despite

Chinese government campaigns aimedat destroying Tibetan culture, Choephelbegan lming his documentary in the city of

Shigatse. Within a month he was arrestedon charges of espionage and counter-revo-lutionary activities. Fourteen months later,

after being held incommunicado and withouttrial, Choephel received one of the harshestsentences ever given to a Tibetan politicalprisoner: 18 years in prison.

Choephel was released in 2002 followingan international outcry from human rightsgroups, including a two-year letter campaign

led by Amnesty International, which tookup his case in 2000. In September, thedocumentary Choephel began more than 15years ago, Tibet in Song, premiered in New

ork at an event hosted by Amnesty Inter-national and the Shelley and Donald RubinFoundation at the Rubin Museum of Art. The

lm celebrates traditional folk music througha harrowing journey into the past 50 years ofcultural repression inside Chinese-controlled

Tibet.The completion of the documentary is

the culmination of the lmmakers long

and painful quest to present the struggleof his people to an international audience.After Choephel was arrested by Chineseauthorities in 1995, he was held in Powo

Tramo prison and was reported to be in poorhealth, suffering from bronchitis, hepatitisand respiratory infections. After four years,

his mother, Sonam Dekyi, was permitted tovisit her son. She reported that Choephelwas very frail, just skin and bones, with

pale, almost yellow skin.ou just cant believe he got out, said

Kate Lazarus, Amnesty Internationals Tibetspecialist, who met Choephel in Detroit soon

after his arrival in the United States in 2002(he now lives in New ork City). ou dreamand you hope that these people will be

released, but you never know.The lm, which won the 2009 Sundance

Film Festival Special Jury Prize Documenta-ry Award and the 2009 Calgary International

Film Festival Best Documentary Award,among others, is currently being screened inselected cities. To nd out when and where

Tibet in Songis playing in your area, visitwww.tibetinsong.com.

Hannah Rubenstein

ABOV: Flimmaker Ngawang Choephel (at right),reunited with his friend, singing a traditional song.

NR

JohN LeNNoN returNeD to the big screen

on September 21, 2010, just shy of whatwould have been his 70th birthday. NowhereBoy, a new lm depicting the events andcircumstances leading to the formation of the

Beatles, debuted at the Tribeca Perform-ing Arts Center at a screening co-hosted byAmnesty International.

Directed by long-time Amnesty Interna-tional member Sam Taylor-Wood, and starringAaron Johnson as the 15-year-old Lennon,

Nowhere Boyis based on the testimoniesof many sources close to the musician.Those who knew John Lennon best, from asfar back as childhood, have conrmed the

lms authenticity. It is the rst lm to allowadmirers toin the words of one of Lennonslast and most personal songs, Woman

understand the little child inside the man.As he introduced the lm, Amnesty Inter-

national xecutive Director Larry Cox pointed

to the parallels between Lennons early lifeand the history of the organization.

Amnesty and John Lennon both startedmaking a noise around the same time, he

said. Amnesty was founded in Britain in1961just as John Lennon and the Beatleswere starting to make an impact in their

homeland.

Five years later John was one of the mostfamous people in the world, Cox said. In

that year he met oko Ono and started to usehis fame and position to draw attention toimportant causes. He was a pioneer amongrock musicians. Not just his important activ-

ism for peace but for all human rights.oko Ono has continued the great work

that she and John did together for human

rights, Cox added. She has become one ofAmnestys biggest supporters.

Nowhere Boyis currently playing in

selected cities nationwide. For more informa-tion on the lm and show times, visitwww.nowhereboy.com.

Hannah Rubenstein

Longtime AI MemberDirects John Lennon Biopic

AI STSTiTi SPRIR

DAVID

HUANG

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LiSA mArie LYotte StooD atthe White House podium andtook a deep breath, wiping the

tears from her cheeks as sherecounted the night that she wasassaulted and raped in front of

her two young daughters. To herleft, President Barack Obamastood with his hand placed rmlyon Lyottes shoulder. If the Trib-

al Law and Order Act had existed16 years ago, my story would bevery different, she said.

President Obamas signingof the Tribal Law and OrderActlegislation addressing the

jurisdictional chaos that hasfueled violence against NativeAmerican and Alaska Nativewomenrepresents a landmark

victory for Indigenous advocatesand for Amnesty International,which helped shape the law

and campaigned vigorously for

it since the publication of itsgroundbreaking 2007 report,

Maze of Injustice: The Failure

to Protect Indigenous Women

from Sexual Violence in the USA.Before signing the legislation,

President Obama remarked,When one in three NativeAmerican women will be raped

in their lifetimes, that is an as-sault on our national conscience;

it is an affront to our sharedhumanity; it is something thatwe cannot allow to continue.

President Obama was citingdata from AIs report, whichexposed an epidemic of sexual

violence against Indigenouswomena rate that is 2.5 timesthat of the national average. Inaddition, the report detailed the

complicated jurisdictional struc-ture that allows men, particularlynon-Natives, to perpetrate sexual

violence against Native womenwith near total impunity. Federalauthorities do not have jurisdic-

tion over crimes committed inIndian Country, yet Native courtscannot try non-Native perpetra-tors. Meanwhile, non-Native men

commit 86 percent of all rapesagainst Native women, and mostare not held accountable for

their crimes.

The bipartisan Tribal Lawand Order Act was introduced

by Senator Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.), chair of the U.S. SenateCommittee on Indian Affairs,and Representative Stephanie

Herseth Sandlin (D-S.D.). Theact was designed to standard-ize sexual assault protocols

within the Indian HealthService, clarify the jurisdictional

authority of tribal governmentsin prosecuting crimes in theircommunities and increase and

standardize the collection anddistribution of criminal data intribal communities.

All of the components ofmaking sure that a woman nallysees justice are now going tobe taken in concrete, practical

steps, said Rachel Ward, leadresearcher and co-author of the

Maze of Injusticereport. When

a Native woman has been rapedand picks up the phone to reportit, she will now have the op-

portunity to get a police ofcer torespond. She will now have theopportunity to have forensic evi-dence collected afterwards. She

will now have the opportunity tosee her case prosecuted.

One of the key components

moving forward, Ward said, is the

creation of the Indian Law andOrder Commission (ILOC), which

will include a team of experts tomonitor, track and address thejurisdictional labyrinth. The com-mission is tasked with going back

to Congress to make recommen-dations and state what additionalresources and changes will be

necessary.Hannah Rubenstein

AI ADCACDRIS CPRNSI

RR T PRTCTNATI ARICAN N

The legislation providesbeginning steps to em-power tribal governmentsto take more direct actionin cases of violent crime.hen victims know that

their perpetrators will beheld accountable for theirbehavior, they will be morelikely to report crimes.mpowering tribal lawenforcement personnel toprotect their communitiesis the key. There are 10 or12 more steps we need todo, of course, but now itfeels like we can change

the world.ur connection toAmnesty International wasreally crucial in gettingus there. It hasnt been aneasy road since they are anon-Native organization,but I really trust them.They created an atmo-sphere for us to come asNative women and turned

it over to us in a veryrespectful way.

President Barack Obama signed the Tribal Law and Order Act into law on July 29, anked by tribal leaders and congressionalchampions of the legislation. AIUSA has campaigned on the issue of sexual violence against Native women since 2007, andkey staff members were present at the signing ceremony.

AI

Sarah Deer, a consultant for AmnestyInternationals Maze of Injusticereport and campaign, is an assistantprofessor at William Mitchell Collegeof Law and a citizen of the Muscogee(Creek) Nation.

COURTeSySARAHDeeR

messAge of thAnks


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ZhAo ShiYiNg, CHINAIndependent writer who signed Charter08, a proposal for fundamental legaland political reform in China that aims

to achieve a democratic system thatrespects human rights; released afterseveral weeks in police detention.rlasd: Janay 25

u tiN oo, MANMARDeputy chairman of the National

League for Democracy (NLD), arrestedafter pro-government militias violentlyattacked an NLD motorcade in May

2003; served seven years in prisonand under house arrest in Rangoon.rlasd: fay 13

ALbertA ALcNtArA AND tereSAgoNZLeZ corNeLio1, MXICOTwo Indigenous women, sentencedto 21 years in prison on baseless

kidnapping charges in 2006, werereleased after serving four years in theCentro de Readaptacin de San Jos

l Alto prison.rlasd: Al 28

mAx goeLDi2, LIBASwiss businessman who served afour-month prison sentence after be-ing convicted of politically motivated

immigration charges.rlasd: Jn

SArA LpeZ, JoAuN AguiLAr ANDguADALupe borJA3, MXICOThree leaders of a protest againsthigh electricity bills were released due

to lack of evidence after serving 11months in prison in Campeche state.rlasd: Jn 6

DArSi ferrer4, CUBAReleased from detention in Havanaafter almost a year in a maximum-

security prison; arrested on chargesstemming from organizing protestscritical of the government.rlasd: Jn 22

emADeDDiN bAghi5, IRANHuman rights defender held for nearlysix months detention without trialon charges related to an interviewconducted two years earlier with a

government critic and a senior cleric.rlasd: Jn 23

AhmeD ALAbWAbi, ALhADi bAkhit,

AbDeLAZiZ ALi JAmee, AhmeDAbDALLAh khALAfALLAh, AShrAfhAmmAD AND mAhmouDkhAirALLAh mohAmmeD, SUDANSix doctors arrested by the NationalIntelligence and Security Services

(NISS) in relation to a strike that wasbeing organized to ask for better con-ditions for doctors in Sudan.rlasd: Jn 24

muhAmmAD AbD AL-ADerAL-JASem, KUWAITSentenced to six months imprison-ment on charges of criminal defama-tion stemming from alleged remarks

questioning the competence ofKuwaits prime minister.rlasd: Jn 28

ArieL SigLer AmAYA, CUBAArrested in March 2003 andsentenced to 20 years in prison for

counter-revolutionary activities,including advocating for human rightsin Cuba and demanding the release of

political prisoners.rlasd: Jly

YuSAk pAkAge6, INDONSIAImprisoned for more than ve yearsfor his role in a peaceful demonstrationduring which the Morning Star ag,

symbolizing Papuan independence,was raised.rlasd: Jly 7

muSAAD Abu fAgr7, GPTgyptian Bedouin activist detainedwithout trial for more than two years

for protesting the demolition of thou-sands of homes in the Sinai Peninsula.rlasd: Jly 13

mohAmmeD AL-oDAiNi8, MNDetained for more than eight years at

Guantnamo without being charged.rlasd: Jly 13

u WiN hteiN9, MANMAR (BURMA)Served a 14-year prison sentence fororganizing the collection of informa-tion about agricultural productivity

that the government deemed to be

sensitive, and for helping three foreignjournalists report on conditions for

political prisoners in Myanmar.rlasd: Jly 15

rAL herNNDeZ10, MXICOServed two years on fabricatedcharges in Guerrero state prison inMexico for his work to protect the

rights of Indigenous communities andexpose abuses by political and lawenforcement ofcials.rlasd: As 31

fuLbert AttiSSo, guiLLAumecoco, YAovi Abobi AND ericSoLeWASSi, TOGOFour political activists arrested inMarch, ahead of the Togolese presi-

dential election, and charged with anattempt on the security of the state.rlasd: S 8

birtukAN miDekSA11, THIOPIAThe leader of the Unity for Democracyand Justice Party was freed from Kaliti

prison after serving 21 months of alife sentence; charged with violatingthe terms of a previous pardon.

rlasd: o 6

fAces of the freed

Amnesty is ods angel. . .It becomes the strengthfor those drowning, cheer-ing up those who are sad,

being the friend of theexcluded, the protector ofthose in need, the parentsof those who are father-less and motherless andthe hope which keeps ourhope alive.Yusak Pakage

In 2010, your actions helped to free dozens of prisoners of conscience andprotect the rights of individuals to speak without fear of persecution. Below are

some of the people who were freed following AI letter, fax and email campaigns.



1961Peter Benenson publishesThe Forgotten Prisoners,the seminal call-to-actionthat set the foundation forAmnesty International, inThe Observer London news-paper on May 28, 1961.Benenson wrote his appealon behalf of prisoners ofconscience after reading anews article about two Por-tuguese students who wereimprisoned for raising theirwine glasses in a toast tofreedom.

Peter Benenson, theBritish lawyer who foundedAmnesty International in

1961, rekindles the origi-nal Amnesty Internationalcandle on the movements20th anniversary, outsideSt Martin-in-the-Fieldschurch, London, UK, May1981.1

1962Members from around the

world meet in Belgium andofcially found AmnestyInternational.

Amnesty Internationalsends its rst fact-ndingmissions to Ghana, Czecho-slovakia and Portugal,establishing independent,on-the-ground researchas a central tenet of itsmission.

The new organizationsends observers to the trialof Nelson Mandela.

1963Amnesty International es-tablishes the InternationalSecretariat, its globalheadquarters, in London.

1964The United Nations givesAmnesty Internationalformal consultative status.

1965Amnesty International

publishes its rst countryreport, on Portugal, thenunder the dictatorship ofAntnio de Oliveira Salazar.

Cover of PrisonConditions in Portugal:A factual report compiled

by Amnesty InternationalSeptember 1965.3

1966Amnesty Internationalis founded in the UnitedStates as AIUSA.

celeBrAting 50 yeArs on the frontlines

fy yas a s ndn, Ansy innanal aswn n ans aal n al w sn-s nsn n a lal n 2.8lln s, ass and ss n an150 ns and s w aan nd a

ass an s. h a s lsnsAnsy innanal as ad n wn all s all l and wld.

Former President of South Africa Nelson Mandelarevisits the cell on Robben Island, where he spent 18 ofhis 27 years in prison; South Africa, 1994.2

1972AI launches the CampaignAgainst Torture, its rstworldwide campaign forhuman rights. AI is givenconsultative status at theOrganization of AmericanStates.

Abolish Torture posters,by Paul Peter Piech andGustavo spinosa.4

1973The rst Urgent Action isissued on behalf of LuizBasilio Rossi, a Brazil-ian academic who wasarrested and tortured forpolitical reasons.

Professor Luiz Rossi,subject of the rst-everUrgent Action5

1977Amnesty International isawarded the Nobel PeacePrize for its contribution tosecuring the ground forfreedom, for justice, andthereby also for peace inthe world.

Copy of the 1977 NobelPeace Prize received byAmnesty International.7

AIs International xecutive Committee receiving theNobel Prize in Oslo on December 10, 1977.61960

1970


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PHOTO CRDITS: 1 Raoul Shade, 2Jurgen Schadeberg, www.jurgenschadeberg.com; 3Amnesty International,4Paul Peter Piech and Gustavo spinosa, 5, 6Amnesty International, 7 Norsk Telegrambyra, 8Jack Healey,9, 10Amnesty International

984he Convention Againstorture is adopted by thenited Nations Generalssembly on December0.

986mnesty launches itsonspiracy of Hopeoncert tour, initiatingtradition of cultivat-

ng international popularupport for human rightshrough music.

987he U.N. Convention

gainst Torture is ratied.

988he Human Rights Now!oncert tours 15 countrieso commemorate the 40thnniversary of the Univer-al Declaration of Humanights. Musicians suchs Bruce Springsteen,eter Gabriel, Sting, Tracyhapman and oussouDour bring the messagef human rights to musicans around the world.

A signed Human RightsNow! concert poster. Theconcert commemoratedthe 40th anniversary of

the UDHR.8

2002The International CriminalCourt, the worlds rstpermanent internationaljudicial body, is estab-lished following years ofcampaigning by AmnestyInternational and others.

The U.S. Supreme Courtbans the death penalty formentally retarded defen-dants, following an AI re-port and global campaign.

2004Amnesty Internationallaunches its globalcampaign to Stop ViolenceAgainst Women.

2005After a global AI campaign,the U.S. Supreme Courtbans juvenile executions.

2009Amnesty Internationallaunches the Demand Dig-nity campaign, expandingthe organizations work to

address poverty as a rootcause of human rightsviolations around the world.

The United Nations agreesto establish a GlobalArms Treaty to controlthe international trade ofconventional arms followingcampaigning by AmnestyInternational.

Salil Shetty becomes sec-retary general of AmnestyInternational

Participants in AI Nepal launch the Stop Violence AgainstWomen campaign with a rally in Banepa, near Kathmandu,during the Holi (the National Festival of Colors) in March2004.10

1990ormer Amnesty International Director Jack Healeyoins Bono, Sting, and other musicians at a Conspiracyf Hope concert in June 1986.9

1991AI expands its mandate topromote all human rightsenshrined in the UDHR, fromcivil and political rights toeconomic, social and culturalrights.

1992Membership passes the1 million mark globally with6,000 active groups in 70countries.

1998AI launches its rst globalcampaign against humanrights violations in the UnitedStates, focusing on policebrutality, prison conditions,and the death penalty.

AI launches the Get Up,Sign Up campaign in 124countries, collecting 13

million signatures in supportof the Universal Declarationof Human Rights during its50th anniversary year.

20001980



iN 1961 A chiLD in the young Republic of

Ghana came home to nd that his fatherhad been arrested and hauled off to prison.The father, Joe Appiah, a political enemyof then-President Kwame Nkrumah, joined

hundreds of people being held indenitelyunder the countrys Preventative Deten-tion Act. For more than a year, a edgling

London-based organization called AmnestyInternational campaigned for the release ofthe Ghanaian political prisoners, garnering

support from around the world in the form ofa letter campaign to the authorities. The rst

prisoners of conscience, as they came to

be known, were nally released in 1962 asa direct result of the international pressure,and the boys father was among them.

Fifty years later, Kwame Anthony Appiah,

the Laurance S. Rockefeller University Pro-fessor at Princeton University, is making anintellectual contribution to the organization

that reunited him with his father by editingthe groundbreaking Amnesty Global thicsSeries.

The series, which will debut in 2011 aspart of AIs 50th anniversary celebration, is

a collaboration between AI and W. W. Norton

& Company under the general editorship ofAppiah. It is the rst of its kind: a series ofshort books on a variety of complex human

rights issues, authored by acclaimed scholarsfrom around the globe and geared toward ageneral audience.

The series, says Appiah, is addressed toeveryone who recognizes that the dignity ofeach human being is the shared responsibil-ity of us all, and who wants to listen in to the

conversation of the leading thinkers of ourage as they bring the intellectual tools of phi-losophy, law, history and the social sciences

to bear on the issue of how we can carry out

that responsibility.Amnesty is rightly focused at its heart

on changing the world, Appiah explains,but those of us who support it need also tostep back from time to time and reect. Foroften, as Amnesty has discovered, it takes

a rich discussion of our values and a deepunderstanding of how the world works, if youare to take the right practical steps.

We need thoughtful, cosmopolitan con-versation about the many challenges facingour species, says Appiah. It is that conver-

sation that this series aims to advance.Series contributors include The Body in

Pain author laine Scarry, U.N. Secretary-General Special Representative for Busi-

ness and Human Rights John Ruggie, andacclaimed philosopher Jonathan Wolff; theywill address a variety of issues confronting

the human rights community: Who has theright to forgive? Who advocates for futuregenerations? What do we owe our neighborin a globalizing world? The series will release

three to four books per year, beginning inMarch of 2011 with laine Scarrys How to

Think in an Emergencyand Jonathan Wolffs

The Human Right to Health. A book club andauthor podcast will accompany each release.

f nan n ss: http://

books.wwnorton.com/books/Amnesty_Interna-tional_Global_Ethics_Series/

Amnesty internAtionAl 50th AnniversAry

RCTINSN CANINT RDNew Amnesty International book series lays theintellectual groundwork for activismBy hAnnAh ruBenstein

COURTeSyANTHONyAPPIAH

DAVID

SHANKBONe

ABOV: Princeton University Professor KwameAppiah, editor of the Amnesty Global thics Series.LFT: Joe Appiah, one of the rst prisoners of con-science for whom Amnesty International advocated.


11/24WINTR 2010 11

AmNeStY iNterNAtioNAL uSA will begin a

yearlong commemoration of its 50th anniversarywith an extraordinary Annual General Meeting(AGM) in San Francisco on March 1820. The

2011 AGM will take advantage of the citysmost beautiful historical landmarks, includinga march from the Fairmont Hotel, where the

conference will be held, to a rally at the erbaBuena Gardensthe rst in a series of Shine aLight events to spotlight the accomplishments ofthe AI movement and the urgency of increased

activism for human rights.The opening ceremony will take place at

the legendary Wareld Theater, with a keynote

address by former President Jimmy Carter, awelcome speech by the mayor of San Francisco,accolades from state legislators and membersof Congress and performances by several of San

Franciscos multicultural arts groups.The opening ceremonies will also include the

presentation of the rst AIUSA Artist Award to

Joan Baez. The award honors Baezs nearly four

decades of dedication to AIUSA, which beganwhen Baez took a year off from her music

career to organize AIUSAs expansion to theWest Coast in 1972 with Ginetta Sagan. Saganwas an activist and educator who founded 75 AI

chapters around the country and dedicated herlife to human rights research and advocacy. Theartist award will be named after Baez and given

annually to artists who demonstrate a commit-ment to human rights.

The evening rally at erba Buena Gardenswill kick off a rich AGM program, including a

youth summit, working groups, long-term plan-ning on AI campaigning and other activities toconnect activists to one another. The three-day

conference will celebrate and explore AIs past,present and future with special guests, formerAI prisoners of conscience, and lms, including

a screening of two new lms edited from archi-val footage from Amnestys illustrious historyover the past 50 years.

While participants will commemorate the

remarkable accomplishments of AmnestyInternational, they will also participate in andshape AIUSAs human rights advocacy through

workshops, strategy sessions and the resolutionsprocess. Much of the inspiration for AIUSAsnuts-and-bolts human rights work is borne of the

creative collaboration that arises from the shar-ing of ideas by activists from around the world.

AIUSA needs your spirit, your talents andyour dedication to ensure the Amnesty Interna-

tional movement can grow and prosper. Markyour calendars and bring your friends to thislandmark celebration.

rsan s nly n and wll

nn nl ma 4, 2011. ts ws Janay 15, 2011, wll a dsnd a. t s, las s:www.amnestyusa.org/agm.

CelebRATINg50 yeARSAT AIuSASANNuAlgeNeRAlmeeTINg

TH AGM IS JUST ON OFTH SIGNATUR VNTSAIUSA IS HOLDING TOCOMMMORAT TH50TH ANNIVRSAR ANDNGAG MOR POPLIN HUMAN RIGHTSADVOCAC. PLAS PUT

THS VNTS ON OURCALNDAR TOO. FORMORE INFORMATION:WWW.AMNESTYUSA.OR

toAst to freedomToast to Freedom vents will beginon May 4, 2011, with a presentationto His Holiness the Dalai Lama of the

Ambassador of Conscience Award atthe Robert F. Kennedy School in LosAngeles. The assembled students will

announce their pledge to work for hu-

man rights to the Dalai Lama. Continu-ing into May and June, activists across

the country will gather to honor thehistory and work of Amnesty Interna-tional by raising a glass in memory ofthe two Portuguese students arrested

in Lisbon for toasting to freedomtheinspiration for Peter Benensons found-ing of Amnesty International in 1961.

shine A lightOn December 10, 2011, International

Human Rights Day, new and veteranactivists nationwide will gather inpublic spaces across the country atthe same moment to shine a light,

using amber-colored Amnesty HumanRights Lights, in support of humanrights for all people (6 p.m. Pacic/7

p.m. Mountain/8 p.m. Central/9 p.m.astern). Shine a Light will be a mas-sive public demonstration of supportfor the advancement of human rights

for all in concert with the 2011 GlobalWrite-a-thon.

ABOV: The Dalai Lama lights a candle, oneof 30 corresponding to 30 Articles of theUniversal Declaration of Human Rights, onthe occasion of World Refugee Day and the40th anniversary of Amnesty International,in Nagano, Japan.

I am drawn to AI because it covers sucha broad spectrum of rights. AI has evolvedthroughout the time I have been involved,from its work on prisoners of conscience to

the latest campaign, De-mand Dignity. AIs abilityto be exible has kept memotivated, engaged and

excited about the work.Brianna Castro, Southern Representative,

AGM Planning Committee

I love the fact that AI empowers youthactivists. nlike many organizations,youths have a strong voice herewhat

we feel and what we sayreally reaches a massaudience. e are part ofthe movement and weare valued.

Aquib Yacoob, Student Area Coordinatorfor N.Y. State

To register for AISAs 2011 Annual eneral

eeting: www.amnestyusa.org/agm

AI

AI

ABOV: AIUSAs Annual General Meetings traditionallykick off with a march and rally, such as the march forhousing rights at the 2010 AGM in New Orleans.



irAq

A AC

SAThe U.S. government has transferred thousandsof prisoners to Iraqs prisons despite the torture,political score settling and extortion that plaguethe Iraqi system.By tom pArker

WALiD YuNiS AhmAD iS uite poSSibLY

the longest-serving detainee held withoutcharge in Iraq. Walid, a member of themarginalized Turkoman minority, has beenimprisoned in Irbil, Northern Iraq, without

charge or trial for more than 10 years. Kurd-ish security forces detained him in February2000 after he was given a lift in a car that

allegedly contained explosives. Although thedriver of the car was released within threemonths, Walid remains locked up more than

a decade later.In addition to Walid, tens of thousands

of others have disappeared into the maw ofIraqs brutal prison system, according to AIs

September report, New Order, Same Abuses:Unlawful Detentions and Torture in Iraq. Thereport found that Iraqs prisons are plagued

not only by torture but by political score-settling, extortion and bureaucratic snarlso extreme that about tens of thousands of

prisoners are being held without charge ortrial, many of whom have been detained formore than seven years. The passage of a2008 law requiring the immediate release of

anyone held for longer than a year withoutcharge has had little effect on this urgenthuman rights situation.

et despite the well-known abuses ofIraqs prison system and the political insta-bility in the country, the United States has

continued to transfer its prisoners to Iraqscustody as part of the U.S. withdrawal offorces over the past few years. In mid-2007,U.S. forces held 23,000 Iraqi security de-

tainees; with the exception of 200 high-riskdetainees, the United States passed controlof its last prison in Iraq, Camp Cropper, to

the Iraqis in June.

hen President Barack Obama

addressed the U.N. General As-sembly in September, he pledgedto support societies that promote

good governance, democracy, the rule of law,

transparent institutions, strong civil societiesand respect for human rights. In its determi-nation to stick to its timetable for with-

drawal, however, the Obama administrationhas turned a blind eye to the shortcomingsof the government of Prime Minister Nouri

al-Maliki, for whom the rule of law is moreoften honored in breach than in observance.

Iraqs descent into near anarchy inthe aftermath of the U.S.-led invasion is

well-documented. For almost a decade thecountry has been wracked by sectarianstrifepredominantly between the minority

Sunni population that held power during theSaddam era and the majority Shia populationwhose leaders now dominate Iraqs fragilecoalition government. Other ethnic groups

such as the Kurds and Turkomen have beenswept up in the violence, and foreign ghtershave done their best to exacerbate tensions

still further with a brutal campaign of murderand intimidation.

In an effort to reign in this violence, Prime

LFT: An Iraqi detainee at the Camp Cropper detentioncenter in Baghdad.

DAVID

FURST/AFP/GeTTyIMAGeS

TOM PARKR is Amnesty International USAs policy director for terrorism,

counterterrorism and human rights. He was previously the executive director of theIran Human Rights Documentation Center in New Haven, Ct.


13/24WINTR 2010 13

Minister al-Malikis security apparatus, sup-

ported by Multi-National Force (MNF) troops,has waged an aggressive counter-insurgencycampaign of raids, searches and detentionsaimed at reducing the operational territory of

their opponents.In 2006 Iraqi government forces were

further reinforced by the creation of the

so-called Awakening Councils, Sunni militiagroups armed by the MNF. Many of theAwakening Councils consisted of former

insurgents who switched sides, as well ascriminal gangs. The councils were eventuallydisbanded, but many of their members wereincorporated into the ranks of the police and

the army. Political factions, ethnic ties andcriminal gangs corrupted the independenceand discipline of Iraqs security forces. Law

enforcement has become fragmented, vio-lent, confused and unpredictable.

In this context, the horrors of Walids case

are typical of the entire prison system, as theAI report details. For the rst three years af-ter his detention, Walids family received noofcial notication of his arrest and believed

he had simply disappeared. During theseearly years, Walid was allegedly tortured,held in solitary connement and transferred

from prison to prison until he nally endedup in the cells of the Kurdish security policeheadquarters, where he remains.

I havent seen my children for 10 years. Idid not want to see them in this terrible pre-dicament, Walid told Amnesty Internationaldelegates who visited him in June. In re-

sponse to AIs inquiries, Kurdish authoritiesoffered no indication of when they plannedto bring Walid to trial.

In addition to violations of due process,

the AI report details severe overcrowding

leading to commonplace health problems

in Iraqs prisons, and the widespread use oftortureincluding prolonged suspension,beating, asphyxiation, and rape or the threatof rape. The Iraqi Human Rights Ministry

received 574 reports of torture carried out inprisons by state ofcials in 2009 alone. Themajority of abuse appears to have occurred

in the early weeks and months of detentionand was often used to obtain confessions,upon which Iraqi courts rely heavily as evi-

dence of guilt. Hundreds of detainees haveultimately been executed on the basis ofconfessions obtained by torture.

Amnesty International currently estimates

that as many as 30,000 untried detaineesare being held by the various arms of theIraqi government in both open and secret de-

tention facilities controlled by the ministriesof justice, interior and defense.

T

he Iraqi government does not releasethe names of detainees, but AI hasidentied a number of them, amongthem Abd Jassem Mohammad Ahmed

al-Gartani, a 38-year-old civil servant, whowas kidnapped by Al Qaeda afliates in July2006 and subsequently detained by U.S.

forces after they seized the building he wasbeing held in and incorrectly identied himas a foreign Arab national. The United States

sent him to Camp Bucca, where he was heldas a suspected Al Qaeda volunteer. He wastransferred to Iraqi custody in September2009.

Dr. Adnan al-Mahdawi, the 54-year-olddean of the faculty of education at theUniversity of Diyala, was detained in Baquba

in November 2009. Soon afterward, family

members said that they received a call froman ofcer in the Ministry of Interior Counter

Terrorism Unit demanding a substantial pay-ment to secure his release. They could not

afford the ransom, and Dr. al-Mahdawi is still

in prison.For the families of detainees like Abdel-

Salam Hassan Kanabi, a car-dealership em-ployee in his early 30s, the arrival of a letter

from the International Committee of the RedCross months, or even years, after a lovedones disappearance is the rst indication

that he or she is even alive.The United States has a binding interna-

tional obligation not to transfer any individual

into the custody of a state that might abusehim, yet the same misconceived perceptionsof expediency that prompted the UnitedStates to adopt water-boarding, extraordinary

rendition and CIA black sites in the wake ofthe 9/11 attacks have also prompted a newadministration to sacrice human rights in

the pursuit of rapid political disengagementfrom Iraq.

While it is too late to halt the transfer of

detainees that swelled the ranks of the Iraqiprison system, it is more critical than everthat the human rights movement restoreand defend the principle of due process by

urging Iraqi ofcials tobring charges againstand try all prisoners

or release them im-mediately. AmnestyInternational is call-

ing on the Iraqi gov-ernment to addressthe human rightscrisis in its prisons

and on United Statesto ensure that nomore individuals are

transferred into Iraqi

custody if there isany risk that they may

face torture or otherabuse. AI

BLOW: Convicted prisoners in a prison in theKurdish town of Arbil, 220 miles north of Baghdad.

MARCO

DILAURO,GeTTyIM

AGeS]

CReDIT:PRIVATe

Dr. Adnan al-Mahdawi,in an undated photo, hasbeen detained without

charge or trial sinceNovember 2009. He iscurrently being held inal-Rusafa prison inBaghdad.

T TA ACTINon the case of alid unisAhmad and read the full textof Amnesty Internationals

Iraq report, ew rder,Same Abuses: UnlawfulDetentons and Torture

n iraq,please visitwww.amnestyusa.org/raq.


14/24


15/24WINTR 2010 15

historybut cumulatively the campaignhas helped. Most importantly, we have seen

some very real, concrete achievements in thelives of poor people in developing countries:a big reduction in extreme poverty, increased

access to water and about 40 million morekids going to school.

QAfter serving your rst several monthsas secretary general of Amnesty In-ternational, whats your assessment of theAmnesty International movement?

ATheres nothing quite comparable toAmnesty, not just in human rights but

in any sort of global movement on humancauses. In my view, of the three most pre-cious assets that Amnesty has, the rst andforemost is its membership, the 2.8 million

people who support Amnestys work. Thereis no other movement of this scale workingon these kinds of issues. The second is the

quality of the research and analysis that webring to bear on these issues. That combina-tion of the power of people and the power of

good argument is what really makes Amnestywhat it is. The third is our reputation, whichis not something that developed overnightbut has been built up over the 50 years of

work that Amnesty has done. When Amnestyspeaks, its with a high level of credibilityand authenticity, so people listen. ven

governments who dont like what Amnesty issaying cant ignore Amnesty.

QAs a human rights veteran, how do yousee Amnesty Internationals role in thehuman rights movement?

AHistorically, Amnesty International wasthe human rights movement. Much ofthe international human rights machinery

or the human rights structure at a globallevelthe ofce of the high commissioner on

human rights, the Human Rights Council ora lot of the special procedures that are nowin placewould not have been established

if not for Amnesty pushing for it, along withothers. When I worked at the United Nations,I always saw Amnesty as the most centralpart of the human rights movement, and it re-

mains the leader, although of course we nowwork in partnership with many organizationsthat have become involved over the years.

QAmnesty Internationals 50th anniver-sary is an occasion for the organization

to take stock of its accomplishments, butit is also a time to look ahead. How do youbalance the organizations legacy with itsfuture?

AThe good thing about Amnesty is that ithas always been relevant for its time. Itslike human beingswe grow and we evolve,and Amnesty International has grown andevolved. For example, before the Rwanda

genocide happened, the focus of Amnestywas on individuals. But because of the scaleof the genocide, Amnesty had to step up andstart talking about crimes against humanity

and collective violations. Its not just aboutprisoners of conscience. The work on thedeath penalty, the work on torture, the work

on prisoners of conscienceall of those arevery important things that dene Amnesty.On the death penalty, 135 countries havenow completely got rid of the death penalty

in law or in practice. Thats not a smallachievement.

In the post-Cold War context, I think we

have become more aware that one of thebiggest prisons that people live in these daysis the prison of poverty and hunger, and we

have a deep responsibility to respond.

QLast year Amnesty Internationallaunched its Demand Dignitycampaign to address poverty as a human

rights issue. What can AI contribute to thisarea of advocacy?

AAll the development organizations havestarted talking about rights-based de-velopment, but somewhat loosely. AmnestyInternational is already there, and it has the

reverse challenge of trying to understand how

rights can be applied to development. If youtake the areas Im very familiar withpov-

erty, education, health and watervery oftenwe nd that the main constraint or blockageto people actually claiming their rights is lackof information, and the right to information is

classied as a civil and political right.We have to nd ways of connecting theseareas much more systematically. But we also

need to work from Amnesty Internationalsstrengths and approach the issues fromthose areas where we know more.

QWhat are some concrete strategiesAmnesty International can use to push

for the kind of accountability that addresses

the intersection of poverty and human rights?

AWe have already done some amazingthings. The most recent thing weve doneis with a bauxite mining company called Ve-danta in eastern India. Thanks to AIs reportand campaigning, the government of India

became aware of the massive displacementof indigenous people resulting from thismining initiative. The government actually

set up a special commission of inquiry anddecided, based on the report that camefrom the commission, not to proceed with

giving a license to this company. Amnestyworked in India on this issue, but we also

ABOV: Activists from AI Peru

eNRIQUe

CASTRO-MeNDVIL/AI

AI


16/24


17/24WINTR 2010 17

LiNDA coALe, A heALthY AND vibrANt35-year-old woman from Crownsville,

Md., gave birth to her baby Benjamin byCaesarean section in September 2007.One week later, she died of a blood clotafter complaining of cramping and swelling

in her leg. Despite being at an elevated riskfor a blood clot due to her age and havingundergone a Caesarean, Linda received

little information post-partum about therisk or warning signs of the condition.

very 90 seconds a woman dies due to

complications in pregnancy or childbirth,a global human rights crisis that is a focusof Amnesty Internationals Demand Dignitycampaign. Ninety-nine percent of those

deaths happen in developing countries, al-though the United States also has a dismalrecord of maternal death. As world leaders

convened at the United Nations in Septem-

ber to evaluate progress on the U.N. Mil-lennium Development Goalsthe United

Nations global action plan to achieve eightanti-poverty goals by 2015AmnestyInternational USA activists pushed theissue of maternal mortality into the global

headlines by unveiling a maternal deathclock in New orks Times Square. AIalso gathered petitions in support of

improved maternal health signed by morethan 45,000 people.

When it comes to mortality rates

measured as the number of maternaldeaths per 100,000 live birthstheUnited States ranked 50th on a UnitedNations list of countries, behind nearly

all other industrialized nations and evenbehind not-so-prosperous ones like Serbiaand Slovakia, noted Clyde Haberman in a

lengthy New York Timescolumn publishedafter the clock was unveiled. The columnquoted AIUSA xecutive Director Larry Coxon why Amnesty International is tackling

the complex issue of maternal death as asubset of its work on poverty and humanrights: Its such a clear example of people

dying who dont need to. Thats the ulti-mate denition of a human rights issuesteps that can be taken, and arent.

Over the past year, Amnesty Interna-tional has mounted a vigorous campaign to

call national attention to the dismal stateof maternal health carea crisis borne

of poverty and the disenfranchisement ofwomenboth in the United States andinternationally. In March, AI released aground-breaking report, Deadly Delivery:

The Maternal Health Care Crisis in the USA ,which documents the structural barriersto care, inequities and lack of account-

ability in the U.S. maternal health caresystem. Decision-makers are taking notice.Congress has introduced the Maximizing

Optimal Maternity Services for the 21stCentury Act, and three other pieces oflegislation are currently in development. AIhas been instrumental in shaping all of the

proposed measures.To mobilize the public on this crucial

issue, AIUSA staged the Maternal Health

is a Human Right speakers tour, which

featured AI leaders from Burkina Faso,Peru, Sierra Leone and the USA, as well as

local maternal health experts. The events,three public town hall forums in San Fran-cisco, Detroit and New ork, focused on thematernal health crisis in each country, and

on what governments must do to end thecrisis. AIUSA also gave a standing-room-only congressional brieng for more than

100 congressional staffers and supporters

on May 6, just days before Mothers Day.

At the Women Deliver conference in Juneon global maternal health in Washington,D.C., AIUSA Research and Policy DirectorRachel Ward discussed AIs Deadly Delivery

report on a human rights panel, and thereports lead researcher Nan Strauss spokeon a panel after a screening of supermodel

Christy Turlingtons maternal health docu-mentary, No Woman, No Cry. As a result ofthe campaign, Ward was invited to Geneva

to present AIs ndings at an Interna-tional Roundtable meeting on MaternalMortality, Human Rights, and Account-ability convened by Paul Hunt, former U.N.

special rapporteur on the Right to Health.The meeting was attended by many of theworlds leading gures in the eld of human

rights and maternal mortality.In addition, this year the campaign

helped generate critical support for an

important state-level victory for maternalhealth in New ork with the passage of theMidwifery Modernization Act, which willexpand the availability of midwives, par-

ticularly in underserved communities, bothrural and urban. Amnesty activists fromaround the country mobilized in support of

the act, calling senators and assemblyper-

sons and urging their representatives topass the legislation. On June 31st, the Act

was passed unanimously by the New orkSenate and hailed by Assembly HealthCommittee Chair Richard N. Gottfried asa major victory for womens health.

f n an ns, nwss and as ss n Dand Dny caan, las s:www.amnestyusa.org/demanddignity.

demAnddignity

AISA ANCSATRNA DAT CCAnsy innanals Dand Dny aans lal y y dndn s .t aan alls n nns l ns nd nnanal law nd ans lans a l ad n yand wld.

ABOV: AIUSAs Maternal Death clock in New ork Citys Times Square.

PHOTOS

AI



iN itS 2005 RER v. SIS

DeciSioN holding the juvenile

death penalty unconstitutional,the U.S. Supreme Court citedthe evolving standards of de-cency that mark the progress of

a maturing society, a conceptthat has become important in thedeath penalty debate. Standards

of decency have evolved such that

two-thirds of the countries in theworld now outlaw the death pen-

alty in law or in practice. Over the

past year, Amnesty Internationalworked to reduce the number of

prisoners subjected to capitalpunishment both domesticallyand abroad, as well as the num-ber of countries that practice it.

At home, campaigns on behalfof death-row prisoner Troy Davis,Reggie Clemons and others have

been instrumental in bringing

public awareness to the systemicaws in the application of capital

punishment, with notable suc-

cess. AIs multi-year, global

advocacy on the Davis casehelped carry the case to the U.S.Supreme Court, which ordered a

new evidentiary hearing that tookplace in June. While Davis lostthe hearing, facing an incrediblyhigh standard to conclusively

prove innocence without thebenet of physical or scien-tic evidence, the proceedings

amplied doubt about his guilt.An appeal to the decision hasbeen led. Since the emergence

of new DNA evidence in theClemons case, AIUSA has beenincreasing public education andorganizing a petition campaign

on Clemons behalf in prepara-tion for a hearing set to takeplace early next year. And on

September 2, Ohio Governor Ted

Strickland commuted the deathsentence of Kevin Keith, one of

the cases featured in AIs global

Urgent Action Network. This

was a remarkable success giventhat the state parole board votedunanimously against a clemency

recommendation.Recent international develop-

ments support the claim that theevolving standard of decency is

taking hold around the world. Atthe United Nations, where a newmoratorium resolution will be

introduced this year, AI has beenactively campaigning and willlobby member states to join the

growing list of those opposed tothe death penalty. In India, theSupreme Court ruled in Febru-ary that long incarceration and

socioeconomic factors leading tocrime are relevant and mitigatingconsiderations for commuting

the death sentence to life impris-

onment. In Kenya, a unanimousJuly decision by a three-judge

court of appeals declared thatthe countrys mandatory deathpenalty sentence for murder wasinconsistent with the spirit and

letter of the constitution. And inMongolia, the president placeda moratorium on all executions,

denitively stating, The majorityof the worlds countries havechosen to abolish the death pen-

alty. We should follow this path.AI continues to campaign for

reform, with a particular focus onMongolia, as Parliament prepares

to review its penal code andconsider abolition of the deathpenalty. Domestically, cam-

paigns continue in states that arereconsidering their stance on thedeath penalty, particularly in Il-linois, Connecticut, Montana and

New Hampshire, where action isexpected in state legislatures. Inaddition, AI continues to cam-

paign on behalf of individuals ondeath row.

t nld w an Ai

aan n y aa, swww.amnestyusa.org/abolish.

AITIN ARS

T PRRSS AATRIN SCITt da naly s la, sldnal an s. by wn wad aln da naly wldwd,Ansy innanals Da pnalyAln caan ss nd yl ln ad y a sys ddld wn and aal as and and yan .

AI

ABOV: Troy Daviss mother, Virginia Davis, and his sister, Martina Correia, walk with Rev. Raphael Warnock and other familymembers toward the courthouse on the rst morning of the hearing (June 23, 2010); AIUSA xecutive Director Larry Cox andNAACP President and CO Benjamin Todd Jealous accompany them, behind.

deAth penAlty ABolition


19/24WINTR 2010 19

gAzAAI pushed for an international

inquiry into the May 31 Gazaotilla raid during which six shipscarrying humanitarian aid, medi-

cal equipment and constructionmaterials to the blockaded GazaStrip were boarded and seized

by Israeli defense forces. Theraid resulted in the deaths ofnine activists and provoked aglobal outcry. The CPR team

created an online action urgingPresident Obama and Secre-tary of State Hillary Clinton to

support an independent inquiryinto the incident and to speakout against the illegal blockadeon Gaza. CPR is also conducting

a postcard action in support oflifting the unlawful blockade, tobe delivered to the White House

in early 2011.

sri lAnkAThroughout the summer, AI fo-cused grassroots pressure on the

U.S. government and the UnitedNations to call for an internation-

al investigation into war crimescommitted during the 26-yearwar between Sri Lankan security

forces, composed mainly of Sin-halese Sri Lankans, and rebelsfrom the ethnic Tamil minority

group. AIUSA helped secure 58signatures for a congressionalDear Colleague letter urgingSecretary Clinton to call for the

investigation. In addition, AIUSAhas to date collected nearly33,500 signatures in support of

the inquiry, which will be deliv-ered to U.N. Secretary-GeneralBan Ki-moon in early 2011.

kyrgyzstAnAIUSA closely monitored recentclashes in southern Kyrgyzstan

between rival gangs of mostlyKyrgyz and Uzbek youths thatrapidly escalated, resulting in

hundreds of thousands of Uzbekseeing the country. AIUSAs

Science for Human Rights teamreleased satellite images docu-

menting attacks against civiliansand civilian infrastructure, as wellas more than 100 SOS signs.

These images came at a criticaltime, ahead of the countrysconstitutional referendum to

approve a new constitution andendorse a provisional presidentuntil the end of 2011, andshortly afterward a senior U.N.

ofcial warned of the likelihoodof renewed violence. Usingthe images, AIUSA mobilized

15,000 activists to push for aninternational investigation intothe crimes committed duringthe violence in the south of the

country.

sudAnIn the coming months, AI willclosely monitor developments inSudan ahead of a referendum

that may lead to the indepen-dence of South Sudan. The

referendum, scheduled forJanuary 9, 2011, is the result of

the 2005 peace deal betweenthe former rebels, the SudanPeoples Liberation Movement/

Army, and the ruling NationalCongress Party, ending 22 yearsof civil war between the north

and the south. Core provisionsof the Comprehensive PeaceAgreement, such as borderdemarcation and the sharing of

oil, water and debt have yet to bedetermined and threaten peaceand stability.

t say dad and aan, las s http://blog.amnestyusa.org/tag/sudanwww.amnestyusa.org/sudan.

ACTIoN oN humAN RIghTS

CRISeS ACRoSS The globe

ABOV LFT: Displaced civilians,in transit between Kilinochchi andMulathiv, Sri Lanka, during the last fewmonths of the countrys civil war.ABOV RIGHT: Child soldiers ghtingin the oil elds, Sudan.

PRIVATe

R

eUTeRS

Ansy innanals css pnn and rsns (cpr) alzs Ai s and ss a an n n ans ss wldwd. t aan as nd and ad n aay dln ss.

crisis prevention And response



After YeArS of cAmpAigNiNg on behalf of

Mohammed al-Odaini, who was detainedat Guantnamo for more than eight years,Amnesty International USA activists wel-comed news of his release in June. Al-Odaini

had been held without charge by the U.S.government since the age of 18. The U.S.government initially denied him a lawyer and

habeas corpus, the right to challenge the

lawfulness of his detention. Although he wascleared for release under President George

W. Bush, he remained detained at Guant-namo for more than four additional yearsbecause ofcials refused to send him backto his native emen or let him come to the

United States, and they failed to nd anothercountry to resettle him.

Al-Odainis case was featured in AIs

2009 Global Write-a-thon and 2010 JuneTorture Awareness Month activities. Localgroups 50, 139 and 708 took up his case,

and former U.S. military interrogator Mat-thew Alexander joined AIs call for immediateresolution of the case. Al-Odaini is now withhis family in emen, and his lawyer sent this

message to Amnesty International: We hadan uphill ght. But with Amnesty Internation-als support, we persuaded the government

to return Mr. al-Odaini to emen and reunitehim with his family. Only the kind of broadpublic support Amnesty brings to bear couldensure such a happy ending. I cannot thank

you enough.AI also welcomed the release of two broth-

ers, Bahtiyar Mahnut and Arkin Mahmud,

Uighurs from China who were resettled inSwitzerland after being held in Guantnamofor nearly eight years without charge. AIUSA

members had sent letters and e-mails,made calls and written to their local papers

for many years on their behalf, and AIUSA

local groups 371 and 15 had focused ontheir cases.

Amnesty Internationals work to end U.S.human rights violations remains an urgent

priority. Guantnamo is still operating.Indenite detention and unfair trials in thename of national security continue. Impunity

for the U.S. governments torture program

persists. At press time, 174 detainees re-main unlawfully detained at Guantnamo and

hundreds more at the U.S. detention facilityin Bagram, Afghanistan. President Obamahas embraced both the practice of indenitedetention without charge and the use of mili-

tary commissions at Guantanamokangaroo

courts created by politicians that do not

meet international standards for fair trials.AI is closely following the case of Adnan

Latif, who has been held in Guantnamowithout charge or trial for more than eight

years. He has reportedly attempted suicideand written that the circumstances in whichhe is held makes death more desirable than

living. He said, I nd no taste for life, sleepor rest.

The U.S. government has violated Latifs

right to due process. arlier this year, a U.S.District Court judge ordered Latif released,

but the Department of Justice has appealedthat decision. AI is calling on the U.S. gov-ernment to either charge Latif with a crime

and try him fairly in U.S. federal court orrelease him. The United States is obligatedunder international law to respect the due

process rights of Latif and all the otherGuantnamo detainees who remain incarcer-ated without charge or trial.

While progress toward ending and ensur-ing accountability for tor ture and unlawfuldetention can be slow, the power of collectiveactionmillions of people around the world

speaking in one voiceis an effective wayto pressure the U.S. government to respecthuman rights and live up to its international

legal obligations.t a an n Adnan Las as,

las s: www.amnestyusa.org/latif.f n an ns, nws -

s and as ss n cnt W Js aan, las swww.amnestyusa.org/ctwj.

t nld w aan, [email protected].

ANTNA

RASSAID CNTININIATINSt cn t W Js aan ws ndand ns analy , llal dnn and an s lans d n na

nn s. Ai ws d -ss and a a al and s u.S. nn san s and n w js, n .

nly the kind of broad publicsupport Amnesty brings tobear could ensure such ahappy ending. I cannot thank

you enough. Mohammed al-Odainis lawyer

counter terror With justice

LFT: Mohammed al-Odiani; RIGHT: Adnan Latif

PHOTOS

PRIVATe


21/24WINTR 2010 21

ach December during Amnesty Internationals Global Write-a-thon,

AI supporters around the world come together to write for rights, writ-ing and sending letters on behalf of people at risk of torture, impris-

onment or persecution. Last year the event, timed to correspond withInternational Human Rights Day, garnered record-breaking participa-tion by U.S. activists, who signed petitions and sent letters, faxesand emails to call upon governments and international institutions to

uphold and protect human rights. In this country alone, more than12,000 people participated, up from 7,000 the year before.

Can such a quaint tactic work in the digital age? Amnesty Inter-

national has shown that it does. The phenomenal level of activismduring the 2009 Writea-thon contributed to the release of manyindividuals at risk within months of the event, including:

mssad A fa, an gyptian Bedouin activist detained withouttrial for almost three years after demonstrating against the demoli-tion of thousands of homes near the Gaza Strip border.

mad al-odan, who spent eight years without charge inGuantnamo before being released to his home country of emen.

ban mdsa, the leader of the thiopian Unity for Democra-cy and Justice Party, freed from Kaliti prison after serving 21 months

of a life sentence.This December, AIUSAs Individuals at Risk campaign aims to

continue its tradition of breaking the previous years Write-a-thonrecord for number of participants. plas jn s as an nddall-w s a W rs n and n nds, alyand s y ny jn all an s.rs n, w s D. 412, y snwww.amnestyusa.org/writeathon.

A RIT-A-TNtAke pArt in the Worlds lArgest letter-Writing event

individuAlsAtrisk Sn s nn, Ansy innanal

as ad sns nsnand nddals a s ssan s lans. t inddals ars aan as ld nlss ndd-als n d sn, sad - and d da as.

AuNg SAN Suu kYi ANDSu Su NWAYPRISONRS OF CON-

SCINC, MANMARAung San Suu Kyi, NobelPeace Prize laureate, has

spent 15 of the past 21years in some form ofdetention because of her

efforts to uphold humanrights in Myanmar. Laboractivist Su Su Nway isserving a sentence of eight

years and six months in aremote prison, far from herfamily, for taking part in

anti-government protests.

femi peterSPOLITICAL ACTIVISTAND PRISONR OFCONSCINC, GAMBIAFemi Peters is the cam-

paign manager for the

United Democratic Party, apolitical opposition party inGambia. In October 2009

he was arrested during apeaceful political demon-stration and charged with a

number of crimes includ-ing control of use of loudspeakers in public. After

months of trial, he wasconvicted and sentenced toa mandatory jail term. AI isseriously concerned for his

health amid appalling prisonconditions.

fiLep kArmA

PRISONR OF CON-SCINC, INDONSIA

Filep Karma is serving15 years in prison for hisrole in a peaceful demon-stration. The former civil

RIT A TTR,SA A IBelow is a selection of cases for the2010 Global Write-a-thon. For morecases and detailed information, pleasevisit www.amnestyusa.org/writeathon.

ABOV: Leila writing a letter for Amnestys Global Write-a-thon, Ottawa, Canada.The global letter-writing event was initiated by AI Poland on December 10, 2002,to mark International Human Rights Day.

ABOV: Schools groups in Rybnik take part in the AI Poland Letter

writing marathon December 2005.

cont. next page

AI

AI



individuAls At risk

memBer services

: cAN i buY more AmNeStY

hoLiDAY greetiNg cArDS?

i eNJoYeD the oNeS You SeNt.

A: We print these cards aspromotional items only for our

seasonal mailings. We do not sell,but may be able to send you someremaining stock or returns for a

modest donation. Other cardsare available for purchase at ourwebsite [www.amnestyusa.org]

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hoLiDAY giftS. cAN i give AN Am-

NeStY memberShip AS A gift?

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you an acknowledgment and agift-card notication to the recipi-ent. Act early so your gift card

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TH FOLLOWING Q & A ADDRSSS COMMONCONCRNS THAT OUR MMBRS BRING TOUS. THANK OU FOR SUPPORTING AMNST

INTRNATIONAL USA.

AmNeStY iNterNAtioNAL, Winter 2010, VOL XXXVII, NO. 4. AmnestyInternational (USPS #016-307), a quarterly magazine sent for a subscription of$1 from each members dues, is published by Amnesty International USA, 5 PennPlaza, New ork, N 10001. POSTMASTR: Send address changes to AmnestyInternational, attn: Member Services, 5 Penn Plaza, New ork, N 10001.Printed in USA by Consolidated Color Press. Periodicals postage paid at Nework, N, and additional mailing ofces.

ou can also nd meaningful,fairly-traded and ethical gifts at

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Ways to Support Amnesty tolink directly to Amazon.com.

: iD Like to reNeW mY Support

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itS upcomiNg 50th ANNiverSArY

YeAr. WhAt iS the eASieSt WAY

to give?

A: Consider starting an auto-matic pledge to the Partners

of Conscience program. oucan make a monthly pledge toAmnesty International using

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(Please include your full nameand address.)WWW.AESSA.RG

servant was arrested in 2004for raising the Morning Star ag

symbolizing Papuan indepen-dence from Indonesia.

mAJiD tAvAkkoLiSTUDNT ACTIVIST AND PRIS-ONR OF CONSCINC, IRANStudent leader Majid Tavakkoli

was arrested on December 7,2009, for speaking at a dem-onstration marking Student Day

in Iran. Following a trial his ownlawyer was not allowed to attend,he was sentenced to eight and

a half years in prison. He nowsuffers from a serious respiratorycondition that may deterioratewhile he is imprisoned.

NormA cruZHUMAN RIGHTS DFNDR,

GUATMALANorma Cruz leads a womensrights organization, Survivors

Foundation, based in GuatemalaCity. As a result of her work

documenting cases of violenceagainst women and ghting forjustice, she has been repeatedly

threatened with death. Some ofher relatives have also sufferedthreats and attacks.

reggie cLemoNSDATH ROW PRISONR, USAThe case of Reggie Clemons

illustrates many of the aws inthe U.S. death penalty system.Clemons, who has maintained

his innocence, was sentenced todeath in Missouri as an accom-plice in the 1991 murder of twowomen. The Missouri Supreme

Court has assigned a judge toinvestigate the reliability of hisconviction and proportionality of

his sentence.

WALiD YuNiS AhmADUNLAWFUL DTNTION, IRAQ

Walid unis Ahmad went miss-ing after his arrest on February6, 2000. For three years, his

family wondered whether he wasalive before learning that he wasdetained and tortured by au-thorities in Iraqi Kurdistan. After

more than 10 years, the securityagency, Asayish, continues tohold him in solitary connement

although they have yet to chargehim with an offense or bring himto trial.

RIT A TTR, SA A I(CNTIND)

TOP RIGHT: Arundathy, ofce volun-teer with AI Canada in Toronto,readyto post 340 letters written at their

Write-a-thon. Amongst the casesthey took up was that of MehmetTarhan, a conscientious objector andprisoner of conscience in Turkey.

BOTTOM RIGHT: The marathon gener-ated 705 letters collected from 104youth members of seven youth groups.

PHOTOS

AI


23/24WINTR 2010 23

iNDigeNouS peopLeS throughout the WorLD have somethingprofound and important to teach those of us who live in the so-calledmodern world. I have long believed this to be true, even before I dis-covered to my delight that I was related to the San People of southern

Africa. I suspect that if each of us looks far enough back into ourgenome we will discover that we are all indeed related.

Indigenous Peoples remind us of this fact. They teach us that the

rst law of our being is that we are set in a delicate network of inter-dependence with our fellow human beings and with the rest of cre-ation. In Africa recognition of our interdependence is called ubuntu.It speaks of the fact that my humanity is caught up and is inextrica-

bly bound up in yours. I am human because I belong to the whole,to the community, to the tribe, to the nation, to the earth. Ubuntu isabout wholeness, about compassion for life.

Ubuntu has to do with the very essence of what it means to be hu-man, to know that you are bound up with others in the bundle of life. Inour fragile and crowded world we can survive only together. We can be

truly free, ultimately, only together. We canbe human only together. To care about the

rights of Indigenous Peoples is to care aboutthe relatives in ones own human family.

The Indigenous Peoples of the world have

a gift to give that the world needs desper-ately, this reminder that we are made forharmony, for interdependence. If we are evertruly to prosper, it will be only together.

And this also includes what used to becalled inanimate nature, but what theelders have always known were relatives

in the family of earth. When Africans said,Oh, dont treat that tree like that, it feelspain, others used to say, Ah, theyre pre-

scientic, theyre primitive. It is wonderfulnow how we are beginning to discover that itis truethat that tree does hurt, and if youhurt the tree, in an extraordinary way you

hurt yourself. very place you stand is holyground; every shrub has the ability to be theburning bush, if we have eyes to see.

We owe a very great debt of gratitude

to those who remember the old ways tolive and honor the earth. And yet, we have

ignored them, oppressed them and evenstripped them of the land that is their life.The United Nations Declaration on theRights of Indigenous Peoples is an impor-

tant step toward protecting these vulnerablemembers of our human family, toward givingthem the dignity and the respect that they

so richly deserve.We must be grateful to those who remind

us of our common bond. The work of Dana

Gluckstein embodies ubuntu. It helps usto truly see, not just appearances, but es-sences, to see as God sees us, not just thephysical form, but also the luminous soul

that shines through us. Look into the eyesof your relatives, those distant cousins youhave not seen in so many years, for whom

your heart ached without knowing. Greeteach other again, with the love and healing that comes with reunion,and know that in protecting their rights and their way of life, youprotect the well-being of us all and the future we share, for we are all,

everyone of us, precious members of the family of earth.

ed Dignity, a as y Dana glsn s u.N. Dlaan n rs indns plsand la Ansy innanals 50 annsay. Dignitys lsd y whs bs, and a n ds

wll dnad Ansy innanal. t as, swww.amnestyusa.org/store.

NT

TOP: Hawaiian Chanter, 1996; BOTTOM: Archbishop Desmond Tutu

the essence of humAnity

By ArchBishop desmond tutu

photogrAphs By dAnA gluckstein

perspectives


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ai newsletter december 2010

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