Weekly Action and News 20/09/2024
Manchester Amnesty Weekly Action and News
Please do this action and make a difference
Maryia Kalesnikava has been arbitrarily detained for four years for her prominent role in the 2020 election and subsequent peaceful protests in Belarus and held for over 500 days incommunicado. She is denied any external calls, visits, letters, and furthermore, is not allowed to speak with other prisoners. According to confidential sources, Maryia’s health has deteriorated gravely and she weighs only 45 kilos. Her treatment, including the denial of medical care she requires, amounts to torture or other ill-treatment and puts her life at risk.
By clicking the link below, you can send an email to the Belarusian Minister of the Interior demanding that Mariya is immediately and unconditionally released. While awaiting release, she must no longer be subjected to torture and solitary confinement, and must receive the medical care she needs.
***THIS EVENING*** MANCHESTER AMNESTY SILENT VIGIL
Silent vigil calling for a permanent ceasefire
and the protection of all civilians in Palestine and Israel.
St Peters Square, Manchester, Friday 20th September, 5-6pm.
Please do not bring placards, banners or flags.
We will provide placards with Amnesty’s messages. Feel free to bring your friends.
We will continue with the weekly vigils until further notice.
More information about how we plan to adapt to the winter months will be issued soon.
We have decided to postpone our fundraising Human Rights Walk to the Spring (exact date to be confirmed). We are still seeking a person to take on the role of publicising the walk. This involves making or modifying a flyer, distributing as widely as possible and keeping a note of what you’ve done. Easy! Please let alison.wearden@gmail.com know if you are interested in taking on this role.
Our next bi-monthly appeal-writing drop-in session will take place on
Saturday, September 28th, 2-4pm in the café area in Manchester Central Library.
All information and materials to write your appeals will be provided, or you may prefer to send an email or tweet, in which case please bring your own device. (Wifi is available). The appeal writing is serious of course, but there is always a lot of convivial chat as we write. Do feel free to drop in for half an hour or stay for the whole session.
Amnesty North West Regional Conference,
10-4pm, Saturday, 23rd November
at the Cross Street Chapel, Cross Street, Manchester, M2 1NL.
Topics covered will include anti-racism, anti-death penalty, craftivism, the human rights implications of face recognition technology, and more! There will be displays about the activities of local groups and a discussion of how we can develop our work in the North West.
All welcome. Registration £10/£5, details of how to register will follow.
Non-Amnesty events and actions
Show your support for environmental activists who have been imprisoned.
22 climate activists have been jailed or remanded in custody for non-violent protest since the new government came into power. You can see who they are here.
Please write an email and offer support to the people in prison for their peaceful climate actions with Just Stop Oil. This email will be forwarded to all the people currently in prison for their climate activism. Please keep the message short. Time available to read emails is often very restricted.
Send an email to: emailallprisoners@gmail.com
Greater Manchester Friends of Palestine and other organisations
National March on the eve of the Labour Party conference
Calling for an end to the genocide in Gaza and for the UK to stop arming Israel.
12 noon Saturday, 21st Sept, St George’s Mount, Lime Street, Liverpool. More details here or here
Whalley Range Peace and Justice Stand with Palestine
Each Wednesday 4.30-5.30 at Brooks Bar M16 7RN
Please support these events but please do not take Amnesty banners.
Good news
India - On September 11, 2024, the High Court in Patna, in the state of Bihar, commuted to life imprisonment the death sentences of four men who had taken part in the attack on an election rally of current Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014.
Manchester Amnesty issue and campaign coordinators
Anti-racism –Hazel Errey hazelerrey@gmail.com
Craftivism – Lima Al-Iskalachi limazakoor@gmail.com
Europe/ Turkey Fatih Segmen - fsegmen@yahoo.com
Human Rights in the UK Iona Bruce – ifbruce99@gmail.com
Individuals at Risk (bi-monthly appeal writing drop ins and Write for Rights in Nov/Dec) – Anne Walker anne.walker9@ntlworld.com
Israel's Apartheid Against Palestinians - Mike Reed mikewreed101@gmail.com
LGBTQ+ and Pride – Zoe Song weiyi.zoe.song@gmail.com
Press freedom and Julian Assange – Lima Al-iskalachi limazakoor@gmail.com & Danny Jones dannyj644@gmail.comsu
Refugees Whatsapp group – Alison Wearden alison.wearden@gmail.com
UAE – Kathryn Fletcher bussk@btinternet.com
Our website Manchester | Amnesty International UK [amnesty.org.uk] (managed by Alison Wearden)
X/Twitter @amnestymanc [twitter.com] (managed by Steve Lindsay – stevenjameslindsay@gmail.com)
Facebook Manchester Amnesty Group [facebook.com]
Instagram @amnestymanchester [instagram.com] (managed by Sara Baptista - sarabm6@gmail.com)
Alison Wearden
Communications Secretary
Manchester Group of Amnesty International
Please contact me with items for our Weekly Action and News email, or with ideas for longer articles for the quarterly Manchester Amnesty Group Bulletin.
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