Weekly Action and News 25/11/2022
Manchester Amnesty Weekly Action
Please do this action and make a difference
Shahnewaz Chowdhury – one of the 2022 Write for Rights cases.
Members who were at our October meeting will remember that we were joined by Shahnewaz Chowdhury, a Bangladeshi environmental activist who faces jail for a Facebook post about the detrimental impact of a local power plant. He was arrested in May, detained for 80 days in inhumane conditions, and then released on bail in August to await trial. If convicted, he faces many years in prison. We told Shahnewaz that we would support him during the Write for Rights campaign. We are asking anyone who is unable to attend one of our in-person sessions (see below) to write to the Minister of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs urging that the charges against Shahnewaz are immediately and unconditionally dropped. Then please send a card or letter to Shahnewaz to show your solidarity and support. More details and addresses for letters or cards can be found on page 6 of this year’s Write for Rights booklet, which you can access here
Write for Rights 2022
This year’s Write for Rights campaign focuses on the right to protest. Protest is powerful, but this precious right is under attack globally from politicians, governments and regimes who fear change and accountability. The people featured have all been punished in some way for using their right to protest. You can find out more at https://www.amnesty.org.uk/write.
Central Library Drop-in ***TOMORROW*** Saturday 26th November
Drop into our appeal writing session at Central Library on Saturday 26th November 2-4pm. We will be featuring this year’s WfR’s cases. Find the stall near the café on the ground floor.
Manchester Cathedral Stall ̴ Wednesday 30th November
Volunteers needed to help with the stall!
We have been given permission to set up a stall in the cathedral nave from 10am-4.30pm. We will encourage visitors to the cathedral to write a solidarity message to the WfR’s cases. If you can help on the stall, if only for an hour or two, please email anne.walker9@ntlworld.com.
Other ways to get involved:
- Pop into the Write for Rights event at St Margaret’s church in Whalley Range on the afternoon of Saturday December 3rd 2-5pm, organised by Whalley Range Peace and Justice group.
- Come along to our in-person December Group Meeting on Monday 12th December, 6 – 7.30pm, at Central Library and write your messages in good company with a mince pie in hand.
- Organise a Write for Rights session at work, church, at home with friends etc. We can provide materials, help, and support.
If you can’t make any of these events or organise one yourself, please still take part at home by writing greetings cards with messages of support and appeal letters to the authorities.
Other events
Members may be interested in a new exhibition at the People’s History Museum about the history of the fight for the rights of people with disabilities. On now until October of next year. Nothing About Us Without Us - People's History Museum: The national museum of democracy (phm.org.uk)
Good news
Myanmar - On 16 November 2022, in the context of a partial amnesty decreed on the occasion of a national holiday, some foreign detainees were released, including Sean Turnell (economic adviser to Aung San Suu Kyi), former British ambassador Vicky Bowman and Japanese director Toru Kobuta.
Italy - On November 17, 2022, the City Council of Verona annulled a 1995 motion that committed the city council “not to deliberate measures that tend to equate the rights of homosexual couples with those of 'natural' families consisting of a man and a woman".
Manchester Amnesty Subgroups and other work
If you would like to join any of our subgroups, please contact the current convenors for joining details.
UAE – Kathryn Fletcher, bussk@btinternet.com
Anti-racism – Hazel Errey, hazelerrey@gmail.com,
Refugees – Alison Wearden, alison.wearden@gmail.com
HR in UK – Matthew Sherwood, m.j.sherwood@outlook.com
Craftivism - Kathryn Fletcher bussk@btinternet.com
Other areas of work are led by:
Crisis and Tactical Afghanistan, Myanmar, Syria, Ukraine, Yemen Rebecca Shaw, r.h.shaw.7@gmail.com
Europe/ Turkey, Fatih Segmen, fsegmen@yahoo.com
Israel's Apartheid Against Palestinians Mike Reed mikewreed101@gmail.com
Individuals at Risk (quarterly letter writing) Anne Walker anne.walker9@ntlworld.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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