Weekly Action and News 27/01/2023
Manchester Amnesty Weekly Action and News
Today, 27th January, is Holocaust Memorial day. Readers will probably have seen the video of Holocaust survivor Joan Salter asking Home Secretary Suella Braverman to stop using terms like “invasion” when speaking about people coming to this country seeking refuge. She argued that use of language like this dehumanises people and paves the way for actions which disregard their human rights. Please sign this open letter written by Joan and distributed by Freedom from Torture. Add your voice to the call for our government to honour the provisions of the UN Convention on Refugee Rights, to provide safe passage for refugees, and to treat our fellow human beings with compassion and kindness.
*****Tomorrow*****
Bi monthly letter writing drop-in.
Enjoy a convivial afternoon with friends, writing Amnesty appeal letters for individuals at risk.
Saturday, 28th January, 2-4pm, café area of Manchester Central Library.
We will be writing urgent appeals for cases in Peru, Cambodia, Israel and Iran, plus a letter for Ahmed Mansoor, who is imprisoned in the UAE.
All materials provided. If you prefer to send an email, please bring a device. Free wifi is available.
We will also be making “Protect the Protest” ankle tags
Children of all ages might enjoy this activity!
There is no need to book a place, just drop in for half an hour, or for the whole two hours!
Saturday, 28th January, Busking4Assange3.
1pm Market Street Manchester.
A street music performance with the amazing Little Big Wings and Elk on his saxophone and @Zolatec on the steel drums.
In support of political prisoner, journalist
Assange.
(19) Busking4Assange3 | Facebook
Important notice about forthcoming group meetings – please read!
For various reasons, there will be some changes to our monthly group meeting times and places over the coming months.
Our next group meeting, February 13th 2023, will take place at Manchester Central Library with the earlier start time of 6pm and will be the Annual General Meeting. It will be a hybrid meeting so that those who are unable to attend in person will be able to join online. More details will be provided in the newsletter and via emails to the group.
On 13th March 2023, our usual group meeting will be replaced by a joint meeting with Freedom from Torture, with Sergei Nikitin speaking about Human Rights in Russia. That will also take place at Manchester Central Library at 6pm, and full details will be provided nearer the time.
In April and May, both second Mondays are bank holidays, Easter Monday and the additional coronation bank holiday. The coordinators group is currently discussing possible alternative dates for the meetings, and we will let you know what has been decided as soon as we can.
Forthcoming event
We are pleased to announce our next Acoustic Amnesty event,
in conjunction with our friends from
Women Asylum Seekers Together (WAST).
With 6 choirs, 3 poets, a singer and a band.
Friday 17th February, 7pm,
at Sacred Trinity Church in Salford.
Please share the attached flyer and publicise this event widely.
Tickets are available here: WeGotTickets | Simple, honest ticketing | Acoustic Amnesty - choirs and friends
Amnesty Children’s Human Rights Network is looking for new committee members. If you have a passion for the rights of children, an interest in one of the subgroup areas (climate, provisions, right to vote, children at risk) and are able to attend weekly online meetings, you can apply by sending a brief biography (max 300 words) to childrensnetwork@amnesty.org.uk, where you can also obtain further information about the roles.
Good news
Iran - December 2022, the Supreme Court overturned the death sentence on LGBTQIA+ rights defenders and activists Zahra Sedighi-Hamadani and Elham Choubar. They had been sentenced to death because of their sexual orientation and for promoting their community's rights on social media platforms.
United States of America - On January 16, 2023, the company Airgas said that it will not provide "systems to carry out death sentences by nitrogen hypoxia" to prisons in the state of Alabama, as doing so would be "contrary to corporate values". Alabama is one of three U.S. states that has reintroduced the gas chamber as a method of execution.
Philippines - On January 18, 2023, the Court of Appeal for Tax Crimes acquitted journalist Maria Ressa and the company Rappler, owner of the portal of the same name, of the crime of tax evasion. Since 2018, the investigative journalist, Nobel Peace Prize winner in 2021, has been haunted by numerous politically motivated allegations.
European Union / Morocco - On 19 January 2023, for the first time in 25 years, the European Parliament passed a resolution condemning the violation of press freedom in Morocco and calling for the release of journalists Omar Radi, Soulaiman Raissouni and Taoufik Bouachrine.
United Kingdom - On 19 January 2023, after the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights and the UN Special Rapporteurs on Human Rights, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights asked the UK government to withdraw the Northern Ireland Riots Act, which is seen as political interference in the investigative action of the judiciary.
Iran - On 21 January 2023, well-known human rights defender Aresh Sadeghi was released on bail, having been arrested on October 12, 2022 for undisclosed reasons.
Egypt - Safwan Thabet, Egyptian businessman and founder of the dairy company Juhayna Food Industries, and his son Seif, were released from detention on January 21, 2023. They had been in prison since December 2020 and February 2021 respectively, without charge or trial, after refusing to hand over ownership of the family business to the state.
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 – Next meeting Wednesday 22nd February, 6pm, on zoom, contact Kathryn Fletcher for joining link, bussk@btinternet.com
Refugees – Next meeting, tbc, please contact Alison Wearden, if you would like to join alison.wearden@gmail.com
Anti-racism – Next meeting, tbc, please contact Hazel Errey if you would like to join hazelerrey@gmail.com
Craftivism –Next meeting Sunday 29th January 6pm on zoom, please contact Kathryn Fletcher if you would like to join bussk@btinternet.com
Individuals at Risk (bi-monthly letter writing drop ins) Next session, Saturday, 28th January 2-4pm, then 4th Saturday in March, May, July, September, November. Manchester Central Library, café area. Contact Anne Walker for more information anne.walker9@ntlworld.com
Other areas of work are led by:
Israel's Apartheid Against Palestinians Mike Reed mikewreed101@gmail.com
Crisis and Tactical Afghanistan, Myanmar, Syria, Ukraine, Yemen Rebecca Shaw, r.h.shaw.7@gmail.com
Europe/ Turkey, Fatih Segmen, fsegmen@yahoo.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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