Weekly Action and News 28/10/2022
Manchester Amnesty Weekly Action
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Morad Tahbaz
Yesterday we heard the terrible news that UK citizen Morad Tahbaz has been returned to Evin Prison. You may recall that Morad, a conservationist who received an arbitrary and unjust ten year sentence in 2019, and who is in poor health, was temporarily released from prison on the day that Nazanin Zaghari Ratcliffe and Anoosheh Ashoori were released and flown out of Iran. In a cruel sequence of events, he did not fly out with them, was returned to jail two days later, then furloughed with severe restrictions in July. But now he is back in jail. Amnesty are calling on the UK government to step up pressure on the Iranian authorities to secure his immediate release. Help get Morad home to his family (amnesty.org.uk)
GOOD NEWS! The Acoustic Amnesty party on Friday, 18th November, is going ahead.
Ticket sales still open for the great line up of singers, bands, poets and a DJ spinning dance tunes.
100% of ticket sales will go to good causes including Amnesty Manchester
Door time 6:00pm, Start time 7:30pm
Manchester 53two, Arch 19, Watson Street, M3 4LP
Click on the link below and book your ticket TODAY!
WeGotTickets | Simple, honest ticketing | Acoustic Amnesty is going electric and having a party
Forthcoming events
Join JUSTICE and the Ombudsman Association on Wednesday 2 November for a free lecture on Democracy and the Rule of Law (title TBC) delivered by the Rt. Hon. Sir Ernest Ryder.
Registration: from 5:30pm
Lecture: 6pm, followed by a drinks reception,
Location: Manchester Monastery, Manchester, M12 5WF
Book your ticket here
JUSTICE are grateful to the Ombudsman Association for their support of this event.
If you have any questions, please email events@justice.org.uk.
Wednesday 9th November, Rethink Rebuild Syria and Migrant Destitution Fund
in association with Galeforce films present Hostile – an award-winning documentary about the UK’s complicated relationship with migrant communities.
Available on social media platforms and as a screening plus Q&A with the director, Sonita Gale.
Instagram and Twitter Hostile: @hostiledoc @galeforcefilms
The Amos Trust’s Christmas Tour “We are not numbers”
will be in Manchester on Friday 25th November.
Featuring the Trust’s partners from Gaza, a host of local performers, poetry, music, and special guests, proceeds from the evening will go towards Amos Trust’s Christmas appeal supporting their work in Gaza. Refreshments will be served and Christmas merchandise sold after the event.
Venue: St Margaret’s Church, Rufford Road, Whalley Range, M16 8AE at 7pm.
For more details and to book your place check out the Trust’s Christmas Tour page and for details of their Christmas appeal and to make a donation, please visit amostrust.org/christmas-appeal.
Good news
On 21 October, 2022, the Spanish airline Privilege Style announced that it will no longer be involved in the UK government’s plan to fly refugees to Rwanda. This followed a concerted campaign led by Freedom from Torture, involving thousands of emails, tweets, and stunts directed at the company, and an open letter to Spanish football clubs which gained over 10,000 signatures.
On 20 October, 2022, two UK all party parliamentary groups (APPGs) met with Palestinian and Israeli human rights defenders and heard about the crimes of apartheid and other human rights violations faced by Palestinians.
On 17 October, 2022, Turkish medical student Mustafa Enis Durak, 22, was acquitted on appeal of terrorism charges arising from his links with the Gulen movement, and released from prison. He had previously been sentenced to seven and a half years in prison.
On 15 October 2022, President William Ruto of Kenya announced the dissolution of the Special Services Unit of the Police Forces, making express reference to past cases of extrajudicial executions in which that Unit had been involved.
On 5 and 12 October 2022, two Eritrean nationals were extradited from Ethiopia to the Netherlands and Italy respectively. They are accused of trafficking migrants and refugees from Africa to Europe and of subjecting them to torture, denial of food, sexual violence and exploitation in Libyan detention centers.
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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