Stand Against Poverty

Thanks so much to everyone who attended Stand Against Poverty on Friday!

Stand Against Poverty is a global campaign to fight global poverty and inequality and to support the Millennium Development Goals. To get involved in Amnesty's campaign against poverty, come to one of our meetings or email us!

Take Action Now: Expand the Arms Embargo on Sudan

Despite the current UN ban on weapons to Darfur, arms continue to find their way into this conflict-torn region, helping prolong the conflict and contribute to the loss of life and home for thousands of innocent civilians. An October 2007 United Nations’ Panel of Experts report highlighted, for example, the Sudanese government’s use of Russian supplied Mi-24 helicopters for attacks in Darfur. Sudanese armed opposition groups committing grave human rights abuses in Darfur have also allegedly received arms from Chad.

What You Can Do: Call on your representatives to support Senate Resolution 660 and House Resolution 1462, which call for an expansion of the UN arms embargo. Right now, our chapter is urging Senator Feinstein to support this important legislation, because she is not a co-sponsor of the bill. Write a letter to her here... send it online or--even better--print a letter and bring it to the meeting next Tuesday and we'll mail it for you!

Take Action Now: Stop the Execution of Troy Davis (Updated 9/24/08)

UPDATE, 9/24/08: The U.S. Supreme Court stayed the execution for Troy Davis, originally scheduled for Tuesday evening, until Monday September 29. The court will decide on Monday whether or not to hear Davis' appeal. You can still urge the Georgia Board of Pardons and Parole to reconsider their decision: http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/siteapps/advocacy/index.aspx?c=jhKPIXPCIoE&b=2590179&template=x.ascx&action=11288.

In the face of an overwhelming public outcry the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles shockingly refused to grant clemency to Troy Davis on Friday.

Mr. Davis' serious claims of innocence, which include the recantation of 7 out of 9 witnesses, have never been heard in court. Further, no murder weapon was found and no physical evidence linked Davis to the crime.

Troy Davis is scheduled to be executed by the state of Georgia on September 23 at 7pm.

The Board of Pardons and Paroles can still revisit Mr. Davis' case, so take action today: http://www.amnestyusa.org/troydavis.

Something else you can do: go to http://www.ktvu.com/deathrow/index.html to vote in a poll on the death penalty.

Events: First General Meeting

The first general meeting for Amnesty International will be next Tuesday, September 9, at 7PM in 263 Dwinelle. Come to our meeting to learn more about Amnesty, get involved in our current letter writing campaigns, help brainstorm events for the semester, meet other human rights activists, and enjoy free food. I hope to see you there!

Events: Film Festival: Human Rights in South Asia

Hey Amnesty members! Check out a great event that's happening at Berkeley this weekend!

ASSOCIATION FOR INDIA'S DEVELOPMENT (Berkeley chapter)
presents

FILM FESTIVAL: HUMAN RIGHTS IN SOUTH ASIA
http://berkeley.aidindia.org/node/13
FILM FESTIVAL WEEKEND

Saturday, September 6th, 4 - 6 pm and

Sunday, September 7th, 11am - 2 pm

AT: 110 SOUTH HALL, UC BERKELEY
Directions on campus: http://berkeley.edu/map/maps/BC34.html

Panel discussion and pizza!
All films are subtitled in English

Admission is free to all

Even as India celebrates 61 years of freedom from colonial rule, we must remember that the battle for freedom did not end in 1947. Many communities in India, and in the other South Asian countries, continue to struggle for political and economic equality. The films being screened this weekend depict peoples' struggle against forces of economic imperialism, corporate globalization and the state's imposition of neo-liberal models of economic development.

FEATURED FILMS

Saturday, September 6th, 4-6 pm

• Tales from the Margins by Kavita Joshi [2006, 23 minutes]
  Documents human rights abuses in the state of Manipur, India and argues that the use of security personnel to quell public dissent is a violation of democratic norms.
• New State, Old Problems by The Campaign to Release Binayak Sen and Ajay T. G.[10 min, 2008]
  Fifteen months ago, Dr. Binayak Sen, pediatrician, public health specialist and national Vice President of the People's Union for Civil Liberties(PUCL), was arrested on patently false charges of sedition, and charged under the repressive "Chhattisgarh Special Public Security Act." Concerned people from around the globe protested this arrest, including Ajay TG, a filmmaker and a colleague from PUCL, who made a movie documenting Dr. Sen's lifelong commitment to issues of community health and human rights. Ironically, almost a year after Dr. Sen's arrest, Ajay T.G. was also arrested under the same repressive laws. Dr. Sen and Ajay, both earned the ire of the government for opposing Salwa Judum. This film provides viewers with some background to the arrests of Dr. Sen and Ajay T.G., including brief introductions to the State of Chhattisgarh, the Chattisgarh Mukti Morcha, the Naxalites and Salwa Judum.
• Anjam (The Consequence) by Ajay T. G.[20 min, 2008]
  A film on the life and work of Dr. Binayak Sen. Traces the evolution of Dr. Sen's life as an activist from his college days, to his involvement in the miners' struggles in the Dalli Rajhara mines, and setting up the Shaheed Hospital, and finally to a human rights activist as he recognized the inalienable bond between human rights and health rights.
• The Other Side of the Boom by Special Broadcasting Services, Australia Reporter: Jonathon Matthews. [22 min, 2008]
  The rural poor in central India feel left out of the financial windfall from India's economic success, and are increasingly turning their support to the anti-government Maoist rebels known as "Naxalites". Video journalist Jonathon Matthews seeks out the rebels – and the government-backed vigilante group, Salwa Judum, that opposes them –to ask whether the terrible cycle of violence that's affecting two thirds of the Indian continent can possibly end. The ongoing violence has pitted neighbor against neighbor, converted the area into a civil war zone, with hundreds of villages burnt, scores of people murdered, entire communities displaced and at least 50,000 people forced into squalid government camps.

Sunday, September 7th, 11 am - 2 pm

• Development Flows From the Barrel of a Gun by Biju Toppo and Meghnath [2003, 55 minutes]
  Questions state-sponsored development that doesn't take into account people's actual needs.
• Resilient Rhythms by Gopal Menon [2002, 65 Minutes]
  An unflinching look at the reality of issue of caste–based discrimination in contemporary India, and the role of the state in perpetuating such discrimination.
• It's A Boy! by Vani Subramanian [2008, 29 minutes]
  Explores the imbalance in sex ratios in Indian society caused by female foeticide and infanticide, and the state's promotion of gender selection technologies as a tool of population control. It presents various perspectives including that of feminist activists, religious leaders, elected officials, etc. Finally, the film offers a portrait of the pressures of patriarchy by interviewing members of a matrilineal community in North-Eastern India, some members of which have begun to demand adherence to norms of patriarchy.

For detailed synopsis of films, visit http://berkeley.aidindia.org/

Organized by: ASSOCIATION FOR INDIA'S DEVELOPMENT (Berkeley and Bay area chapters) & FRIENDS OF SOUTH ASIA

Fall Updates

New members: want to learn more about what Amnesty does? Click here!

Hope everyone had a great summer! It's time for another year of human rights activism, so here's a preview of our events over the next few weeks:

• Tabling at Calapalooza.
• First General Meeting: We're still working out the details, but we will send an announcement out to our e-mail list as soon as we find a classroom and time. If you still need to be added to our e-mail list, contact ucbamnesty@gmail.com.
• More events: Come to our first general meeting to vote on what human rights film you think we should show at our next film screening, and learn more about other great events! Possible events for the upcoming semester include speaker events, letter writing campaigns, lobbying our representatives in Sacramento, rallies, special advance screenings of films, concerts, you name it!

Take Action Now: Stop Violence Against Women

Did you know?
At least one out of every three women worldwide are beaten, coerced into sex, or otherwise abused in her lifetime, with rates reaching 70% in some countries.
What can you do?
Ask your Senator or Representative to co-sponsor the International Violence Against Women Act (IVAWA). This act will create a comprehensive, integrated approach to addressing violence against women. To learn more about IVAWA, click here.

• To ask your senator to co-sponsor IVAWA or thank them if they are already a co-sponsor, click here. (If you want to find out whether your senator has already co-sponsored IVAWA, click here. If you live in California, Barbara Boxer is already a co-sponsor, but Feinstein isn't.)
• To ask your representative to co-sponsor IVAWA, click here. (If you want to find out whether your representative has already co-sponsored IVAWA, click here. There are currently only four co-sponsors in the House--so e-mail or call your representatives to change that!)
• Want to do more? You can call or write to your representatives, because elected officials are even more likely to listen if someone calls or handwrites a letter. To contact your senator, click here. To contact your representative, click here.

Take Action Now: China's Olympic Legacy

The Beijing Olympics start next week. Take action now to promote human rights in China!

• Call on President Bush to use his visit to the Olympics this summer to pressure China to improve its human rights record.
  Click here to take action!
  
  
• Defend freedom of expression in China. Imagine being arrested for something as simple as sending an e-mail. In April 2004, the Chinese journalist Shi
  Tao used his Yahoo! email account to send a message to a U.S.-based pro-democracy
  website. In his email, he summarized a government order directing media organizations in China to downplay the upcoming 15th anniversary of the 1989
  crackdown on pro-democracy activists. Police arrested him in November 2004,
  charging him with “illegally providing state secrets to foreign entities.” Authorities used email account holder information supplied
  by Yahoo! to convict Shi Tao in April 2005 and sentence him to 10 years in prison. China currently has the largest recorded number of imprisoned journalists and cyberdissidents
  in the world. As of July 2006, Amnesty International had documented
  at least 54 Chinese Internet users believed to be imprisoned for such acts as signing
  petitions, calling for an end to corruption, disseminating health information, or
  planning to establish pro-democracy groups.
  Click here to call for the release of Shi Tao and promote freedom of expression in China!
  
  
• Protect human rights defenders in China. Human rights defender Hu Jia has been sentenced to three years and six months’ imprisonment. Amnesty International considers Hu Jia to be a prisoner of conscience.
  Click here to call for the release of Hu Jia!
  
  
• China has the power to bring peace to Darfur. Did you know that China is Sudan's largest oil consumer? Or that China is Sudan's largest trading partner? Or that China has provided 90 percent of small arms purchased by Sudan since 2004? Call on China to use its influence in Sudan to pressure the government to stop the genocide in Darfur.
  Urge China to take concrete steps to help stop the genocide in Darfur!
  

Take Action Now: End Sexual Violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo

The Democratic Republic of Congo has been described as one of the worst places on earth to be a woman. Hundreds of thousands of women and girls have become victims of brutal rape, used as a tool of warfare. Please join concerned advocates around the country in ensuring that their voices are heard. We can help bring hope and peace to women in the Congo!

House Resolution 1227 has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives condemning the sexual violence occurring in the Democratic Republic of Congo and calling for the United States and the international community to demand an end to this cycle of violence.

What is House Resolution 1227, and how will it help? House Resolution 1227:

• Urges the United States Agency for International Development and international community to provide victims and potential victims of rape with greater assistance for health care services, psychological and social counseling, and legal advice;
  
  
• Calls on the government of the DRC to end the widespread sexual violence by holding all armed groups, including members of the Congolese armed forces and police, accountable for their actions;
  
  
• Calls on the UN Security Council to take immediate steps to ensure that the United Nations Peacekeeping Mission in the Congo, MONUC, is fully funded to increase troop presence and deploy in areas where sexual violence is most prevalent.

What can you do? First, click here to find out if your representative is already a co-sponsor of House Resolution 1227. If they aren't, write to them to urge them to co-sponsor House Resolution 1227. If they are already a co-sponsor, click here, then edit the letter to thank them for co-sponsoring the resolution and urge them to ask other representatives to become co-sponsors as well.

Want to do more? Call your representative (visit http://www.house.gov/ to find them) to ask them to co-sponsor House Resolution 1227. You can also learn more about the Congo at http://www.congoglobalaction.org/.

Take Action Now: Stop Violence in Zimbabwe

Amnesty International has documented unlawful killings, torture and other ill-treatment, including beatings, as well as harassment and intimidation of mainly Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) supporters and human rights defenders in Zimbabwe following elections on 29 March 2008. By the end of May dozens of people had been killed and over 1600 people had been treated for injuries sustained from politically related violence. A week prior to the elections on June 27, Amnesty International revealed that 12 bodies have been found in various areas of Zimbabwe. Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, swayed by the massive violence lodged against civilians, has withdrawn from the run-off presidential elections against President Robert Mugabe.

AIUSA is now calling on governments in Zimbabwe’s neighboring countries to protect human rights in Zimbabwe. Visit http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/siteapps/advocacy/index.aspx?c=jhKPIXPCIoE&b=2590179&template=x.ascx&action=10531 to send a letter to Levy Patrick Mwanawasa, President of the Republic of Zambia and Chairperson of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), asking him to protect human rights in Zimbabwe. To learn more, visit http://www.amnestyusa.org/zimbabwe.

Take Action Now: Justice for Victims of Tiananmen Square Crackdown

According to Amnesty International, "The Tiananmen Mothers, relatives of victims of the 1989 military crackdown on protestors in China, have repeatedly submitted petitions to the government on a number of issues in relation to the events of 1989. In consequence, they have been subjected to harassment, discrimination and arbitrary detention. Call on the Chinese authorities to allow the Tiananmen Mothers to carry out their peaceful activities, to release those imprisoned in connection with the 1989 protests, and to carry out a full, independent and impartial investigation into the crackdown."


Click here to read about the Tiananmen Square crackdown.

Click here to take action to demand justice for victims.

About Amnesty

Founded in London in 1961, Amnesty International is a Nobel Prize-winning grassroots activist organization with over 1.8 million members worldwide. Amnesty International undertakes research and action focused on preventing and ending grave abuses of the rights to physical and mental integrity, freedom of conscience and expression, and freedom from discrimination, within the context of its work to promote all human rights.

The UC Berkeley chapter of Amnesty International works to promote human rights through advocacy and education. Some of our past events have included:

• "Eye on Human Rights" film festival. Our festival featured a free advance screening of the film Darfur Now, as well as the films Arna's Children and Thirst.
• A panel discussion about the situation in Darfur, held at the Free Speech Movement Cafe.
• A dinner/discussion series: a free dinner accompanied by a discussion of a current human rights issue
• Letter writing and activism campaigns covering issues such as the murders of women in Ciudad Juarez, torture at Guantanamo, conflict diamonds, and the genocide in Darfur.