Cool Upcoming Events 9/28

FREE Screening of Michael Moore's Capitalism: A Love Story
*Wednesday at 7 in Wheeler Auditorium
*Pick up tickets in Naia Lounge, SUPERB's office (basement of Eshleman), or the Cal Student Store


Marrow Registration Drive
*Friday, anytime from 9 to 5 in Heller Lounge (MLK Student Union)
*Register to save a life! It's easy!


Fair Trade + Wine Speaker Event
*Tuesday, October 6 at 12:30 in Haas School of Business, Cheit C125
*Learn about fair trade products, including wine, from experts!

Stay of Execution Granted for Kenneth Mosley

In a surprising turn of events, the U.S. Supreme Court, intending to review his case further, granted a stay of execution for Kenneth Mosley (Dallas News).

We'll see how things turn out, but thanks for all your hard work!

Club T-Shirts!

Here is the winning design for our club t-shirts! If you're interested, you can choose a unisex shirt, a fitted shirt, or a unisex tank. We're printing on American Apparel shirts (sweatshop-free), which will cost about $15 each. Email ucbamnesty@gmail.com with your desired style and size!

Sri Lanka Video

Here is the video on Sri Lankan prison camps from yesterday's education update.



For more information on the current crisis, check out Amnesty International.

To take action, click here!

Feedback Survey 9/23

Hey Amnestyans!

After our first four meetings, we would like to hear your thoughts and ideas on the progress of our organization. This survey includes ten questions on meetings, events, and the general club, and will take just a few minutes to complete. We appreciate your honest feedback!

Thanks!
Rachel & Danielle

Take Action Now: Stand up for the displaced in Sri Lanka

Over 250,000 people remain detained in crowded, unsanitary conditions in Sri Lanka. Read on to learn what you can do about it.

What's happening in Sri Lanka?
Sri Lanka has been wracked for decades by a civil war between the government and the opposition Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), which sought an independent state for the Tamil minority in the north and east of the island. During 2006 - 2009, the Sri Lankan military waged a series of offensives, forcing the LTTE into a progressively smaller area before eventually overrunning their territory in the northeast and killing their senior leaders, thus ending the war. In the final months of the conflict, the LTTE had forced thousands of civilians to stay in the war zone as human shields and prevented them from leaving. Repeated shelling and bombing of the area killed more than 7,000 civilians and injured at least another 13,000. Since the end of the fighting, the Sri Lankan government has refused access into the war zone to journalists and aid agencies; the fate of those civilians still in the war zone in its final days is unclear.

Over 280,000 civilians who had earlier fled the war zone have been placed by the government in overcrowded internment camps controlled by the military, which they are prevented from leaving.

Only a fraction of nearly 300,000 people who were displaced by recent fighting in the north east of Sri Lanka have been allowed to leave government camps since the war ended in May. More than a quarter of a million people remain detained and under military guard in crowded, unsanitary conditions that are still far below international standards. Civilians are also being subjected to a screening process to separate LTTE fighters from civilians. The process does not protect the rights of those being screened. There are reports of men disappearing after being screened by the security forces.

What can I do about it?
Write to the President of Sri Lanka expressing your concern for the nearly 300,000 people displaced by the recent fighting. Ask that the displaced civilians immediately be given freedom of movement: those who wish to leave the camps should be allowed to do so.

Take action online: http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/siteapps/advocacy/index.aspx?c=jhKPIXPCIoE&b=2590179&template=x.ascx&action=12651

Sample Letter:
"Early in 2009, over 280,000 civilians fled the war zone in northeast Sri Lanka as the Sri Lankan military reconquered all the territory held by the opposition Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and killed their senior leaders, thus ending the 26-year-old conflict. Since the conclusion of hostilities in mid-May, the displaced civilians have been held in overcrowded, military-run internment camps. The Sri Lankan government will not allow the civilians to leave the camps until a screening process to detect suspected LTTE fighters among the civilians has been carried out. Aid agencies, journalists and human rights observers have not been given full access to the camps. Without independent monitors in the camps, the civilians are at risk of human rights abuses from the security forces.
I call on the Sri Lankan government to immediately allow the displaced civilians freedom of movement: those who wish to leave the camps should be free to do so. The camps should be placed under civilian, not military, management. Aid agencies, journalists and human rights observers should be promptly provided with full, unhindered access to the camps to carry out their functions and prevent possible abuses."

Write to:
His Excellency the President Mahinda Rajapaksa
Presidential Secretariat
Colombo 1
SRI LANKA
Salutation: Your Excellency

For more information:
http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/news/sri-lanka-displaced-uncertain-future-government-unlock-camps-20090911
http://www.amnestyusa.org/all-countries/sri-lanka/page.do?id=1011241

URGENT: Stop the Execution of Kenneth Mosley

Kenneth Mosley, a man convicted of capital murder, is scheduled to be executed in the State of Texas this Thursday, September 24, 2009.

On February 15, 1997, Mosley entered a bank in Garland, Texas, intending to rob it. Recognizing Mosley as the bank robber the previous month, someone called the police. Officer David Moore arrived at the scene and confronted Mosley who was waiting in line. A struggle occurred, and the two men crashed through a plate glass window; Moore was shot and fatally wounded.

At the trial, Kenneth Mosley testified that he had gone to the bank for robbery in order to obtain money to buy drugs and that he did not intend to kill the police officer. The defense presented only two witnesses on his behalf during the sentencing phase of the trial.

What Mosley's trial lawyer failed to mention in the trial was his abusive upbringing, exposure to toxic pesticides as a child, his possible frontal lobe damage, and his use of cocaine to self-medicate and treat his depression.

Kenneth Mosley's jury was not presented with a full picture of who they were sentencing. Therefore, Amnesty International is urging the Governor Perry and the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles to stop the execution of Kenneth Mosley.

To take action, click HERE.

For more complete information, click HERE.

Two Videos on the DRC

Hey guys,

Here are the two videos that I wanted to show at tonight's meeting.

RAISE Hope for Congo


Come Clean for the Congo

5 Minutes for Human Rights, 9/13/09

Here are this week's human rights actions:

1) STOP FORCED EVICTIONS IN CHAD: Since February 2008, tens of thousands of people have been made homeless after being forcibly evicted from their homes in Chad’s capital, N’Djamena. Satellite images acquired by Amnesty International showed that about 3,700 structures had been destroyed in the city in a 12-month period, causing irreparable damage to the livelihoods of so many residents of N’Djamena. Amnesty International has confirmed that many of these evictions were illegal and in violation of international human rights standards and Chadian law. Call on the Chadian government to immediately cease all forced evictions and ensure that the rights of victims of forced evictions are respected. Take action here: http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/siteapps/advocacy/index.aspx?c=jhKPIXPCIoE&b=2590179&template=x.ascx&action=12964

2) TELL PRESIDENT OBAMA NOT TO FORGET ABOUT DARFUR: Remind President Obama not to forget about Darfur, and to work to develop a stronger policy to promote peace in Sudan. Obama needs to know that activists still want him to do more for Sudan--call the White House at (202) 456-1414 or contact Obama online at
http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/. For talking points to include in your letter or phone call, go to http://www.enoughproject.org/SudanNow/WhiteHouseTalkingPoints

If you want more information about how to write an effective letter for human rights, check out our last blog post at http://ucbamnesty.blogspot.com/2009/09/letter-writing-guide.html

Letter Writing Guide

Even if you're a new member, you may have already guessed that letter writing is one of the most important things that Amnesty does. And there's a simple reason why: letter writing works. It's helped Amnesty to free over 40,000 prisoners of conscience (people who are imprisoned for their beliefs). We also combine letter writing with other components of advocacy, such as lobbying (meeting with our elected representatives to talk to them about human rights issues), and I'll tell you more about lobbying in a future post. For now, here's everything you need to know to write an effective letter about human rights:

• Be polite and respectful. Don't use offensive language--it can backfire! Even when you are writing to governments that have poor human rights records, be sure to demonstrate that you are approaching the matter from a reasonable, well-informed perspective, and assume that your reader is also reasonable and willing to listen to and consider your appeal with an open mind. It's human nature: people are more accommodating if you are polite rather than accusatory.
  
• Be clear and concise. Your letters are probably going to be read by workers in a government office who have little time to devote to each individual letter. Repeat key words, such as the name of the prisoner of conscience you are writing on behalf of. Keep your letters under a page (in some cases, a short paragraph is enough).
  
• Use proper letter writing etiquette. Use proper openings, such as "Dear Senator B," or "Your Excellency," (the letter writing template Amnesty provides will tell you which one to use). Use proper closings, such as "Respectfully," or "Sincerely,". Conclude the letter with a sentence thanking the recipient for their time, such as "I thank you for your time and look forward to your prompt action on this important issue."
  
• Know who you are writing to. Has the person you are writing to already made commitments to human rights? Thank them for their previous statements, then introduce what you are asking them to do now. Have they supported a human rights issue similar to the one you are working on now? Suggest that, by supporting your issue, they can further their work to support human rights.
  
• Know what you are asking for and be constructive rather than merely pointing out a problem. Often, we write letters to our elected representatives in the United States; they may not actually be able to stop a human rights violation occurring in another country, but they can do things like speaking out against human rights violations and exerting other forms of diplomatic pressure. They can also vote for and co-sponsor resolutions in the House and Senate relating to a particular human rights issue. When you are writing letters to them, you want to be specific about what you are asking from them. Rather than just saying, "Dear Senator X, I am concerned about the situation in Country Y.", try saying something like, "Dear Senator X, I am concerned about the situation in Country Y, where Amnesty International has stated that mass atrocities are occurring. I believe it is our obligation to respond to these serious violations of human rights and call on you to co-sponsor Senate Bill Z, which is an important step in working to stop the violence in this region."
  
• Think about why the person you are writing to should pay attention to you. If you are writing a letter to your senator or representative, mention that you are their constituent (ie, that you live in their district), and include your address at the bottom of the letter. (If you're from out of state, you can still write to California senators or representatives, but you should also write to your senators and representatives from back home if you can, because letters from constituents are more effective.) If you are writing a letter to a foreign government, you don't have the same leverage over them because you aren't their constituent, but you can still call on them to take a particular action by referring to international human rights treaties they have signed. For example, say that Country A is accused of practicing torture, but they ratified the Convention Against Torture. You could write something like, "I call on you to ensure that Country A does not practice torture and upholds the Convention Against Torture, which your country has ratified."
  

If you want to read a more in-depth guide, go to http://www.amnestyusa.org/individuals-at-risk/urgent-action-network/writing-an-appeal/page.do?id=1051043#100. If you want to read some sample letters, go to http://www.amnestyusa.org/individuals-at-risk/urgent-action-network/writing-an-appeal/page.do?id=1051043#101.

-Elizabeth

Human Rights News: 9/12

In Uganda's capital city of Kampala, deadly riots continue into their third day. Since September 10, thirteen people have been killed, coupled with the injuries of many others, during violent protests. People have also looted and burned cars, buildings, and businesses.

This chaos stems from the planned participation of Buganda King Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II in World Youth Day ceremonies. This appearance of the kabaka, or king of the Baganda people, was since canceled by the government due to the sentiments of the Banyala people.

The Banyalas are a breakaway ethnic faction who reject the authority of the kabaka, and thus barred him and his delegation from their Kayunga district. However, the Baganda kingdom, the largest of Uganda's four ancient kingdoms, also claims this land. As such, clashes between the opposing ethnic groups and government security forces are now spilling into the streets. "Our king must be free to go where he wants," said Stephen Semagula, an 18 year-old student. "It's our land."

Amplifying the violence, Ugandan police forces have reacted to the protests with unnecessarily brutal force and aggression. Human Rights Watch reports police firing tear gas and live ammunition at nonviolent protesters, in addition to beating people with rocks and sticks. The Uganda Broadcasting Council, the government's media monitoring body, also censored radio reports of the violence. Human Rights Watch calls on the police to abide by the United Nations Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials, which mandate the use of nonviolent means before force. According to Georgette Gagnon, Africa director at Human Rights Watch, "Violence during protests may require that the police use force, but it must be proportionate. Here it appears that the police use of live ammunition prompted an escalation in bloodshed."

Tensions between the government, led by President Yoweri Museveni, and the Baganda kingdom have intensified recently over issues of land, sovereignty and political power. In 1993, the traditional kingdoms of Uganda were reinstated, but with a largely ceremonial role to avoid potential political rivals.

For more on this story, check out Human Rights Watch, NPR, and CNN.

Join Amnesty International on Berkeley Project Day!

Are you interested in helping your local campus community while also meeting fellow Amnesty International members?

You're in luck! Amnesty International is making a Berkeley Project Day team, and we'd love for you to join us!

Berkeley Project Day 2009 will take place on Saturday, October 16. The Berkeley Project works with local community organizers throughout Berkeley to arrange community service projects in which students and community members can participate. Last year, over 2000 volunteers helped on over 70 project sites.

If you'd like to participate, please email the following information to ucbamnesty@gmail.com ASAP.

1. Name
2. Email
3. Phone
4. Student ID #
5. Are you 18 or older?
6. Can you provide yourself with transportation (we're planning on taking a bus)?
7. Dietary restrictions (allergies, vegetarianism, veganism, etc.)
8. Special accommodations
9. T-shirt size

Thanks! We look forward to working with you!

FIRST Amnesty International Social

Do you want to meet the fabulous people of Amnesty International, while enjoying delicious pizza and an amazing movie?

Join us at the first Amnesty social this semester! Meet at Cheeseboard Pizza (1512 Shattuck Avenue) at 5:00 p.m. this evening... and remember your $5 for 2 slices.

After, we'll walk over to Wheeler Auditorium for SUPERB's screening of Disney/Pixar's "Up" ($3 with student ID).

We hope to see you there!

5 Minutes for Human Rights, 9/6/09

Hi Everyone,

Hope everyone had a good summer! For those of you who are new to our Amnesty International chapter, we focus on several human rights issues each week and encourage our members to write letters for them. Letter writing is one of the most important things Amnesty does: it has helped to free over 40,000 prisoners of conscience and Amnesty was awarded a Nobel Prize for its work! If you want to read some human rights success stories to see how much letter writing has done, check out http://www.amnestyusa.org/our-successes/page.do?id=1011281.

Here are this week's human rights actions--sign the petitions online, then come to our meeting on Tuesday to hand-write a letter to make an even bigger impact! We will also be having letter writing picnics on Memorial Glade at various points throughout the semester--so we will keep you posted about that!

1) STOP VIOLENCE IN THE CONGO: Did you know that the current conflict in the Congo, which has lasted over a decade, is the deadliest conflict since World War II? However, there's something you can do about it: many of the armed groups that are fighting in the Congo make money to continue their fighting by mining and selling minerals that are used in electronic devices like cell phones (if you remember the campaign about conflict diamonds/blood diamonds, conflict minerals are pretty similar). Want to make sure that the minerals in the electronics you buy don't end up supporting these armed groups? Learn more about conflict minerals and sign the conflict minerals pledge at http://www2.americanprogress.org/t/1647/petition.jsp?petition_KEY=135. Learn about the Congo Conflict Minerals Act of 2009 and write to your Senators about it at http://www2.americanprogress.org/t/1659/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=6273.

2) FREE AUNG SAN SUU KYI: Aung San Suu Kyi is a pro-democracy activist in Burma. She is a Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and a truly inspiring figure (for more information about her and the pro-democracy movement in Burma: http://www.amnestyusa.org/all-countries/myanmar-burma/background-information-on-aung-san-suu-kyi/page.do?id=1011688). In August, she was sentenced by the military junta to 18 additional months of house arrest, and Amnesty international believes that her sentence was politically motivated and fails to meet international legal standards. Call on the government to immediately and unconditionally release Aung San Suu Kyi at http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/siteapps/advocacy/index.aspx?c=jhKPIXPCIoE&b=2590179&template=x.ascx&action=12656.

I hope to see you all on Tuesday at 7 (we will post our meeting location here ASAP)!

-Elizabeth

Leadership Applications Due Tomorrow!

Just a reminder: Leadership applications are due on Sunday, September 6 at noon.

Available positions include:

• Co-Coordinator (for returning members only)
• Advocacy Director
  
• Education Director
• Financial Director
• Publicity & Outreach Director
  

Please email ucbamnesty@gmail.com if you would like an application.

Thanks, and GO BEARS!

Human Rights News: 9/2

In a report released today, Amnesty International urges President Obama to take the first step towards lifting the embargo against Cuba by not renewing the Trading with the Enemy Act on September 14.

According to Irene Khan, Amnesty International's Secretary General, not renewing the sanctions included in this expiring Act is "the perfect opportunity for President Obama to distance himself from the failed policies of the past and to send a strong message to the US Congress on the need to end the embargo". She maintains that the nearly half-century old embargo is "immoral and should be lifted" because it is "preventing millions of Cubans from benefiting from vital medicines and medical equipment essential for their health".

The embargo, which began in 1960 and was further tightened in 1962 in response to a heightened Cold War cooperation between Cuba and the USSR, restricts Cuba's ability to import "medicines, medical equipment or technologies from the USA or from any US company abroad," along with limiting other imports and travel. Even products produced outside of the US that have US patents or contain more than 20 percent US-manufactured parts cannot be exported. Because of this, the United Nations reports that "Cuba’s inability to import nutritional products for consumption at schools, hospitals and day care centres is contributing to a high prevalence of iron deficiency anaemia". UNICEF estimated in 2007 that 37.5 percent of Cuban children under three are affected. Furthering the problem, US syringe suppliers canceled UNICEF's 2007 order for three million disposable syringes when they discovered their products' Cuban destination. These actions have limited efforts to promote immunizations and fight HIV/AIDS on the island.

Ironically, President Obama has said that he will not end the trade band until Cuba, currently led by Fidel Castro's brother Raul, "frees political prisoners and improves human rights". However, this may be too high a price for the Cuban people to pay. Irene Khan states that "Although responsibility for providing adequate health care lies primarily with the Cuban authorities, governments imposing sanctions such as embargoes need to pay special attention to the impact they can have on the targeted country’s population."

Some progress has been made on lifting the embargo against Cuba. In 2000, Congress passed The Trade Sanction Reform and Export Enhancement Act, which allows the island nation to purchase US food, using only cash without the establishment of credit. Since 2001, Cuba has spent more than $4 billion on direct food transactions. Additionally, President Obama has stated a desire for softened US-Cuban relations, and "lifted the ban on Cuban-Americans visiting the island and sending money back to relatives who still live there" earlier this year. Amnesty International wishes to pressure both the President and Congress into continuing this trend.

For more on this story, check out Amnesty International, BBC, and CNN.

To ensure that citizens can access health care domestically, click here.

First Meeting TODAY!

Please come to our first general meeting of the Fall 2009 semester. Food, friends, and taking action...

September 1
7:00 p.m.
201 Wheeler Hall

"The start to to a better world is our belief that it is possible." -Katherine Shaw
Check out the Facebook event here.