July 26, 2010
July 8, 2010
More than 7 years of rape, murder and pillaging have gone
unpunished.
Demand justice for war
crimes in Darfur.
But last month, when
two Darfuri rebel leaders, suspected of killing
peacekeepers, surrendered themselves to the
International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, the wall of
impunity finally began to crack.
The suffering in Darfur won't end until all those indicted
by the ICC are brought to justice.
International justice can't work until there's international
cooperation.
In order for the ICC to effectively prosecute those
responsible for grave human rights abuses, the international
community must do its part to fight impunity.
Urge the U.S. to strengthen its support of the ICC in
bringing Darfuri war crimes suspects to justice. |
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The human impact of conflict in Pakistan
Young girls stand outside makeshift tents which
now act as schools after the Taliban bombed the
original building site. © Amnesty International
video "As if Hell fell on me"
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June 18, 2010
The Improvements in Global Maternal and newborn health
Outcomes while Maximizing Successes Act or the "Global MOMS
Act" will support activities that help expand access
to better quality maternal health services, remove barriers
to such services, and ensure that they meet international
human rights standards. Hundreds of thousands of
women die each year from pregnancy-related complications.
The Global MOMS Act will make a difference.
In some countries, it truly could mean the difference
between life and death for a woman.
Please urge your Member of Congress to cosponsor this
important piece of legislation - and support it when it
comes to the floor of the House!
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Support Moms worldwide!
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Priority Case
March 8th, 2010
International Women's Day
Our local group 471 has chosen
to 'adopt'
individual at risk
Justine Masika Bihamba
and write letters
on her behalf.
Please join us.
Democratic Republic of Congo.
Justine Masika Bihamba lives in a country at war. So far the
war in the
Congo
has cost an estimated 4 million lives. Especially in rural
areas both government and rebel groups often rape as a way
to punish opponents.
Justine
helped found Synergy of Women for Victims of Sexual
Violence. This group has counselors that document rapes,
offer medical care and counseling to victims. They also
report crimes to authorities and try to bring perpetrators
to justice. They work to end the impunity with which these
crimes are being committed.
The work is risky and some counselors have been raped
themselves. On September 13, 2007 six army soldiers broke
into her house and attacked Justine’s children when she was
away. Some of the children were beaten and one daughter
sexually assaulted with a knife before neighbors ended the
attack. When the men were identified, military police
refused to arrest them claiming lack of evidence. Promises
by government officials to prosecute the six soldiers have
not been honored.
Synergy
gives aid in one way or another to 8,000 rape victims.
Justine and her family continue to fear for their safety but
Justine feels her work is too
important to stop.
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“When two sides fight one
punishes the others by raping women”
Justine
Masika Bihamba
video
You can
help by writing a polite letter requesting that the men who
attacked Justine’s children be tried for the crime. Also ask
that her family be protected from further attacks.
Sample letter:
MS Word |
PDF
Send your
letters to:
1) President Joseph Kabila
Cabinet
du President
Palais
de la Nation
Kinshasa/Gombe
Democratic Republic of Congo
94cent
stamp required
Salutation:
Your Excellency
2) Ministre de la Justice et Droits Humains:
Monsieur LUZOLO BAMBI LESSA
pourtous.justice@yahoo.fr
3) Chief Military Prosecutor
General Joseph Ponde Isambwa
Auditorat General des FARDC
Kinshasa/Ngaliema
RD Congo
auditgeneral2007@yahoo.fr
SOLIDARITY
Send Solidarity messages/cards to the NGO Justine Masika
Bihamba works for, Synergie des Femmes pour les Victimes des
Violence Sexuelles
Synergie des Femmes pour les Victimes des Violence Sexuelles
B.P. 227 Gisenyi
Rwanda
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May 3, 2010
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Today, World Press Freedom Day, the Sri Lankan
government announced it is ending its efforts to
imprison a journalist for 20 years for
criticizing the authorities. Help us shine a
light on cases worldwide where rights to free
speech and expression have been harshly denied.
Speak out for
journalists around the world who have been
silenced.
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March 8th, 2010
International Women's Day
Demand Justice for the Women of Atenco
Mexico's Attorney General's office has identified
34 police officers who are suspects in the rape, assault and
brutal treatment of dozens of women. But
sheer neglect from officials in Mexico's highest ranks has
delayed justice for nearly four years.
There's no better day than today – International Women's Day
– to signal to Mexican officials that
the rights of these women will never be forgotten.
Help us send a tidal wave of emails supporting these women
to the offices of Mexico's President, ambassador to the U.S.
and the governor of Mexico State! |
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March 29-April 9
Demand Dignity! Protect
Maternal Health in the US!
Congressional In-District
Lobby Weeks, March 29-April 9
We need your help. Women worldwide are dying of
pregnancy-related causes at a rate of about one a minute.1
In the United States, a country that spends more on health
care than any other country in the world,2 women
are dying from preventable pregnancy-related complications
or are suffering preventable "near misses" at an alarming
rate. Amnesty International is issuing a report in March:
Deadly Delivery: The
Maternal Health Care Crisis in the U.S.
We need your help to ensure that your Representative and
Senators have the facts and we need your help to hold those
responsible accountable.
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Your
Representative and your Senators
are likely to be in a district office near
you during the week of March 29.
Apply to
coordinate a delegation to visit
your elected officials.
Or,
join a delegation near you.
Coordinating a delegation is easy, it will take
a moderate time commitment to read materials, contact
the office to be visited, practice
the meeting and actually conduct the meeting.
Amnesty International will give you ideas,
training and tips to be effective.
With your visits you can help save lives.
1.
Figures released in October 2007
jointly by UNFPA, WHO, UNICEF
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Join
www.iGive.com!
We want to invite you and everyone you have on your
list to join I-Give.
Every time you make a purchase online,
our Amnesty International Group 471
receives a little cash donation – at no extra cost to you.
It’s one way for all of us to support human rights
work and the production of our 21st
San Diego Candlelight Walk for Human Rights.
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Here is
how - in one simple step:
1. Join
www.iGive.com
to support
Amnesty
International Group 471
every time you shop online at
700+ popular retailers.
(Our group is listed under
Civil Rights/Human Rights)
It's easy to find the things you need AND
raise money for a good cause at the same time!
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DAY OF REMEMBRANCE FOR SRI LANKA**
On May 19, AI activists around the world will be marking the
first anniversary of the end of the war in Sri Lanka. Please
join us in marking this first anniversary of the end of the
war and call on the Sri Lankan government to facilitate the
establishment of an international war crimes investigation.
We'll look for groups to conduct vigils, letter writing
sessions or other events to raise awareness of this issue
and bring pressure on the Sri Lankan government. The events
could take place anytime between May 15 and May 23. |
For background material and an online letter writing action,
please
click here |
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Feb. 11, 2010
Censorship, torture, executions – Iranian authorities will
stop at nothing to stamp out peaceful dissent and protest.
Yes, I will join the people of Iran in calling for freedom
and justice.
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Bloggers Unite: Join our network of blogger's covering Iran
and the events on February 11th.
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Twitter
Followers: The hashtag
#iranelection was one of the most
widely-used in the post-election aftermath. Since the
violence is still unresolved, we'll continue to tweet
using this hashtag. Make sure your related tweets
include:
#iranelection.
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Share Online: Help share the message of February 11th
by adding our solidarity image to your blog, website or
social networking profile.
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Sept. 14, 2009
Re-introduction of the
International Violence Against Women Act (I-VAWA)
Please join us in
urging the Obama Administration to actively support
reintroduction and passage by Congress, this fall, of the
International Violence Against Women Act (I-VAWA).
Re-introduction of I-VAWA has been pending in Congress for
several months, and the Administration's active support of
reintroduction of the bill will be critical in helping
ensure a timely reintroduction. The Administration has
demonstrated leadership in fighting violence against women
abroad and here at home through the creation of the State
Department Office for Global Women’s Issues and the White
House Council on Women and Girls, and through the
appointment of a Special Advisor to the President on
Violence Against Women.
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Re-introduction of the International
Violence Against Women Act (I-VAWA)
We need Congress and your Administration to make ending
violence against women and girls a priority
and enact I-VAWA into law.
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Join
www.iGive.com!
We want to invite you and everyone you have on your
list to join I-Give.
Every time you make a purchase online,
our Amnesty International Group 471
receives a little cash donation – at no extra cost to you.
It’s one way for all of us to support human rights
work and the production of our 21st
San Diego Candlelight Walk for Human Rights.
|
Here is
how - in one simple step:
1. Join
www.iGive.com
to support
Amnesty
International Group 471
every time you shop online at
700+ popular retailers.
(Our group is listed under
Civil Rights/Human Rights)
It's easy to find the things you need AND
raise money for a good cause at the same time!
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August 20, 2009
Leaders across the globe have issued statements
condemning the verdict in pro-democracy leader
Aung San Suu Kyi's sham trial.
Tell them it's time to match
words with action. |
The head of the
Myanmar's ruling military junta, Than Shwe, has brushed off
criticisms before, and there's little reason to believe
he'll clean-up his act unless
ASEAN shows that this time it means business.
That's why we're calling on ASEAN to convene a meeting of
the top brass in foreign affairs from all 10 member nations
to come up with concrete measures to finally address
the growing human rights crisis in Myanmar.
Act now. Help us send 10,000
postcards to the Thai government by September 1st
to urge them to call for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and
thousands of other political prisoners in Myanmar.
Thank you for standing with us –
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p
Write a letter,
save lives. |
Amnesty International
Calls for Investigation
into Violence Against
Demonstrators in Iran |
August 11, 2009
Immediate and Unconditional Release of Aung San Suu Kyi
On May 14, 2009, Aung San Suu Kyi,
leader of the National League for Democracy, and two of
her assistants were taken from her home to Insein Prison
following an incident in which an American man allegedly
swam across a lake to her house and stayed there for two
days. Suu Kyi was subsequently put on trial for
breaching the terms of her house arrest, and was
sentenced to an additional 18 months under house arrest
on August 11, 2009. These charges and punishment are
politically motivated and fail to meet international and
national legal standards. The only issue here is her
immediate and unconditional release.
Call on Than Shwe, the head of the military junta, to
immediately release Aung San Suu Kyi and all political
prisoners in Myanmar.
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Join us today in calling for Daw Ang San Suu Kyi's immediate
release.
Suu Kyi should have never been imprisoned in the first
place.
Suu Kyi's deplorable imprisonment has been denounced by
everyone from heads of state worldwide to nine of Suu Kyi's
fellow Nobel laureates.
Join the court of world opinion in condemning Daw Ang San
Suu Kyi's sham trial. Tell the leader of Myanmar's
military junta that Suu Kyi shouldn't serve another minute
of her sentence.
We know that the odds of success may seem stacked against us
any time we appeal to authoritarian rulers. But the recent
release of two U.S. journalists from North Korea is proof
that
even totalitarian regimes are vulnerable to relentless
international pressure.
The fact that Myanmar's government reduced Suu Kyi's
sentence is also a sign that the military regime is
susceptible to the world community's criticisms.3
We've proven time after time that even military
dictatorships and other repressive regimes are no match for
Amnesty's millions-strong global movement.
Just last year, Ma Khin Khin Leh, another prisoner of
conscience in Myanmar, obtained her release after Amnesty
activists sent tens of thousands of letters to Myanmar's
leaders on her behalf.
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July 17, 2009
Who says "no" to women's human rights?
Our two-year long battle to protect women's human
rights is under attack by misinformed opposition groups.
Urge the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to support
the Office for Global Women's Issues.
Right now, members of the Senate Foreign Relations
Committee are gathering to determine whether a new, federal
office dedicated to defending women's human rights will
become permanent.
An
upcoming vote could derail our recent success
in moving this process forward. Opposition groups are once
again beginning to swarm –
spreading misinformation about what it is
the Office for Global Women's Issues
would even do!
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We are so close we can almost read the headlines –
Historic Bill Creates New Opportunities for Women Worldwide.
Help us set the record straight in the Senate – women's
human rights deserve to be protected!
Call on members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to
defend women's human rights.
Women around the world would benefit from the
office's mission to:
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Build
economic stability and reduce poverty in
countries with large gender gaps
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Advance the global fight against the HIV/AIDS epidemic and other health crises, and
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Push the United States to finally take a leadership role
in the fight to
end violence against women and girls globally
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May 14, 2009
Yesterday, President Obama delivered a powerful
wake-up call to those fighting
in Sri Lanka. But the indiscriminate attacks
on civilians will continue unless the Obama administration
takes concrete steps
to help end the bloodshed.
Thank President Obama for shining a light on the horrific
violence in Sri Lanka and encourage him to follow through on
actions to protect civilians trapped in the war zone.
The President called on the Sri Lanka government to stop
"indiscriminate shelling" of civilians and on the Tamil
Tigers to "lay down their arms" so that the fighting can
cease and civilians can be safe from attack.
An all-out massacre is about to take place in Sri Lanka any
day now. While Obama's words certainly fuel
the global outcry that has been made over the escalating
violence, they are not enough to protect the 50,000 innocent
people
who remain in harm's way.
If the bloodshed in Sri Lanka is going to stop, we'll need
to
urge President Obama to take clear and concrete steps toward
resolving the crisis. |
We've got to act now to build off the momentum of
yesterday's statement. We want to have
at least 30,000 letters sent to President Obama within the
next 24 hours.
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Celebrate Mother's Day
with a very important action
May 5, 2009
Ground-breaking legislation that could help end
violence against women around the world is in Senator
Kerry's hands.
Tell him to reintroduce the International Violence Against
Women Act by Mother's Day.
This Mother's Day you have
the opportunity to give the greatest gift by defending the
rights of mothers everywhere. Send a message to the
Congressional leadership to
reintroduce the
International Violence Against Women Act
by Mother's Day, May 10.
Amnesty International USA has worked with a coalition of
supporters to draft the International Violence Against Women
Act. Last week, we sent Senators Kerry and Lugar, the Chair
and Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations
Committee, a final draft of the legislation. Now, it's up to
them to say "yes" to ending violence against women – walk
the bill over to the floor of the Senate and reintroduce it
this week.
Let them know you think that
ending violence against women
should be a priority. |
The International Violence
Against Women Act (IVAWA) is an unprecedented effort by the
United States to address violence against women globally.
One out of every three women worldwide will be physically or
sexually abused during her lifetime.
Violence against women and girls is a violation of human
rights. Violence and abuse devastates the lives of millions
of women, knows no national or cultural barriers, and most
importantly, it must be stopped.
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April 17, 2009
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Infamous torture memos were released
yesterday, just as Amnesty activists are meeting
with Congress calling for accountability.
Add your voice
to theirs.
Call for an
independent investigation into torture.
In a pivotal moment in our
call for accountability, yesterday
the Obama administration finally released the
four infamous memos crafted to
provide legal cover for the U.S. torture
program.
You and I know there is no legal form of
torture. But Obama wants us to believe that
"this is a time for reflection, not
retribution."
We've done plenty of reflecting, and
the information in the memos only confirms what
we've known all along. Torture
is illegal under both domestic and international
law and
no set of legal memos can
change that.
Within hours of their release,
the memos fueled new speculation that there is
just too much out there now for Congress to
ignore calls for accountability.
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Incredibly,
our lobby week is wrapping up
today, giving us an amazing opportunity to
push Congress on accountability, when they're most receptive
to our calls, both in person and online.
Send a letter now to Congress calling for a full and
independent investigation.
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February 11, 2009
"The era of responsibility is not never making mistakes,
it's owning up to them and trying to make sure you do not
repeat them."
– President Obama, February 3rd
The era of responsibility means an end to the era of
impunity:
Ask Congress to find out how the U.S. became a nation that
tortures.
Our chance to learn from, fix and never repeat the policies
that brought us torture, illegal detention, Guantanamo Bay
and Abu Ghraib is passing us by.
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February 9, 2009
One large step for gender equality, greater
advancements in stopping violence
against women.
Help Secretary Clinton build support for leadership on
women's rights.
A brutal war,
fought with rape and sexual violence,
has been waged against women, and the U.S. government has
done little to stop it. Secretary of State
Hillary Rodham Clinton wants to usher in a revolutionary
approach to improving the lives of women and girls globally,
but she's going to need our support to make it a priority
this year.
Without a senior-level voice in Washington
dedicated to protecting women’s human rights and promoting
gender equality,
women around the world will continue to be deprived of the
chance to make their lives better.
Before many women can even face the hurdles of education,
healthcare, and employment opportunities, they
must overcome barriers created by rape and domestic
violence.
Secretary Clinton's commitment to breaking down these
barriers is clear: during her confirmation hearing, she said
"Our foreign policy must reflect our deep commitment to the
cause of making human rights a reality for millions of
oppressed people around the world. Of particular concern to
me, is the plight of women and girls..." As a Senator, she
also co-sponsored the International Violence Against Women
Act (IVAWA).
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