Human Rights News - May Roundup
Here’s another round of human rights news that you, and the blog, may have missed over the past month. Got pieces from Amnesty USA’s own blog as well as the Huffington Post and other prominent news sources, covering some of the latest topics and trends in human rights. Enjoy!
The Execution of Michael Selsor
Burma’s Reforms Leave Forgotten Political Prisoners
No Mother’s Day: Every 90 Seconds a Woman Dies Becoming a Mother
Battle for Haiti - This one is actually an hour long documentary about Haiti one year after the earthquake. It’s kind of fallen off the radar, but what’s happened to that destitute little country?
2 Petition Opportunities for Reggie Clemons This Weekend
Please help petition to save Reggie Clemons
As you may know, the case of Reggie Clemons is one that our local chapter and Amnesty International as a whole. He has become the new face of the injustice of the death penalty, and currently our chapter has a goal of collecting 5000 signatures by September. In September, Clemons will have a hearing on his case, and we want the Missouri government to know that people believe Clemons is innocent and ought to, at least, have his case retried or looked at again.
Amnesty International Praises President Obama’s Support for Same-Sex Marriage
Suzanne Nossel, executive director, Amnesty International USA, made the following comments Wednesday, in response to President Obama’s statement about marriage equality.
“The President showed courage and leadership in stepping up to support the right of same-sex couples to marry. He has put conscience and a commitment to human rights ahead of politics. We congratulate the president for taking this historic step. The president has spoken from the heart and we encourage states to move forward to legalize marriage for same-sex couples across the country.”
Amnesty International is a Nobel Peace Prize-winning grassroots activist organization with more than 2.8 million supporters, activists and volunteers in more than 150 countries campaigning for human rights worldwide. The organization investigates and exposes abuses, educates and mobilizes the public, and works to protect people wherever justice, freedom, truth and dignity are denied.
Immigrants and Refugees Conference at SLU this Month
A human rights conference on refugees and immigrants is coming up. Check it out!
Not sure if this is going on because immigration is a hot-button issue right now, or because the human rights conference at Webster University was such a success, but Saint Louis University will be having its own conference on immigrant and refugee rights, called Immigrants and Refugees Conference: Social, Political, Legal, and Ethical Problems and Solutions.
This conference is a free, two-day event at the Busch Student Center on SLU’s campus, although you need to register by May 15 in order to attend. It takes place on Mon. May 21 and Tues. May 22. The conference involves a wide array of panelists and speakers, covering topics such as laws and international boundaries, immigration policy and Congress, and the question of responsibility for immigrants. A full schedule is available online.
We understand that this conference takes place during the work week, so if you are able to take a few days off to attend, please do so.
Why You Should Come to Tomorrow’s Amnesty Meeting
Come to our Amnesty meeting and enjoy the comfort of human rights advocacy!
Tomorrow is yet another monthly business meeting for the St. Louis chapter of Amnesty International. Just like all of our other Amnesty meetings, we talk about important things, plan important events, and think about human rights. So, why should you come to tomorrow’s Amnesty meeting? The one at Bethel Lutheran Church on the corner of Forsyth and Big Bend that starts at 7 p.m.? Here’s three great reasons why:
- Awesome People Will Be There - This is because the St. Louis Amnesty chapter is full of the coolest people in The Lou. And we are the coolest people in The Lou because we are human rights activists. If anything, you should drop by and say, “Hi.”
- We’ll Be Talking About the Website - If you want to be an active and participatory member of the chapter, then this is the Amnesty meeting to come to. We will be discussing the blogging and the website, and come up with ideas on how to improve our online presence.
- What Else Are Your Gonna Do on a Tuesday Night? Watch TV? - At least at the Amnesty meeting, you’ll be doing something productive and for others. Yes, some people are busy with school, jobs, and family, but if you’re not, then we’d like to see tomorrow.
Lobbying Opportunity this July for Amnesty Members
Attention St. Louis Amnesty International members! If you really want a chance to affect change and to do something for human rights, then here it is! We will be lobbying our elected officials during the July recess on the issue of torture. We will likely be focusing on a push for the release of the Senate Select Intelligence Report on Torture and addressing part of the most recent National Defense Authorization Act that violate human rights.
We do not have specific topics or talking points as of yet, although we will notify you of them prior to the lobbying date (if you choose to lobby, which I hope that you do). Lobbying actually takes only takes 20-30 minutes to do, so if you could spare the time, please join us and make your voice (and the voices of many more) heard on this very important issue.
If you have an interest in leading a lobbying delegation, or of participating in a lobbying delegation, then please email our legislative coordinator, Kevin Ellison, at k.ellison@charter.net.
Jamnesty in Ladue This Saturday
The St. Louis chapter isn’t the only Amnesty International chapter in St. Louis, and it isn’t the only one holding events either. The chapters at Ladue High School and Clayton High School will having their annual Jamnesty this Saturday. Student bands will be performing while plenty of Amnesty International actions and petitions will be available to sign. The event is from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Ladue High School. Here’s the address:
Ladue High School
St. Louis, MO 63124
Let’s support students who are working for human rights! They are the future Amnesty members, after all.
What Amnesty International is All About
Amnesty International St. Louis, and as a whole, is about doing the right thing on behalf of other people.
For those who are well aware that Amnesty International is the largest grassroots human rights organization, it’s known that Amnesty International is all about human rights and providing a voice for people who otherwise wouldn’t have one. However, I’ve been asked many times in my life what Amnesty International is, and what it’s all about, and I’m here to tell you that the organization, and our St. Louis chapter, are about investigating and exposing abuses, educating and mobilizing the public, and helping to transform societies to create a safer, more just world.
One of our main ways of advocating for justice and creating a safer, more just world is to write letters on behalf of prisoners of conscience and others violated around the world. Some might say that writing letters doesn’t work. However, Amnesty USA has had four major victories in the past two weeks alone, including the abolition of the death penalty in Connecticut. Our chapter has even had recent victory regarding several prisoners of conscience in Burma. None of these victories would’ve happened without the consistent pressure and hard work of human rights activists such as ourselves. These problems are not solved overnight, but through months, even years, of making the statement that these people and these issues are important and worth solving.
Although the work of Amnesty started by focusing on those who were imprisoned for expressing their basic human rights, our work has grown over the past 50 years to to include those who have been, or are being violated. This would include those who are unlawfully evicted from their homes, those who don’t have access to healthcare and education, and those who have immense trouble seeking justice for human rights abuses (i.e. rape victims, refugees etc.). A human rights abuse or violation doesn’t necessarily involve imprisonment, despite it being a common correlation in the real world.
Amnesty International is about doing the right thing, and standing up for what’s right. What are you about?
Don’t You Just Love ‘Take Action’ Fridays?
Get on the Bus for Human Rights!
The St. Louis Amnesty chapter isn’t the only one who’s taking action and holding events! The chapters in Somerville, Mass. and Washington D.C are having their annual Get on the Bus for Human Rights event, where activists organize outside of embassies, consulates, and in public spaces on behalf of the violations that are happening all around the world.
This event, in order to include others who can’t be there in person, will be able to participate in virtual activism. Virtual activism works by taking specific actions at specific times of the day (although you can do the actions whenever you want). The actions are timed with when the bus will be arriving at the respective country’s embassy/consulate.
Now, shouldn’t every Friday be a ‘Take Action’ Friday like this?
Here is the schedule of actions, with a link leading to the action (all times are in EST):
| Key Times to Take Action | |
|---|---|
| 11:40 a.m. - 12:00 a.m. | Iraqi Consulate (DC) |
| 11:40 AM - 12:00 PM | Embassy of Zimbabwe (DC) |
| 12:45 PM - 1:15 PM | Chinese Embassy (DC) |
| 1:20 PM - 1:50 PM | Indonesian Embassy (DC) |
| 2:00 PM - 2:25 PM | Democratic Republic of the Congo (DC) |
| 2:00 PM - 2:25 PM | Embassy of the Philippines (DC) |
| 2:15 PM - 2:45 PM | Consulate of Sri Lanka (NYC) |
| 3:00 PM - 3:30 PM | Consulate of Myanmar (NYC) |
| 3:00 PM - 3:45 PM | USA/The White House |
| 3:45 PM - 4:15 PM | Indonesian Consulate (NYC) |
| 4:25 PM - 5:00 PM | Chinese Consulate (NYC) |
| Anytime | Afghanistan |
Contact Representatives TODAY Regarding Burma
We’ve had a lot of good news coming out of Burma in recent weeks, including the release of our political prisoners, historic elections, and the possible release of all political prisoners within the country. Because of these changes, the U.S government will be evaluating its policy toward the country and will be holding a hearing TODAY about the current situation and how to proceed.
It is late notice, but if possible, please send an email to the appropriate contacts listed here:
Sen. McCaskill aide: Maria_Mahler-Haug@mccaskill.senate.gov (Maria Mahler-Haug)
Sen. Blunt legislative aide: brian_diffell@blunt.senate.gov (Brian Diffell)
Rep. Carnahan foreign policy aide: Rachel.Hines@mail.house.gov (Rachel Hines)
When writing, make sure to introduce yourself as a human rights advocate in St. Louis and tell them April Houston of United to End Genocide gave you their contact information. Please ask them to urge your Representative and Senators to attend these very important hearings. Please also submit questions to them for the hearings, of which sample questions can be found below.
SAMPLE QUESTIONS:
On Timing: Immediately following the April 1 elections, Secretary Clinton announced that the US government would be relaxing the investment ban on Burma. Can you explain why the Administration feels it needs to do this so quickly when there is at this point no way to prevent money and business going mainly to government and military cronies and when we have not yet seen how Aung San Suu Kyi and her party (NLD), who represent 8% of the seats in parliament, will be treated?
On the Progress of Reform: Can you quantify how much progress the Burmese government has made toward the benchmarks on political reform and human rights? How much progress has the government made in resolving the conflicts with the ethnic nationalities? (this must go beyond negotiating ceasefires, which has been done often in the past with no further progress forthcoming).
On the Business Community: As the US government is deciding how to relax the investment ban, can you tell us what US business representatives are being consulted, and share what you have heard from them? What are the main business sectors coming to you that are anxious to enter Burma?
On Sectors: Several sectors have been rumored to be under consideration for relaxation of the investment ban. What sectors are you considering allowing, and how have you determined that lifting the ban on those sectors would benefit Burma’s people? How will you evaluate the impact of investments in those sectors?
