Amnesty International Group 22 Pasadena/Caltech News

Volume X Number 5, May 2002


UPCOMING EVENTS

Thursday, May 23, 7:30 PM. Monthly Meeting 414 S. Holliston, Caltech Y Lounge. Help us plan future actions for Earth Day, Tibet, the abolition of the death penalty and more.

Monday, May 27, 2:00-5:00 PM. Tea with Tibetan Nuns, LA Friends of Tibet's office at 8333 Airport Blvd. in Westchester. See below for event details. Tibetan Tea for $2. Directions to  8333 Airport Blvd., Westchester (near LAX) 405 Fwy. to La Tijera exit. Head West. Left on Airport Blvd. Tibetan flag outside building on right.  Free parking in rear.

May 30-June 2. Amnesty International Film Festival at the Directors' Guild.  See below or visit event website for details: http://www.amnesty-usa.org/filmfest.

Tuesday, June 11, 7:30 PM. Letter-writing Meeting at the Athenaeum.  Corner of California & Hill in the basement recreation area.  An informal meeting, a great place for first-timers to ask questions!

Sunday, June 16, 6:30 PM. Rights Readers Human Rights Book Discussion Group. Vroman's Bookstore (695 E. Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena) This month we discuss Martyr's Crossing by Amy Wilentz. (See inside for more information about the book).

TEA WITH TWO TIBETAN NUNS

Recently Released from Drapchi Prison in Tibet

Join us on Memorial Day to hear first-hand accounts of Tibet's infamous Drapchi Prison, where our group's adopted POC, Ngawang Pekar, has been held since 1989 and subjected to beatings and abuse and denial of medical treatment.

An afternoon tea will take place on Memorial Day: To Remember the Victims of the Ongoing Struggle for Human Rights, Monday, May 27th from 2:00  to 5:00pm at  the LA Friends of Tibet's headquarters at 8333 Airport Blvd. in Westchester. The event is FREE.  Tibetan Tea for $2. (See Upcoming Events for directions.)

Two Tibetan nuns will tell of their experiences in Drapchi and speak about political and religious repression in Tibet. Chuye Kunsang, now 26, was arrested with 7 other nuns as they shouted religious slogans for the long life of the Dalai Lama in the central market area of Lhasa. She served four years in Drapchi and was released in 1999. Passang Lhamo, 25, was a political prisoner in Drapchi from 1994 to 1999. Both Chuye and Passang participated in the May 1998 prison demonstrations that resulted in severe beatings and the deaths of 5 nuns.

Drapchi is notorious for abuse and torture of political prisoners. "The military exercises began wiith daily sessions of standing in the direct sunlight... Sometimes the guards would put books or cups of water on our heads to make sure that we were not moving. When the book fell or when some water was spilled, then you would be beaten."

More subtle means of humiliation are also employed. Since Tibetan monks and nuns typically shave their heads as a sign of their religious vocation, in prison they are forced to grow their hair long.

 

After Chuye and Passang were discharged from Drapchi in 1999, they had no political rights and could not rejoin their nunneries. They were forbidden to speak of things that happened in Drapchi, and they and their families were constantly harassed by the authorities. For these reasons, they escaped from Tibet to exile in India.

Amnesty International and other organizations are sponsoring the nuns' tour of Europe and the U.S. The tour has been very stressful for the nuns, as at each event they re-live their prison ordeals. They are doing only one public event in the Los Angeles area, so even though it is a long drive to the location near LAX, please consider attending in order to listen to these brave young women and be inspired by their words.

"Even when we were being beaten in prison, we felt compassion for the Chinese prison wardens because of our faith. The most important thing is to be compassionate - even if we suffer, it could be of benefit to others."

Also speaking will be  Megan Berthold, a therapist at the Program for Torture Victims in Los Angeles which provides medical and psychological services to survivors of torture from around the world.  The award-winning documentary on Tibet "Strange Spirit"  by Rebecca & Ronnie Novick will be shown.

After the program traditional Tibetan tea will be served and the opportunity will be given to meet with the speakers and members of Amnesty International & the L.A. Friends of Tibet.If you can't come to the Memorial Day event, you can visit the Group 133 website for more information about Chuye and Passang: http://www.amnesty133.org/ai/gotb/nuns.html. And stay tuned for the next Group 22 newsletter, when we hope to have the answer to our big question: Did Chuye and Passang hear anything about our Ngawang Pekar in Drapchi?

AMNESTY FILM FESTIVAL

May 30-June2 at Director's Guild

For complete schedule and film descriptions, see

www.amnestyusa.org/filmfest

May 30-June 2, 2002

Directors Guild of America

7920 Sunset Blvd (at Hayworth)

Free Parking for festival Patrons

For information call 310-815-0450

Tickets (per screening):

$8 General Admission

$6 Amnesty International members

$4 Student/Senior/Disabled

Full-festival pass

$40 General Admission

$30 Amnesty International Members

$20 Student/Senior/Disabled

THURSDAY, MAY 30 2002, 7:00 PM

Special Opening Night Event

Launch Party for Artists for Amnesty

By Invitation Only -- RESERVATIONS REQUIRED!

(approx 200 tickets will be made available to be public on a first come-first serve basis)

20th Anniversary Screening of Unviersal Pictures "Missing,"starring Jack Lemmon and Sissy Spacek. Hosted by Gabriel Byrne, followed by reception.

FRIDAY, MAY 31 2002

7:00 PM - THEATER 3/40 SEATS

"The Many Faces of Madness," (19 MIN.) plays with "Freedom" (58 Min.)

8:00 PM-THEATER 2/150 SEATS

"Execution of Wanda Jean," 88 min, 2001. Followed by a Discussion

9:00 PM-THEATER 3/40 SEATS

"The Pinochet Case," 110 min (Q&A on Pinochet Case from Amnesty)

SATURDAY, JUNE 1 2002

3:00 PM -- THEATER 3/40 SEATS

"Missing Young Woman/Se–orita Extraviada," 2000. 74 min. "Duhshomoy," 26 min 1999.

5:30 PM -- THEATER 3/40 SEATS

"6000 A Day: An Account of a Catastrophe Foretold," 55 min. 2001.

7:00PM - THEATER 3/40 SEATS

 "The Inner Tour," 94 min. 2001.

6:00 PM - THEATER 2/150 SEATS

"Uncle Saddam," followed by Q&A w/ Director

8:00 PM - THEATER 2/150 SEATS

"The Two Towns of Jasper" Followed by a discussion with filmmaker (Marco Williams, co-director).

SUNDAY, JUNE 2 2002

3:00 PM -- THEATER 3/40 SEATS

"Presumed Guilty," 114 min, 2002

5:00 PM- THEATER 3/40 SEATS

"The Pinochet Case," 110 min followed by Q&A on Pinochet Case from Amnesty

7:00 PM ? THEATER 2/150 SEATS

"The Hidden Half," By Tamineh Milani, 109 min. Iran, 2001. Followed byPanel Discussion.

ISRAEL/OCCUPIED TERRITORIES

US Should Stop Refilling Israel's Arsenal of Weapons for Human Rights Violations

Be sure to visit www.amnesty-usa.org for additional crisis response actions!

Since September 2000, violence in Israel and the Occupied Territories has steadily escalated. By April 2002, more than 1,300 Palestinians had been killed by the Israeli security forces, the vast majority of them unlawfully. More than 300 Israeli civilians had been killed by Palestinian armed groups and individuals the vast majority of them unlawfully. More than 23,000 other people had been wounded, many maimed for life. 2002 has seen an even greater intensification of violence and suffering. These abuses have been fueled by weapons supplied to the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) and by the supply of arms via smuggling networks to Palestinian armed groups such as Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the Al Aqsa Martyr Brigades. The majority of weapons used by the Israeli Defense Forces to commit human rights violations are made or supplied by the US, in particular Apache helicopters and F-16 fighter jets.

Amnesty is appealing to President Bush to suspend all transfers of those types of weapons and munitions used to commit human rights violations until Israel is clearly in compliance with the terms for arms transfers as expressed in US law and bilateral agreements.

There is a precedent: in 1978, 1979, 1981 and 1982, the President of the United States found Israel in violation of the Arms Export Control Act or of bilateral defense agreements, issuing a report to Congress with those findings. In 1981, transfers of F-15 and F-16 aircraft were temporarily suspended as a result of Israeli violations.

The administration's failure to restrict supply to Israel of weapons being used to commit human rights violations is in sharp contrast to the European Union. The French, German and UK governments have limited or suspended most arms sales to Israel, refusing to export military equipment and materials since September 2000.

Amnesty International also believes that the US (and in particular, the US Embassy in Israel) should be collecting information on Israeli military and police units implicated in human rights abuses, particularly units using US helicopters in extrajudicial executions and US fighter aircraft strafing civilian areas.

Amnesty International also believes that President Bush should report to Congress on whether US arms transfers to Israel are in compliance with the Arms Export Control Act, the Foreign Assistance Act, and bilateral defense agreements with Israel.  A sample letter follows:

The Honorable George W. Bush

President of the United States

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President

I am writing concerning the increase of mass human rights violations in Israel and the Occupied Territories.  I urge you to take specific actions in order to ensure that US weapons are not used to commit grave human rights violations and to encourage control of arms in Israel and Occupied Territories in compliance with international human rights standards and international humanitarian law.

Members of the European Union including the German and UK governments have limited or suspended most arms sales to Israel, refusing to export military equipment and materials since September 2000.

In the period from 1995 to 2002, the US has licensed a total of $8,025,482,720 of weapons and military equipment and components to Israel, including AH64 Apache helicopters, F-16 fighter jets, Launch Rocket System (MLRS), assault rifles, missiles and missiles launchers. US arms transfers should be in compliance with the US Arms Export Control Act, the Foreign Assistance Act, and bilateral defence agreements with Israel.

In January and March 2002 Amnesty International's delegates collected evidence of increased Israeli Defence Forces air attacks against the Palestinian Authority's infrastructure. In addition to tank fire, these IDF attacks are carried out with US-supplied Apache Hellfire air-to-ground missiles and US-supplied F-16 laser-guided 500 and 1,000 lb bombs. The increased tonnage of high explosive that the IDF is dropping from the air causes a greater risk of casualties. The Israeli Defence Forces have used US-supplied flechette rounds against Palestinian residential areas and unlawfully killed Palestinians. US assault rifles have also been used by both sides to facilitate human rights violations.

I urge you to help reduce the gross human rights violations occurring in Israel and the Occupied Territories by:

-               immediately suspending transfers of the above US weapons and ammunitions to the Israeli Defence Forces until it can be clearly demonstrated that such arms will not be used to facilitate gross human rights violations in the Occupied Territories;

-               if not already underway, instructing the US Embassy in Israel to collect information on Israeli military and police units implicated in human rights abuses, particularly units using US helicopters in extrajudicial executions and US fighter aircraft strafing civilian areas;

-               preparing a report to Congress on whether US arms transfers to Israel are in compliance with the Arms Export Control Act, the Foreign Assistance Act, and bilateral defense agreements with Israel;

-               communicating to authorities in Israel and the Occupied Territories that they should ensure that all arms are registered and only authorized for use consistent  with international humanitarian law and the UN Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials; the US and its allies should encourage and support efforts by the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority to curb trafficking in small arms and light weapons used for grave human rights violations to armed groups that are not members of official security services.

Thank you for your attention to my concern.  I look forward to a response and to learn of the steps that you intend to take to address this issue.

Sincerely,


YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS

SUCCESS STORY!

Ethiopian Educator Released!

Dr. Taye Wolde-Semayat of Ethiopia, an Amnesty prisoner of conscience, was released from prison on May 14, 2002. His release was ordered on May 9th after a court reduced his sentence to an amount less than the time he had already served. Taye's case has been featured in this newsletter and Group 22 members sent greetings to him through AIUSA's annual Holiday Card Action. (Taye has said that he received so many cards that it took two cars to help transport them from the prison.)

Dr. Taye was president of the Ethiopian Teachers' Association, the country's largest trade union, when authorities arrested him in 1996. Following an unfair trial, Dr. Taye was sentenced to 15 years in prison for conspiracy against the state. However, Amnesty International considered Taye to be a prisoner of conscience who had been jailed on fabricated charges in an effort to silence his dissenting views regarding the government's education policies. Dr. Taye studied or taught at several universities in the United States, including Illinois State University, the University of Missouri, and Michigan State University.

Thank you for your help in bringing about this release.

JUST EARTH NETWORK
 Shareholder Resolution Seeks Human Rights Policy

(See also the action following this one for more concerns in the Mexican state of Guerrero)

In advance of ExxonMobil's (NYSE: XOM) shareholder meeting May 29, Amnesty International is seeking support for a shareholder resolution calling on ExxonMobil to adopt a comprehensive, transparent, and verifiable human rights policy to guide the company's business operations and protect communities affected by the company's global operations.

"Multinational corporations who ignore their social responsibilities for the protection and promotion of human rights do so at the risk of damaging both their business and the society in which they operate," said Dr. Morton Winston, Chair of Amnesty International USA's Business and Economic Relations Group. "In the current age of globalization, the social contract between business and society is being re-negotiated. Global corporations can no longer ignore their responsibilities regarding human rights: human rights are everyone's business. AIUSA sees shareholder activism as an effective means of bringing this message directly to America's corporate boardrooms."

ExxonMobil Chairman and CEO Lee Raymond has made positive statements about the company's recognition of human rights. In an April 2001 speech, he stated, "In countries where there are local insurgencies and armed conflict, we have made it clear that we condemn any violations of human rights and we try to be a positive example by treating our employees with dignity and respect."

However, with this shareholder resolution, Amnesty International is asking ExxonMobil to go beyond general statements and adopt and implement specific policies that support human rights principles and values in its global business operations.

ExxonMobil operates in a number of countries with serious human rights problems, often closely linked to the presence of multinationals in the extractive industries.

In Chad, ExxonMobil leads a consortium that will build a 650-mile pipeline from the Doba oil fields in southern Chad through Cameroon's Littoral Forest to the Atlantic coast. Chad's abysmal record on human rights includes the reported killing by Chadian security forces of more than 200 unarmed civilians in the oil-producing region. To date, no investigation of the massacres has taken place. The pipeline may exacerbate decades-old tensions between the government and opposition movements and increase the militarization of the oil field region.

Cameroon's human rights record is equally troubling, including torture and extrajudicial executions. Journalists in both Chad and Cameroon have been detained for exposing government corruption.

In Angola, Colombia, Indonesia, Equatorial Guinea and Nigeria, ExxonMobil's operations cannot be neutral on human rights. In particular, protection of facilities and operations frequently results in interactions with security forces, armed groups or private security personnel that have poor records on human rights.

Amnesty International recently published a briefing entitled "Business & Human Rights: A Geography of Corporate Risk," which noted that corporations that adopt human rights standards for their operations significantly reduce the risk of incurring damage to their corporate reputation (the briefing is available at www.humanrightsrisk.org).

"Enacting a comprehensive corporate human rights policy isn't just a public relations ploy, it's good business policy," said Winston. "Corporations benefit from an enhanced reputation, stability in their investments, and better employee relations, at the same time reducing the risk of negative publicity, boycotts, divestment campaigns and law suits."

Amnesty International recommends that companies include an explicit commitment to the principles and values of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in their Code of Conduct or Business Principles. That commitment should be followed-up by implementation procedures that include: responsibility for ensuring enactment at the Board or senior management level; annual reporting on the company's human rights performance via independent audit; training and guidance on the company's human rights policies for employees, joint venture partners, contractors, and suppliers.

The human rights organization has at least ten co-filers on the resolution, including the AFL-CIO, the New York City Teachers' Retirement System, Trillium Asset Management, Walden Asset Management, individual investors and religious organizations.

You can write to ExxonMobil, even if you own no share, and express your support of the resolution submitted by Amnesty International USA. Write to:

Mr. Lee Raymond, CEO

ExxonMobil Corporation

6959 Las Colinas Boulevard

Irving, TX 75039

Dear Mr. Raymond:

I am writing to you as a concerned citizen and an ExxonMobil customer. I want to express my support for the shareholder resolution filed by Amnesty International USA proposing that ExxonMobil create a comprehensive and verifiable human rights policy.

The general public is increasingly interested in the role played by the energy and extractive industries in protecting and promoting human rights. I believe that instituting a human rights policy would serve ExxonMobil's own best interests. It would create a positive public image as well as enhance shareholder value and benefit the communities in which the corporation operates.

Respectfully,

YOUR NAME and ADDRESS

For more information please visit:

www.amnestyusa.org/business/exxonmobil.html

MEXICO/GUERRERO

Indigenous Rights Defender Threatened

 

Amnesty International is concerned for the safety of Joaqu’n Flores FŽlix and his family. He is an academic on indigenous issues and a founder member of a leading human rights organization in the State of Guerrero and has reportedly been receiving threatening phone calls at his home in Mexico City.

 

On 27 March, Joaqu’n Flores reportedly received a phone call from an unidentified individual who threatened to hurt his daughter and ex-wife. On 2 May, his ex-wife's flat caught fire under suspicious circumstances.  The next day, another phone call was made to Joaqu’n Flores' home in which the caller insulted him before hanging up. Within a few minutes yet another call was made, in which the caller pretended to be from a Mexican bank inquiring about an outstanding debt. Joaqu’n Flores told the caller that he did not have an account with that bank, at which point another person took the phone, and insulted him adding 'take care of yourself because we are following you','cu’date porque te estamos rastreando'. On 4 May, insults were left on  Joaqu’n Flores' answer machine as well as a threat which said, 'there's not long to go now, because now we are close', 'ya falta poco, porque ahora s’ ya estamos cerca'.

On 6 May, Joaqu’n Flores went to the Attorney General's Office of the Federal District, Procuraduria General del Distrito Federal, to report the threats. On 15 May, he reportedly received another message on his answer machine that included the same insults as before, as well as the threat 'we'll soon meet each other', 'pronto nos encontraremos.'

Joaqu’n Flores is a founder of the human rights organization, Centro de Derechos Humanos de la Monta–a Tlachinollan A.C., Human Rights Centre of Monta–a Tlachinollan A.C., in the state of Guerrero. He is a lecturer at the Metropolitan Autonomous University in the Federal District and is closely identified with work on indigenous issues in Guerrero.    

RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:

-               -expressing concern for the safety of Joaqu’n Flores FŽlix and his family following several threatening phone calls to their home;

-               -calling on the authorities to guarantee the safety of Joaqu’n Flores and his family, in accordance with his wishes;

-               -urging the authorities to carry out a prompt, impartial and thorough investigation in response to the formal complaint lodged by Joaqu’n Flores, to make the results public, and to bring those responsible to justice;

 

APPEALS TO:

Lic. AndrŽs Manuel L—pez Obrador

Jefe de Gobierno del Distrito Federal

Plaza de la Constituci—n esq. Pino Su‡rez

Piso 1, Col. Centro 06068(5)

MŽxico D.F.

MEXICO

Copies to

Ambassador Juan Jose Bremer Martino

Embassy of Mexico

1911 Pennsylvania Ave. NW

Washington DC 20006

 

 

LETTER COUNT

Prisoner of Conscience Ngawang Pekar            5

Israel/OT                                                                                    1

Government Action Network                                     3

Death Penalty                                                                          9

Urgent Actions:                                                                      17

 

Total:                                                                                              35

 

Want to add your letters to the total?  Get in touch with lucas.kamp@jpl.nasa.gov

DEATH PENALTY
Juvenile Scheduled for Execution in Texas

 

Last month's action concerned Chris Simmons, a juvenile case in Missouri.  He received a thirty-day stay, but is scheduled for execution on June 5, so there is still time to take action in that case.  This month we return to the case of Napoleon Beazley, aged 25, who is scheduled to be executed in Texas on 28 May 2002 for a crime committed when he was 17 years old. International law prohibits the execution of those who were under 18 at the time of the crime.

Napoleon Beazley, who is black, was convicted in 1995 of the carjacking murder of a white man, John Luttig, in Tyler, Smith County, in April 1994. Citing 'substantial contact with the family of the victim', the prosecution refused to consider a pre-trial plea arrangement whereby Beazley would plead guilty in return for a life sentence of 40 years without parole.  The same prosecutors accepted such a plea bargain in the case of a white racist who was sentenced to 45 years in prison, with parole eligibility after half that time, for killing a homeless Tyler man in 1996 because he was black.

Napoleon Beazley's jury was all-white despite Smith County's population being 20 per cent African American, and it later emerged that at least one juror harboured severe racial prejudice against blacks. In addition, one of the jurors appears to have been a long-time employee of one of John Luttig's business partners, which was not revealed during jury selection. 

The jury's finding of Napoleon Beazley's 'future dangerousness' - a requirement for a death sentence in Texas - had little support. A stream of mitigation witnesses, including teachers, fellow school pupils, and other members of the community, described a respectful, decent, helpful teenager, whose involvement in the Luttig murder appeared to be completely out of character. He had no prior arrest record, and the prosecution produced no evidence of any other assaultive acts by him. It therefore relied upon his two co-defendants' testimony - a notoriously unreliable form of evidence - to assert that Beazley had planned the killing and had no remorse for it afterwards. In later affidavits, the two co-defendants stated that their testimony was given in return for a prosecution promise not to pursue the death penalty against them, that they had been told to 'make Napoleon look as bad' as possible to the jury, and that he had not planned the murder and had been very remorseful after the crime.

Recognizing young people's immaturity and potential for rehabilitation, international law prohibits the execution of child offenders - those under 18 at the time of the crime. This principle is respected by almost every country in the world. Since 1995 the only known such executions occurred in the USA (nine, five of them in Texas); Pakistan (two); Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC - one); Nigeria (one); and Iran (three). In 2001, the President of Pakistan announced that he would commute the death sentences of all child offenders on death row in his country. Amnesty International knows of no executions since December 2000 in the DRC, where there is currently a moratorium on judicial killing.

Napoleon Beazley came hours from execution in August 2001. Appeals for clemency had come from many quarters. The District Attorney of Houston County, whose jurisdiction includes the Beazley family's home town of Grapeland and who is a 'strong advocate' of the death penalty, called for commutation.  A former warden of death row in Texas, who oversaw 22 executions, also opposes the execution.

In a remarkable development, Judge Cynthia Kent, who oversaw Napoleon Beazley's 1995 trial and who set his execution dates, wrote to Governor Perry in August 2001 urging clemency, citing the prisoner's age at the time of the crime as reason for commutation. Eighteen members of the Texas legislature then wrote to the governor: 'We join Judge Kent in her request for commutation of Napoleon Beazley's death sentence because we are greatly disturbed by the fact that Texas is now almost the sole executioner of child offenders in the world. We desire Texas to be in the lead among states and nations in affording her citizens the protection they deserve to be given under universally-recognized, fundamental, human rights norms.'

At the recent hearing at which his execution date was set, Napoleon Beazley spoke of his remorse. In chains, weeping, he apologized to all who had been affected by the crime, 'first and foremost, to Mrs Luttig and her family.'

In Texas, the Governor can grant clemency if the Board of Pardons and Paroles recommends it. In August 2001, it rejected clemency by a vote of 10-6, an unusually high number of votes for commutation. At the time the Board was unaware of Judge Kent's appeal.

 

RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible, IN YOUR OWN WORDS:

-               expressing sympathy for the family and friends of John Luttig, and explaining that you are not seeking to excuse the manner of his death;

-               expressing deep concern that Texas plans to execute Napoleon Beazley in violation of international law, which is respected around the world;

-               noting the widespread support for commutation, even from the trial judge, the Houston County District Attorney, and at least 18 Texas legislators;

-               noting the serious questions that have been raised about the fairness of proceedings, including possible juror bias and the use of unreliable co-defendant testimony;

-               noting that despite the jury's finding of future dangerousness, Napoleon Beazley has been a model prisoner and has justified the confidence that mitigation witnesses had in his capacity for rehabilitation;

-               calling on the Board of Pardons and Paroles - in the interest of justice, decency and the reputation of the State of Texas - to recommend that Napoleon Beazley's death sentence be commuted by the Governor.

WRITE TO all seven regional offices of the Board. Salutation for all: Dear Board Members. Address for all: Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles, followed by:

1.           Abilene Board Office, 100 Chestnut, Suite 105, Abilene, Texas 79602 Fax: 1 915-676-4921

2.           Amarillo Board Office, 5809 S. Western, Suite 140, Amarillo, Texas 79110 Fax: 1 806-358-6455

3.           Angleton Board Office, 1212 N. Velasco, Suite 201, Angleton, Texas 77515 Fax: 1 979-849-8741

4.           Gatesville Board Office, 3408 S. State Hwy. 36, Gatesville, Texas 76528 Fax: 1 254-865-2629

5.           Huntsville Board Office, 1300 11th Street, Suite 505, P.O. Box 599, Huntsville, Texas 77342-0599 Fax: 1 936-291-8367

6.           Palestine Board Office, 1111 West Lacy St., Palestine, Texas 75801  Fax: 1 903-723-1441

7.           San Antonio Board Office, 420 S. Main, San Antonio, Texas 78204  Fax: 1 210-226-1114

COPIES TO:

Governor Rick Perry

c/o Bill Jones, General Counsel

PO Box 12428

Austin, Texas 78711

RIGHTS READERS

Human Rights Book Discussion Group

 

Vroman's Bookstore
(695 E. Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena)

Sunday, June 16, 6:30 PM

Martyr's Crossing

 

by Amy Wilentz

 

Martyrs' Crossing tells a stunning story of love, fear, divided loyalties, ruined friendships, and personal sacrifice -- against a backdrop of raging war in the Holy Land.

One rainy night at a Jerusalem checkpoint, Israeli Lieutenant Ari Doron is ordered to refuse passage to a young Palestinian mother and her sick boy. The incident leads to a series of riots, and Doron finds himself pulled into the bitter political aftermath as battles and bus bombs explode around him.

He is drawn to Marina, the boy's American-born mother. And though she is on the other side of the bloody struggle, she finds herself thinking of Doron as "her soldier." In another place, at another time, they might have been lovers, but here their story moves toward a tragic conclusion with the kind of inevitability that war imposes.

-A New York Times Notable Book for 2001.

Editor's Last Word:

Read us on line: http://www.cco.caltech.edu/~aigp22

Martha Ter Maat, 626-281-4039 / mtermaat@hsc.usc.edu




 


 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


From the 210 exit on Lake Avenue, head south, turn left on Del Mar

From the 110 continue on Arroyo Parkway north, turn right on California

Street parking is generally available.

 

 

 

 

 

Amnesty International Group 22

P.O. Box 50193

Pasadena, CA 91115-0193

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Amnesty International
works impartially to free-individuals jailed solely for their beliefs, ethnic origin, language, gender or sexual orientation, provided they  have not used or advocated violence-to ensure fair trials for all political prisoners, and to abolish torture and executions worldwide.  It is funded by members and supporters around the world.

 


 

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