Volume X Number 9, September 2002
UPCOMING
EVENTS
Thursday,
September 26, 7:30
PM. Monthly Meeting 414 S. Holliston, Caltech Y Lounge. Help us plan
future actions for Tibet, the abolition of the death penalty, campaign against
torture and more.
Tuesday, October
8, 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, October
20, 6:30 PM. Rights Readers Human Rights Book Discussion Group. Vroman's Bookstore (695 E. Colorado Boulevard in
Pasadena) This month we discuss Abyssinian Chronicles by Moses
Isegawa. (See inside for more information about the book).
COORDINATOR'S CORNER
How the time flies! Can it really be four years since I began my term
as group coordinator? Well, it really is, and it's time to turn over
the reins of power to a new generation of leaders!
I am very pleased to announce that the group has elected Lucas Kamp
and Kathy Hansen to replace me, jointly sharing the responsibilities of
coordinator. Both of them have been active and dedicated members of
the group for some time, and it will be great for our group's continuing
work to be coordinated by such capable hands, as we face both new and
old challenges to human rights in the years to come, with new tools and
an evolving mandate.
I hope to have more time to spend on actions and campaigns, and I also
plan to return to working on the website, taking over the primary duties
of Electronic Media Coordinator from Lucas. Besides this, Alexi and I
are expecting another baby in early November, so I'm not too worried
about getting bored in my retirement from coordinatorship.
It's been great coordinating the group through a very active and productive
period of its development. Together, we've originated or participated in
lots of great events and actions working for and publicizing human rights
around the world. A number of members have come and gone, but we've always
had a wonderfully dedicated and creative membership base. I look forward
to participating in the group's evolution under its new coordinators!
Cheers, Larry Romans
EDUCATOR'S NETWORK
Back to School?
Sign up for Article 26!
One of Amnesty
International's objectives is to make all people of all ages aware of the basic
rights and responsibilities that each individual possesses and, in the long
term, to build a "culture of prevention" of human rights abuses.
Education in human
rights is itself a fundamental human right and also a responsibility. Article
26 of the Universal Declaration states that everyone has the right to
education, and that education should strengthen respect for human rights.
Through their human rights education work, Amnesty International members are
doing what they can to fulfill this part of the Universal Declaration. If
people do not know their rights, they cannot defend or fight for them. Human
rights education teaches both about and for human rights. The goal is to help
people understand human rights, value human rights, and to take responsibility
for respecting, defending and promoting their human rights as well as the
rights of others.
Amnesty's Educator's
Network new e-mail newsletter 'Article 26' will keep you up to date on
materials available for school or community human rights education
projects. Visit the AIUSA website
to sign up:
http://www.amnestyusa.org/education/article26/
HUMAN RIGHTS & THE ARTS
Western Regional
Conference October 25-27
'Everyone has the
right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold
opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and
ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers' - Article 19 of the
UDHR
The Western Regional
Conference of Amnesty International USA is a unique opportunity for activists,
scholars, communities, and students to come together to learn about, discuss,
and act upon some of the most important human rights issues facing our world
community today.
This year's
conference focuses on human rights and the arts. The use of the arts as a
medium for human rights activism, including poetry and prose, film, dance,
theater, and art, opens people to experience the pain, suffering and hope of
human rights victims in ways that are vivid, moving and often beautiful.
Join us as we explore
the connections between the arts and human rights activism and also celebrate
the 30th anniversary of the Urgent Action Network.
Keynote Speakers
General JosŽ
Gallardo, former Prisoner of Conscience from Mexico; Sister Diana Ortiz, author
of "The Blindfold's Eyes: My Journey from Torture to Truth" (written
with Patricia Davis, Orbis Books, October 2002) ; and AIUSA National Executive
Director William Schultz
The conference program begins at 9:00 AM on Saturday, October
26th, and ends at 3:30 PM on Sunday, October 27th. á
Workshops
include:
Russia Campaign
Violence
Against Women
Amnesty's
'New Tactics'
Political
Asylum and
Immigrants'
Rights Issues
The
Death Penalty: An International Overview
Human
Rights in Mexico
Building
Skills for Legislative Work
Human
Rights Implications of the
'War
on Terrorism'
The
Middle East
The
International Criminal Court
Opportunities
for Media Coverage
Fighting
for Abolition in the West
Contemporary
Forms of Slavery
Police
Abuse of Power and Accountability Issues in the United States
Best
Practices and Group Organizing
Just
Earth! Campaign
Human
Rights Education through the Arts
Conference Site
and Accommodations
The Executive Tower Hotel
1405 Curtis Street
Denver, CO 80202
303-571-0300
800 - 525-6651
The Executive Tower
Hotel will be offering Amnesty International conference attendees a special
group rate of $89 single or $99 double, with a $10 charge for each additional
person above double-occupancy, plus tax, for reservations for Friday and
Saturday nights.
PLEASE NOTE !!!!!
Conference attendees must make their own reservations directly with the hotel
at the phone numbers listed above. Be sure to mention Amnesty International to
obtain the group rate. Space is limited, so please make your reservations as
soon as possible! To request a roommate, please send your registration to the Los
Angeles Western Region Office by September 20th. Reservations must be made by October 4, 2002, to take
advantage of the special rate!
Registration Fee
Before October 4th
General $15
Student/Senior/Limited Income $10
After October 4th
General $20
Student/Senior/Limited Income $15
To register, please
send a check or money order (payable to AIUSA) with a completed registration
form to: AIUSA Western Region, Regional Conference, 2999 Overland Avenue, Suite
111, Los Angeles, CA 90064. Registration will also be available at the
conference. For further information, please call the Los Angeles Western Region
Office at (310) 815-0450.
CHINA
AIDS Activist Wan Yanhai Disappears
Note Added in Proof: Just before mailing out this newsletter, news was
received that Dr Wan Yanhai, the subject of the following article, was
released by the Chinese government. It is highly unusual for the Chinese
to release a political prisoner after less than a month's internment, so
this success must be attributed at least in part of the international
outcry, in which Amnesty International played a leading role, against this
injustice.
Amnesty
International is seriously concerned for the safety of Dr Wan Yanhai, a Chinese
HIV/AIDS activist, who reportedly went missing on or around 24 August. It is
feared that he has been detained by Chinese police.
Dr
Wan Yanhai was reportedly last seen on 24 August in Beijing at a gay and
lesbian film screening. All attempts by his family to contact him since then
have failed. The Chinese authorities have not yet responded to requests for
information about his whereabouts. He was allegedly under surveillance by
plainclothes police as a result of his HIV/AIDS activism and his support for
health issues concerning lesbians and gay men and sex workers in China.
Wan Yanhai is the founder of the
Aizhi Action Project, a group which focuses on the promotion of HIV/AIDS
awareness and prevention in China, and the advocacy of the rights of people
with AIDS. Other members of the Aizhi Action Project have reportedly been
subjected to surveillance and have been questioned since the group started
organizing petitions to the government for better treatment.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
A former health official in Beijing,
Wan Yanhai was expelled in 1994 from his post after receiving criticism by the
Health Ministry for his involvement in HIV/AIDS awareness campaigns and for
supporting equal rights for gays and lesbians.
Since founding the Aizhi Action
Project in 1994, Wan Yanhai has played a prominent role in publicising the
extent of the spread of AIDS throughout China, highlighting the connection
between blood transfusions and HIV/AIDS, which caused many deaths in the
central province of Henan. Wan Yanhai has published on the Aizhi Action Project's
website (www.aizhi.org) lists of people who apparently died in Henan province
of HIV/AIDS related illnesses after selling blood between late 1980s and mid
1990s to government-sanctioned blood collectors.
In July, the Aizhi (AIDS) Action
Project was forced to move out of its office when its partner institute
allegedly received orders from the Chinese authorities to stop cooperating with
the group.
According to Xinhua, the
state-run news agency, the government is stepping up measures to keep the
number of Chinese HIV/AIDS patients below 1.5 million by 2010. However, a UN
report published in June 2002 estimates that by 2010 the number of HIV-infected
people could rise to 10 million if effective measures are not taken.
RECOMMENDED ACTION
Please send appeals to
arrive as quickly as possible, in Chinese, English or your own language.
á
expressing
concern at reports that Wan Yanhai has been missing since around 24 August;
á
urging
the Chinese authorities to immediately investigate and clarify his whereabouts;
á
if
he is being detained, urging the authorities to release him immediately if he
is not to be charged with a recognizably criminal offence;
á
urging
the authorities to ensure that Wan Yanhai receives full access to his family,
lawyers and medical treatment if he is in custody;
á
calling
on the authorities to ensure that all human rights defenders in China can carry
out their work without fear of detention without charge, or other human rights
violations.
APPEALS TO:
Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People's
Republic of China
TANG Jiaxuan Buzhang
Waijiaobu
2 Chaoyangmen Nandajie
Beijingshi 100701
People's Republic of China
Salutation: Your Excellency
Minister of Public Security of the People's
Republic of China
JIA Chunwang Buzhang
Gong'anbu
14 Dongchanganjie
Beijingshi 100741
People's Republic of China
E-mail: 110@mps.gov.cn
Salutation: Your Excellency
Minister of Public Health of the People's
Republic of China
ZHANG Wenkang Buzhang
Weishengbu
1 Xizhimenwai
Xicheng District
Beijingshi 100044
People's Republic of China
Email: manage@chsi.moh.gov.cn
Salutation: Your
Excellency
LETTER COUNT
Government Action Network 1
Death Penalty 1
Urgent Actions: 10
Prisoner of Conscience: Ngawang
Pekar 6
Total: 18
Want
to add your letters to the total?
Get in touch with lwkamp@cs.com
DEATH PENALTY
Pre-emptive action for Louisiana Juvenile!
A brief update on the
death penalty actions in our last newsletter. Gregory Lott was granted a stay of execution pending action
of the Ohio legislature on a mental retardation statute. However, Toronto Patterson was executed
by the state of Texas. This month
we seek to pre-empt a juvenile death sentence in Louisisana.
At a retrial
scheduled to begin on 16 September in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, the
prosecution is intending to seek a death sentence against Lawrence Jacobs (m),
black, aged 22, for a crime he is accused of committing when he was 16 years
old. International law, respected in almost every country in the world,
prohibits the use of the death penalty against people who were under 18 at the
time of the crime.
Nelson Beaugh, aged
45, and his 75-year-old mother, Della Beaugh, were shot dead at Nelson Beaugh's
home on 31 October 1996. Lawrence Jacobs was charged with their murders and
sentenced to death at a trial in 1998.
The conviction and
death sentence were overturned by the Louisiana Supreme Court in 2001. This was
on the grounds that Lawrence Jacobs had been denied his right to an impartial
jury by the inclusion of jurors who displayed a strong predisposition to
imposing death sentences. Having found this, the Court did not need to rule on
the merits of the other claims raised in Lawrence Jacobs's appeal about the
fairness of the jury selection. However, the Court noted that 'the prosecutor's
alleged racial discrimination in the selection of jurors... also appears to
raise serious questions regarding the propriety of the jury selection process
in the case'. The prosecution had dismissed four of the five African-American
jurors in the jury pool by using peremptory strikes (the right to reject jurors
without giving a reason). The prosecution had also tried to dismiss the fifth
African-American juror, but had been prevented from doing so by the trial
judge. Lawrence Jacobs is black.
Both the murder victims were white.
BACKGROUND
INFORMATION
There is an
unequivocal international legal prohibition on the use of the death penalty
against people who were under 18 at the time of the crime. The Geneva
Conventions, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR),
the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the American Convention on Human
Rights and the United Nations Safeguards Guaranteeing Protection of the Rights
of Those Facing the Death Penalty, all have provisions exempting this age group
from the death penalty. The
prohibition stems from the recognition of the immaturity of young people and
their capacity for rehabilitation.
When the USA ratified
the ICCPR, it filed a 'reservation' purporting to exempt it from the
prohibition on the execution on child offenders. The UN Human Rights Committee,
the body established by the ICCPR to monitor that treaty's implementation, has
stated that the reservation is invalid and should be withdrawn. It has
confirmed that the prohibition cannot be derogated from, even in times of
emergency, and has 'deplored' the USA's continuing execution of child
offenders. The USA is the only country apart from Somalia not to have ratified
the Convention on the Rights of the Child. In May 2002, Somalia signed the
treaty and indicated its intention to become the 192nd country to
ratify it.
In 2000, the UN
Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights affirmed that
the imposition of the death penalty against people who were under 18 at the
time of the crime violates customary international law, binding on all
countries regardless of which treaties they have or have not ratified.
Since January 1993,
15 child offenders have been executed in the United States. In the same period,
Amnesty International has documented eight such executions in the rest of the
world combined - three in Iran, two in Pakistan, one in Nigeria, one in
Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and one in Yemen. Yemen and Pakistan have
now legislated to abolish such use of the death penalty. In 2001, the death
sentences of five child offenders in DRC were commuted and there is currently a
moratorium on executions there. China, which accounts for most of the world's
executions each year, nevertheless in 1997 abolished the use of the death
penalty against defendants who were under 18 years old at the time of the
crime.
The United Nations
Guidelines on the Role of Prosecutors state that prosecutors 'should be made
aware of... human rights and fundamental freedoms recognized by national and
international law'. The Guidelines also require prosecutors to 'perform their
duties fairly, consistently and expeditiously, and respect and protect human
dignity and uphold human rights'. Prosecutors 'must carry out their functions
impartially and avoid... all discrimination', including racial discrimination.
RECOMMENDED
ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible, in your own
words:
-
acknowledging
the seriousness of the crime and the suffering it will have caused, and
explaining that you are not seeking to excuse the manner in which Nelson and
Della Beaugh died, or to comment on the guilt or innocence of the accused;
-
expressing
concern that the Jefferson Parish District Attorney's Office intends to seek
another death sentence against Lawrence Jacobs in violation of international
law respected in almost every country of the world which prohibits the use of
the death penalty against people who were under 18 at the time of the crime;
-
explaining
that this prohibition stems from the recognition of a young person's immaturity
and capacity for rehabilitation;
-
pointing
to the immense damage being done to the international reputation of the United
States by its continuing resort to this use of the death penalty in the face of
an overwhelming global consensus against such use;
-
urging
the prosecutor to rule out the death penalty as an option in this case.
If you wish, you may
also express concern at allegations of racial discrimination during jury selection
at the original trial, and cite the UN Guidelines on the Role of Prosecutors.
APPEALS TO:
District
Attorney Paul Connick
Jefferson
Parish District Attorney's Office
200
Derbigny Street
Gretna,
Louisiana 70053
Fax:
1 504 368 4562
Salutation:
Dear District Attorney
PRISONER OF CONSCIENCE
Ngawang Pekar, Tibetan Monk
Members of Group 22 have written many, many
letters to Chinese President Jiang Zemin in behalf of Ngawang Pekar, an
imprisoned Tibetan monk who is our group's adopted POC. This may well be our
last chance to write to Jiang Zemin, if he steps down from his
post as expected at the next Party Congress in early November. Next month he is
scheduled to visit President Bush for a one-day summit that he would like to go
smoothly, since it will be one of his last diplomatic trips.
Chinese-Tibetan relations may be entering a
new phase. As reported in our last month's newsletter, this year China released
six Tibetan political prisoners before they had completed serving their
sentences. Currently two close associates of the Dalai Lama, Lodi
Gyari and Kelsang Gyaltsen, are visiting Beijing and Lhasa. Although the
Chinese claim that they are on an unofficial tour, the fact that their visit
was permitted at all is significant because the two men have long been very
critical of China's rule over Tibet. Let's hope that these encouraging
developments lead to some real progress.
Here's a letter that
you can copy or use as a guide.
President of the
People's Republic of China
Jiang Zemin
Guojia Zhuxi
Beijingshi
People's Republic of China
Your Excellency,
I am writing to you
about a prisoner in Tibet Autonomous Region Prison No. 1. The prisoner's name is NGAWANG PEKAR.
He was arrested in Lhasa in 1989 for participating in a peaceful demonstration.
I believe that
NGAWANG PEKAR has been imprisoned solely for the nonviolent expression of his
beliefs, and I am deeply concerned about reports that he has been beaten and
subjected to torture and denied access to medical care. I respectfully urge
that you review Ngawang Pekar's case and that you report his present status to
international organizations.
I welcome the recent
release of Takna Jigme Sangpo and other Tibetan prisoners of conscience, and I
hope to hear soon of Ngawang Pekar's release. Thank you for your attention to
this important matter.
Sincerely,
(Your name and
address)
Postage for a letter
to China is still just 80 cents. Or save a few pennies and mail your letter to
President Jiang Zemin, c/o Embassy of the People's Republic of China, 2300
Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, DC 20008. As always, please notify Group 22 if
you should receive a response.
USA/IRAQ
AI Press Release: Not in the
Name if Human Rights
September 12, 2002. In his speech to the UN General Assembly today, President George Bush made reference to the serious human rights violations perpetrated upon the Iraqi people by their government. In the background paper distributed to the media, several references were made to Amnesty International's reports published over the years on the human rights situation in Iraq.
" Once again, the human rights record of a country is used selectively to legitimize military actions." Amnesty International said.
" The US and other Western governments turned a blind eye to Amnesty International reports of widespread human rights violations in Iraq during the Iran-Iraq war, and ignored Amnesty International's campaign on behalf of the thousands of unarmed Kurdish civilians killed in the 1988 attacks on Halabja.'
" As the debate on whether to use military force against Iraq escalates, the human rights of the Iraqi people, as a direct consequence of any potential military action, is sorely missing from the equation."
" Life, safety and security of civilians must be the paramount consideration in any action taken to resolve the current human rights and humanitarian crisis. The experience of previous armed intervention in the Gulf has shown that, all too often, civilians become the acceptable casualties of war."
" In the event of military action there is a serious possibility of large flows of refugees and the internal displacement of thousands of people. A humanitarian crisis can emerge caused by difficult or impossible delivery of basic supplies leaving shortages in food, medicine and the destruction of civilian infrastructure and institutions."
Please visit the AIUSA website (www.amnestyusa.org) for more information about Iraq.
Vroman's Bookstore
(695 E. Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena)
Note:
If you plan to purchase the book at Vroman's look in the Fiction section
or request it at Will Call..
Abyssinian Chronicles
By Moses Isegawa
At the center of this
unforgettable tale is Mugezi, a young man who manages to make it through the
hellish reign of Idi Amin and experiences firsthand the most crushing aspects
of Ugandan society: he withstands his distant father's oppression and his
mother's cruelty in the name of Catholic zeal, endures the ravages of war, rape,
poverty, and AIDS, and yet he is able to keep a hopeful and even occasionally
amusing outlook on life. Mugezi's hard-won observations form a cri de coeur for
a people shaped by untold losses.
"As Salman Rushdie's Midnight's
Children was for modern India, Abyssinian Chronicles will likely prove to be a
breakthrough book for Uganda." -- Time Out
"This briskly
paced comic epic [is] an ironical bildungsroman that's also a full-scale
portrayal of a traditional society in flux and in crisis . . . Overall, one of
the most impressive works of fiction to have ever come out of Africa." -- Kirkus
Reviews
Editor's Last Word:
Read us on line: http://www.cco.caltech.edu/~aigp22
Martha Ter Maat, 626-281-4039 / rightsreaders@yahoo.com
From the 210 exit on Lake Avenue, head south, turn left
on Del Mar
From the 110 continue on Arroyo Parkway north, turn
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Street parking is generally available.
Amnesty International
Group 22 P.O.
Box 50193 Pasadena, CA 91115-0193 Amnesty
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