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Amnesty International Salisbury Group
Minutes of the Monthly Meeting on Thursday 7.30 pm 4 Victoria Road
1 Chairman’s Welcome Present: Fiona, Eddie, Tony, Jonathan, Peter, Lesley, Mike (part)Apologies: Ria, Joanna, Phil, Andrew
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2 Minutes of previous Meeting – These were agreed, following the correction of an item within Forthcoming Events: the letter of authorisation should refer to the Carol Singing, and not the Arts Centre/Playhouse Film.
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3 Treasurer’s Report - £432.27 (Bank) £30.06 (Cash)
MP
4 Campaign Reports
Death Penalty
Please see the Salisbury Group Website full DP report for the international update covering the USA, Burma, Pakistan, Indonesia, Egypt, Malawi and Sierra Leone.
Of particular note:
The Amnesty Report Death Sentences and Executions 2020 was released on 21.4.21
483 executions were recorded in 18 countries – down 26% in total
Iran, Saudi Arabia and Iraq executed fewer people, but there was a spike in Egypt
At least 28,567 people were on death row by the end of 2020.
The Authorities in Saudi Arabia acknowledged that minors sentenced to death for ‘hudud’ and ‘qisas’ offences were excluded from the 2018 Juvenile Law and Royal Decree of 2020, which were believed to have eliminated the death penalty for all minors.
Nine executions were carried out in Egypt; Father Isaiah – for whom the Group have campaigned – was also executed.
The Supreme Court of Appeal in Malawi ruled the death
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penalty unconstitutional.
It is reported that the Government of Sierra Leone will move to abolish the death penalty
In Pakistan, two women accused of blasphemy are at risk of trial and sentencing to death.
Urgent Actions Iran - Jamshid Sharmahd,(pictured – Iran Human Rights) a
German-Iranian political dissident, is at risk of being convicted in a grossly unfair trial and sentenced to death. He has been arbitrarily detained in Iran for over eight months without trial, and without access to legal or
medical aid. State TV have broadcast what are said to be enforced confessions. (Circulated to the Core Group 19.4.21 and posted on the website.) A follow-up email was received from Amnesty and circulated to the Core Group on 5.5.21.
Saudi Arabia – An email petition was received from Reprieve in respect of Mujtaba al Sweikat, who was killed in a mass execution in 2019. He had been tortured and forced to ‘confess’ to a so-called crime committed as a child. The petition calls on the Kingdom to return the bodies to their families. (Circulated to the Core Group 19.4.21 and posted on the website.)
India – An email was received from Reprieve asking supporters to contact their MPs, with a request that they should contact Boris Johnson and, in the course of his telephone call with the President on Friday 23rd April, ask for the release of Jagtar Sing Johal. (Circulated to the Core Group 21.4.21.)
USA – Alabama – The Anti-Death Penalty Project is taking up the case of Rocky Myers, a black man convicted of killing a white man, who has been on death row since 1994. See Campaigning below for the link and full details. (Circulated to the Core Group 29.4.21.) The Group were subsequently asked to write as the Governor was not contactable by email:
Governor Kay Ivey
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Office of the Governor 600 Dexter AvenueMontgomery AlabamaAL36130, USA.
Egypt – A further Urgent Action request was sent by Amnesty in connection with Wael Tawadros (Father Isaiah) sentenced to death on the basis of torture-tainted ‘confessions’ and who remains at risk of execution. (Circulated to the Core Group 5.5.21.) News was received from Reprieve that Father Isaiah was executed on 9.5.21. (Circulated to the Core Group 10.5.21.)
Bahrain – An email Action was received from Reprieve on behalf of Mohammed Ramadhan and Husain Moosa, who have been tortured and sentenced to death. The petition calls on the UK Government to recognise their responsibility in having provided funding and training to the security bodies involved, and to speak up for them. (Circulated to the Core Group 6.5.21.)
Campaigning
Education Resources – AI have produced a new resource for exploring issues surrounding the death penalty with students aged 14+. It includes debate, lessons, films, worksheets, case stories and an assembly. It is available in Welsh and in English.
Amnesty Anti-Death Penalty Project – This month’s Update on the Project has been received. Follow the link for information and links to:
o Amnesty Death Penalty Report 2020 released on 21st
April
o Case for Action – Rocky Myers - a black man who has been on death row in Alabama since 1994 following his conviction for killing a white man. Originally sentenced to life imprisonment without parole, the Judge used ‘Judicial Over-ride’ to sentence him to death. This practice is no longer legal in Alabama, but those on death row at the time were unable to have their sentences reviewed, and a petition was denied in November 2020.
o The online Death Penalty Photography Project – a 20-year photography project.
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o An article in National Geographic about Death Row exonerees
o A video of a TED talk by a juror depicting the impact of the death penalty on all involved.
(Circulated to the Core Group 29th April.)
Note: An email was sent on 29th April to the Project asking for an update regarding this year’s campaign to end the death penalty in Belarus. A response was received from Paul Bridges, Co-ordinator of the Project, advising that Phil Wright, leader of the campaign, would be in touch.
North Korea
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin had visited Japan and South Korea in March as the administration sought to boost regional alliances as a bulwark against China’s expanding might. This was the first such overseas visit and recognised the importance the US attaches to the region and the fragility of NK.
Follow the link for an article in The Guardian reporting on how the NK economy has been ‘battered’ by a combination of the Pandemic and a slowdown in trade with China, its largest customer. Concerns have been expressed regarding supplies of food and medicines, and the combination of worsening conditions with a ‘crackdown by a regime fearful of a repeat of the social upheaval that followed the famine’.
These concerns have also been expressed by Human Rights Watch.
Amnesty’s 2020-2021 report on The State of the World’s Human Rights highlighted a number of issues within NK:
- Covid 19- Freedom of movement- Extra-judicial killings- Violence against women and girls- Rights to health f- Rights to food, water and sanitation- Freedom of expression- Arbitrary arrests and detentions
A report appeared in The Guardian that a defector based in South Korea had launched 500,000 balloons with leaflets towards the North, regarded by the North as a provocation.
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The defector, Park Hang-hak had been arrested by the Seoul police.
The Group noted with pleasure that Jihyun Park had stood for election in Bury, Greater Manchester. She was not however elected.
Refugees
Members of the Group had attended the Amnesty online workshop on the Home Office Immigration Bill, held on 22nd April and subsequently responded to the Government Consultation (closing date 6th May.)
Follow the link for the article in The Guardian, dated 9th May, highlighting the fact that no European country had decided to support the UK’s ‘controversial asylum plans’, and that the proposals have been criticised by the UN as being so damaging that they risk damaging Britain’s ‘global credibility’.
Members of the Group had also attended the online Campaign Training Day, organised by Safe Passage, Safe Routes Save Lives, with speakers including Lord Dubbs, the Head of Campaigns, representatives of the organisation’s Young Leaders, Campaigners and Harriet Grant from The Guardian. Points made included:
- Britain needed to take its share of the responsibility for refugees, and the decision to close the most humane route – Family Reunion – should be challenged, and safe routes expanded. Young people needed to be offered hope and a future.
- There was a need for a campaign to challenge public attitudes in the long-term, with the aim of achieving better understanding, more tolerant attitudes, removing prejudices and changing policy.
- Concern was expressed about the Sovereign Borders Bill, which was to be announced in the Queen’s Speech in Parliament. A template email is available for contacting MP’s.
- Recommendations for campaigning included building positive relationships with MP’s, engaging with the local Press, working with local dignitaries and churches, promoting individual cases for the greatest impact, focusing on young people, using photographs and ‘working small’. A resources hub is available.
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Follow the link for the article in The Guardian, dated 23rd April, which refers to a number of reports and documents criticizing ‘serious errors’ in the management of the Napier
Barracks in Kent (pictured – photo Migrants.net) and Penally Camp in Pembrokeshire. Note: There is no further news on the proposals for Barton Stacey.
Refugee Week – The possibility of linking with other groups was suggested.
City of Sanctuary – The possibility of Salisbury becoming a City of Sanctuary is being reconsidered.
Follow the link for an article in The Guardian dated 13th May about the success of hundreds people in Glasgow in bringing about the release of two men detained by UK Immigration Enforcement during Eid al-Fitr.
Human Rights Act
Members of the Group attended the Amnesty Workshop, held online on 22nd April.
Following challenges to the Government by many individuals and organisations, including Amnesty supporters, the Government removed plans from their Overseas Operations Bill which would have decreased accountability for war crimes, torture, genocide and crimes against humanity.
MH attended a Zoom meeting on 28th April, organised by Young Legal Aid Lawyers on the subject of protecting Human Rights in the UK. YLAL are a group of lawyers who are committed to practising in those areas of law, both criminal and civil, that traditionally have been publicly funded. Members include students, para-legals, trainee solicitors, pupil barristers and qualified junior
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lawyers throughout England and Wales. They believe the provision of good quality publicly funded legal help is essential to the protection of the interests of the vulnerable in society and the upholding of the rule of law.
The main concerns are the three Acts: CHIS, Police Crime Bill and Overseas Trade. The UK HR Act is not under immediate threat, although it is under review, but the Panel agreed that the three Acts do undermine the UK’s HR and the trajectory is increasing. Follow the link for the full report of the meeting on our website. The post can also be listened to on Spotify.
Members of the Group expressed particular concern at the proposals of the Government to curtail the possibility of judicial review, which would severely undermine accountability.
In the course of discussion, it was agreed that a major focus of the Group’s campaigning to retain the provisions within the Act should be in ensuring people were aware that it was their individual rights, and protections from the Government, which were at stake.
It was also agreed that members of the Group would support the petitions of other organisations in campaigning for the Act.
5 Social Media Report
The main story is that that the website continues to perform strongly, whereas both Facebook and Twitter have declined. The great bulk of our visitors (73%) to the website come from the USA.
Web siteThe figures are:
Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar April 583 942 859 787 653 788 854
ViewsAll time: have passed 24 thousand at 24,056 up from 23,085 at the end of March. Last November’s views were the highest we have recorded.
The new, combined statistic has appeared which seems to be a combination of Website followers and Facebook followers and
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shows a small decline and is now 632. Encouragingly, the number of views per visitor has shown an increase recently and last month was 4.8. Normally it hovers around 2. Interest from China is noteworthy since Amnesty sites are blocked by the firewall. Top country views:
USA 619UK 146Canada 16China 13
Top posts: (figures in brackets are all time views)1 Fire at Sea (film) (52)2 Urgent Action, North Korea (29) 3 Refugee vigil (40)
Podcast Some posts are available as podcasts as mentioned last month. The link will appear at the top of the post and are read by either a man or a woman. So far there have been 44 interactions nearly all from USA (95%)
TwitterImpressions:
Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar April 1949 1814 1595 884 5498 3756 877
Followers: 200, a decline of 1.
The fall this month is fairly dramatic. The top tweet was a note of our last monthly meeting.
FacebookThe pattern of Facebook becoming the main platform and receiving more hits than the Website continues to have reversed in the last 12 months. Whether the increasing disenchantment with Facebook following Black Lives Matter is the cause we do not know. This month’s figure is the highest for some months.
Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan 2021
Feb Mar April
78 162 116 92 129 132 98 171
Top post: a repost of the Jihyun Park web post following her intention to stand for election. The original post was written following her visit to Salisbury 4 years ago.
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Tumbler
We have 9 followers and 18 following, no change.
YouTube & Flickr
North Korea video now at 4142 views (YouTube) and the still image has 5,584 views (Flickr)
Group Web site: www.salisburyai.com www.twitter.com/salisburyai Facebook: www.facebook.com/salisburyai www.salisburyai.tumblr.com
Content always welcome!
6 Monthly Action
Follow the link above for details of the items listed:
o 60 Year Celebrationso Immigration Billo New blog on Syriao Football Welcomeso Poetry for Social Justiceo Algeria – quashing of sentence of Khaled Drareni o Actions
o Actions for Nazanin and Anoosheho Action calling on China to allow reunion of Uyghur
familieso Former Soviet Union Team and Action for Elena
Milashinao Solidarity Action for Myanmar on World Press
Freedom Day
FD/All
7 Amnesty’s 60th Anniversary
It was agreed that members of the Group (with all supporters welcome) would meet at 2.30 pm on Friday 21st May in Elizabeth Gardens. PC will supply two billboards with 6 and O. Supporters are asked to bring tabards, t-shirts, etc.
PCAll
8 Amnesty AGM – 19th June. FD
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Follow the link for full information on the AGM, the Section Board Elections, how to vote and how to become a trustee.
9 Market Stall
Some dates for Tuesdays remain possible but no Saturdays are available before November.
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The Group noted the section in Amnesty’s Report for 2020-21 on The State of The World’s Human Rights, which highlighted issues of concern in the UK. These were:
o Covid restrictionso Windrusho Refugeeso Rights of women; gender, sexual and reproductive
rightso Northern Irelando Free Expression
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11 Forthcoming Events
AI 60th Anniversary Photo – 21.5.21 at 2.30 pm in Elizabeth Gardens. All welcome
Market Stall – Possibility of Tuesdays June/July; Saturdays from November - TBC
Citizenship Day – deferred until further notice Summer Barbecue - TBC at June meeting World Day Against the Death Penalty – 10.10.21 – LC will
liaise with the Group in due course. Arts Centre/Playhouse Film – awaiting confirmation. Carol Singing – Monday 20th December.
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Next Meeting: Thursday 10th June 2021 Time: 7.00 pm (note time) Venue: via Zoom
www.salisburyai.com www.twitter.com/salisburyai
Should you wish no longer to receive Minutes of meetings, or other communications from the Group, please let us know by emailing our Group Secretary at [email protected]
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