Amnesty International Salisbury Group

Minutes of the Monthly Meeting on Thursday 11th Oct 20187.30 pm 4 Victoria Road

1 Chairman’s WelcomePresent: Tony, Andrew, Fiona, Ria, Eddie, Peter and LesleyApologies: Farha, Michael S.

AH

2 Minutes of previous Meeting – These were agreed. LC

3 Treasurer’s Report – None was received. MP

4 Campaign Reports

Death Penalty

Please see the Salisbury Group Website www.salisburyai.com for the full international update covering the USA, Canada, Yemen, Malaysia, the Vatican, Taiwan, the UK, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Iran.

Of particular note:

Zeinab Sekaanvand Lokran, the young woman sentenced to death in Iran in an unfair trial after ‘confessing’ to killing her violent husband, has been executed. She had become pregnant while in prison, and her execution was delayed, but she lost the baby and was executed three days later.

In Pakistan the Supreme Court has heard the final appeal of Asia Bib (pictured: Vatican News)i, the Christian mother who

was sentenced to death for blasphemy. Her ‘crime’ was that she drank water from a water fountain used by Muslims. She has been in

custody since June 2009, and in November 2010 was sentenced to death. After years of delays and adjournments, a tribunal of three Supreme Court Judges has been held and a decision made but it has been ‘reserved.’

In the UK the High Court challenge to the UK’s decision to cooperate with the US over the two alleged ISIS terrorists –

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Alexandra Kotey and El Shafee Elsheikh - has begun. It will investigate the legality of this decision in view of the fact that the US Department of Justice may seek the death penalty. Home Secretary Sajid Javid has said ‘I am of the view that there are strong reasons for not requiring a death penalty assurance in this specific case.’ The Court has been told that the decision was made in order to avoid ‘political outrage’ in the Trump administration.

The Supreme Court in the USA is currently considering the issues around prisoners on death row who have been diagnosed with memory difficulties or dementia. They are reviewing the case of Vernon Maddison, convicted and sentenced to death for the killing of a police officer, and who, following a stroke, now cannot remember committing the crime. The Justices must determine whether his execution would violate the US Constitution’s Eighth Amendment against cruel and unusual punishment. A ruling is not expected until next June.

The executions took place this month in Texas of Troy Clark and Daniel Acker. 18 executions have been carried out in the USA to date in 2018, 10 of which took place in Texas.

For Information

A newly discovered website – The Death Penalty Project – provides information on death penalty issues around the world. It is an independent legal charity housed and supported by the Soho Legal Firm Simons Muirhead & Burton LLP which, for more than three decades, has provided free legal representation to individuals facing the death penalty. (Not to be confused with the Amnesty Anti-Death Penalty Project.)

The Organisation, which campaigns for the abolition of the death penalty world-wide, issued a Statement for the 16th World Day Against the Death Penalty (10th October, 2018) Moving away from the mandatory death penalty’ which focused on the decline of the mandatory death penalty, and how ‘the path towards abolition is frequently paved by progressive restriction in the imposition and application of capital punishment’

At the end of September, Keir Starmer, a Director of the Death Penalty Project and former Director of Public Prosecutions, visited Taiwan to lobby against the death penalty and to demonstrate the commitment of the UK to international legal standards following the EU referendum. Currently there are more than 40 prisoners on death row in the republic. Taiwan had adopted a moratorium on the use of the death penalty, but executed a prisoner on 31st August this year.

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Urgent Actions

Iran – An email action was received from AI Australia for Atena Daemi, sentenced to seven years in prison for Facebook and Twitter posts criticising her country’s execution record. She has also handed out leaflets and taken part in a peaceful protest against the execution of a young woman. She was accused of ‘gathering and colluding to commit crimes against national security’. Her trial lasted only 15 minutes and she has faced ill-treatment, including solitary confinement. (Circulated to DPLWG 10.10.18).This month’s DP Action

No other DP Urgent Actions have been received this month.

Campaigning

World Day Against the Death Penalty – 10th October 2018

We await news of the delivery of the Tree of Life to the Japanese Embassy in London. Labels with messages calling for an end to capital punishment, and improved conditions for prisoners on death row, were sent in by ourselves and other local groups across the country, and were to be attached to a single tree.

To mark this year’s World Day, AIUK have issued a video showing the impact of the death penalty on families in Belarus, the only country in Europe that still carries out executions.

End the Death Penalty – Follow the link for Amnesty International UK’s blog on the World Day Against the Death Penalty.

North Korea

TM had made contact with the Director of Connect North Korea, based at the Community Centre in New Malden, and had received an invitation to their Open Day on 2nd February 2019. RW hopes to attend

The Group will continue to explore the options for promoting this campaign, including card signings, market stalls, writing to MP’s and inviting speakers

It was noted that Kim Jong-un had invited the Pope to visit North Korea, but activists had dismissed this as a propaganda stunt as there is no religious freedom in the country, and the only worship permitted is that of the Kim

TM

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family.Refugees

Vigil – The Vigil, due to take place on the morning of Tuesday, 16th October, has been postponed as the Charter Fair will be occupying the Market Square. An alternative date will be arranged at the November meeting.

Refugee Week 2019 – This will take place from 17th-23rd June. A meeting will be held in the New Year to coordinate the activities, and the organisations with whom we might work.

AH

5 Social Media Report

Web and other media statistics, September 2018

A record month for the web and for Twitter. We continue to attract followers to the Web site – another dozen in this period – and they now stand at 368. There has been a steady monthly increase in followers for some months now. The number of views this month was at an all-time record. We also saw a huge spike in Twitter to an all-time record. Conversely, Facebook traffic declined to a very low level.

Web siteThe figures are: Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept182 186 198 216 207 305 486

ViewsAll time: 11,907

Top four country views:September

USA 365

UK 73Hong Kong 5Canada 5

Top posts:1. By a long way the Japan Tree of Life blog was the most

searched blog2. The film about Palestine was also followed

Twitter

A huge increase in activity with 17,000 impressions (Twitter only gives rounded numbers after a certain size). We have the same

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number of followers at 144.

Impressions:

Mar April May June July Aug Sept

2666 2138 1420 3543 4493 2824 17k

The top tweet was the Tree of Life as with the Web site.

FacebookA surprising drop in interest on this platform this month. Up till now, Facebook has been performing strongly and we have seen a steady increase in the reach. This month it plunged to 95 down from over 400 last time. Whether this is just a blip or represents a problem that Facebook is having over its data handling remains to be seen.

As with the other platforms, it was the Tree of Life which generated most interest.

Tumbler

No change in the Tumblr statistics with the same 5 followers. 17 are following.

YouTube & Flickr

Total views of the North Korea video stands at 1,963. 4963 views on Flickr and 941 views of the still image on Flickr. (September figures)

Group Web site: www.salisburyai.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/salisburyai

Facebook: www.facebook.com/salisburyai

Tumblr: www.salisburyai.tumblr.com

Content always welcome!

6 Monthly Action Human Rights Defenders – As part of the Brave Campaign,

we are asked to call on the U Government to increase support to Human Rights Defenders.

The Human Rights Act – 9th November is the 20th Anniversary of the Act in the UK. WE are asked to celebrate the Anniversary over the course of the next year. FD will order materials.

Write for Rights – This year’s Campaign will run through November and December, with materials available from 1st November. The Group will man a stall in the Library Passageway from 9.00 to 12.00 mid-day on 15th December

All

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with cards for 4 prisoners – Nonhle Mbuthuma, Geraldine Chacón, Marielle Franco and Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh. Materials have been ordered.

7 Speaker for Human Rights Day – 10th December

Daniel Trilling, Editor of the New Humanist and author of ‘Lights in the Distance: Exile and Refuge at the Borders of Europe, has accepted our invitation. His talk will take place at 7.30 pm at Salisbury Methodist Church.

PC has checked with Waterstones whether they would be willing to be involved but they are unable to help on this occasion. He will coordinate arrangements for publicity, and will produce posters once the title of the talk has been confirmed.

Entry will be free with a retiring collection to cover costs.

AH

PCAll

8 Citizenship Day

This will take place at Bishop Wordsworth’s on 26th October.A planning meeting and rehearsals have taken place

No replies have been received from the UTC or 6th Form College regarding the offer of similar sessions.

FDAHEBRW

9 Christmas Tree Festival – St Thomas’s Church

This will take place from 4th – 9th December. AH and FD will deliver and erect the tree on Monday 3rd December. L and PC will remove it on 10th December.

A workshop to produce decorations will take place at P&LC’s home from 10.00 to 12.00 mid-day on Monday 12th November.

LCPCFDRW

10 AOB

TM had received agreement from the Rector of St Thomas’s to his proposal that the Church should display information on a monthly basis about an individual Prisoner of Conscience, similar to that currently available at the Cathedral. TM will organise the information on the prisoners, and it was agreed that the Group would cover the costs.

It was agreed that the Group would support this action rather than requesting an individual prisoner from AIHQ.

TM

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11 Forthcoming Events

Refugee Vigil – to be re-arranged Citizenship Day – 26th October Christmas Tree Festival – 3rd-10th December Human Rights Day Speaker – 10th December Exhibition of Refugee Photographs – January 2019 - TBC Arts Centre Film – 8th March 2019 Market Stall – 8th June 2019

Next Meeting: Thursday 8th November 2018 Time: 7.30 pm Venue: 24 Attwood Rd (note change)

www.salisburyai.com www.twitter.com/salisburyaiCampaign box and candle – AH; tabards - P&LC

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 Donovan.fiona@gmail.com

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