Amnesty International ACTIVE Term 4 2014

ACTIVE

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL Aotearoa NZ’s Youth Magazine

STUDENTS STAND UP TO STOP TORTURE OTAGO GIRLS’ WEAR SPECIAL EFFECTS MAKE UP FOR FREEDOM CHALLENGE EVENT

IN THIS ISSUE:

> FREEDOM CHALLENGE WRAP UP > WRITE A LETTER & SAVE A LIFE > GOOD NEWS AND MORE

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EDITORIAL

A NOTE FROM LOU Hey everyone! ably fast and it is As usual the year has flown by unimagin that means summer Term 4 already! Crazy but exciting - as can make it!! and school holidays are almost here. We to those of you Firstly I want to say a massive thank you this year. Fantastic ge that were involved in Freedom Challen South Island to events took place from the bottom of the and creativity that the very top of the North. The passion edibly inspiring, you brought to Freedom Challenge is incr do this. and really is the whole reason why we ge events that come Some of the standout Freedom Challen waxing of brave to my mind are the Aorere College leg ar prefect ‘servant male teachers; the Mount Albert Gramm ical extravaganza for a day’ auction; Hillcrest High’s mus istic stage makeup concert, and the Otago Girls’ scarily real showcasing the effects of torture. tos of your events, Many of you have sent in amazing pho s of petitions, and colourful and vibrant banners, hundred inst the N!DA boys. letters protesting the use of torture aga ip here at As it is drawing to the end of my internsh for making my Amnesty, I really want to thank you all creativity that I internship so enjoyable. The passion and es working with have seen from you all is truly what mak youth so enjoyable and worthwhile.

Lou

Youth Intern

The youth team Challenge. (L get ready for Freedom -R) Elley, Mar gie & Lou.

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cesan Girls’ beth Wong from Dio Lou (right) with Eliza with petition results for N!DA. School in Auckland

Front Page Image: Veronique Montalba from Otago Girls’ wears special effects make up to raise awareness for N!DA. © Photo courtesy of Otago Daily Times

FREEDOM CHALLENGE

FREEDOM CHALLENGE 2014 Together we stood up to Stop Torture And what a Freedom Challenge it was!

The grim cells of an Azerbaijani prison may seem a far cry from New Zealand but that didn’t stop students from Dunedin to Auckland and everywhere in between from standing up and demanding the release and safety of imprisoned members of the youth activist group, N!DA. From leg waxing, to World Record attempts, tying up teachers and throwing wet sponges at them and football matches, our Youth came up with so many creative ways to get the message of Stop Torture out there and raise awareness for the young men of N!DA. Freedom Challenge in Numbers: • Total number of schools who participated - 46 • Total number of signatures - 4245 Top collectors Pakuranga College • Total to date $ raised - $12,043 and we’re well on track to make our target of $20,000. Top fundraising honours goes to: Mount Albert Grammar which raised $3690

• Media coverage - Your events got over 20 media hits.

Top Media stars are Hillcrest High School which featured on Stuff, on Community Radio, in the Hamilton Press and in The Waikato Times. Notable mention goes to Diocesan School for Girls which had TVNZ news coverage for their world record attempt. We’re waiting to hear back from Guinness to see if we’ve made that record.

And it’s not over yet, we’ve still got a couple of schools to complete their Freedom Challenge events. Take a look at some of the amazing images that have been sent through from actions around the country.

A HUGE thank you to everyone who took part in Freedom Challenge and joined us to Stop Torture.

Get the results of your campaigning through to us as soon as you can to Amnesty International, PO Box 5300,Wellesley Street, Auckland. We’ll make sure every signature, every solidarity message, and all your photos count.

Teachers get their legs waxed at Aorere College.

We’re not sure what happened at Tawa College...

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Mt Albert Grammar Prefect Auction.

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FREEDOM CHALLENGE Taking part in Freedom Challenge was super fun and it really made us think about the people who actually get tortured everyday and hopefully by our demonstration, the girls who watched us (and pretty much everyone in the school came and watched it) got an idea of what torture does to people.

- Thishni De Silva, Otago Girls’ High School

The NIDA activists were imprisoned for a peaceful protest, which just isn’t fair.

- Amy Richardson, Hastings Girls’ High School

This is the first year our school has an Amnesty International group, and I hope that organising an event like this will make other students not only aware of human rights issues, but inspire them to take action with Amnesty.

- Josh Nachowitz, Hillcrest High School

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We decided to hold a silent protest, as our stickers said, to sacrifice our voices for those in Azerbaijan who cannot speak up for their rights and for those who have been unrightfully tortured. We wanted to educate our girls that being silent is as powerful as speaking up for something, which was proved right, as the girls who didn’t participate in the silent protest, were unintentionally quiet too, so that they didn’t disturb the silence.

- Jolie Lam, Auckland Girls’ Grammar School

FREEDOM CHALLENGE

The reaction was particularly positive because the people who were imprisoned were around our age, it made an impact, and to see that we are very lucky living in New Zealand.

- Daniel Coates, Burnside High School

Every person and signature can contribute to something much bigger - Vivienne Lin, Diocesan School for Girls

As high school students in New Zealand we are fortunate to live in one of the safest and freest countries in the world.

- Nancy Yuan, Diocesan School for Girls

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Our aim was to raise as much awareness to the student body and petition signatures that would force the release the youth activists and bring the torturers to justice.

- Nandini Dubey Pakuranga College Read a full wrap up of Pakuranga College’s Freedom Challenge: pakage.prosepoint.net/amnesty-group-make-their-mark

FREEDOM CHALLENGE N!DA youth stand for democracy and human rights, and so do we. We must use our freedom to free others who are deprived of their dignity and the right to speak out.

- Bronwyn Tilney, Macleans College

MEET BRONWYN TILNEY Bronwyn Tilney, Amnesty Group leader at Macleans College in Auckland made time in her busy schedule to have a chat with our Youth Intern, Louise about Amnesty and what it means to her.

Q. When did you first become involved with Amnesty International, and what made you interested in joining a human rights group?

My mother has been an Amnesty member forever - my first yellow sticker was from her. She inspired my empathy for humankind and nurtured my passion for justice and freedom, and when, at the beginning of this year, an opportunity to take real action in these causes appeared – the birth of Amnesty International Macleans, I was excited to take it.

Q. You are the head of Amnesty at your school, Macleans College. What was it like organising Freedom Challenge this year? Any words of wisdom for future Freedom Challenge organisers?

After pulling together a campaign for the kidnapped girls of Nigeria almost overnight, I found Freedom Challenge quite easy to coordinate! The genuine dedication from our club members was the foundation of its success. Their initiative and intensity was magnificent and invaluable for Macleans Freedom Challenge. Truly, I think all a club needs for a high-impact Freedom Challenge is an original idea, a strong team and paperweights (seriously).

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Q. What did you think of this year’s Stop Torture theme with focus on the N!DA boys?

I thought it was a wise choice, melding the twin attributes of relatable subjects - teen activists - and a widely interpretable broader theme - torture. Macleans College is ‘all about that’ peer support, and thus I believe everyone benefited from this campaign: New Zealand kids were empowered to give their voices for human rights and our Azerbaijani brothers’ battle for freedom was (we hope) aided.

Q. Is there a particular human rights issue/crisis in the world that you feel particularly drawn to at the moment?

The continuation, universally, of the suffering of women in this global society gagged by patriarchal controls old and new.

Q. If you had to narrow it down to one word, what does Amnesty mean to you?

Love.

We are all part of the greater global village and as New Zealanders, we are fortunate to have many of the freedoms, security and basic human rights that are denied to others who suffer terrible consequences.

- Bronwyn Tilney, Macleans College

WRITE 4 RIGHTS

WRITE A LETTER - CHANGE A LIFE CHELSEA MANNING: PUNISHED FOR REVEALING THE TRUTH Chelsea Manning is a US Army Private who leaked classified government material to the website WikiLeaks. The information that Chelsea leaked pointed out human rights violations and breaches of international humanitarian law committed by US forces abroad. This also included human rights violations by Iraqi and Afghan forces working alongside the US, by military contractors, and by CIA in counter-terror operations.

Chelsea was kept in isolation for seven months during pre-trial detention at a military base in Virginia, USA. She was then sentenced to 35 years in military prison, all for revealing human rights violations by the US in their military campaigns.

We are asking the US government to grant clemency to Chelsea and order her release in recognition of her motives for leaking information. Chelsea wanted to expose human rights violations and she should not be punished for that! Whistleblowers like her are revealing information that the public has a right to know.

TAKE ACTION: Write to President Barack Obama. Urge him to grant Chelsea Manning clemency and order her immediate release. Point out to President Obama that Chelsea’s 35 year sentence is excessive and that the 11 months of the 3 years she spent in pre-trial detention were in “cruel and inhumane conditions”. Call on the US government to stop using the Espionage Act to prosecute whistleblowers.

Chelsea Manning © Juan Osborne for Amnesty International

Write to: President Barack Obama The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington D.C. 20500, USA Email: www.whitehouse.gov/contact/submit-questions-and-comments Facebook: www.facebook.com/barackobama Twitter: @BarackObama, @WhiteHouse Suggested Tweet - @BarackObama Commute #ChelseaManning’s sentence, release her and investigate the potential human rights abuses she exposed!

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Solidarity Action - It’s Chelsea’s birthday on 17 December. Why not send her a birthday card as part of you action taking? Or you could send her a New Zealand postcard, let her know that you’re thinking about her. Send to: Chelsea E Manning 89289 1400 North Warehouse Road Fort Leavenworth, Kansas 66027-2304, USA

WRITE 4 RIGHTS

JERRYME CORRE: TORTURED AND DETAINED This is Jerryme Corre, a public transport driver from the Philippines. One day Jerryme was violently arrested by police who accused him of robbery and killing a police officer. Without any formal process, he was taken into custody and charged with something else: drug possession.

Jerryme was then brutally tortured and held in prison.

While he was being tortured, Jerryme said that the police kept calling him “Boyet” and they forced him to confess to crimes he didn’t commit. Even after he told police that his name isn’t Boyet, they didn’t stop. He offered to show them his identity documents that he had with him, but they still refused to believe him.

Later that night, police asked an official from a local village to identify Jerryme as Boyet and he told police that they definitely arrested the wrong person. You would think that by now, police would realise their mistake and let Jerryme go. They didn’t. Jerryme was moved to the Drug Enforcement Unit (DEU) inside the police camp and he was forced to sign a document that he didn’t get to read.

Jerryme Corre © Juan Osborne for Amnesty International

Jerryme is still in jail two years later. There has been no investigation into his treatment by police.

TAKE ACTION: Please write to the Philippine National Police Internal Affairs Service and call on them to open an investigation into the allegations of torture and other ill-treatment suffered by Jerryme Corre in January 2012, and ensure that this investigation is prompt, impartial, effective and thorough.

Write to: Acting Inspector General Internal Affairs Service, Philippine National Police Compound, Camp General Crame, Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines 1100 Email: iaspd@pnp.gov.ph, niasprd@yahoo.com.ph, rias_ncr@pnp.gov.ph You can also send Christmas cards or messages of support to Jerryme in prison. As well as providing support to Jerryme, sending cards to the prison is also a way to bring attention to his case and show the authorities that people around the world are watching and are interested in his case.

Sent solidarity messages to: Jerryme Corre Angeles City District Jail, Camp Tomas Pepito, Barangay Sto. Domingo, Angeles City, Pampanga, Philippines

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You can also take action online: http://bit.ly/1rpjQ1q ** Important note: Please wait until November to take action on Jerryme’s case, this will mean we can have a greater impact.

WRITE 4 RIGHTS SUCCESS Thank you to Amnesty Interna­tional’s supporters.

Your campaign has been successful, as my release shows. But my case is not over yet. Please keep pushing the Cambodian Government to end the case against me. We can achieve the most success when we all work together.

- Yorm Bopha This is a note from Yorm Bopha, the Cambodian housing rights campaigner and young mother you campaigned on behalf of last year.

Yorm is proof that your letters really do work. Only days after we launched our Write 4 Rights campaign last year, Yorm was released from prison.

Letters really can save lives, so this term pick up your pens and Write 4 Rights. We’ve included two cases here in ACTIVE but there are more to choose from at www.amnesty.org.nz

DEATH PENALTY

DON’T SEND HAKAMADA BACK TO DEATH ROW After 46 years on death row, Hakamada Iwao is back home, thanks to his sister Hideko and the hundreds of thousands of people like you who supported him worldwide.

78-year-old Hakamada Iwao from Japan was freed in March and granted a retrial based on new DNA evidence that could prove his innocence.

Sadly prosecutors are appealing his retrial - they want to send Hakamada back to death row so we’re asking you to help us campaign on behalf of Hakamada. We want the prosecutors to drop that appeal as it will delay Hakamada receiving the fair trial he deserves.

After suffering dreadful conditions on death row Hakamada is now mentally and physically frail, he doesn’t have much time left.

But while he cannot relive the last 46 years of his life, he can spend those remaining years outside of the physical and mental punishment of death row.

Tokyo High Court will now decide whether Hakamada’s retrial can go ahead.

No matter whether that retrial finds Hakamada innocent or guilty it is forbidden under international law to execute someone who cannot understand their own execution.

TAKE ACTION: Please ask the prosecution to drop their appeal and allow Hakamada the justice he has been denied for so long.

Advise that a retrial needs to go ahead as soon as possible considering Hakamada’s age and health concerns.

Send your letters to: Keiichi WATANABE Tokyo High Public Prosecutors Office 1-1-1 Kasumigaseki Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo-to 100-8904 Salutation: Dear Tokyo Superintendent Public Prosecutor Solidarity Messages for Hakamada You can also send solidarity messages to Hakamada, but please note he does not speak English or read well, so send colourful cards from where you are from or photos holding signs of support for him.

Send to: Solidarity for Hakamada c/o AI Japan 7F Seika Bldg.

2-12-14 Kandaogawamachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101-0052 Language preferred: Japanese, English Suggested message: れんたいとしえんのきもちをおくりします。 (rentai to shien no kimochi o okurishimasu) Thinking of you in solidarity and support

Outside of the new DNA evidence which could prove his innocence, His 1968 trial, for causing a fire which led to the death of a family of four had many flaws.

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• Hakamada was sentenced to death based on a confession sourced after torture. Police interrogated him for 12 hours a day for 20 days until he agreed to sign.

• No physical evidence connected him to the crime • No lawyer was present when Hakamada signed his confession. He later retracted it.

• His confession was the sole basis of Hakamada’s death sentence • One of three judges who sentenced Hakamada to death said he thought Hakamada was innocent but was outvoted.

SRI LANKA

PRAGEETH IS STILL MISSING.

We’re asking you to end your campaigning year on behalf of a man we asked you to campaign on behalf of at the start of the year - Prageeth Eknaligoda.

Sri Lankan authorities still haven’t revealed any information about him or his ‘disappearance’ so we need you to continue to demand answers.

The last time anyone saw Prageeth, he expressed fear that he was being followed. Shortly before he went missing, local residents reported that they saw a white van without number plates near his home in Homagama, Sri Lanka.

Prageeth is a husband to Sandya Eknaligoda and a father to two sons, Sathyajith Sanjaya and Harith Danajaya. If you didn’t know who he was, you could probably never guess why authorities would ever want to target Prageeth.

After all, he seems like a normal man just like any other.

But to Sri Lankan authorities, he posed a threat.

Prageeth Eknaligoda was a journalist, political analyst, and cartoonist. Not long before he went missing, Prageeth completed research on the two main Presidential, and came out in favour of the opposition.

Then he ‘disappeared’ on the evening of 24 January 2010, just days before the presidential election.

Prageeth’s wife Sandya lodged a complaint with the Homagama police about his presumed abduction. Instead of investigating her claims, the police detained her for several hours at the police station before releasing her.

Since then, there has been no independent investigation into Prageeth’s ‘disappearance’. What’s more, two government officials have claimed that he fled overseas, which has never been proven since. So what really happened?

It is well known that authorities have used white vans like the one Prageeth’s neighbours saw in abductions and enforced ‘disappearances’ in Sri Lanka, especially after 2006 when attacks on government critics became more common. Had the Eknaligoda family’s fears been realised?

Was Prageeth taken by Sri Lankan authorities for criticising the government? Where is he now and why has nearly five years passed without finding out what happened to him?

Prageeth’s family is still waiting for the answers to this question and so are we. 30 August was the International Day of the Disappeared, a day that draws attention to the many individuals around the world that have been forced to ‘disappear’ by government authorities and whose location is unknown to their family members. The enforced ‘disappearance’ of a family member is devastating and these families deserve answers.

TAKE ACTION: Take Action for Prageeth, it’s easy. Simply make a sign that says ‘Where is Prageeth?’ and then take a photo of yourself or with the rest of your school group holding the sign.

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You can then email photos to quick33supper@photos.flickr.com and they will automatically appear here: www.flickr.com/photos/whereisprageeth In the subject line put Support for Prageeth from New Zealand put the photos in the body of the email, not as an attachment.

We’re hoping to get at least 500 photos on the Flickr page by 24 January, which is the fifth anniversary of Prageeth’s disappearance.

#KEEPTHECAMPUSALIVE Just recently Amnesty International Morocco was prevented by local authorities from holding their annual international youth camp.

Even though Morocco’s Amnesty International section met all procedures required by law in the country to set up events such as this, Moroccan authorities still decided to ban the camp. This is a breach in both the country’s legislation and its international commitment to protect human rights for all!

Since 1998, Amnesty International has been organising youth camps in Morocco where young activists can share their experiences of working against human rights violations everywhere. These camps are so important for building a world for the future that guarantees rights for all, free of distinction. And youth like you are needed to achieve this as you are the future of society!

NEWS, EVENTS & UPDATES

TAKE ACTION: Help us build pressure on local authorities in Morocco to prevent them from stopping Amnesty International’s annual youth camp again. Your messages will also help protect freedom of assembly in Morocco.

Take a picture of yourself and/or your team holding a sign that reads #KeepTheCampusAlive and mention you are from New Zealand.

Send your images to: www.facebook.com/AmnestyInternationalMorocco and please also send your photos to youth.intern@amnesty.org.nz

PAKISTAN: MALALA’S ATTACKERS ARRESTED Ten members of the Pakistani Taliban who are suspected of the attempted killing of Malala Yousafzai were arrested on 13 September.

The arrest is an opportunity for Pakistani authorities to address a poor record in protecting human rights activists.

“By her words and deeds, the brave education rights activist Malala Yousafzai proved that the pen is indeed mightier than the sword,” said Mustafa Qadri, Amnesty International’s Pakistan Researcher.

Two years after the assassination attempt, Malala Yousafzai, 17, continues to fight for women’s rights and rights to education in Pakistan and around the world.

Malala wins Nobel Peace Prize: http://bit.ly/1sxA2Eu

TAKE A HUMAN RIGHTS COURSE FOR FREE! Want to learn more about human rights?

José Zalaquett, is a lawyer and human rights professor that is offering a free Introduction to Human Rights course on Udemy.com.

Visit udemy.com/introduction-to-human-rights to start learning today.

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Malala Yousafzai speaking at the Amnesty International Ambassador of Conscience Award Ceremony for 2013 © Amnesty International Ireland

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The course consists of 33 engaging lessons with each one lasting about 10 minutes, all packed with information about human rights history and law. You can even take quizzes afterwards to test your knowledge on human rights. The course is completely free and all you have to do is sign up to take the course.

Join a community of over 2400 students learning together all over the world!

GOOD NEWS CHINA: Gao Zhisheng released from prison In August we were able to celebrate the fantastic news that Gao Zhisheng, a prominent human rights lawyer in China had been released from prison. Gao was sentenced to three years in 2011.

Dubbed the “conscience of China”, Mr Gao mysteriously disappeared until it was reported that he was held in detention for violating probation rules.

If it wasn’t for the people tirelessly campaigning for his release, Mr Gao would still be held in these horrid conditions. This proves that your activism has the power to reach across the entire world!

CAMBODIA: Conviction of Khmer rouge officials brings justice to victims

INDONESIA: Second Papuan student released!

Two of Cambodia’s most senior former Khmer Rouge officials have been sentenced to life imprisonment for crimes against humanity. Khieu Samphan, 83, and Nuon Chea, 88, were convicted by the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia which tried the most senior members of the Khmer Rouge for serious crimes committed during the Cambodian genocide.

Two student activists from the West Papua National Committee were arrested on 8 August for painting proindependence graffiti that called for an independence referendum for Papua. Robert Yelemaken, 16, was released 10 days later and his charges were dropped and the other student Oni Wea, 21, was finally released on 2 September.

The Chamber has also decided to endorse 11 reparation projects for victims of the Khmer Rouge period. These steps toward bringing the perpetrators of appalling crimes against humanity ensures that those who commit these crimes are brought to justice and that the harm suffered by victims is repaired.

Both of the students were tortured while in prison, enduring beatings by police and other forms of ill-treatment. Although both students have been released, there has been no independent investigation into their allegations of ill-treatment. We continue to urge Indonesian authorities to investigate allegations of torture and bring the perpetrators to justice.

UGANDA: Anti-homosexuality act is struck down

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In August Uganda’s Constitutional Court overturned the Anti-Homosexuality Act that came into effect in March. After the Act came into force there was a sharp increase in arrests, police abuse, and extortion against Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) people. This is a significant victory for Ugandan activists and others around the world that campaigned against the Anti-Homosexuality Act. The striking down of this abhorrent law is a crucial step towards stopping statesponsored discrimination in Uganda and the rest of the world.

These students were arrested solely for the exercise of their right to freedom of expression, a right that should be assured for everyone.

Left: © ECCC

CHINA: Death row inmate freed after six years of trials Nian Bin is a former food stall owner who was accused of poisoning his neighbours in 2006. He was held on death row and was acquitted of all charges after six years due to insufficient evidence. Nian Bin also alleged that he was tortured into admitting the crime during police interrogation.

The risk of executing innocent people is one of the many arguments against the use of the death penalty.

In 2013, China continued to execute more people than the rest of the world put together. This case is a striking example of why the death penalty should be abolished all over the world. And with your help, we can end the death penalty once and for all.