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February 2014
A celebration of good news from around the world
Toast to Freedom Papua New Guinea women less vulnerable
Thank you from a land rights activist A3
HELLO FRIENDS,
Victory on the global arms trade treaty
Hamid Ghassemi-Shall escapes death thanks to your support
2013 is well and truly behind us, but we would like to take a moment to thank you for all the support you’ve given. While the world looked the other way, you stood together with people around world whose freedom was taken, who were subjected to cruel punishment and whose voices were silenced. You gave them back their voice and in many cases their freedom.
Arms Trade Treaty Passed!
After 20 long hard years of campaigning, the world finally has a global arms trade treaty which requires countries not to transfer weapons if there is an overriding risk of human rights violations. On April 2nd, 156 governments voted to regulate the $100,000,000,000 arms trade, preventing for the first time the transfer of guns, bombs, tanks and bullets to countries where we know or suspect they would be used to commit abuses. This treaty has already been signed by 115 different countries, and its implementation spells the beginning of the end for profits at the expense of lives. Nine countries have ratified the treaty, and we will keep watching to make sure it is realized around the world.
Although we also lost a great man in 2013, we hope that millions around the world will follow in Nelson Mandela’s footsteps and continue the good fight. As a supporter of Amnesty International you are certainly doing just that. This year we will continue to keep you informed of developments and occasionally may ask you for some additional support.
This treaty makes a lifetime of difference for all the women who will no longer be raped at gunpoint and all the children who will no longer be forced into armies. A huge thanks to our supporters for your donations which enabled our team of experts to be present and vocal at the United Nations meeting in New York, representing us all, including victims. Thanks also to the letters written, the demonstrations and meetings held, and all the emails and tweets our supporters sent right into the last hours of the negotiations which helped strengthen the final Treaty text. Our partners in the Control Arms coalition and our own Government also fought strong for a treaty we can all be proud of.
Once again, thank you for your unwavering support and we hope you will have a wonderful 2014 with more successes to celebrate. The team at Amnesty International
© Amnesty International
Amnesty International delegates (from top left) Justus Nyang’aya, Kate Allen, Olly Sprague, David Grimason and Verity Coyle at the UN Conference on the Arms Trade Treaty, UN building, New York, USA, 28 March 2013.
We should all be proud of being part of this historic moment. This treaty has the power to save millions of lives - and it couldn’t have been possible without you.
David (bottom left) has worked tirelessly on this campaign after his two year old son, Alistair, was killed by a stray bullet in a cafe in Turkey in 2003.
You are the reason we are able to stand here today and celebrate an achievement that, two decades ago, we only just dared to believe was possible. Thank you for helping make this dream a reality.
How do your gifts help? © Licadho
Antonella Mega (centre) and members of Amnesty call for the freedom of Antonella’s husband, Hamid.
Canadian-Iranian national Hamid Ghassemi-Shall, who had been sentenced to death in Iran in 2008, was released on 23 September after spending over five years in prison. He returned home to Toronto, Canada where he was reunited with his wife. Hamid Ghassemi-Shall, co-owner of a computer business in Canada, was one of a number of political prisoners who were released shortly after Iran’s new President Hassan Rouhani took office. He was arrested in May 2008, while visiting his elderly mother in Iran. His older brother Alborz Ghassemi-Shall, who lived in Iran,
had been arrested about two weeks earlier. Both brothers spent 18 months in solitary confinement without legal representation in a military detention centre and Evin Prison and were then transferred to section 350 of that prison where many political prisoners are held. Both men were sentenced to death on 29 December 2008, after an unfair trial by a Revolutionary Court. They were convicted of enmity against God for espionage and cooperation with the proscribed People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran. The brothers were denied regular access to a
© Licadho
A joyous moment when Hamid landed in Canada , greeted by his wife and cheering Amnesty supporters.
lawyer of their choice. Evidence used against them during trial included a “confession” and an email the authorities alleged Hamid Ghassemi-Shall had sent to his brother, who had previously worked as a mechanical engineer in the Iranian army. In fact, the email address had never even existed. The Supreme Court of Iran upheld the sentences on 7 November 2009. Alborz Ghassemi-Shall died in prison in January 2010, though the circumstances of his death are unclear. The Iranian authorities told the family that he had died from stomach cancer, but the coroner who examined his body reported a large head injury.
Your support helps save 15-year-old rape victim from 100 lashes A 15-year-old girl sentenced to 100 lashes and eight months house arrest for ‘fornication’ in the Maldives has had her sentence squashed following the outrageous conviction. The stepfather, who had reportedly sexually abused his daughter for years, was accused of raping and impregnating her. She was also prosecuted for fornication. The girl was illegally prosecuted, as the charge of fornication is not valid under international law.
Flogging is akin to torture in human rights conventions. A government spokesperson initially suggested that the girl was being given lashes for her to ‘feel the shame’ of her offence. Amnesty supporters responded outrageously to the 100-lash sentence with emails, letters and by contacting media. Within days, Avaaz and other international organisations joined the call to overturn the sentence.
After the international campaign, President Waheed announced that the government would support, care for and defend the girl. An appeal on her case was lodged and a government lawyer appointed. A huge thanks to our supporters for shining a light on such injustice and for defending a 15-year-old sexual abuse survivor from receiving 100 lashes.
After learning that her husband could be executed at any time, Antonella Mega contacted Amnesty International Canada where a campaign spearheaded by her spread across Canada and later, the world. Upon her husband’s release, Antonella shared her gratitude with Amnesty supporters such as you.
“They tried to silence me. But you spoke for me. Your voice gave me strength when all around me was desperation and hopelessness. The only way I can thank you now is to join your voices for those who are still being silenced.”
“Every day of freedom is like a miracle to me... If it had not been for Amnesty International, I would not be standing before you today.”
- Vera Chirwa, Africa’s longestserving Prisoner of Conscience, released after more than 11 years in prison wrongfully convicted of treason.
© Amnesty International
Until every person can enjoy all of their rights, until everyone can live in dignity; until every person’s voice can be heard, and no one is tortured or executed – our candle of hope will continue to burn. But this is only possible because of your generous donations. To remain completely independent and objective, we do not receive any government funding so your donations are really the lifeblood of our work and are so appreciated. All our work is founded upon our research teams who collate reports and verify them for legitimacy and neutrality. These teams collect information from around the world, documenting cases that need our attention through direct contact with victims, media, activists and officials. Our reputation is one of our most important assets, and we ensure that our reports can be trusted. Once the facts are confirmed, we contact lawmakers and governments directly, pressuring them to do what they can, and must, in order to prevent further abuses and bring those responsible to justice. Often, Amnesty International publishes reports on its recommendations to governments and intergovernmental organisations for the resolution of violations.
be tolerated, and to show solidarity with those whose human rights have been violated. These efforts are often successful; the success stories in this newsletter are concrete proof that you make a difference. Each time you raise your pen to write to your MP, every time you sign a petition to release a prisoner of conscience, and every dollar you donate brings us a step closer to a future without human rights abuses. Thank you so much for using your freedom to help free those who have none.
We coordinate public demonstrations and community activities, raising the visibility required to let officials know that abuses will not
Make your gift go further You can get a third of your charitable contributions back when you file your taxes in New Zealand. By mid-April, we will send you an annual receipt of your donations for you to use when filling out the form, which takes less than 5 minutes to complete. You don’t even have to do any maths. The Inland Revenue department will take care of that for you. If you claimed the tax credit last year, the IRD will automatically send you the proper form (IR526), or you can download it at the end of the tax year under the “Forms and guides” section of their website. Claiming your tax and donating it back to Amnesty International is a fantastic way to make your donation go further. For example, if you donated $100, you are eligible to claim $33. Donating this credit to Amnesty makes your gift worth $133.
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To donate your tax credit to help us strengthen the voices of freedom, you would put our tax ID in the “transfer your tax credit” section of the form. Our number is 26-307-473.
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Amnesty International experts meet with those in power, and human rights defenders like you put pressure on critical figures by writing letters and presenting petitions. In mobilising our supporters, we utilise the media to break stories on a global scale, bringing issues to public attention.
This truly historic celebration is a testament to what human right defenders worldwide, including you, can do when we come together and use our influence to help bring about change that will save lives for many generations.
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“Because of your care and love, not only do you have my gratitude, you have caused me to experience that side of humanity characterised by warmth and hope.” Former Prisoner of Conscience Huang Hua spent over 21 years in prison for writing articles for an opposition magazine and participating in Taiwan’s democracy movement.