Reading Suggestions

I Live Here by Mia Kirshner, J.B. Machinnon, Paul Shoebridge, & Michael Simons
http://www.i-live-here.com/

Girl Soldier: A Story of Hope for Northern Uganda's Children by Faith J.H. McDonnell & Grace Akallo

A Problem from Hell: America & the Age of Genocide by Samantha Power

Shake Hands with the Devil: The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda by Lt Gen. Romeo A. Dallaire

We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families: Stories from Rwanda by Phillip Gourevitch

The Unknown Black Book: The Holocaust in the German-Occupied Soviet Territories edited by Joshua Rubenstein & Ilya Altman

A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah

Writings from Prison by Leyla Zana

Prison No. 5 by Mehdi Zana

Northeast Regional Conference 2008

Twelve members of Clark Amnesty with Josh Rubenstein, AIUSA Northeast Regional Director.

AIUSA Press Release: President-Elect Barack Obama

President-elect Obama: 100 days to demonstrate commitment to human rights

5 November 2008

The election of Barack Obama to the US presidency opens new opportunities for an end to the seven-year assault on human rights by the US administration.

Amnesty International urged US President-elect Obama to make human rights central to his new administration on Wednesday. The organization is calling for certain concrete steps in his first 100 days in office that would demonstrate a genuine commitment to bringing the USA into line with its international obligations.

The new president will have the authority to rectify some of the unlawful policies and practices adopted during his predecessor’s term in office in the name of counter-terrorism and national security.

Counter terror with justice: a human rights challenge

In the first 100 days, Amnesty International is calling on the new administration to:

• announce a plan and date to close Guantánamo;
• issue an executive order to ban torture and other ill-treatment, as defined under international law;
• ensure that an independent commission to investigate abuses committed by the US government in its “war on terror” is set up.

These demands are part of a “checklist” of actions Amnesty International is asking the new US President to take during the first 100 days in office.

Promoting human rights at home and abroad

Amnesty International has numerous human rights concerns in relation to the USA. The organization is seeking a meeting with President-elect Obama to discuss how the USA will take forward policies that will advance internationally recognized human rights both at home and abroad.

Take action

Call on President-elect Barack Obama to demonstrate a commitment to human rights in his first 100 days in office.

Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Adopted and proclaimed by General Assembly resolution 217 A (III) of 10 December 1948

On December 10, 1948 the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted and proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights the full text of which appears in the following pages. Following this historic act the Assembly called upon all Member countries to publicize the text of the Declaration and "to cause it to be disseminated, displayed, read and expounded principally in schools and other educational institutions, without distinction based on the political status of countries or territories."

PREAMBLE

Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world,

Whereas disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind, and the advent of a world in which human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief and freedom from fear and want has been proclaimed as the highest aspiration of the common people,

Whereas it is essential, if man is not to be compelled to have recourse, as a last resort, to rebellion against tyranny and oppression, that human rights should be protected by the rule of law,

Whereas it is essential to promote the development of friendly relations between nations,

Whereas the peoples of the United Nations have in the Charter reaffirmed their faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person and in the equal rights of men and women and have determined to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom,

Whereas Member States have pledged themselves to achieve, in co-operation with the United Nations, the promotion of universal respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms,

Whereas a common understanding of these rights and freedoms is of the greatest importance for the full realization of this pledge,

Now, Therefore THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY proclaims THIS UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS as a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations, to the end that every individual and every organ of society, keeping this Declaration constantly in mind, shall strive by teaching and education to promote respect for these rights and freedoms and by progressive measures, national and international, to secure their universal and effective recognition and observance, both among the peoples of Member States themselves and among the peoples of territories under their jurisdiction.

Article 1.

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

Article 2.

Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty.

Article 3.

Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.

Article 4.

No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms.

Article 5.

No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

Article 6.

Everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law.

Article 7.

All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law. All are entitled to equal protection against any discrimination in violation of this Declaration and against any incitement to such discrimination.

Article 8.

Everyone has the right to an effective remedy by the competent national tribunals for acts violating the fundamental rights granted him by the constitution or by law.

Article 9.

No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.

Article 10.

Everyone is entitled in full equality to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal, in the determination of his rights and obligations and of any criminal charge against him.

Article 11.

(1) Everyone charged with a penal offence has the right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law in a public trial at which he has had all the guarantees necessary for his defence.

(2) No one shall be held guilty of any penal offence on account of any act or omission which did not constitute a penal offence, under national or international law, at the time when it was committed. Nor shall a heavier penalty be imposed than the one that was applicable at the time the penal offence was committed.

Article 12.

No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honour and reputation. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks.

Article 13.

(1) Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each state.

(2) Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country.

Article 14.

(1) Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution.

(2) This right may not be invoked in the case of prosecutions genuinely arising from non-political crimes or from acts contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.

Article 15.

(1) Everyone has the right to a nationality.

(2) No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his nationality nor denied the right to change his nationality.

Article 16.

(1) Men and women of full age, without any limitation due to race, nationality or religion, have the right to marry and to found a family. They are entitled to equal rights as to marriage, during marriage and at its dissolution.

(2) Marriage shall be entered into only with the free and full consent of the intending spouses.

(3) The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State.

Article 17.

(1) Everyone has the right to own property alone as well as in association with others.

(2) No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property.

Article 18.

Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.

Article 19.

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 20.

(1) Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association.

(2) No one may be compelled to belong to an association.

Article 21.

(1) Everyone has the right to take part in the government of his country, directly or through freely chosen representatives.

(2) Everyone has the right of equal access to public service in his country.

(3) The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government; this will shall be expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures.

Article 22.

Everyone, as a member of society, has the right to social security and is entitled to realization, through national effort and international co-operation and in accordance with the organization and resources of each State, of the economic, social and cultural rights indispensable for his dignity and the free development of his personality.

Article 23.

(1) Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favourable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment.

(2) Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work.

(3) Everyone who works has the right to just and favourable remuneration ensuring for himself and his family an existence worthy of human dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection.

(4) Everyone has the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his interests.

Article 24.

Everyone has the right to rest and leisure, including reasonable limitation of working hours and periodic holidays with pay.

Article 25.

(1) Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.

(2) Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance. All children, whether born in or out of wedlock, shall enjoy the same social protection.

Article 26.

(1) Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit.

(2) Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace.

(3) Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children.

Article 27.

(1) Everyone has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the arts and to share in scientific advancement and its benefits.

(2) Everyone has the right to the protection of the moral and material interests resulting from any scientific, literary or artistic production of which he is the author.

Article 28.

Everyone is entitled to a social and international order in which the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration can be fully realized.

Article 29.

(1) Everyone has duties to the community in which alone the free and full development of his personality is possible.

(2) In the exercise of his rights and freedoms, everyone shall be subject only to such limitations as are determined by law solely for the purpose of securing due recognition and respect for the rights and freedoms of others and of meeting the just requirements of morality, public order and the general welfare in a democratic society.

(3) These rights and freedoms may in no case be exercised contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.

Article 30.

Nothing in this Declaration may be interpreted as implying for any State, group or person any right to engage in any activity or to perform any act aimed at the destruction of any of the rights and freedoms set forth herein.

Fall 2008 Issues

Each semester we choose a few issues to work on. This semester we are focusing on children, Darfur, Prisoners of Conscience (POCs), refugees, & torture. The following information is from the Amnesty USA website. More information on these issues can be found at www.amnestyusa.org.

Children

As human beings, children are entitled to all the rights guaranteed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, but children also need special protection and care. Children's human rights are the blocks with which we build a human rights culture in societies and secure human rights for future generations. Take action to protect and promote the human rights of children around the world.

One action you can take: Demand an end to child life without parole

Darfur

Working to end the crisis in the Darfur conflict region, Amnesty's Darfur Campaign focuses on three goals: 1) security for displaced civilians including the deployment of peacekeepers in the Darfur conflict region; 2) access for humanitarian organizations to reach displaced civilians; and 3) accountability for the massive human rights abuses.

One action you can take: Urge the UN to deploy UNAMID

Prisoners of Conscience

For more than 45 years, Amnesty International has come to the aid of prisoners of conscience and other individuals at risk of serious human rights violations. Thanks to the actions of Amnesty supporters like you, more than 44,000 individuals have been freed from prison, saved from torture and protected from death threats. Amnesty's Campaign for Individuals at Risk provides hope and improves lives.

Two actions you can take: Urge authorities to immediately & unconditionally release Fathi el-Jahmi & Aung San Suu Kyi

Refugees

Amnesty International USA's Refugee Program advocates for the rights of asylum-seekers in the United States, and for the humane and dignified treatment of refugees and migrants worldwide.

One action you can take: Prevent unjust deportation of man to Syria

Torture

In the years since 9/11, the U.S. government has repeatedly violated both international and domestic prohibitions on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment in the name of fighting terrorism. Torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment must stop, and those responsible for authorizing and implementing it must be held accountable.

One action you can take: Sign the global petition to close Guantanamo & end illegal US detentions

We hope that you will join us this semester to work on these issues & that you will take the time to educate yourself.

Amnesty International USA

AI Works

Amnesty International (AI) is a worldwide, voluntary movement of people who campaigns for human rights. Our vision is of a world in which every person enjoys all the human rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights & other international standards. Our mission is to undertake research & action to prevent & end grave abuses of the rights to physical & mental integrity, freedom of conscience & expression, & freedom from discrimination, within the context of our work to promote all human rights.

THE BEGINNING

In late 1960, British lawyer Peter Benenson read a newspaper story abut two Portuguese students sentenced to seven years in jail. Their crime? Raising their glasses in a toast to freedom. Outraged, Benenson published an article called "The Forgotten Prisoners" in the London Observer on May 28, 1961. In his article Benenson asked readers to write letters demanding the release of the students & other "prisoners of consceince" around the world. The response was so overwhelming that by the end of the year-long "appeal for amnesty," groups of letter writers had formed in a dozen countries. Amnesty International was born. In 1977, Amnesty International won the Nobel Peace Prize for having "contributed to securing ground for freedom, for justice, & thereby also for peace in the world."

TODAY

More than 2.2 million Amnesty International members in more than 150 countries worldwide are leading the struggle to defend human rights & save lives. They create public pressure to stop abuses by organizing campaigns on specific issues & developing programs of action for specific countries. By writing letters, lobbying government officials, publicizing abuses & organizing events, AI members actively fight for human rights. Over 370,000 of AI's worldwide members are in the United States, & many people to one of AIUSA's 1,700 local & student groups.

AIUSA members meet regularly in hundreds of communities across the country to write letters & organize actions to protect individuals at risk of arbitrary detention, torture & ill treatment, death threats & execution, Through our online Human Rights Action Center, tens of thousands of online activists receive e-mail alerts & sign electronic letters of protest when someone is at risk of a severe human rights violation. They also access online information on pending legislation & opportunities to focus their action where it can make a difference.

OUR WORK

Amnesty International campaigns on a diverse range of issues worldwide, including freeing individuals at risk; ending torture, unlawful detentions & other human rights abuses occurring within the context of the "war on terror"; stopping violence against women; abolishing the death penalty; & attaining justice for the people of Darfur.

Amnest International regularly conducts intensive & far-reaching analyses of human rights around the world. Findings are released to the international community to publicize important issues, advocate for change, & hold human rights violators accountable for their crimes.

OUR RESULTS

Amnesty International campaigns get the job done. Since 1961, pressure from your letters, faxes &, recently, e-mails has helped free more than 40,000 political prisoners worldwide. Our campaign against torture led the United Nations to adopted the Convention against Torture. Our pursuit of international justice spurred the arrests of former Chilean dictator Pinochet & the fromer Yugoslavia's Slobodan Milosevic. We have successfully campaigned for the rights of rape victimes in South Africa to receieve treatment for HIV/AIDS.

YOUR PART

Every day, people turn to Amnesty International to protect their human rights. And for more than 40 years, AI has been there, opening prison doors, confronting those who torture, rape & kill, & speaking for those whose voices have been silenced. With over 370,000 members, AIUSA is now the largest country section of Amnesty International, & our work here benefits people of conscience around the world. Join us in our defence of human rights for all. You can make a differnce. Write a letter, sign a petition, become a member, make a donation or log on at www.amnestyusa.org.

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL USA
5 Penn Plaza, 16th Floor
New York, NY 10001
www.amnestyusa.org
Tel: 212-807-8400
Fax: 212-627-1451
1-800-AMNESTY