Meeting minutes for February 2015

Meeting minutes for Wednesday, 18 February 2015

In attendance: Barbara, Bob, Brendan, Gina, Nancy, Struan


Reports

Brief report by Barbara on the Close Gitmo rally and march in Washington, D.C., Sunday, on January 11.  

Brief report by Barbara on talk given by Bryan Stevenson at Villanova University on January 20. He is the executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative (a private, nonprofit organization headquartered in Montgomery, Alabama) and a professor at New York University School of Law. (A video of a similar talk that Stevenson gave elsewhere can be seen here.)
               

Actions and Updates 

Update on Raif Badawi of Saudi Arabia (one of the 2014 Write for Rights cases): online petition and latest news.

Appeal to President Obama to release Guantánamo detainee Shaker Aamer and return him to the UK [Barbara] (online version of this appeal).

Petition on behalf of Siti Zainab Binti Duhri Rupa, Indonesian national on death row in Saudi Arabia [Gina] (online version of this petition).

AIUSA success story: dropping of all charges against Claudia Medina Tamariz, who had confessed to accusations under torture by Mexican marines. (Related issue: despite thousands of torture complaints, Mexico has achieved only seven torture convictions at the federal level since 1991.)

AIUSA infographic on torture committed by Chicago police (one of the 2014 Write for Rights cases) (online petition).

Petition on behalf of women imprisoned in Salvador after having miscarriages (one of the 2014 Write for Rights cases) (online petition).


New Business

Struan spoke of his recent business trip to Qatar and the condition of the migrant workers there.

Results of 2014 Write for Rights event at Ten Thousand Villages (Exton) on Saturday, December 13

• 74 cards and letters written total (including those written at our meeting on December17)     $340.97 raised by community shopping event                
• Thank-you cards to the manager of Exton store and to the CEO of Ten Thousand Villages

Event Ideas

• Discussed possibility of inviting a guest speaker to a meeting at another venue. (Suggested speakers?)
• Movie night?

Beginning of book discussion: I Am Troy Davis 

Upcoming Events

Meeting on Wednesday, 18 March, 7:30 p.m., Wegman's cafe in Malvern

Meeting on Wednesday, 15 April, 7:30 p.m., Wegman's cafe in Malvern