In attendance: Barbara, Bob, Tilo, Colin
Welcome and Introductions
Treasurer's Report
- We spent about $300 on postage last year.
- We will send a donation to AIUSA via our field organizer, Savannah Fox
Actions
- Update on Michael Lambrix (Urgent Action 31/15—Florida, USA)
- We wrote individual letters by hand on his behalf at our January meeting.
- He was scheduled to be executed on 11 February, but the Florida Supreme Court has blocked his execution indefinitely
- Urgent Action 294/15—Egypt: Release Five Activists
- Appeal for five Egyptian activists (Mostafa Ibrahim Mohamed Ahmed, Karim Khaled Fathy, Mohamed Abdel-Hamid, Gamila Seryel-Dain, and Ahmed Mohamed Said)
- Sentenced to two years in prison for participating in a protest while blocking the road and disrupting traffic
- AI considers them prisoners of conscience, because the charges of blocking the road are believed to be false
- Urgent Action 29/16—Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC): Release Vano Kiboko
- Appeal for Vano Kiboko
- Currently serving a three-year prison sentence for publicly opposing a third term for the president of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Joseph Kabila.
- Urgent Action 277/15—Sudan: Release Emad and Erwa Al Sadig Ismael Hamdoun
- Appeal for Emad Al Sadig Ismael Hamdoun and his older brother, Erwa Al Sadig Ismael Hamdoun
- Emad Al Sadig Ismael Hamdoun remains in detention at the National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) offices after publicly confronting an NISS officer whom he believes tortured him in 2012. His older brother, Erwa Al Sadig Ismael Hamdoun who has been leading a campaign for his release, was arrested by the NISS on 6 January.
New Business
- The ARC (Activist Resource Community) is a repository of official AI documents and is available to dues-paying members. (To request an account, go to the ARC page and click on "click here" above the login box.)
- SPECIAL MARCH MEETING: joint meeting with Amnesty International Group 212 (Philadelphia Center City)
- Date: Thursday, 24 March, 7 p.m.
- Place: The Ethical Society, 1906 Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia, PA 19103
- Topic: AI Policy on the Human Rights of Sex Workers, adopted 29 October 2015. This policy supports the full decriminalization of all aspects of consensual sex work involving adults.
- Guest speakers: Selma James and Phoebe Jones, both of Women's Global Strike. Ms. James is a longtime activist who has promoted equal pay for women (especially those who stay home to raise children and care for family). She will give her group's viewpoint on the decriminalization of sex work.
- There will be actions and a bit of other regular AI business prior to the guest speaker's presentation, so if you can't get there till later, you should still be able to hear her.
- NO REGULAR MEETING ON 16 MARCH
- Pennsylvania East Meeting
- Meeting of local (including college) Amnesty International groups
- Saturday, 27 February, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- The Penn Museum, 3260 South Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104
- Participation is free
- Register in advance here
- Barbara will attend this meeting
- Joint meeting with Amnesty International Group 212 (Thursday, 24 March): see above
- Peace Rally for Burundi
- Organized by the Amnesty International group at Cedar Crest College group
- Prompted by the AI report "'My Children Are Scared': Burundi's Deepening Human Rights Crisis" (published 22 December 2015)
- Saturday, 19 March, 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.
- Holiday Inn, Allentown, PA
- Speakers and candlelight vigil
- Participation is free
- April meeting: Wednesday, 20 April, 7:30 p..m, Wegmans in Malvern, PA
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