Last night the Salisbury group went carol singing around several streets in the city. The singing was done by members of the
Farrant Singers in Park Street
Farrant Singers which meant residents were treated to high quality singing from one of the finest choirs in Salisbury. To fortify us, we started the evening with a glass of vin chaud kindly provided by Michael and Chantal and afterwards, we all repaired to their house for home made soup, cheese and mince pies. A most successful evening and thanks to Michael and Chantal for their hospitality, Jonathan and Thomas for leafleting the houses the evening before and to the Farrant Singers themselves. Also to other group members who played a supporting role.
A happy Christmas to all our readers and followers around the world.
Group welcomes speaker on #Korea. On Thursday 13 November, the group was pleased to welcome a Korean speaker as part of our activities to keep the problems in North Korea in the limelight. Bona Shin is a member of a large community of Koreans who live in London, the largest such community in Europe. There are thought to be around 32,000 living in the UK and 691 of whom from North Korea.
Bona Shin
Other speakers have mentioned the difference between Pyongyang and the rest of the country. People who live in Pyongyang are the elite and they are reasonably well fed by North Korean standards. It is the rural areas which are impoverished and where people struggle to survive. She said there are no disabled people in the capital either: they are all moved out to the rural areas.
She mentioned the propaganda initiative recently where the North Korean embassy hosted an art exhibition. Developments in the last week or so at the UN where there are attempts to get the regime and Kim Jong un indicted for crimes against humanity.
There are reports of the infamous Yodok camp being closed and prisoners being moved to Camp 14 or Camp 16 as part of the propaganda by the North but this cannot be confirmed at the time of writing. Bilateral talks may begin with the EU on the question of human rights.
There are still survivors from the Korean war which Britain contributed large troop numbers second only to the USA. There is a British Korean Veteran Association
Amnesty group makes YouTube video. The #Salisbury group of Amnesty International broke new ground today when they prepared
Joo il Kim at the signing
a short YouTube video clip to highlight the appalling situation in the North Korean prison camps. Fifteen members held up cards which spelled out the message ‘Close the Camps’ to mimic the huge displays which take place in Pyongyang. It was part of a morning spent collecting signatures which unfortunately had to be curtailed because of the heavy rain which made it impossible to continue. Despite this, in the hour or so we were able to operate, 84 people signed.
Jooil Kim (pictured) an escapee was able to attend and take part and we were pleased to have a member of the South Korean Embassy come and sign as well.
Thanks for all who came and made this a success and especially to Karen (and husband) who did all the work preparing the cards. Now watch the video …!
Jonathan, Fiona and Andrew went to Bishop Wordsworth’s school last month for the annual #Citizenship Day, an event for Year 12 students from the Bishops Wordsworth School and South Wilts Grammar. More than 50 students opted to attend our sessions – about the same number as last year – choosing over other charities, pressure groups and political parties.
Citizenship
Three sessions were held and following an introduction by Andrew, Jonathan got them to work thinking about human rights in general and Fiona finished with a “what you can do” chat. To judge from talking to other presenters, ours was probably one of the more interactive sessions, and the students seemed to respond well, overcoming a natural reticence. Groups had interesting thoughts about what rights consisted of, and one group even came up with a definition, although knowledge of Magna Carta was surprisingly spotty.
We hope some will take up the essay challenge and a good number of forms were taken away. Feedback has been positive, and we are hopeful of encouraging the students to take up Amnesty causes for themselves.
We have several events in the next couple of weeks and anyone free to help will always be welcome.
Today! Saturday 8 November at the Guildhall. We shall be holding an event in aid of our #NorthKorea campaign and we will be doing a moving display at 10 o’clock and our first YouTube posting if we can manage it. If you are free at that time that would be really useful – we need people to hold some cards.
Thursday 13 November at 7 pm (note earlier time). Normal monthly meeting followed by a talk by Kenny Latunda Dada who has been to Salisbury on two previous occasions and Bona Shin who is a South Korean activist. They will be talking about #NorthKorea.
Saturday 15 November at the Library which will be a card signing as part of the Stop Torture campaign, #stoptorture. If you can help or come along and sign that would be appreciated.
We have re-launched the #essay competition this year and invited members of the 6th forms in the #Salisbury area to contribute. A pdf of the full entry details is here:
We held a stall in the Library tunnel on Saturday 11 October in aid of the #stoptorture campaign and in particular, to highlight the case of
Moses Akatugba in #Nigeria. He was arrested for allegedly stealing mobile phones, shot in the hand and tortured by the Nigerian Army. He has been in prison now for eight years and is on death row awaiting execution. Torture is routine in Nigeria and it is reported that police stations even have a ‘torture officer’.
We collected 189 signatures in three hours which is a good haul for a difficult subject which has received next to no publicity. We shall be sending the cards in two batches to the Governor of Delta state in Nigeria where Moses is being held. We have sent a report of the signing to the Nigerian Embassy in London (see under Update below).
If you would like to know more about this case then you can find it here: Nigeria fact sheet
We are grateful to all those who stopped to sign a card. The great majority of passers-by did not to sign it has to be noted for
Moses Akatugba
reasons that are never clear or revealed. 155 countries around the world have signed the UN protocol against the use of torture but according to Amnesty International figures, it is still practised in 141 of them. In other words, they sign treaties to end it but continue to use it.
Thanks to all the Salisbury Group’s team for taking part and their help in making this a success: Michael; Jonathan; Andrew; Lesley; Peter; Fiona; Eddie; Cynthia; Tony and Karen.
This is the monthly death penalty report thanks to Lesley.
General
UK
19th Sept – A Death Row Pop Up Restaurant offering a ‘last meal without the nasty execution bit’ was due to open in Hoxton, London. Condemned by Amnesty as ‘in appallingly bad taste’, the owners initially issued an apology but later withdrew it, saying ‘all over the world there are attractions that have the potential to offend’
LC spoke with Kate Allen at the recent Stop Torture Campaign Skills Day and raised the Group’s concern that the Death Penalty was no longer a distinct campaign. Kate noted our concern, but said AI needed to look more to local groups to take the campaign forward.
Pakistan – Mohammed Asghar, the British Pakistani 70 year old with paranoid schizophrenia, sentenced to death for ‘blasphemy’ was shot and badly injured in his prison cell by a prison guard. There is an on-line 38 Degrees Petition calling on David Cameron to press his case with the Pakistan Government.
USA
21st September – the third anniversary of the execution of the execution of Troy Davis. An excerpt from the statement issued by the National Coalition for the Abolition of the Death Penalty reads: ‘……. I am Troy Davis. And we are 90 million strong. You, Xxxxx, are Troy Davis, and we are 90 million stronger – because of you. Together we are building the ground-game state by state and nationwide to fulfil Troy’s wishes: to keep fighting this battle until we end the death penalty once and for all.’
Texas – News today (9 October) that Manuel Velez was released from prison following 6 years on Death Row and 9 years in prison. Convicted and sentenced to death in 2008 for the killing of his girlfriend’s child, in 2012 his death sentence was thrown out because of false testimony during the sentencing phase. A new trial was ordered because of inadequate legal assistance in his original trial. The DA’s office continue to maintain, however, that he contributed to the child’s death. See a separate post on this subject.
Afghanistan – Despite attempts by AI and other Human Rights Organisations to persuade the new President, Ashraf Ghani, to stop the execution of 5 men convicted of rape, they were hanged on 8th October. There were accusations of a lack of evidence and forced confessions.
Death Penalty Statistics for 2013
778 executions were known to have been carried out in 22 countries
1,925 people in 57 countries were known to have been sentenced to death
23,392 people were known to have been on death row world-wide
These figures do not include the thousands of executions likely to have taken place in China where they are a state secret.
Urgent Actions
Iran – UA 85/14 – (update) Reyhaneh Jabbari – her execution date of 30th September was deferred, but she remains at risk as the family of the man killed (who Reyhaneh claims sexually assaulted her) could request her execution at any time. David Cameron has spoken out on her behalf to President Rouhani, and been criticised for ‘unacceptable remarks’. Circulated to DPLWG; posted on the Group’s blog – 1.10.14. This month’s Group Urgent Action.
Bahrain – UA 252/14 – Maher Abbas Ahmad – sentenced to death in February for the premeditated murder of a policeman at a ‘gathering’, has lodged his final appeal and could be at risk of execution. He told his lawyer he was tortured into making a confession. Circulated to DPLWG 9.10.14.
Campaigning
World Day Against the Death Penalty – 10th October. The Group are asked to sign cards to be sent to Reggie Clemons
Death Penalty Stall – A signing event will take place on Saturday ll1th October from 9.00-12..00 mid-day in the Library Covered Way. We will be asking the public to sign cards calling for justice for Moses Akatugba, the young Nigerian tortured and sentenced to death for the alleged theft of three mobile phones.
