Amnesty in Salisbury & South Wiltshire
Promoting human rights from Salisbury UK
The monthly death penalty report is now available thanks to group member Lesley for her hard work on this. Discusses USA; India; Egypt among other countries. China remains the world’s largest executioner of its own citizens but information is regarded as a state secret.
November 2017
The latest monthly death penalty report is available here thanks to group member Lesley for doing the work to compile it.
It is good news that the planned execution of Clinton Lee Young has been stayed by a Texas court due to doubts about the evidence. It just shows that had the execution gone ahead, any mistakes cannot be undone. Thanks to all those who wrote on this case.
Read our monthly death penalty report.
If you live in the Salisbury UK area and would like to join us you would be very welcome. It is free to join the Salisbury group but if you want the benefits of joining Amnesty International UK there is a joining fee for that.
The best thing is to come along to one of our events, which are listed at the end of our minutes, and make yourself known. Or keep an eye on this site or Facebook and Twitter (salisburyai)
Attached are the minutes for the group meeting held on Thursday 12 October 2017 thanks to group member Lesley for preparing them. A full agenda covering the death penalty, North Korea, upcoming events such as the film at the Arts Centre, Citizenship day, an exhibition at the Library and the plans for the Celebration of Human Rights in 2018.
Anyone local reading this interested in taking part then go to the end of the minutes where future events are listed. Come along to one and make yourself known. You can follow us on Twitter or Facebook if you prefer – salisburyai.
The death penalty report for September/October 2017 is attached thanks to group member Lesley for compiling it.
China remains the world’s largest executioner of its citizens but the statistics are a state secret.
September 2017
The latest report is now available thanks to group member Lesley for compiling it. Note that China remains the world’s largest execution but details are a state secret.
It sometimes seems like a forlorn battle being an Amnesty supporter. The tide of executions, arrests for peacefully protesting, torture and other state crimes seems inexorable. Despite countries signing solemn pledges in the UN, persecution by states of their own people and minorities continues on a grand scale around the world.
But a light sometimes does shine and in a recent report, Amnesty claims that 650 prisoners were released last year due in part to our
campaigning. Albert Woodfox was released from 44 years in solitary confinement in Louisiana, USA and he said:
Even when it feels like you are not going to win, when you grow disillusioned with politics which put geed before people’s human rights. when you don’t think you can make a difference – please remember that if you had not taken a stand and joined hundreds of thousands of activist around the world, I may not have been able to write this to you today.
The latest death penalty report covering four weeks to mid August is attached thanks to group member Lesley for compiling it. Please remember China remains the world’s biggest executioner but details are a state secret.
The trial of Reggie Clemons in Missouri has been delayed yet again until January. This has come about because the defense has claimed that Reggie’s phone calls and visitor logs have been accessed by the Attorney General’s office since March 2016. They claim that at least three of these calls to his lawyers and may have revealed names of expert witnesses to called to testify at his trial. The Attorney General office deny these claims and said that Clemons had waived his attorney client privilege.
He has been in prison now for 22 years and the trial had been set for August.
The group sent a card to Reggie in anticipation of the trial taking place in August.
Here is a factsheet produced by Amnesty USA giving background to this disturbing case.
Sources: St Louis Dispatch and Amnesty USA
The latest death penalty report for June/July is available thanks to group member Lesley for the hard work in compiling it.
If you would like to join the local group – because for example you have strong convictions against the use of the death penalty – you would be most welcome. Or you can just write using one of the urgent actions in the report above.
China is the world’s leading executioner.
Follow us on Twitter and Facebook: salisburyai
Amnesty in Salisbury & South Wiltshire 