CLOSE GUANTANAMO Demonstration

As part of Amnesty's national Counter Terror with Justice campaign we will be demonstrating for the closure of the detention facilities at Guantanamo Bay this coming Monday, NOVEMBER 3rd at Tate Plaza from 10-3.

We will have lots of information available, plus some members of Amnesty and other concerned students will be wearing orange jumpsuits and hoods to give the demonstration visual punch. Petitions will be available, too!

Please consider joining us in solidarity for this event as we strive to ensure human rights don't get lost in the shuffle of the election the following day. Amnesty wants to make certain that human rights remain a priority for the United States Government. To demonstrate that commitment our newly elected leaders need to see our outrage and concern about Guantanamo because it is above all the poster-child of the USG's abusive and illegal conduct during the ongoing War on Terror.

To participate or help in any way, please contact Zach at zach.l.fox@gmail.com or Nima at nimapt@gmail.com by the evening of Sunday, November 2nd. Or, just show up the day of and get involved!

HELP US SHUT IT DOWN!

Zach

This week we will be hosting a screening of Taxi to the Dark Side (2007, 106 minutes), a revealing documentary exploring the use of torture and extraordinary rendition by or at the behest of the American government during the ongoing War on Terror. The film includes some of the earliest images of Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan and details the beating death of an Afghan taxi driver in American custody there. It also explores CIA techniques, Congressional debates over torture, and the impact of pop culture on attitudes about torture. Taxi to the Dark Side won the 2007 Academy Award for Best Feature Documentary.

Join us on WEDNESDAY October 29th at 8:15pm in SLC 214. NOTE: The screening will be replacing our regularly scheduled Tuesday letter-writing meetings.

This event is BLUE CARD.

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We are extremely happy to announce that we will not be holding a candlelight vigil for Troy Davis on Monday because the 11th Circuit Federal Court of Appeals in Atlanta granted him another stay Friday morning. Stay tuned, or check gfadp.org or amnestyusa.org, for the latest news concerning the case.

This coming weekend we are headed to Memphis for the Southern Regional Conference. Updates and news from the conference will be posted next Sunday evening.

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REMINDER: Join us on NOVEMBER 3rd at Tate Plaza for a demonstration against Guantanamo Bay. We'll have plenty of information and some petitions, in addition to jumpsuits!

Zach Fox

URGENT: Troy Davis Demonstration in Athens!

As many of you know, Troy Davis' last appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court was denied last week, clearing the way for his execution. The date has been set by the State for October 27, next Monday. Please join us for a rally TOMORROW night, October 23rd from 6-7pm on Troy's behalf. We will meet at the Arch a little before 6pm. Guidelines and suggestions for signs and posters can be found at www.gfadp.org.

Please consider joining us for this show of support, and plan on joining us for a vigil Monday night as well.

In solidarity,

Zach

10/21/08: Letter of Support for Guatemalan activists + Troy Davis update

Hey everyone,

Two items to note this week:

This week we will be learning more about human rights violations in Guatemala, including political repression, disappearances, kidnapping, extrajudicial killings, and ethnic cleansing. Many of these abuses occurred during Guatemala's long civil war and were the result of "counter-insurgency" operations by the Guatemalan military. Today many of these abuses continue, although at much lower levels and with less intensity. Furthermore, justice and truth continues to be denied to many victims and their family members due to the structure of the peace accords concluded last decade ending the civil war. Our letters for the week will be addressed to human rights activists working to bring remaining human rights violators to justice, including officials who continue to hold important posts in the Guatemalan government.

We will also be completing new petitions on Troy Davis' behalf. Last Tuesday, October 14th, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear Troy's cert petition, clearing the way for his execution. The execution is now scheduled, in all likelihood, for the 27th. We are in a very difficult position, but Troy cannot afford for us to stop advocating on his behalf now. For more information, please go to amnestyusa.org and gfadp.org.

We hope to see everyone Tuesday night at 5:30pm back in our normal room, Sanford 112.

In the next two weeks, we will have two major events focusing on the War on Terror and Amnesty Counter Terror with Justice campaign so please stay tuned for updates.

Zach

10/14/08: LUMO and the rape epidemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Hey everyone! I hope the weekend treated you well, the weather was beautiful :).

This week we return to the troubled DRC to look at the horrific rape epidemic that has traumatized millions of women in the central African state. We will be screening the documentary LUMO at 5:00pm in SLC 350 -- TAKE NOTE: This is replacing our normal meeting time and place this week only!

From 9-3 on Tuesday you can find us at Tate Plaza tabling and fundraising for the Heal Africa clinic profiled in the film. Stop by to contribute to this immensely worthy cause -- Heal Africa is doing some of the only major surgery and other therapy offered to women in the Kivu regions of the eastern DRC and their work is absolutely vital.

The early deadline to register for the regional conference Oct. 31st-Nov. 2 in Memphis is tonight, Sunday October 12th. If you would still like to attend you can register for additional ten dollars. Please notify an officer immediately if you are planning on attending because we receive a group discount which we can put towards gas and other collective costs.

-Zach

10/7/08: Child Soldiers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Child Soldiers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

This week we will be discussing the extremely serious and tragic issue of child soldier recruitment in the DRC as part of a two week cluster of action on the troubled state. We will be joined by Dr. Stacey Mitchell of the International Affairs department and David Lewis, a representative of Falling Whistles, a new NGO focused on ending the abuse of children in the DRC. To open the meeting we will watch the short film Duty to Protect.

We are also cosponsoring an event at 8pm in Journalism 503 with Invisible Children. David Lewis will expand on the work that Falling Whistles is planning, and we will have letter-writing and/or petition materials there too.

***We will also be taking last calls for anyone interested in attending the Regional Conference in Memphis, TN during Fall Break. Please notify one of the officers ASAP if you would like to attend, and register online yourself through the amnestyusa.org website.***

*****Troy Davis Update*****

Troy was granted a stay of execution from the U.S. Supreme Court less than two hours before his scheduled execution two weeks ago. We are extremely happy that some body has found it appropriate to halt, at least temporarily, this injustice.

The Court has yet to issue a decision on their assessment of Troy's petition and whether his case merits a Supreme Court hearing. The justices will likely issue their decision within the week. Please stay updated on this story by going to gfadp.org or amnestyusa.org.

See you Tuesday!

Zach