1/28/09: 100 Days Campaign!

The inauguration of President Obama and his quick action to decisively end American abuses in the War on Terror -- including closing the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay -- give us hope that change on human rights issues is indeed on the way. To carry this momentum, we are dedicating this semester to a new theme:

"New Year + New Administration + New Policy = More Human Rights!"

This week will be writing to President Obama, thanking him for his quick action but also impressing on him the importance of concrete plans to implement his executive orders. The letters will also give us the opportunity to demand accountability for past violations -- a full reckoning of past abuses is necessary to truly understand what was done and why those violations are unacceptable and illegal.

PLEASE NOTE: This week's meeting will be informal as we do not have a reservation for the room this week. Instead we'll be at Jittery Joe's in the SLC, just down the hall from our room, starting at 6:30. Stop by, grab a cup of coffee, write a letter, and take a break to socialize with us. :) We'll also have info on some other opportunities of interest in the coming weeks (including Lobby Day with GFADP!) Our (always open) planning session will start about 7:30 so stick around if you'd like to get more involved this semester and/or next year, or just to hear what's around the corner.

1/21/09: Welcome Back + Gaza

Hello everyone,

I hope you're enjoying the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday and looking forward to building on the dramatic change that he helped initiate over 40 years ago. Dr. King remains one of the most prominent and important examples of human rights advocacy and action today, and I hope his legacy inspires us all to work harder for human rights.

This week, Amnesty at UGA will be hosting a Welcome Back meeting. ***Meetings are now Wednesdays, 6:30pm in SLC 277.*** We'll be introducing Amnesty as a movement, our group, and some exciting new opportunities for the semester and next year. Also, THERE WILL BE FREE PIZZA :). Even if you've done work with us in the past, or are familiar with Amnesty International, please join us to have fun, meet new people, and get some free food.

Our action for this week is focused on the Gaza crisis. Thankfully both sides have now entered into a tentative ceasefire, but serious concerns remain. The most pressing concerns now are delivering humanitarian aid to the hundreds of thousands of Gazans without basic necessities and services and ascertaing what violations of international law were committed by Hamas militants and the Israel military.

Our action will be addressed to members of Congress, urging them to 1) halt all arms transfers to Israel until it is certain that the weaponry will not be used in contravention to international law, and 2) pressure countries in the region to block the flow of smuggled weapons into Gaza, which have been used indiscriminately against civilian targets in southern Israel. Accountaiblity for violations on both sides is the primary goal.

***Again, meetings are now Wednesdays at 6:30pm in SLC 277. Our open planning sessions will be directly after letter-writing meetings, too, so join us! PLEASE NOTE: We will not have meetings every Wednesday due to scheduling conflicts. On those dates, an alternate location for letter-writing will be announced in advance (probably coffee somewhere!).***

News for the Spring Semester!

Hey everyone!

We hope the winter holidays were relaxing and everybody is recharged for a new semester. There are several opportunities and updates we would like to inform you about:

-- Letter-writing meetings are now tentatively Tuesdays 6:30-7:15pm in the SLC. We do not have a room confirmation just yet, and unfortunately the time change was necessary to meet in the SLC. If this time slot and location absolutely do not work for you, PLEASE LET US KNOW so we can factor your availability into any schedule change we might make in the coming weeks. Topics for each week are open and suggestions are always welcome. As usual, topics will always be posted and emailed out in advance of letter-writing meetings.

*Meetings will start January 21st. Stay tuned for the SLC room number.

-- We have restructured the Amnesty officer group for this semester in order to make the organization more efficient and visible on campus. A diagram of the new positions is available on request (because I can't figure out how to attach the doc in Blogger). This plan is flexible and tentative, but not all positions have been filled, and there are lots of opportunities to work with officers on projects. If you are interested in becoming more involved with our organization please let us know ASAP.

-- This semester we are planning two major events. The first will be a 5-K run fundraiser mid-semester for the HEAL Africa clinic in Goma, Dem. Republic of the Congo which serves sexual assault and violence victims in the war-torn eastern DRC. The second will be a human-rights film festival later in the semester. If you are interested in working on either of these exciting projects, please contact us so we can put you in touch with the coordinators.

-- Another great opportunity we are pursuing this semester is a teach-in program for local public schools. This is a brand new initiative, but something we're very excited about. Please contact Nima directly to help get our teach-in program started.

-- The Troy Davis case remains a local priority for our group. We are committed to sparing Troy's life and seeing him receive a new trial. Currently Troy is awaiting word from the 11th Federal Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta on whether has grounds to pursure a second federal appeal. If the 3-judge panel finds in his favor, Troy could potentially receive a evidentiary hearing in Savannah. Please stay tuned for updates about the case.

-- There will be an opportunity to travel to Atlanta later this month to rally with Atlanta student and local groups in Midtown Atlanta calling on President-elect Obama to end abuses in the War on Terror. This is a major priority for Amensty USA and part of the 100 Days Campaign. Join us to make your voice heard, and in a very public place too!

Thanks for all the work you've done with us in the past! We look forward to another great semester.

***We will have a planning meeting open to everyone (as they always are!) this weekend to get the ball rolling on all our projects for the semester. When a time, date, and location are determined, we will notify everyone as quickly as possible.***

Zach Fox
zach.l.fox@gmail.com

Nima Patel
nimapt@uga.edu