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Amnesty International Salisbury Group

Minutes of the Monthly Meeting on Thursday 9th February 20177.30 pm 4 Victoria Road

1 Chairman’s WelcomePresent: Andrew, Tony, Eddie, Fiona, Peter, Lesley, EffieApologies: Michael S

Andrew welcomed Effie to the Group.

AH

2 Minutes of previous Meeting – These were agreed LC

3 Treasurer’s Report – None was available.

Costs for ‘Fire at Sea’: SAC Hire - £168.00 DVD - £11.45Contributions - £58.70

Total Cost - £120.75

MP

FD

4 Campaign Reports

Death Penalty

Please see the Salisbury Group Website www.salisburyai.com for the full international update, covering USA, Pakistan, Bahrain, Philippines, China, Kuwait, Nigeria and Iran.

Of particular note:

Reprieve has published its report on Global Executions in 2016. Countries with close links to the UK and EU continued to occupy the ranks of the world’s most prolific executioners - Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Iran – with China continuing to keep its numbers secret. Torture and the sentencing to death of protesters and juveniles continued. Other countries of concern included Bahrain, Kuwait and Egypt.

Maya Foya said, ‘It is alarming that countries with close links to the UK and EU continued to occupy the ranks of the world’s most prolific executioners in 2016. From Saudi Arabia, Iran and China, to Pakistan, Egypt and Bahrain, we have found children on death row, innocent people hanged, drugs offences dealt with as capital crimes, and torture used to extract false confessions. Countries that oppose executions must do more in 2017 to ensure that their

LC

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overseas security assistance does not contribute to others states’ use of the death penalty. (Source: Reprieve)

A number of States in the USA are continuing to face challenges regarding the legality of their death penalty processes and issues around the difficulty in obtaining supplies of the necessary drugs.

In his final days in office, President Obama commuted the death sentences of two prisoners on death row to life imprisonment. Regrets were expressed that he did not grant such clemency to all 62 prisoners on federal death row.

In Pakistan, the execution of a man with schizophrenia was stayed pending further reports. No decision has as yet been made in respect of Imdad Ali.

Three prisoners were executed in Bahrain – the first executions since 2010.

Following a secret re-trial in China, four prisoners, sentenced to death more than 13 years ago, were found not guilty and released.

Urgent Actions

Singapore – UA 12/17 – Prabagaran Srivijayan, a Malaysian national convicted and sentenced to the mandatory death penalty in 2012, is at risk of imminent execution. Found guilty of drug smuggling, he has consistently maintained his innocence and fair trial concerns have been raised by his lawyer. (Circulated to DPLWG 13.1.17).

Belarus – UA 17/17 – Mr Kiryl Kazachok, convicted of killing his two children, has been sentenced to death. His was the fourth death sentence to be issued in Belarus in 2016. (Circulated to DPLWG 16.1.17). This month’s Group Urgent Action.

Iran – UA 296/15 – Update - Hamid Ahmadi has now been transferred to solitary confinement in Lakan Prison in Northern Iran, in preparation for his execution on 4th February, later postponed to 11th February. He was aged 17 when arrested for a fatal stabbing during a fight between him and 4 others in 2008. (Circulated to DPLWG 31.1.17). The Group also took part in the Twitter Action on 3.2.17).

Iran – UA 38/17 – AI have advised that the Iranian academic, Dr Ahmadreza Djalali, a resident of Sweden detained in Iran since April 2016 on a charge of espionage,

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and on hunger strike since December 2016, has been threatened with the death penalty. (Note: earlier reports indicated he had actually been sentenced to death). (Circulated to DPLWG 8.2.17).

Campaigning

The IAR Survey on Urgent Actions has been completed with a request made for more evidence of AIUK’s continued commitment to campaigning for the abolition of the death penalty world-wide as a priority.

The first of the re-trials of Reggie Clemons, originally scheduled to begin on 23rd February, will not now do so until August (date TBC). Reggie’s public defender, Charles Moreland, argued that he needed more time because of the complexity of defending death penalty cases, the need for travel time and the heavy caseload of his office. He said the length of time since the crime was an additional factor and Reggie needed more time to consult with his pro-bono legal help from a private law firm.

Note: The Special Master who overturned Reggie’s conviction found that he had not proved his innocence, but the prosecutors had wrongly suppressed evidence and detectives had beaten him into confessing to the crimes.

LC has contacted Farshid Talaghani to express the hope that AI will take Reggie’s case up again once his re-trials commence. The request has been passed on to the relevant department.

AIUK have made available nine short videos on the death penalty. They are aimed at teachers, educators, facilitators or anyone wishes to learn more about human rights. They are freely available but the content of some may be unsuitable for certain audiences and we are advised to watch each clip in full to check its suitability before using it in an educational setting.

The Nine videos are:

1. Amnesty International: Death to the Death Penalty – replicating scenes of execution using wax figures that melt and leave the Amnesty candle unscathed.

2. AJ+: What if the Death Penalty Disappeared in America? – the practical implications of the abolition of capital punishment - the economic benefits, the lack of evidence of deterrence, the disproportionate application to ethnic

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minorities and the sentencing to death of the innocent.3. Amnesty International: Death Penalty Facts and Statistics

for 2015.

4. Vice News – Should There Be a Death Penalty? – views, both for and against, from a range of people around the world.

5. Amnesty International – One Last Chance – an animation showing several meal choices for inmates on death row in an effort to highlight the theatrical nature of the death penalty in the US.

6. Human Rights Watch – Executing Juvenile Offenders in Yemen - Yemen is one of the few states that executes juvenile offenders, many of whom admit to alleged crimes after torture.

7. National Geographic: Inside Death Row – a series looking at death row from the perspective of former execution wardens. (Note: these videos are only available On Demand via a participating TV subscription provider.)

8. Amnesty International: Behnoud’s Story – an animation telling the story of a lawyer in Iran who tries to save the life of a young man on death row.

9. One for Ten – 10 short films about former death row prisoners, representing the 1 in 10 prisoners found to be innocent of the crimes for which they are due to be executed.

North Korea

Jihyun Park has confirmed she will be coming to speak on 16th March at the Five Rivers Leisure Centre. The talk will take place in Activity Room 1. PC will send press releases to the local media (press and radio). TM and FD will liaise regarding members and contacts to be invited. The Group will provide refreshments.

Kenny Latunde-Dada will chair the session. Jihyun has agreed to be interviewed on video, and Kenny will conduct the interview prior to the session.

Refugees

A campaign planning meeting was held on 1st February.

It was agreed that the AI petition calling on the EU to aid the movement of refuges on the Greek islands would be used at the film showing of ‘Fire At Sea’.

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A number of possibilities for campaigning were discussed: The Studio Theatre to be approached regarding a

performance of the Asylum Monologues – This is currently being checked out.

The possibility of a Vigil on the City Hall steps to be explored – The City Clerk has agreed, subject to the choice of date. (Preferred date: 24th June). Participants could be photographed with a sign stating ‘I am a …… (profession) and I support refugees.’ PC to design a sign.

The suggestion of a City Walking Tour is on hold – AH to investigate any historical link to refugees in Salisbury

The AI travelling photographic exhibition ‘’I Welcome’ should be available to local Groups. AH to contact AI to ascertain availability (ideally for Refugee Week 21st-25th June), and the Library regarding the use of their Gallery. PC to contact the Cathedral regarding the possibility of the Cloisters – but this will also depend on the durability of the display.

Cathedral Sixth Form Conference – 15th June – PC to contact the Cathedral regarding possibilities for an exhibition.

Stonehenge Freedom Festival – see later for details.

It was agreed at the meeting that the Group should take action on all Urgent Actions – mail, email and Twitter – relating to refugees. LC will forward all such actions to AH for circulating to the Group, and they will be posted on the Group Website.

This month’s Refugee Urgent Actions:

UA 17/17 – Refugees and Migrants Freezing in Serbia (Circulated to Group: 18.1.17)

Email Action from Amnesty NZ – as above (Circulated to Group 19.1.17)

Menu of Options

AI have requested that Local Group decisions on their campaigns for 2017 should be returned to them by 28th February. These were confirmed as

Refugees – AH North Korea – TM Death Penalty – LC

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5 Social Media Report

Web and other media statistics, January 2017 An encouraging month on all social media platforms with some records broken as well. Web siteA good month. The figures are: June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan171 184 167 211 201 275 189 274

ViewsAll time: 7 143

Country views, top 4. We had a total of 32 countries in all.USA 94UK 87Canada 22France 8

Top posts: 1. Salisbury firm involved in selling spyware to Bahrain and

other countries2. Prospects for human rights in 20173. 3 individuals executed in Bahrain (in which the technology in

1. Might have played a part)4. Use of British supplied cluster weapons in Yemen

Followers: a further increase this month and we now have 183. This is encouraging and the highest monthly increase.

TwitterThis month saw the biggest ever tweet and the first time one has exceeded 2 000. We exceeded 6 000 total for the first time

Impressions:

June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan4510 2111 1784 3050 3045 3633 5101 6505

Top tweet:

By a long way was the tweet about Nazanin who was arrested in Iran. This received 2 078 impressions and no less than 54 engagements – the second highest ever. Also 32 retweets – also the highest.

We now have 118 followers, an increase of 6, and 182 following, an increase of 5 on last month.

The North Korean video also attracted interest. We’ve been asked

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to tag the tweets so that the South can forward them on but so far only 1 has been done out of 20 or so.

FacebookPC has looked at a different statistic this month as he was not at all sure of the meaning of the previous figures. Looking at the ‘reach’ as they term it, these totaled 178 for the month the leading ones being:

1. Call to end the ban on Muslims entering the USA (96)2. Report on the lecture in Southampton run by Southampton

given by Phillippe Sands QC (30)3. Piece on favourable comments about torture by president

Trump

Tumbler We have 6 followers on Tumbler an increase of 1. We have 17 followers.

North KoreaThe demonstration outside the Guildhall still chugs along. On Flickr, the still image has had 2,972 views and the video, 604 – both increases. On YouTube, it has 1,520 views giving a viewing total of 5,096. The North Korea video on YouTube involving Fiona Bruce MP has shown an encouraging increase in views following the email to Kenny who circulated it. It now has been seen 113 times, more than double last month.

www.flickr.com www.YouTube.com

The link to Flickr is https://www.flickr.com/photos/peter_curb/23610658620/in/photolist-ByoNe3-q6murP

Group actionsThere was one group action during this period: the twitter action on Ali al Nimr.Web site: www.salisburyai.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/salisburyai

Facebook: www.facebook.com/salisburyai

As ever, contributions to the sites are welcome. Engaging with the sites also helps build profile. Please try and visit one of the sites at least and click ‘like’ or ‘forward’.

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6 Monthly Action

It was agreed the Group would write to the Ministers of State for Vulnerable Children and Families, and Immigration asking them to look again at the issue of child family reunion.

7 Human Rights Act – Update

Government Minister Oliver Heald has confirmed the Government’s plans to scrap the HRA will be put on hold until the complex issues around leaving the European Union have been resolved. In the meantime, the Prime Minister has made it clear that her longer-term plans include seeking a mandate to take the UK out of the ECHR. The Chief Negotiator for the European Parliament, Guy Verhofstadt, has said that Britain will remain under the jurisdiction of the ECJ for ‘years to come’ if it seeks a transition deal to cushion its withdrawal from the EU.

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8 Arts Centre Films

Fire At Sea – 43 people had come to see the film. 26 signed the petition. The audience response was positive and it was agreed that further such events should be considered.

The double bill of Incendies and War Witch will be shown at SAC on 9th June. Exact timings will be confirmed, but are likely to be 6.00 pm and 9.00 pm. Professor Lucy Mazdon will speak at both.

FD

9 Stonehenge Freedom Festival – 19th-21st June

A meeting had been held with Christian Lange and the Partners. The local consultation process is currently taking place and the organisers will know by 23rd February whether the Festival will go ahead. The Group will need at that point to confirm their involvement.

FD has been in contact with the writer and singer of the song Refugee Migrant Song, Jack Warshaw. He has confirmed he would be happy for his song to be used, and has offered to come and perform it.

FDAHPC

10 NWR LC

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LC confirmed that she had been in contact with the Organiser of the NWR Group. They will be meeting up later in the month when the venue and likely nos will be confirmed. The session will focus on the Group’s campaigning and discussions around the issues. LC and PC will give the session.

11 Market Stall

Provisionally arranged for 27th May – TBC

AH

12 Magna Carta Event

PC and FD are to meet with a representative at the Cathedral on 21st February to discuss the possibilities.

PC

12 Licence for Carol Singing

FD will write to Farshid for a letter of authorisation which will enable the Group to apply for a House-to-House Collection Licence.

AHFD

13 AOB

The Grapevine Group from St Thomas’s have approached AH with a request for a talk on Amnesty, which he will be happy to arrange.

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14 Forthcoming Events

Talk by Jihyun Park – 16th March NWR Session – 5th April Market Stall – 27th May (TBC) War Witch – 9th June Magna Carta Event – 15th June Stonehenge Freedom Festival – 19th-21st June (TBC) Photographic Exhibition – 21st- 25th June (TBC) Vigil – 24th June (TBC) Grapevine Session (TBC)

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Next Meeting: Thursday 9th March Time: 7.30 pm Venue: 4 Victoria Road

www.salisburyai.com www.twitter.com/salisburyai http:www.facebook.com/salisburyai Campaign box and banner: AH

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