AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL – Hornsey and Wood Green Group

Minutes of the Meeting of 19th August 2015

Attendance: Dennis Bradley, Gina Mackenzie, Francine Miller, Louise Rendle, Jean Scott, Herbert Trent.

Apologies: Jane Bywaters, Ros Cranston, Paul Duployen, Maureen Paton Maguire.

Minutes of the last meeting / Matters Arising:

The minutes of the July meeting were agreed with one correction: the NAFRAN report should have also referred to the Egyptian case of Azza Soliman and 16 others, who were witnesses of a killing. They have been acquitted, but the Prosecution has challenged the decision.

Dennis is still to pursue the availability of libraries for the two Amnesty exhibitions which are on offer.

Campaigns:

Death Penalty – There are some 8,200 people on Death Row in Pakistan, with 27 offences subject to the death penalty. The moratorium on executions was lifted in March this year and at least 200 have taken place, including the execution of minors.

NAFRAN – The July task concerns Mahmoud Hussein, a student in Egypt arrested for wearing a T-shirt bearing an anti-torture slogan. He has been in pre-trial detention for over 500 days and severely beaten. In Libya the seriously flawed trial of nine al-Gadaffi officials has resulted in death sentences.

The August task has not been confirmed, but could be Ali Arrass in Morocco.

China – Ros has sent an article from The Guardian of 21.07.15 (attached) concerning the detention and question of at least 238 people in a crackdown on dissidents by the Chinese authorities, with at least six people remaining missing.

Dennis noted that the Chinese President will be visiting the UK in October. Also, the Royal Academy is shortly to show a new exhibition by the Chinese artist Ai WeiWei, who has now been given permission to come to the UK for the exhibition.

My Body My Rights – Nothing to report.

Stop Torture – Nothing to report.

Correspondence:

News has emerged that the UK’s intelligence services have been spying on Amnesty’s International Secretariat communications. Amnesty has protested and demanded a meeting with the Prime Minister and called for a public inquiry.

The International Council Meeting took place in Dublin on 7-11 August. The controversial resolution on sex workers, discussed at AIUK’s recent AGM, was passed. The resolution recommends that AI develop a policy that supports the full decriminalisation of all aspects of consensual sex work. The policy will also call on states to ensure that sex workers enjoy full and equal legal protection from exploitation, trafficking and violence.

The review on AIUK’s constitution will be the subject of consultation in the next Amnesty magazine and on the website in September.

Finance/Fundraising:

The annual garden party/concert raised £1,000 and the final total for the sponsored walk was £672. The current balance is now £1,903.34p. We agreed to make a further donation of £500 to AIUK, raising our total contribution for 2015 to £1,000.00.

The next fundraising event is the annual London-wide Street Collection on Saturday, 10th October. We will also be collecting at an Underground station, hopefully East Finchley, on one day in the preceding week. However, this now has to be arranged directly by AIUK since London Underground Charities no longer accepts applications from individual groups. AIUK is contacting all London national members to try to find additional collectors.

Diary Dates:

For further information about these events, contact Dennis Bradley at .

·  City & Tower Hamlets AI pub quiz – Sunday, 13th September, at the Water Poet Pub, starting at 6 p.m. For tickets (£5.50) contact https://www.wegottickets.com/event/327388.

·  Public meeting on undercover police operations in the UK organised by Hammersmith Fulham Amnesty Group – Tuesday, September 15th, 7.30 p.m. at Latymer Upper School, King Street W6 9LR.

·  Rocky Horror Show live performance in aid of AIUK featuring Stephen Fry, Mel Giedroyc and Emma Bunton – Thursday, 17th September, Playhouse Theatre, Embankment. Live cinema screening at various cinemas including The ArtHouse Crouch End (6.45 p.m.), Cineworld Wood Green (6.45 p.m.), and the Everyman Muswell Hill (6.20 p.m.).

·  1920s party organised by Waltham Forest Amnesty Group – Friday, 25th September, 8 p.m. – 11.30 p.m., at Orford House Social Club, Walthamstow.

·  London Region Conference – Saturday, 3rd October.

·  AI London-wide Street Collection – Saturday, 10th October.

·  Write for Rights Event, St. James Church Muswell Hill – Friday, 11th December.

Next meeting: Wednesday, 16th September, at the Muswell Hill Quaker Meeting House, Church Crescent, N10, 8.00 pm.

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