The Slideshow is Back!

At long last I have fixed the Group 22 slideshow feature in the sidebar and have filled it with mostly "vintage" examples of our activist exploits over the years. Because these photos were scanned, the resolution is a little fuzzy, but they are still fun. I hope to add more recent pictures soon. If you are present or former member of our Pasadena chapter and have photos to add, let me know!

I'm highlighting a few pics from a China campaign from around 1993 in which we created a "Democracy Wall" collage of actions, quotes, pictures and graphics which was posted for the benefit of the Caltech community. Perhaps this will serve as inspiration for our current work on the 'disappeared' Chinese human rights lawyer, Gao Zhisheng. Please take action for Gao here!

The Empty Chair

This Human Rights Day we pause to honor Peace Laureate Liu Xiaobo by acknowledging the empty chair at the Nobel ceremonies. Amnesty International urges you to take action:

Nobel Peace Prize recipient Liu Xiaobo was charged with "inciting subversion of state power" and given an 11-year prison sentence on December 25, 2009 simply for co-authoring a proposal for political and legal reform in China. On October 7, the Beijing Municipal Higher People's Court upheld Liu Xiaobo's prison sentence. Urge Chinese authorities to release Liu Xiaobo immediately and unconditionally.

And we urge you to slip in a reference to Group 22 Pasadena's Chinese prisoner of conscience case Gao Zhisheng too. Check out the Globe and Mail's profiles of a courageous "Gang of 10" dissidents to watch, including Gao. To learn more about Liu Xiaobo, visit PEN's resource page.  You might also want to check out PEN President Kwame Anthony Appiah's piece on Liu in Foreign Policy: China's Burden of Shame which also mentions Gao. The NYT offers a Liu poem today.

Rights Readers authors have commented on Liu Xiaobo's plight and it's implications for the future of Chinese democracy.  Here's Orville Schell (Mandate Of Heaven) on PBS Newshour.  And Ma Jian (The Noodle Maker) writes in the Scotsman,

Though now better off than they have ever been in material terms, the Chinese people are denied any real opportunity to retain and refine their own dignity beyond the quest for wealth and luxury goods.   Liu's prize is a rebuke to the regime, because it rejects the dogma that nothing but the pursuit of economic interest matters.

We wouldn't want to overlook the Nobel Literature Laureate, Mario Vargas Llosa.  Many years we enjoyed reading Death in the Andes.  Rights Readers author Daniel Alarcon (Lost City Radio) reacts to the news of his award on WNYC and offers up a bit of fan worship in the Paris Review.  Vargas-Llosa's Nobel speech is well worth the read for this thoughts on reading, exile, and human rights, not missing the chance to acknowledge the empty chair himself,

...a dictatorship represents absolute evil for a country, a source of brutality and corruption and profound wounds that take a long time to close, poison the nation’s future, and create pernicious habits and practices that endure for generations and delay democratic reconstruction. This is why dictatorships must be fought without hesitation, with all the means at our disposal, including economic sanctions. It is regrettable that democratic governments, instead of setting an example by making common cause with those, like the Damas de Blanco in Cuba, the Venezuelan opposition, or Aung San Suu Kyi and Liu Xiaobo, who courageously confront the dictatorships they endure, often show themselves complaisant not with them but with their tormenters. Those valiant people, struggling for their freedom, are also struggling for ours.

Write for Rights 2010 Global Writeathon

At the recent Amnesty International USA Western Regional conference, Group 22 Pasadena was thrilled to receive the "Local Group of the Year" award. Behold Loyal Readers and coordinators Lucas Kamp and Kathy Hansen accepting the award from Western Region Field Organizer  Kalaya'an Mendoza. The group followed this up with a bit of publicity in the Pasadena Weekly.  And we are not resting on our laurels by any means!  Next up is the annual Write for Rights Global Writeathon--your chance to send greetings to human rights defenders around the world who need a word of encouragement and to write a few letters to their governments urging them to take a stand for human rights. The Group 22 event will be at Cafe Culture (1359 N. Altadena Drive, Pasadena) on December 11. Drop by anytime between 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. If you can't make that, additional events are being held around the country in conjunction with International Human Rights Day (December 10). Check the Amnesty International USA Write for Rights site for a writeathon near you or find materials to do your writing from your own home.  For a bit of inspiration, here is Bu Dongwei's testimony about the power of your letters. Group 22 followed Bu's case closely and recently welcomed him to a monthly meeting. 

Where is Gao Zhisheng?

Amnesty International Group 22 Pasadena has adopted the Chinese human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng and is just gearing up to advocate on his behalf and while we hope to have an action on this case very soon, Rights Readers wanted to acknowledge that today is the one year anniversary of his disappearance.  Thankfully, the case is receiving worldwide attention from the AP, BBC, Guardian, and OpenDemocracy among others. But most of all, don't miss Gao Zhisheng's wife's plea in today's Washington Post,

The United States cannot allow China to continue to act with impunity, particularly with respect to imprisoning lawyers. China's lawyers are the country's only hope for becoming a one-party state where the rule of law prevails, let alone a true democracy. If China continues to imprison its lawyers, there will be never be change.

I worry about the next generation of Chinese lawyers. Will disappearances like my husband's deter them from becoming rights defenders? I imagine so. But if the United States were to speak out on my husband's behalf, perhaps this would change.

My 8-year old son, Peter, was surprised to discover last week that President Obama is a lawyer. To him, lawyers are people the government throws into prison, not leaders of the government itself. He asked me whether this meant that President Obama could help free his father. I told him that I hoped so. We are waiting to see.

Making Rights Really Universal

Aww, all this Star Trek mania is making me nostalgic for the days when Amnesty International Group 22 tabled at the Star Trek convention in Pasadena. I wish I had pictures, but at least I still have my delegation badge! Remember when the Trekkies used to scarf up our cute little Universal Declaration of Human Rights booklets with the UN logo on them that kinda-sorta resembles the logo at left, thinking they had stumbled on some profound interplanetary document? But surely the United Federation would have a UDHR-derived bill of rights governing earthlings and aliens! For another flashback, try this Slate article, "Star Trek: The Next Generation's eerily prescient torture episode", which I recall we helped to promote (note that the article does mention an interplanetary version of the Geneva Convention.)

Response from Jarvis Jay Masters

Jarvis Jay Masters sent this response to Amnesty International Group 22:

"Dear Stevi, I want to extend my thanks to you and all the others at Amnesty International Group 22. Your card this evening that shared with me of your group's book discussion, and the time you gave to my own book, Finding Freedom, is a Gift to me. This means so much to get your card, to hear of your group's time to my book, and to especially say Thank You to you and to Candy! Again, Thank you."

Stevi moderated the discussion of our January selection, Finding Freedom: Writings from Death Row, and gave us the opportunity to sign cards for Jarvis. She also asked our group to pose for a photo to mail to him along with the cards.
If you read Jarvis's book and are moved, as we in Rights Readers were, by the compassion and peace he has somehow managed to achieve in the soul-destroying environment of San Quentin's Death Row, you can write to him at
Jarvis Jay Masters
C35169
San Quentin State Prison
San Quentin, CA 94974

He is permitted to receive gifts of postage stamps, which he really appreciates.

Doo Dah 2009 - Slavery Is Not History ... Yet!

AI Group 22's entry in the Pasadena Doo Dah Parade directed attention to modern-day slavery in the form of human trafficking. In keeping with the traditional raucous nature of Doo Dah, sex slaves were portrayed by guys in drag, while women took the roles of villainous traffickers.



We carried signs and distributed information to the spectators that emphasized the seriousness and magnitude of this human rights issue. To take action on issues concerning human trafficking and women's rights, visit this AIUSA page. More information on human trafficking is located here and here.

Congratulations and thank you to Marie-Helene and Robert and their talented associates for organizing yet another wonderful Doo Dah event for Group 22!

Eritrea: Yet Another Sad Anniversary

Today is the seventh anniversary of the arrest of Estifanos Seyoum, the Eritrean prisoner of conscience adopted by AI Group 22. He was detained in 2001 along with 10 other senior officials and 11 journalists in a general crackdown by the Eritrea government. None of these prisoners has ever been charged or tried. Some are reported to have died in prison but Eritrea refuses to reveal anything about them. Amnesty International issued the following statement to mark this sad occasion:

AI Index: AFR 64/007/2008 (Public)
Date: 18 September 2008

Eritrea: Prisoners of conscience remembered on 7th anniversary of mass detentions

Seven years ago, on 18 September 2001, the Government of Eritrea detained hundreds of former government leaders, private-media journalists and civil servants. Today, as we mark the seventh anniversary of this detention, most are still believed to be held in incommunicado detention.

Amnesty International considers these detainees to be prisoners of conscience, detained for the peaceful expression of their political views. The Eritrean government has never disclosed the location of those detained, and has repeatedly failed to provide a verifiable response to allegations that a number of those detained have died in detention, in spite of persistent appeals from Amnesty International members worldwide.

The Government of Eritrea is doing all that they can to ensure that these prisoners are forgotten. They are still denied family visits. No-one has been charged or brought to court. They are also believed to be denied medical treatment and are in many cases are likely to be detained in harsh conditions and subjected to torture, or cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment or punishment.
[more]

Action for Tibetan Monks

Many news reports about the recent demonstrations in Tibet refer to the past large-scale protests in Lhasa in 1987-1988. Long-time members of AI Group 22 will recall that our former adopted prisoner of conscience, Tibetan monk Ngawang Pekar, was arrested at that time. Rights Readers started in 1999, and our third selection was the book Sky Burial, an account of the Lhasa events by a young American tourist. The author's companion was John Ackerly, who was so marked by his experience that he went on to become the president of International Campaign for Tibet. Today he wrote:

In the past 20 years, I have never had such an exhausting, heartbreaking, and exciting week. Exciting because the Tibet issue is exactly where it should be -- on the front pages of our newspapers and high on the agendas of politicians and human rights organizations everywhere. Heartbreaking because Tibetans have taken huge risks to make their voices heard and are experiencing the worst repression and crackdown since the earliest days of the Chinese occupation.

Amnesty International has posted an urgent action for the 15 Tibetan monks arrested March 10 in a peaceful demonstration. They are considered at high risk of torture. You can see their photos here. Please take action to support them!

Some non-AI actions are located here and here. A local organization is Los Angeles Friends of Tibet.

Photos from Doodah Parade

Here are links to photo albums from Group 22's entry in the Pasadena Doodah Parade. Click on an image to view album or video.

Team Doodah. Photos from Stevi.

Video from Katerina. Action! Sound!

Katerina's Doodah Album. More photos and videos.

Dan's Album. Dramatic waterboarding shots, as seen from the driver's seat.

Paul's Album. Some nice closeups of participants.

Joyce's Album.

Marie-Helene and Robert's Album.

Award to Imprisoned Eritrean Journalist

Eritrean journalist Seyoum Tsehaye has been chosen as “Journalist of the Year 2007” by Reporters Without Borders - Fondation de France. The panel of judges sought to highlight not only the case of this brave journalist held in Eritrea’s appalling jails since September 2001 but also the catastrophic state of press freedom in this small Horn of Africa country. At least four journalists have died in prison in Eritrea over the last few years. The blame lies chiefly at the door of Issaias Afeworki, the highly authoritarian and obdurate president of the country since its independence in 1993.

Read the full press release from Reporters Without Borders here.
There's a photo of Seyoum at the AI Group 19 website.

AI Group 22 in Pasadena works in behalf of Estifanos Seyoum, another Eritrea prisoner of conscience held incommunicado since the 2001 crackdown. We hope that the publicity generated by this award might help to persuade the Eritrean authorities to improve their country's human rights situation or at least result in the release of information about these journalists and former government officials detained without trial or charges since 2001.

Visit with Senator Boxer's Staffer

On October 15 four of us from AI Group 22 met with Mr. Corey Jackson from Senator Boxer's Los Angeles office. We discussed our group's work on Eritrea prisoners of conscience, the AI special focus case of Shi Tao, and the Darfur crisis. Corey told us that input from constituents would be very helpful, so we're asking all you California folks to go to Senator Boxer's official web site and let her know that you're concerned about one or more of the three topics. For information on Eritrea POCs, see our sample letter to Boxer or visit the AIUSA Eritrea page or learn about imprisoned Eritrean journalists. Here's AIUSA info about Shi Tao, and here's the country page for Sudan/Darfur. We hope to report next month on what progress we've made toward obtaining Senator Boxer's help in these issues.

R.I.P. Matt Reese

We learned recently of the passing of Amnesty International Group 22 - Pasadena member Matt Reese. Matt was especially dedicated to our work to abolish the death penalty and bring reform to the criminal justice system. Matt was involved in an astonishing number of social justice causes and will be missed by many, many activists in the NGO community. We will always remember Matt as he boldly led our 1998 Doo Dah Parade entry dressed as a Tibetan monk. March on, Matt, march on. We will always follow.

Bhopal - Twenty (+) Years without Justice

Amnesty International Group 22 will be tabling at Pasadena's Earth Day tomorrow and continuing to plead the case of the survivors of the Bhopal chemical disaster. Here's a video we shared at one of our non-virtual meetings a couple years ago. Nice to see we can give it a wider audience and bring more people up to speed:



And be sure to read about Amnesty International's call for an SEC investigation of Dow Chemical. Learn more and take action here.

Earth Day Inspiration

Reprinting an illustrated version Stevi's inspiring column from our newsletter--


Greetings from Group 22 as Earth Day approaches!

Recently as I thought about writing this column, I found myself in Zion National Park in southern Utah. One of my favorite views in Zion is the panorama behind the museum. My first sighting of it this trip was from the Watchman Trail. To the left of it is West Temple, a broad flat mesa topped by a small caprock, both of which are sprinkled with evergreens. A red rock face shows the iron that leaches through the Navajo Sandstone. Black streaks remind me of the waterfalls that cascade down the face of the cliff during rainstorms. At the far right from West Temple and across the Towers of the Virgin, stands the Altar of Sacrifice, flat topped, white faced with wide streaks of red flowing down to make clear this formation’s name. When my gaze travels left to right from West Temple to the Altar of Sacrifice, I think of Amnesty International and the work its members do to lessen the suffering caused by human rights violations.

In this beautiful natural setting, I think of the individuals around the world who willingly sacrifice their time, their safety and, yes sometimes, their lives, to protect the dignity of the human family and, in some cases, the very environment that sustains life.

This month Group 22 takes part in two Earth Day celebrations. One is Friday, April 20 at Caltech, from 11:30 AM to 1 PM. The other is Saturday, April 21, at Memorial Park in Pasadena, from 10 AM to 4 PM. Please, join us. Stop by for some information, good conversation, an action to support, and an opportunity to get involved with our group.

On April 6, some of us from Group 22 went to Vroman’s Bookstore to hear Kiran Desai speak about her book THE INHERITANCE OF LOSS, our February book. What a delight to hear her, especially as she carefully explained her ideas concerning the first world, and her case the upper class in India, verses the developing world during the Q&A. This month we read the environmentally-themed TRACKS by Native American author Louise Erdrich and move onto a Pulitzer-winning book about the Mau Mau rebellion in Kenya next month. Consider joining our book group for interesting reading and lively discussion.

Since I believe everyday is Earth Day and the April event is a simple reminder, let’s all remember Earth Day’s three Rs. Recycle, of course; Reuse, yes; Reduce, let’s work at it because,

“Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connect.” -Chief Seattle, 1855

Happy Earth Day!

Henderson Execution Stayed!

A piece of good news this afternoon: Texas death row inmate Cathy Henderson's execution has been stayed for 60 days. Group 22 collected signatures on her behalf at a recent event. Now we will have a little more time to do more on her behalf.

Pasadena Event: Helen Prejean

Sister Helen Prejean (Rights Readers selection, Dead Man Walking) will be speaking at a series of events in Pasadena this weekend (February 23-25). Look in the left sidebar for brochure and registration at this site. In addition our friend Hector Aristizabal will be offering a workshop as will Sister Janet Harris. Amnesty Internationl Group 22 will be tabling there, so stop by to say hi and take action!

The Write-a-thon Continues...

Holdiay Card Action comes to party-goers at the annual COLORS Christmas Party, a church-based anti-racism group and frequent collaborators of Group 22 Pasadena. (Click on pictures for larger versions).

Music inspires the writing! Stir it up!







In the spirit of the evening's celebration of multi-culturalism, a card in Chinese.

Caltech Event: International Human Rights Day Film Night

In honor of International Human Rights Day (December 10), Amnesty International Group 22, the Caltech Y's Social Activism Speaker Series, and the Caltech Falun Club will present a screening of Sandstorm, a film by Michael Mahonen.

Sandstorm tells the story of He Tianying, a mid-level Chinese police officer. For twelve days and nights, He and his wife have been trapped in their home during a massive sandstorm covering a large area of China. His wife is running out of life-sustaining medicine, their young daughter is missing in the storm, electricity and phone communication have been cut off, and their food and water are running out. As He Tianying cares for his dying wife, in this isolation and confinement, his conscience starts to emerge. As a policeman, he has been involved in the vicious persecution of common Chinese citizens who follow the spiritual practice of Falun Gong. In a series of flashbacks, he painfully recalls one particular Falun Gong practitioner whom he had been attempting to force to renounce her beliefs. As He Tianying consumes the last of his food and water, he is visited in a dream by an apparition of his daughter who helps guide him toward deeper truths and hope.

Date: Sunday December 10, 2006 8:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Location: Beckman Institute auditorium - Find on Campus Map

Shadow Company Screening October 22

Shadow Company Trailer
,

Amnesty International Group 22 - Pasadena/Caltech is pleased to host a screening of Shadow Company, this Sunday, October 22 at 4:30 PM at the Caltech Y Lounge (1350 San Pasqual Street, Pasadena - map - follow two curving walls forming a gate to a path-- our building is just beyond). The screening is free and there will be refreshments! Discussion and action opportunities will follow film. Please join us!

Film Description:

No one can forget the horrifying images: photos of Iraqis kept at Abu Ghraib prison naked, bleeding, humiliated, and some dead. Since the first reports of abuse at Abu Ghraib became public in 2004, subsequent military investigations have found that contractors and employees of private companies contracted by the U.S. government were involved, along with US soldiers, in the torture and abuse of the detainees.

What you may not know is that the use of these private military contractors (PMCs) in the "war on terror" is expanding, as they fulfill even sensitive military functions, like interrogation and translation services, in addition to logistical support and security services in conflict zones in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere.

"Shadow Company," by Nick Bicanic and Jason Bourque, is a documentary film that explores the history of mercenaries, the PMC industry and regulation of it - with exclusive interviews with security contractors, journalists, historians and owners of contracting companies. With tens of thousands of armed contractors in Iraq alone, it is clear that the rules of war have changed - and it is up to everyone to learn how these rules have changed and why.

Amnesty action on military contractors here.