Please find below details about dates for meetings, click on a date to download the minutes for that meeting. We meet at the Charing Cross Centre, 19 St John Maddermarket, NR2 1DN. Meetings start at 730pm; tea and coffee are usually available during the meeting.
Meeting dates for 2026
April 15th
May 20th
June 17th
July 15th
August 19th
September 16th
October 21st
November 18th
December 16th
Some minutes from a meeting in 2023
20th March: March Monthly Meeting Minutes
Meeting Minutes
Wednesday 15th March 2023
7.30 pm at the CHARING CROSS CENTRE MADDERMARKET NORWICH
1: Introduction and welcome by Chair: 15 in attendance
1.1 Apologies for Absence: DB
1.2 Talk by Dr. Jan Sheldon CEO of St Martins Housing Trust Norwich on Homelessness
Slides of the talk are included with these minutes.
2: Action Networks that Norwich supports with letter writing and actions
2.1 North Africa Network JK
A letter was circulated for a Moroccan case. The detention of a journalist due to freedom of expression. Charges connected to Youtube videos and Facebook posts where they criticised the Moroccan government. They have been isolated and tortured. The letter is asking for their release.
2.2 Children’s Human Rights Network JK
Nothing to note.
2.3 Feminist Network RC
March 8th was International Womens Day– a display has been placed outside St Peter Mancroft with a range of individual cases.
Have received an action pack from Amnesty in London but it arrived too late for the display. RC has brought the case sheets for tonight instead and will leave them for people to take.
An action for a woman in Iran. 41-year-old who has been involved in empowering women and girls, for her social media activities she has spent 15 years in detention. Still serving a life sentence for standing up for equality and denouncing oppression. One of the longest-serving female prisoners for freedom of expression. Take action here.
Another case for a woman from Andorra who spoke at the United Nations about the lack of reproductive rights in Andorra. She was later charged with talking against the prestige of the institution. Take action here.
A case from Belarus for a woman who is facing charges for attending the court case of other human rights defenders. Spent 75 days in detention.
A journalist who most of the time lives in Rwanda but returning to Burundi was arrested for her publications.
Some people may have seen on the news there was a Polish woman who was prosecuted for supporting a woman having an abortion. She has been sentenced to 8 months of community service. Better than the 3 years in prison but Poland has out-ruled all forms of abortion in all cases. More on this here.
In the news the three women who were detained in Iran for standing up against compulsory veiling. The first one was released a few months ago and recently so were the other two. More on this here.
2.4 Rainbow Network DY
Had the stall at the Norwich pop-up Pride event. Managed to get 70 signatures for each case they took.
3: Norwich Group’s 50th Anniversary Events updates E-M E
June 10th – Unveiling of the Pride banner at the Amnesty Bookshop. More details TBC.
July 1st – The concert. Needs a lot of publicity. Need to advertise as widely as possible. EME will need to be sent the finalised poster.
4: Information received from Amnesty UK
A petition against the new migration bill online. Take action here.
6: Group Cases and actions
6.1: Alaa Abdel Fattah imprisoned in Egypt JK Update if any
In the national news at the time of COP27, less so now. 41 years old and in prison in Egypt. Human rights activist and blogger who has been in prison since 2011. Dual citizenship with UK citizenship and there has been lots of pressure on the UK government to call for his release. He has come off the hunger strike. The current campaign is quieter than previous actions. On the 7th of each month, we are encouraged to do something on social media. In June there is a Fathers Day action. We celebrate his son’s birthday in December and Alaa’s birthday in November. Further actions are being discussed in AIUK.
6.2 Kashmir activist group Update if any DB
No update but reference to the event on March 17th. Please see below.
7 New UEA Group Update if any
From 5 pm – 7 pm. In the Lecture Room 1 at the UEA. A few refreshments – open between 4 pm and 8 pm. March 17th.
8 Fundraising Events for 2023
8.1 Concert 1st July at the Octagon Chapel Norwich
Already addressed.
8.2 Quiz and dips 2023 Date to be confirmed
Not discussed.
8.3 Street Collection 2023 Date to be confirmed
Not discussed.
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9 Other events
Not discussed.
9.1 Peace Vigil St Peter Mancroft Sat 1st April 12 noon to 1 pm
Not mentioned.
9.3 Seminar on the Human Rights situation in Kashmir UEA Date to be confirmed but provisionally Friday 17th March at UEA
Please see section 7.
10 AOB Please let the chair know at the beginning of the meeting
Worth visiting the Grenfell quilts. See more information here.
There is a documentary on Channel 4 tomorrow about Nazanin. Watch here.
11 Date of next Open Meeting Wednesday 19th April 2023 at the Amnesty Bookshop. Please note this will also include our AGM.