Open Meeting Summary – January 2021
During the Covid-19 period when physical Open Meetings do not take place a Summary of the items that would have been on the Agenda, together with information and updates will be available on the Amnesty Norwich website.
Web: www.norwichamnesty.org.uk
Contact Email: info@norwichamnesty.org.uk
Actions and letter writing by the Group
North Africa cases
The Norwich group supports the Amnesty North Africa region by working on cases mainly in Egypt, and some recent cases in Tunisia and Morocco. There has been a recent surge of concern and activity about the worsening human rights situation in Egypt and information about cases and sample letters are posted on the Group website.
We receive a regular newsletter (or Ezine) from the North Africa Regional Organiser, Debora Singer, with case information that we can use and in the most recent September E-zine includes Egyptian cases that can be supported:
- Aser Mohamed – see below in the Children’s Network section
- Ibrahim Ezz El -Din – a Housing Rights activist see below
- Case 173 Azza Sollman – a lawyer and Woman Human Rights Defender
- Hoda Abdelmoniem An imprisoned 63-year-old human rights lawyer.
Background information and a sample letter are available in the appendix document,
https://www.norwichamnesty.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/January-2021-Summary-Appendix-doc.pdf
Ibrahim Ezz El-Din
We have been writing about Ibrahim for some time.
Ibrahim’s birthday was on Sunday 15th November 2020. He was 28. By then he will have been in prison in Egypt for 17months simply for standing up for housing rights. To mark this occasion, Amnesty organised a well-supported international birthday Twitterstorm which someNorwich members joined. We will report on the reaction of the Authorities
Some Good News
Amnesty has been calling for the release of Karim Emarah, Mohamed Bashir and Gasser Abdel Razek, who were arrested and detained in Egypt in November 2020 for speaking up on human rights. They all work for the same human rights NGO, Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights.
We are pleased to share the news that thanks to the international pressure and action from people like you, Karim, Mohamed and Gasser were released from prison on 3rd December.
Whilst we are glad that they are safe and back with their families, the charges against them still stand. Furthermore, the Egyptian authorities have frozen Karim, Mohamed and Gasser’s personal assets demonstrating the authorities’ intent to eradicate the Egyptian human rights movement and making it difficult for them to continue their human rights.
Giulio Regeni: Some better news
We are continuing to work on the long term case of Giulio Regeni, a murdered Italian student working in Egypt for a Cambridge University PhD and who was almost certainlykilled by the security forces in 2016.
The news that the Italian prosecutors have charged several Egyptian security officers with his murder is encouraging news although the cooperation of Egypt is needed to bring them to trial. The Norwich and Cambridge groups took part in an Email storm on Human Rights Day 10th December with an email and snail mail letter to the Egyptian Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and Human Rights, highlighting the recent Italian action and pressing his government to support this. Emails and letters were copied to the Egyptian Ambassador in London.
There is lots more information about the current status of the case in the links below
https://carnegie-mec.org/diwan/83401
We are continuing to workwith the Cambridge Amnesty group and we are considering how to mark in 2021 the 5th anniversary, of his murder. We have sent a Christmas card, on behalf of the group, to his family expressing solidarity and our support.
Debora Singer has told us that she has been contacted by a journalist who is planning to make a documentary film about Giulio’s case and the subsequent investigations. Deborais going to be interviewed about Amnesty’s role and will keep us informed. This is excellent news and will help to increase the pressure on the Egyptian authorities.
If you wish to join the writing group working on this case the contact is chair@amnestynorwich.org.uk
Please join us on these ongoing actions on the cases noted above. You can find information on the website or contact info@norwichamnesty.org.uk
Amnesty Children’s Human Rights Network
The Norwich Group supports a variety of actions including an ongoing action for Aser Mahomed who was arrested when 14 years old and given 10 years imprisonment in 2019following a confession extracted under torture.
Several members and supporters wrote on Universal Children’s Day 20th November to President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi about the case as part of Amnesty UK Children’s Human Rights Festival November 20th – 22nd and took part in the online sessions
News from Amnesty UK
We receive a regular newsletter,’ Amnesty Local Groups News which has lots of ideasabout fundraising and events and actions by groups around the country.
The December edition describes an Amnesty UK report about the UK government’s failure to protect people in care homes during the Covid pandemic and calling for a public inquiry This is on the basis that resident’s human rights were violated.
The report can be found on the Amnesty UK website.
https://www.amnesty.org.uk/care-homes-report
Digital Training Amnesty are offering training in how to use social media in our work.
We are lucky to have an active member who manages our website, Facebook and Twitter accounts but the committee would benefit from help from other media savvy members and supporters so if you are interested in this training please contact us, on Chair@amnestynorwich.org.uk
Amnesty UK Future Strategy 2022-2030
The Amnesty UK Board are developing a draft Strategy for consideration at the 2021 Global AGM. The Norwich committee have received initial consultation papers.These will lead to further development of the strategy in January. The papers are for Amnesty members only at the moment and contain some quite radical views aboutthe future of the global and UK movement.
If Amnesty members wish to have more information, please contact chair@amnestynorwich.org.uk
National Conference and AGM – 19-20 June 2021
The 2021 Conference will be a digital event hosted at the Amnesty UK offices in London Amnesty members will receive more information about this in the next few months.
Fundraising and Finance
Christmas Cards
We were selling Amnesty Christmas cards through the Charity Card outlet which this year was in St Peter Mancroft and the Amnesty Cards were all been sold, and they were also on sale in the Amnesty Bookshop on the Unthank Rd until Christmas.
Using QR Codes in fundraising
Amnesty are trialling the use of QR codes and other virtual methods of fundraising which will help deal with the restrictions caused by Covid and we will consider how we might usethem in the future subject to Covid guidelines.
Future Events and Activities
Write for Rights
We regularly support the annual Amnesty campaign where we meet and write letters and postcards to governments and Prisoners of Conscience. We were unable to hold the event this year due to the second lockdown. This year’s cases that you can write about, and the associated links are in the Norwich Amnesty website and the campaign runs until 31st December.
Peace Vigil
This is held outside St Peter Mancroft on the first Saturday of each month. The next Vigil is the 9th of January 12 noon to 1pm. and subject to Covid restrictions which may prevent it taking place .
Please check with Quaker website https://norwichpeace.org/?page_id=4056
Some Amnesty members attend this monthly silent vigil to raise awareness of global issues around the subject of Peace and organised by the Norwich Quakers and which can be joined without needing to book
Cambridge Amnesty Zoom meetings
A number of Zoom talks were arranged by Cambridge Amnesty in recent months and some Norwich members took part and reported that they were excellent. We attended a Cambridge Zoom committee meeting and details of future talks, which they are planning for 2021,will be provided.
Norwich Amnesty open meetings
We are not sure when we will be able to restart physical open meetings.Our AGM is normally held in February to allow discussion of resolutions being considered by the Amnesty UK AGM. However as noted above, this is now is in June this year. The Norwich committee are considering a zoom meeting for our AGM in the next two months and details will be provided.
We hope that you find this summary useful. Please contact us if you need more information or have comments
Best wishes for 2021
David Bissonnet
Chair Norwich Amnesty on behalf of the committee
Contact email chair@norwichamnesty.org.uk