Amnesty international Flame Issue 2 2014

Reuniting families

Good news from Bahrain to Japan as Prisoners of

Conscience are released.

Take action

Use your words to help individuals who’ve

survived torture.

A place to call home

From South Sudan to New Zealand, a former refugee tells his story.

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STOPTORTURE

There’s another major election campaign running right now that’s keeping the New Zealand government busy.

It’s rarely making the news headlines, but in many ways – at least from a global perspective – it’s more important than

the one that is. It’s the campaign for New Zealand to win a two-year seat on the United Nations’ most powerful body, the Security Council, in October.

The talk we have seen so far has been largely focused on winning support and the cost, rather than the actual substance of what New Zealand is basing its bid on.

Working for Amnesty International I see the terrible results when the United Nations’ most powerful body gets it wrong, so it’s important to consider how we could use that seat to make a positive global impact. I suggest three priorities:

Firstly, the crippling veto power of the five permanent members blocking the Security Council’s ability to act against genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes must be stopped. Working on this issue

will pit New Zealand against many of our allies, trading partners, and most powerful countries in the world. But it is time for us to show leadership on this urgent issue.

Secondly, New Zealand should use its position to strengthen the mandate and resources of the International Criminal Court. The Court has indicted former and even sitting heads of state, as such its popularity has waned with many of the leaders in Africa. But if the world is ever to be free from the rule of tyrants, the Criminal Court needs our full support.

And thirdly, the Security Council must take a strong leadership role in getting countries to ratify the Arms Trade Treaty, which could see a major breakthrough in the struggle to control the free-market flow of weapons into human rights disaster zones.

The narrative that our Government wants the world to believe – that we are a small country prepared to speak independently and from principle on the world stage – is what’s so desperately needed on the Security Council. It’s a voice that we’ve had at times before, and we can have it again.

But only if New Zealand has the courage to use it.

New Zealand’s other election campaign

CONTENTS

3 NEWS

4 REFUGEES

6 TORTURE

8 FIJI

9 TAKE ACTION

10 GOOD NEWS

11 AMNESTY BRIEFS

12 URGENT ACTION NETWORK

CONTACTS

Amnesty International Aotearoa New Zealand

PO Box 5300, Wellesley St, Auckland, 1141

0800 266 378

www.amnesty.org.nz

Send all comments and suggestions to: [email protected]

CREDITS

Chairperson: Helen Shorthouse

Executive Director: Grant Bayldon

Editor: Anita Harvey

Art Direction + Design: transformer. www.transformerdesign.co.nz

Cover Photo: Interrogation. © Jef Thompson/ Shutterstock.com

GRANT BAYLDONGrant is the Executive Director of Amnesty International NZ.

@GrantBayldon [email protected]

© U

N P

hoto/Mark G

arten

2 flame issue 2 / 2014

EDITORIAL

issue 2 / 2014 flame 3

IRAQ: WAR CRIMESAmnesty International’s Senior Crisis Response Advisor, Donatella Rovera has been on the ground in northern Iraq since mid-June, where she has been gathering evidence and collecting testimonies from civilians caught up in the crisis. “The conflict in Iraq is rapidly descending into a vengeful and aggressive battle for survival amid mounting sectarian attacks,” said Donatella Rovera. Amnesty International is calling on all sides of the conflict to end the summary killings and torture of detainees, as well as the deliberate and indiscriminate attacks on civilians, all of which amount to war crimes and must be prosecuted under international law.

“... a dark day for media freedom in Egypt, when journalists are being locked up and branded criminals or ‘terrorists’ simply for

doing their job.” Philip Luther, Director of the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International.

AL JAZEERA JOURNALISTS CONVICTEDOn 24 June three Al Jazeera journalists, Australian Peter Greste, Canadian-Egyptian Mohamed Fahmy and Egyptian Baher Mohamed, were sentenced to seven years in jail. Baher Mohamed received a further three years on a separate charge of possessing a bullet shell. The journalists were accused of “falsifying news” and belonging to or assisting the banned Muslim Brotherhood movement. Amnesty International was in Egypt to observe the trial and with the prosecution failing to produce any solid evidence; the organisation has voiced its outrage, on the case, calling the trial a complete sham.

THAILAND: MILITARY RULE THREATENS HUMAN RIGHTSOn 20 May Thailand’s army declared martial law. Since then, the military regime has imposed harsh restrictions on freedom of expression and assembly. Peaceful protesters have been arrested, and dozens of prominent figures including leading politicians have been detained. Media has been banned from criticising the Government or from even interviewing people who may criticise it. Amnesty International is monitoring the situation on the ground and has launched an action strongly demanding that the Thai military stop crushing peaceful protest.

© Victor Dumesny

DEATH SENTENCES MAKE A MOCKERY OF JUSTICE

19 March: A Cairo criminal court sentences 26 people to death for terrorism offences. The defendants were not even present at the trial.

24 March: 529 supporters of former President Mohamed Morsi sentenced to death in a mass and grossly unfair trial.

28 April: Death sentences confirmed for 37 of those people. Life imprisonment given to the other 491. 683 more people sentenced to death in another mass trial.

16 June: Newspaper reported that three men and one woman were executed in Assuit Public prison. The first executions carried out since 2011. A further three men were executed three days later.

23 June: Death sentences upheld for 183 of the 683 people.

TAKE ACTION www.amnesty.org.nz/takeaction

EGYPT

NEWS

Over 240 schoolgirls are still missing after being kidnapped by Boko Haram in Chibok, Nigeria, despite international outrage displayed through the powerful #BringBackOurGirls campaign. Evidence gathered by Amnesty International revealed that Nigerian security forces had more than four hours of advance warning about the attack, but failed to act. Sadly, this atrocity was not an isolated incident. The abduction of these schoolgirls comes amid months of worsening violence and serious human rights violations being committed by armed groups in the conflict in north-eastern Nigeria. Taking part in marches across New Zealand, Amnesty International has been calling not only for the immediate release of the girls but for all Nigerians to have the right to education.

NIGERIA: ABDUCTED SCHOOLGIRLS STILL MISSING


A PLACE TO CALL HOMESmartly dressed in a silver-grey suit and towering

above my colleague and I at 6ft 2, Abann Yor has a commanding presence. But he immediately breaks

into a warm smile, welcoming us to the Refugee Youth Action Network (RYAN) Centre in Mt Roskill, Auckland, with a cheerful handshake and a kiss on the cheek. He seems genuinely pleased at the opportunity to tell his story and admits he has not recounted it to anyone in a long time. He hopes he can do it justice.

After the privilege of hearing his story in person, I hope that I can do the same.

JOURNEY TO REFUGEAbann grew up in Malakal, a city in the Upper Nile State of what is now South Sudan. The country has been plagued by ethnic conflict and violence for as long as he can remember; both his grandfather and his father were slaughtered by warring militia.

For Abann, as for many others, the decision to leave South Sudan was an obvious one, a matter of need rather than choice. His journey began with a five year stint in Syria, where he was temporarily imprisoned for several months while trying to claim asylum. In 2005 he was granted urgent refugee status through the UNHCR and resettled in New Zealand, where he was finally safe to begin a new life, in a new home with his wife and young children.

Since resettling in Auckland, Abann has notched up an impressive number of educational and professional achievements. He has been a key stakeholder in several community development projects working alongside the Ministry of Social Development and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment. He has also worked hard to ensure that the Sudanese community keep their culture alive,

By Caitlin Sisley.

All im

ages © A

mnesty International


and in 2013 he was elected as Chairperson for the Auckland Refugee Community Coalition (ARCC).

THOSE LEFT BEHINDWhen I ask if he is still in contact with his remaining family in South Sudan, Abann’s expression sinks and his previously steadfast composure seems shaken as he tells me of their fate.

“I have lost more than 24 members of my extended family during this latest conflict,” Abann says quietly.

His younger brother Obaj was living in a city attacked by militia a few months ago. According to Abann’s contacts it took 10 days for any help to reach the site of the massacre in Malakal, and by the time they did the bodies were mostly indistinguishable, some decomposed and others eaten by dogs. Obaj’s body has not been identified, but he is presumed dead.

“When you go there now, you see only bones,” he says softly. “The situation in Malakal right now…it really is indescribable.”

The plight of Abann’s mother, Nyakal, also weighs heavily on his heart. Nyakal recently fled from South Sudan due to the escalating violence. She has managed to reach the northern city of Khartoum, Sudan, but has not been granted official refugee status and therefore receives no support beyond what Abann can send her. She is elderly and in poor health, with four grandchildren (Abann’s nephews and nieces) and her youngest daughter in her care. Before reaching Khartoum they spent a whole month on the road without shelter, literally running for their lives from the bloodshed and terror in Malakal.

“She needs someone to take care of her. Even if I send money, it’s not enough.” He hopes that people will support his pleas for the UNHCR to grant her urgent protection and bring her to New Zealand.

“Only God knows if it will ever happen, but I am still trying to find who can help me be united with my mum again. She is my only hope.”

LIFE AS A SURVIVORWhen I ask Abann why he wants to tell his story, he says it is partially to dispel the negative connotations associated with refugees.

“When you’re a refugee you don’t have a country, or anywhere to go, but when you’re resettled this is another stage in the journey. You become a permanent resident in your new country – and then that is who you are,” says Abann. He wants people to know that at this point refugee status comes to an end. “It is part of your background, but not who you are now.”

It is confusing and saddening to be labelled a ‘refugee’ by society indefinitely; a frustration often expressed by the young people he works with. “I’m part of this society now. I have a country where I belong [New Zealand]. This is my home and I am proud of it,” he says.

But even more importantly, Abann wants to tell his story because he prays that the international community will wake up to the scale of atrocities occurring in South Sudan, and take action. From the stories he has heard Abann fears the escalating violence and ethnic slaughter could soon amount to genocide.

HEARTBREAKING NEWSTwo days after our interview, Abann calls with a terrible update. One of his brother’s co-workers has woken up in the hospital and confirmed Obaj’s death. During the attack Obaj was shot; along with his injured colleagues he swam down the Nile. But he was too wounded to make it all the way. He told them to go on without him.

Abann is understandably upset by the news. Any glimmer of hope he’d had for his younger brother’s survival is now extinguished, and he has grave concerns for the four children Obaj has left behind.

But he still wishes for us to tell his story, now more than ever.

In December 2013, the escalating tensions in South Sudan exploded into a brutal conflict. Thousands of civilians have been killed. Around 900,000 people have fled their homes. In March this year Amnesty International’s Senior Crisis Response Adviser Donatella Rovera went on a mission to South Sudan to document the atrocities occurring there. She took the following photographs.

Displaced women and children line up to receive humanitarian aid in Malakal Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp, where conditions are dire.

A displaced Shilluk woman in Malakal IDP camp – her daughter died in childbirth during the fighting, March 2014.

Trashed ward in Malakal Teaching Hospital, where patients and IDPs were shot dead by opposition forces in late February.

REFUGEES

STOP TORTURE. START NOW.In January this year a secret detention centre was discovered

in a residential neighbourhood in Laguna province in the Philippines.The scenes that were taking place behind the

prison walls were something out of a horror film.

Police officers there had created a ‘Wheel of Torture.’ And, often after drinking sprees, they would fire up a game of torture roulette and spin the wheel to decide what method of torture they would use on detainees.

A ‘30 second bat position’ meant that a detainee would be hung upside down like a bat for 30 seconds. A ‘20 second Manny Pacquiao’ meant that a detainee would be punched non-stop for 20 seconds.

But this wasn’t a horror film, not a morbid idea thought up by a creative writer in the safety of their own home, it was reality, the tools of entertainment, real people.

Fortunately the Philippines’ Commission on Human Rights discovered the ‘wheel of torture’ during a routine visit to the facility. An investigation did take place and 10 police officers were reportedly relieved of their posts.

However, most acts of police torture in the Philippines remain unreported, and torture survivors continue to suffer in silence.

Alfreda Disbarro decided to break that silence and told Amnesty International what happened to her when she was tortured in police custody in the Philippines.

“He took a mop and forced the dirty and damp rag into my mouth. Then he took it out and smeared my face with it.”

This was just one of the many acts of torture she faced. For days afterwards she was unable to eat, vomiting and struggling to breathe.

Today, six months after she was arrested, Alfreda is still sitting in a local jail, awaiting trial for charges she denies. Her torture allegations against the police haven’t been investigated.

A GLOBAL CRISISElectric shocks. Beatings. Rape. Humiliation. Mock executions. Burning. Sleep deprivation. Water torture. Long hours in contorted positions. Use of pinchers, drugs, and dogs.

The very words sound like the stuff of nightmares. If you saw any of the above happening you would try to stop it, wouldn’t you? In reality you wouldn’t see it because torture happens behind closed doors. It happens when there are no lawyers or doctors present, and when police or others do not fear the consequences of their actions.

WE’RE ASKING YOU TO STOP TORTURE, STARTING NOW.A recent worldwide survey commissioned by Amnesty International revealed that every day and across every region of the world, these unimaginable horrors are the reality for countless men, women and children.

“No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.” Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 5

“...after drinking sprees, they would fire up a game of torture roulette and spin the wheel to decide what method of torture they would use on detainees.”


TORTURE

A 'wheel of torture' at an undisclosed police safe house in Laguna province, south of Manila, Philippines. © Amnesty International

And in fact New Zealand’s neighbours in the Asia-Pacific region are some of the worst offenders. In Fiji, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and at least 20 other Asia-Pacific countries torture is still being used to punish, humiliate and extract confessions. Governments are allowing police and state security forces to torture with impunity.

Between January 2009 and May 2013, Amnesty International received reports of torture and other ill-treatment committed by state officials in 141 countries and from every world region.

TORTURE IS NOT ONLY ALIVE AND WELL, BUT IT IS FLOURISHING.“As more governments seek to justify torture in the name of national security, the steady progress made in this field over the last 30 years is being eroded,” said Grant Bayldon, Amnesty International’s Executive Director in New Zealand.

Torture is abhorrent. It is barbaric and inhumane. It can never be justified. The time to stand up and stop torture is now.

Together, we will target governments, protest, and expose the brutality of this noxious abuse. We will stand alongside those who bravely defend others against torture. Together we will intervene whenever people are tortured. We will hold torturers to account. Torture survivors will know they are not forgotten and not alone.

JOIN US AND STOP TORTUREwww.amnesty.org.nz/stoptortureAnd take action on page 9 for three people who have personally suffered at the hands of torturers.

TORTURE IN NUMBERS

21,000

The number of people recently surveyed by Amnesty International in 21 countries*.

44%

of those people fear being tortured in their own country.

141The number of countries where Amnesty

International has reported on torture or other forms of ill treatment over the past few years.

over 80%

want strong laws to protect them from torture.

1984 The year the UN adopted the Convention Against Torture.

155states have ratified the UN Convention Against Torture. 79 of these still torture.

27different torture methods documented

by Amnesty International in the last year alone.

* Countries: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Germany, Greece, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Russia, South Korea, Spain, Turkey, the UK and the USA.

44%DISAGREE

82%AGREE

More than four in ten people do not feel safe from torture if taken into custody.

Over a third believe that torture can be justified in some cases to

protect the public.

Public opinion globally is in favour of international rules

against torture.

36%AGREE


FIJI A FAR CRY FROM FREEDOM

So read the headline of an article in an Australian newspaper, the Sydney Morning Herald, on 20

June. The article reported that the new head of the armed forces, Brigadier-General Mosese Tikoitoga, had admitted that citizens in Fiji have been beaten and tortured by the military regime to deter civil disorder.

Fiji is preparing for elections in September, the first since the 2006 military coup and its subsequent expulsion from the Commonwealth. The Fiji government has professed a commitment to democracy. But by openly admitting to torture yet failing to investigate, prosecute perpetrators and put in place preventative measures to address such grave human rights abuses, a large crack in that commitment has been revealed.

This is an issue Amnesty International has repeatedly raised with the Fiji government. We’ve highlighted concerns with a system that promotes a culture of impunity, where a pattern of abuse and intimidation of media personnel, human rights defenders, trade unionists, and government critics is all too prevalent.

The upcoming elections should be used as an opportunity for Fiji to make a clean break from the abuses of its past and reform its national human rights framework to deliver

freedom of expression, assembly and association to its citizens. To do that the following human rights issues must be addressed.

TORTURE AND OTHER ILL-TREATMENTOn 5 March 2013 a nine-minute video was released online showing the physical and sexual assault of two men, apparently by security forces. The men were forced to undress, were repeatedly beaten with poles and harassed by a dog, as men nearby laughed. It’s been a year since the incident occurred and still there is little evidence to suggest that authorities have conducted any sort of independent investigation. This lack of action highlights their complete disregard for accountability and human rights. Furthermore the country’s new Constitution grants military, police and government officials’ absolute immunity from prosecution for past, present and future human rights violations, including torture.

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION, ASSOCIATION AND PEACEFUL ASSEMBLYA climate of fear and self censorship prevails in Fiji due to the intimidating behaviour of authorities and existence of laws and decrees that continue to restrict the right to freedom of expression. Journalists, human rights defenders and union

leaders continue to face attacks, intimidation and criminalisation simply for doing their work.

On Wednesday 25 June, a government body – the Fiji Media Industry Development Authority – called for two journalism academics from Fiji’s University of the South Pacific to be investigated for commenting on the apparent admission by the military that they used torture.

On 12 November 2013, 14 people who were having lunch outside in Suva were arrested for wearing t-shirts which called on Fiji to make the budget public. They were detained for several hours and questioned before being released without charge.

Freedom of speech, an independent media, independent courts, a constitution that respects human rights, are all fundamental to democracy. They must be respected.

Torture is unacceptable under any circumstances. Those responsible for such horrific acts must be held to account.

All im

ages © Vlad Sokhin

“Fiji military leader admits beatings, torture.”


FIJI

TAKE ACTION TAKE ACTION TAKE ACTION TAKE ACTION

TORTURE SURVIVOR IN MEXICOOn 7 August 2012, marines broke into Claudia’s home, tied her hands, blindfolded her, and drove her to a naval base in Veracruz City. They accused her of being part of a criminal gang, which she denied. She was given electric shocks, wrapped in plastic and beaten, sexually assaulted, and left tied to a chair in the scorching sun. The next day she was intimidated into signing a testimony she was not even allowed to read. When the charges against her were dropped, Claudia made a personal appeal for justice.

“Not one person has been arrested for the torture that I suffered. I ask that Amnesty International accompanies me in the fight that I will undertake ...I want justice.”

TEENAGER TORTURED AND SENTENCED TO DEATH IN NIGERIAIn November 2005, sixteen year old Moses was arrested by the Nigerian army on his way home from high school. They accused him of a robbery, which he denied. The soldiers shot him in one hand and took him to an army barracks. They hung him upside down for hours and pulled out his toe and fingernails with pliers. Moses was then coerced into signing two pre-written “confessions.” In November 2013, he was sentenced to death by hanging based on these forced confessions. He is still on death row.

YOUTH ACTIVISTS ARRESTED AND TORTURED N!DA is a youth organisation which campaigns for human rights in Azerbaijan. In February 2013, a group of N!DA members created a Facebook event to organise a peaceful protest. Shortly afterwards eight of them were arrested and detained on bogus charges, and some were tortured. One member, 17 year old Shahin Novruzlu, was beaten so severely he lost four of his front teeth. In 2014, Baku Grave Crimes Court sentenced all of the young men to between six and eight years imprisonment.

Claudia Medina N!DA Moses Akatugba

TAKE ACTION

Please urge the authorities to commute his death sentence and carry out an independent investigation into his torture allegations. Because Moses was a child when he was arrested, he should never have been sentenced to death. It is illegal under international law. Also, any “confession” obtained after torture should not be allowed as evidence in court.

PLEASE WRITE IMMEDIATELY TO Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, Governor of Delta State Office of the Governor Government House Asaba Delta State Nigeria

Salutation: Your Excellency

TAKE ACTION

Please urge the President to immediately order the release of detained N!DA youth activists as they were arrested under fabricated charges. There must also be an independent investigation into allegations of torture and ill-treatment.

PLEASE WRITE IMMEDIATELY TO:

Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Office of the President 19 Istiqlaiyyat St. AZ1066 Baku Azerbaijan

Salutation: Dear President Aliyev

TAKE ACTION

Please urge the Federal Attorney General to investigate Caludia’s torture allegations fully and bring those responsible to justice. Claudia must be allowed to have a full and impartial medical examination according to UN standards.

PLEASE WRITE IMMEDIATELY TO:

Jesús Murillo Karam, Federal Attorney General/Procurador General de la República Procuraduría General de la República Paseo de la reforma 211-213 Col. Cuauhtémoc, C.P. 06500 Mexico City, Mexico

Email: [email protected]

Fax: +52 55 5346 0908

Salutation: Dear Attorney General/Estimado Señor Procurador

write write

write

From 11-15 August Amnesty International youth around New Zealand will be taking action for N!DA as they take part in Freedom Challenge. Keep an eye out for events in your area.

TAKE MORE ACTION: on individuals at risk visit www.amnesty.org.nz/helpmeissue 2 / 2014 flame 9

TAKE ACTION

On 19 May, Hakamada Iwao was awarded an honorary world champion belt for his fight against injustice at an event hosted by the East Japan Boxing Association. During the event his sister revealed that letters and cards from Amnesty International members were found amongst Hakamada's belongings when he was released from detention. Was your letter one of them?

Hakamada was sentenced to death in 1968 after an unfair trial and was thought to be the world’s longest-serving death row inmate. In March 2014, when Hakamada’s death sentence was suspended, he was granted a retrial and will not be returned to custody before then.

JAPAN: HAKAMADA IWAO WINS WORLD CHAMPION BELT TOP TWEETS

SUDAN: MERIAM IBRAHIM RELEASED FROM PRISONMeriam Ibrahim, a pregnant Sudanese woman who was sentenced to death for refusing to renounce her Christian faith, was released from jail on 24 June after an appeal court found her not guilty. As Flame went to print Meriam was with her family in the United States Embassy in Khartoum, unable to leave Sudan due to further charges against her, relating to travel documentation. The international response to Meriam’s plight was incredible. Your voice joined more than 1,012,765 people from all over the world who took action as part of Amnesty International’s campaign for Meriam's release. We will continue to urge Sudanese authorities to repeal provisions that criminalise apostasy, and establish a moratorium on executions.

CHINA: DHONDUP WANGCHEN IS RELEASEDDhondup Wangchen, an imprisoned Tibetan video-activist, was finally released on 5 June after serving a six year

sentence. Speaking to his cousin, Dhondup said “At this moment, I feel that everything inside me is in a sea of tears. I hope to recover my health soon. I would like to express my feeling of deepest gratitude for all the support I received while in prison and I want to be reunited with my family.”

His wife, Lhamo Tso, said “Six years of injustice and painful counting the days ended today. It is a day of unbelievable joy for his parents in Dharamsala, our children and myself. We look forward to be reunited as a family.”

School students around New Zealand campaigned strongly for Dhondup’s release, sending him paper cranes – ‘birds of freedom’.

GOOD NEWS

“The authorities arrested me in order to send a message that you will be arrested if you publicly defend human rights... they were not aware that in this way, they have created hundreds of activists who will follow the same path as me.” – Nabeel Rajab

BAHRAIN: NABEEL RAJAB IS FREEThanks to the work of human rights defenders like you, Bahraini human rights defender Nabeel Rajab was released from on 24 May after being imprisoned for two years for his activism. “I want to thank all members of Amnesty International for their persistence in defending human rights and freedom. Thank you also for all your work and campaigns to have me released. Your work has given me hope for a better future for the whole world,” said Nabeel.© Private


GOOD NEWS

AMNESTY BRIEFS

WE'RE MOVING In October this year, the Auckland office will be moving to the corner of Queen Street and K Road. Our new address will be 111 Karangahape Road (K Road), Auckland 1010. Our PO Box address will remain unchanged. Make sure you update your contacts and please if you’re in the area pop in, say hello and check out our new premises.

Children on the agendaIt’s election time in New Zealand, a perfect opportunity to encourage public debate about key issues and review the priorities of the next Government.

Our Advocacy Team have been all hands on deck behind the scenes to ensure that human rights are at the forefront of election conversations irrespective of who gets elected. With child poverty, housing and health set to be the major election topics, we need to make sure current and future MPs understand that these are essentially issues about human rights, and as such a human rights lens is needed when it comes to effectively addressing them.

We have joined forces with over 30 organisations to form a coalition called Tick

4 Kids – a campaign designed to ensure children’s rights and interests are a central focus of the election campaign and the 2014-17 parliamentary term. Using local community-based action and social media platforms, we will call on MPs to put children’s rights at the forefront of election discussions.

Find out more about how you can get involved at www.amnesty.org.nz/our-work www.facebook.com/tickforkids/info / @Tick4Kids.

AUCKLAND GIRLS’ GRAMMAR SCHOOL (AGGS) HUMAN RIGHTS GROUP“Receiving this award is a huge privilege and we felt truly honoured to be chosen. We are really revved up for this year’s Freedom Challenge now!” – Student co-leader Jolie Lam.

The Auckland Girls’ Grammar School (AGGS) Human Rights Group was awarded the 2014 Dove Youth Award. These inquisitive and activist-hearted students are consistently impressive, but in the last year their achievements have been outstanding.

RICHARD GREEN"This was totally unexpected and humbling. It's a prod to keep on, and do more, since human rights abuses haven't stopped. Quite an obligation really."

Local Remuera resident and bass opera singer Richard Green was awarded the 2014 Individual Dove Award. Richard has served as the Chair of Remuera’s local Amnesty International group for over 25 years.

SAM SNEYD“Sam has been a constant support, working tirelessly on behalf of the group's Prisoners of Conscience over the years, and keeping up the traditions which have made Amnesty International a well-known and respected organisation” - Joan Wood

Dunedin man Sam Sneyd was awarded the 2014 Dove Long Service Award for his incredible commitment to human rights and more than 35 years of dedicated involvement with Amnesty.

NORTH SHORE AMNESTY GROUP“For many years our group has been making sure human right activism is alive on the North Shore. This award is important to us as it represents making our voices heard and supporting human rights in this world.” – Sarah Abbot

The 2014 Dove Team Award was given to the North Shore Amnesty group for their outstanding work promoting human rights issues within their local community.

2014 Dove Awards


AMNESTY BRIEFS

© Lizzy Coombs

If you take action within the first 24 hours, human rights abuses such as death, torture and disappearances are less likely to occur. Just ask Meriam, a young mum forced to give birth in jail, now free from death row thanks to you.

One email can change a life. It’s waiting in your inbox now. Join our Urgent Action Network today.

MORE THAN 1 MILLION PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD TOOK ACTION FOR MERIAM IBRAHIM. ADD YOUR VOICE TO THEIRS.

Documents

Amnesty international Flame Issue 2 2014