ACTIVE - Term 1 2015 by Amnesty International Aotearoa NZ

ACTIVE

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL - Youth Magazine

IN THIS ISSUE: > Torture in the Philippines > Freedom Challenge Success > Are you #OpenToSyria?

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EDITORIAL

A NOTE FROM MARGIE “If it bleeds it leads” ething - it always applies to whether or not som You may have heard this quote before goes that e d sound-bite, even that selfi will get media coverage - the 30-secon ballistic on social media. ts activist I hate it. As a journalist I get it, as a human righ atrocity, or mass killings of students in As the headlines revel in the latest ISIS in r story going down. Often unremarked Mexico or Pakistan, there’s a whole othe ble. mainstream media – yet totally remarka le of Sri Lanka in January voted out the How incredible it is that the brave peop er violence - for the possibility of a bett Rajapaksa family - steeped in fear and and lim Mus , stian Singhalese, Buddhist, Chri future for all Sri Lankans – Tamil and atheist alike. cy of up to a tag it inspired of “a conspira And if ever Amnesty International lived d worl the ning paig . After 20 years of cam hope” it was on December 24 last year ty. Trea e was an Arms Trade finally agreed that its best chance at peac been alive Somalia has been a failed state For longer than most of you guys have the January, the Somali government ratified in the hands of brutal war loads. Yet in re. futu try’s coun this – a real commitment to Convention on the Rights of the Child ured Lords Resistance Army leaders was capt And in nearby Uganda the first of the iers. sold child of ent de the use and recruitm and will face trial for crimes which inclu ise is you the headlines, but what I can prom As 2015 rolls out – I can’t guarantee will at, ls exce and International in New Zeal that the student activism that Amnesty deliver small and big victories alike. I’ve walked hand-in-hand with student How do I know? For the past 20 years them but who in reality delivered on my activists who thought I was supporting bled me with activism that had “winner” campaigning promises, inspired and hum all over it. conspiracy of hope. YOUth activists have always been MY

Margie

Activism Support Manager

cover Front

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EXCITING TIMES for YOUTH ACTIVISM

YOUTH UPDATES

in NEW ZEALAND

Creating lifelong human rights activists has alway been our aim at Amnesty International. And this year we’re taking two steps to make sure we start that journey sooner and support it even better. For the first time we’re actively going out to Intermediate schools and outreaching to existing high schools with Amnesty groups with a new social studies curriculum resource that will provide New Zealand resources for teachers and students alike. We’re trialling it in Auckland this year and if you’re interested in being part of that trial or seeing the resource please email margaret.taylor@amnesty.org.nz

INTRODUCING..... We’re delighted to be starting our first full-time Youth Co-ordinator: Miriam Pierard.

Kia ora tatou! I am hugely excited to be taking on this new role as your Youth Coordinator. One of the many things that I admire about Amnesty International is the Organisation’s dedication to enabling young people to recognise and use their power to effect positive change. As a social sciences teacher and Amnesty International school group facilitator, I have been inspired by the incredible passion and empathy that teenagers have for their human community in New Zealand and beyond. I am looking forward to collaborating with teachers and students across the country to channel this energy into activism and the promotion of human rights. I look forward to connecting with you and hearing about the wonderful ideas and actions that are happening at your schools across Aotearoa. Ka kite ano and all the best for 2015. It’s going to be a great year!

Miriam

MEET OUR YOUTH INTERN

HANNA GRAF

Hey everyone, My name is Hanna, I am a 20 year-old from Germany studying International Relations and Management and I am very much looking forward to being your new Youth Activism Intern! I decided to become involved with Amnesty International during my voluntary year in Taizé, France. In Taizé, young people from all over the world come together to have a great time but also to talk about serious issues like human rights. So, I learnt that many of these young people had to fight for rights that I always took for granted. That experience completely changed my view on the world! It really impresses me what a difference young people can make in the world - even a more important one than politicians could ever do! Therefore I am very happy to get to know all of you, to get inspired by you and to put your creative ideas into action. Let’s get it started!

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Hanna

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TORTURE.

MORE FUN IN THE PHILIPPINES...? The Philippines will be our focus country for the first half of this year for our global Stop Torture campaign, which we launched last year. We’re particularly asking our Youth Network to take part in this part of the campaign because in the Philippines, authorities routinely torture children. Twenty-one of 55 chilling testimonies within our latest report: ‘Above the law” were from people who were children when tortured. How could anyone torture in the first place, let alone a child? A key reason is that you can get away with it when you torture in the Philippines – particularly if you’re a police officer.

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The launch of this report, alongside the hundreds of thousands of actions taken by Amnesty International supporters calling for justice for torture survivors in the Philippines, has had an impact. An inquiry into police torture in the Philippine Senate took place in mid-January - a direct result of our campaigning. It supported Amnesty International’s call for putting in place two truly independent systems: One for monitoring places of detention and one unified and effective institution to investigate and prosecute police abuse But those words must be turned into action - because we’ve heard all these promises before.

Since 2009, when this country introduced the progressive Anti-Torture Act not a single official has been convicted. This despite the fact that 80% of complaints of torture received by the Philippines Commission of Human Rights in 2013 involved police officers.

Which is why we need to keep the pressure on decision makers for lasting change. On the following pages you’ll find a range of actions that you can take until the end of May. So please do plan your activities throughout Term 1.

“Too many police officers in the Philippines are all gun and no badge - abusing their power while making a mockery of their duty to protect and serve the people,” said Salil Shetty, Amnesty International’s Secretary General, when he launched “Above the law” in the capital Manila in December.

Images below: Left: Action against torture in the Philippines. Right: Amnesty International in the Philippines with the United Against Torture Coalition and the Commission on Human Rights carries the Wheel of Justice with echoing shouts from civilians to “Stop Torture!” © Jepie Papa / Amnesty International

STOP TORTURE

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EVEN CHILDREN ARE TORTURED IN THE PHILIPPINES The torturers of Julius (not his real name) have still not been brought to justice. Julius was 16 when he was arrested in 2012 accused of stealing earrings. He told Amnesty International that when the police saw him, they said, “You’re here again, we should have killed you the first time.” But Julius insisted it was the first time he was ever arrested. Four police officers then placed three bullets in between his fingers and

squeezed the fingers together fiercely. “It was very painful. There were marks on my fingers even after they took the bullets out,” he said. “They beat me with a truncheon on my soles. It was many times, I lost count.” When asked if he filed a complaint, Julius said: “I wanted to file a complaint because I know what they were doing is wrong but I fear that they will kill me.” He added, “It’s better to be jailed at once than be interviewed by the police, because the police will kill you.”

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STOP TORTURE

TO DO LIST Photocopy, circulate and collect signatures on the enclosed petition to Philippines President Noynoy Aquino.

TAKE ACTION

The President must ensure that no one is above the law through effective investigations, robust prosecutions, and the establishment of an independent police complaints commission

Photocopy, circulate and seek signatures on our enclosed “Jeepney” action cards seeking justice for Jerryme Corre. This “jeepney” driver (Philippines taxi) suffered shocking torture at the hands of police after they accused him of killing a police officer. Refusing to confess, he has spent more than two years in prison on a charge of possessing drugs. His torture allegations have been ignored. You can also take action online: www.amnesty.org.nz/takeaction Sign our online petition on behalf of torture survivor and single Mum Alfreda Disbarro and share with your friends and family. Despite the Philippines Commission on Human Rights confirming her torture allegations they are still to be investigated and she remains in prison based on a confession obtained through torture. www.amnesty.org.nz/takeaction On 28 January last year an infamous “torture wheel” was found in a secret police detention centre. Detainees were forced to spin it and police visited whatever torture on the prisoners the wheel landed on. Use our “spoof” “Wheel of Torture video (www.youtube.com/ watch?v=7aLVmy9ivdk) to highlight just how widespread torture in the Philippines really is. Also use the country’s promotional line of “It’s more fun in the Philippines” to collect on and off–line signatures on all petitions and appeals.

You can also target President Aquino by organising a photo action. Ask group members and supporters to take a picture of themselves next to the banner “Stop Torture. Start spinning the wheel of justice”. Upload your pictures and send to President Aquino to his email op@president.gov.ph, Twitter: @noynoyaquino, or Facebook: www.facebook.com/presidentnoy and copied to campaigns.intern@amnesty.org.nz. If you have links with the Philippine community in New Zealand please do outreach to them and encourage them to take action with you.

Key dates:

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17 February -Jerryme Corre’s birthday. 26 June - International Day for victims of torture, and global petition delivery in the Philippines.

et! s Don’t forg all petition n r u t e r se Plea to ey actions n p e e J d n a y rn, Amnest Youth Inte PO Box al, Internation ey Street llesl 5300, We Monday, 1 y b d n la k Auc oner if June, or so completed.

N!DA ACTIVISTS RELEASED! 2014 finished with a great end as we received the news that on 29 December two more of the N!DA activists, Zaur Gurbanli and Uzeyir Mammadli were released as a result of a presidential pardon.

TAKE ACTION: To continue campaigning for Mammad Azizov, Rashad Hasanov, Ilkin Rustamzade and Rashadat Akhundov the four N!DA guys still in prison please write a polite letter to President Aliyev thanking him for pardoning four of the N!DA activists and urging him:

The release followed the exciting news in October that Shahin Novrzulu and Bakhtiyar Guliyev, were also pardoned! All four are now home with their families. Levan Asatiani, Campaigner for South Caucasus and Ukraine, adds his thanks to ours to all of you who took action during Freedom Challenge 2014.

FREEDOM CHALLENGE

• to release Mammad, Rashad, Ilkin and Rashadat immediately • to investigate the allegations of torture made by the N!DA activists Released - cl ockwise: Uze yir Mammadli, B akhtiyar Guliy ev, Zaur Gurbanli, Sh ahin Novruzl u.

Your powerful voices were heard all the way in Azerbaijan.

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• to allow N!DA to continue its peaceful activities without further prosecutions Send your messages to: President Aliyev care of his office office@pa.gov.az or the President’s official online letter form site http://en.president.az/ letters/send President Aliyev is also very active on social media - and we encourage you to be equally active in support of N!DA http://www.youtube.com/presidentaz https://twitter.com/azpresident https://twitter.com/presidentaz We will not stop campaigning until the remaining four N!DA activists are also free and an impartial investigation has been carried out into the allegations of torture.

What made your voices even louder was the fantastic media coverage you generated through your activism during Freedom Challenge 2014. Every bit of it was sent to President Aliyev. The President is very sensitive to bad publicity. Your great media coverage proved very bad publicity for him and his country And then there were the petitions and letters you generated - all 6430 of them. Every single one of them was sent to President Aliyev. Along the way you exceeded our targets - letters by 1,430, and fundraising by $1,418.03.

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Still detained - clockwise: Mammad Azi Rashad Has zov, anov, Ilkin R ustamzade, Rashadat Akh undov.

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Freedom Challenge 2014 also saw three new school groups start and two lapsed groups sparked back into activism. Amazing!!

REFUGEES

? A I R Y S O T N E P O ARE YOU Maha’s Story... Maha is an eight-year-old girl from Syria. After a missile strike destroyed her home in Aleppo city and killed both of her parents, she fled to Turkey with her uncle. Their new “home” in the Turkish town of Akçakale is a concrete shell – there are three walls, but no door, no toilet, no beds, and no washing or cooking facilities. She drinks water from a hose, survives on food collected by refugees in a nearby camp, and suffers skin rashes, diarrhoea and colds. As a result of the trauma she suffered, Maha no longer speaks, and there is no support available to her and her uncle.

Outside Akçak ale refugee ca mp.

Maha is one of nearly 4 million refugees who have fled Syria in the last three years. With no end in sight to the conflict, this number continues to grow.

SYRIA: THE CONFLICT

ABANDONED BY THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY As the conflict in Syria heads into its fifth year the international response to the crisis has been pitiful and some of the world’s richest countries have failed in their responsibility to protect Syria’s most vulnerable refugees. This is now the world’s biggest humanitarian crisis. But most Western governments have still only allowed a few handfuls of people the life-changing opportunity to settle in their countries. Syria’s neighbours - Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Turkey - have disproportionately shouldered the responsibility to receive the refugees. But these countries can no longer cope. Conditions on the ground in these countries are extremely difficult for refugees, who struggle daily to access their basic human rights including access to adequate health care for themselves and their families, access to adequate accommodation, food, clean water and education for their children.

ing ent is giv Resettlem fugees a re vulnerable g gin life-chan to start ity opportun broad. a new lives

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WHAT CAN THE WORLD DO TO HELP? Amnesty International wants the world’s richest countries to open up to the 10% of Syrian refugees who need it most in 2015 and 2016 – 380,000 people in total. We want countries, including New Zealand, to share the responsibility of Syria’s refugees by increasing humanitarian funding and opening up extra places for resettlement.

REFUGEES

Syrian refugees in a refugee camp in the Bekaa Valley in Lebanon

WHAT CAN YOU DO TO HELP? OPEN YOUR EYES

OPEN YOUR HEART

OPEN YOUR ARMS

On 28 February we’ll be launching a global campaign called #OpenToSyria.

#OPENTOSYRIA

Below: Showing we’re #OpenToSyria in Auckland

By opening our hearts, minds and communities to Syria’s refugees, we can show our leaders that we are willing to share this huge responsibility with Syria’s neighbours, and give some of the world’s most vulnerable people the chance of a safe, peaceful life. Get together with your youth group and take photographs to express your commitment and desire to welcome Syria’s refugees into your neighbourhood, community, city and country via resettlement. Invite your friends, family and other members of your community to take part and get creative. Is there a particular place that is iconic to your town? Get in front of it and create a message showing that you’re #OpenToSyria. Please make sure you wait until the 28 February before you share any of your photos online - if we all do it together we’ll have a greater impact. From the 28 February post your photos on your own social accounts - Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr and Facebook - tag us in @amnestynz facebook.com/AmnestyNZ (make sure you like us first) and use #OpenToSyria. Also make sure you send us your photos - youth.intern@amnesty.org.nz so we can include them in our global petition. We’ll also be launching a petition at a later date so keep an eye on our website and the Youth Network updates for more information.

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On 20 June 2015 - World Refugee Day - your photos will be handed over to our Government to show them that people all around New Zealand welcome Syrians into their communities and they want the NZ government to step up and do more to protect Syria’s most vulnerable refugees.

NEWS, EVENTS & UPDATES

CHRISTMAS TREES WITH A MESSAGE A Christmas tree display was used to send a powerful human rights message by Hamilton brothers Josh and Adam Nachowitz. The pair help run Amnesty groups at Hillcrest High School and Berkley Normal Middle School, respectively. Berkley created a Refu-Tree Tent to raise awareness about issues that refugees face. Inside were notes and food and water rations for a day. Notes read,“The poorest countries have the most refugees, the richest the least”. The Amnestree was Hillcrest High’s offering inspired by the candle circled in barbed wire design of the Amnesty International logo. The tree was symbolic of not only light in the darkness, but also the power of collective voices in making a positive change for human rights.

est Hillcr e h t f rest o h the nd the thrilled wit , and a f l e “Mys oup were eteor the M it raised gr t a h g s i e H ss re arene y at T their displa rest and aw tional and a te the in esty Intern ” n witz. n o m t l i A am Nacho for H h s n o i J work

“Good public ity, the venue was packed with pe ople while we were there. It was go od to see patr ons come and look at the trees an d hear them talk am ong themselv es about Amnesty.” - Hamilton A mnesty Intern ational Group Co-ordi nator Sabine Pahl.

JOIN US FOR PRIDE PARADE

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If you’re in Auckland on 21 February then please join us for Pride Parade. Just email events@amnesty.org.nz to let us know. We’ll be marching down Ponsonby Road and saying loud and proud that we believe that all people, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity, should be able to enjoy the full range of human rights! Love is a Human Right!

NEWS, EVENTS

SENDING A SMILE TO PRISONERS OF CONSCIENCE The solidarity messages from Baradene College, Auckland, written on behalf of our five Write for Rights cases are guaranteed to bring a smile and a lift in the spirits of those who are in prison.

Baradene College’s efforts were part of the 2553 letters sent from New Zealand and contributing to the over 3 million sent worldwide. A record breaking effort in the world’s largest human rights event.

“Even giraffes get sad sometimes.... Just keep your head up” was one such message sent to Moses Akatugba in Nigeria, while China’s Liu Ping was told “I’m extremely proud and thankful on behalf of the human race for all you’ve done for human rights...... Thank you, thank you and remember that we are here fighting for your freedom.”

As for school leaver Binal Patel, she took part in Write for Rights at home, “because I felt it important for us as future leaders to take action and show the perpetrators of human rights abuses that what they are doing is wrong and that we will take a stand against it. Also, even though one letter doesn’t seem like much when it all adds up it does make a big difference.”

The amazing pile of letters from Baradene College

Auckland Schools’ Amnesty International Conference A youth conference to give Amnesty International student activists the chance to put into practice and learn leadership skills.

SAVE T HE DATE

That’s the vision of St Peter’s College Amnesty group teacher co-ordinator Roger Groenink, who is keen to see the inaugural event St Peter’s will host in May grow into an annual event hosted by other schools in Auckland, with aspirations to go nationwide. Picking up on Amnesty International’s global Stop Torture campaign as an over-arching theme topics can be as widespread as Guantanamo Bay through to the current Philippnes campaign focus. Speakers, films, presentations, power points and workshops will be part of the weekend with school Amnesty International groups encouraged to deliver presentations and/or breakout sessions.

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When: 8-9 May Where: St Peters, 23 Mountain Road, Grafton, Auckland Interested in hearing more?: Contact Hanna Graf - youth.intern@amnesty.org.nz

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The inaugural conference will be limited to Auckland schools but teacher co-ordinators from outside of Auckland will be invited to attend the conference with a view to running similar conferences in other centres around the country

GOOD NEWS MYANMAR: DR TUN AUNG FREE We received the fantastic news that peaceful activist Dr Tun Aung, was released from prison in Myanmar on 20 January. Dr Tun is a Muslim community leader and medical doctor, who was first jailed in 2012 after trying to calm the crowd during a riot involving Buddhists and Rohingya in Rakhine State. He was sentenced to up to 17 years’ imprisonment under various trumped-up charges. In October 2012 Amnesty International designated Dr Tun Aung a Prisoner of Conscience. The following year, he was chosen as one of the focus cases of Amnesty International’s annual “Letter Writing Marathon”. According to a letter from Myanmar’s National Human Rights Commission, the letters they received from Amnesty International members prompted them to look further into his case.

LORDS RESISTANCE ARMY LEADER CAPTURED Recruited as a 10-year old child soldier himself, Dominic Ongwen of the Lords Resistance Army (LRA) will now face trial for recruiting and using child soldiers, amongst other charges. Ongwen was picked up at the start of January and has now been transferred to the Hague in the photo courtesy of Interpol Netherlands to face justice, where both his crimes but also the fact that he himself was a victim of grave human rights abuses will be taken into account. Ongwen’s capture is a step towards justice for the victims who have suffered brutality at the hands of the LRA for more than two decades.

NIGERIA: VICTORY AS SHELL FINALLY PAYS UP Oil giant Shell’s long-overdue compensation pay out to a community devastated by oil spills in the Niger Delta is an important victory for the victims of corporate negligence. After decades of blaming anyone else for the ecological disaster in the Niger Delta, Shell has been forced to point the finger at itself. In early January the company made an outof-court settlement of £55million (around 113m NZ$) and admitted to telling lies during the course of the legal process. “I am very happy that Shell has finally taken responsibility for its action,” says Pastor Christian Kpandei, a Bodo fish farmer, whose farm was destroyed by the oil spill. “I’d like to thank the lawyers for compelling Shell to make this unprecedented move.” Thank you to all of you who called on Shell to Own Up. Pay Up. Clean Up. The compensation is a step towards justice for the people of Bodo, but justice will be fully achieved when Shell properly cleans up the heavily polluted creeks and swamps so that those who rely on fishing and farming for their income can begin to rebuild their livelihood

SOMALIA: CHILDREN’S CONVENTION RATIFIED

A country better known for conflict has committed to a better future for its children by ratifying the UN convention on the rights of the child in January.

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Somalia became the 195th state party to ratify the treaty leaving only the USA and South Sudan, who haven’t.