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Civilians at risk in Syria as Turkish Military offensive looms

Amnesty International
October 9, 2019

Responding to the Turkish government’s statements that its forces are set to cross into northeast Syria “shortly” as part of an offensive to move US-backed Kurdish forces away from its border, Amnesty International’s Middle East Research Director Lynn Maalouf said:

“As the Turkish military gears up to attack Kurdish forces in northeast Syria, it is imperative that all parties to this conflict respect international humanitarian law, including by refraining from carrying out attacks on civilians and civilian objects, as well as indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks.

“As in other parts of Syria, scores of civilians in northeast Syria have already suffered from the impact of successive military offensives, multiple displacements and dire living conditions. Turkey has an obligation under international humanitarian law to take all possible measures to protect civilians and to ensure they have access to humanitarian aid. Civilians wishing to flee the fighting must be given safe passage to do so.

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US must stop selling arms to Saudi Arabia

Yemen is enduring one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises right now. The Saudi Arabia-led coalition’s airstrikes have killed civilians including children, targeting places like hospitals and markets. Severe malnutrition affects almost hundreds of thousands of children under the age of five, and 11 million Yemenis are at risk of famine.

United States is supplying weapons to both Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates — two countries committing war crimes in Yemen.

Many countries have already cut off arms supplies to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates because of their violations in Yemen. It’s time for the United States of America to do the same. Supplying arms that are being used to kill civilians, including children, is simply indefensible.

Take action to tell your Senator to stop the arms sales contributing to the Yemen crisis!

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2018 Write for Rights and Holiday Potluck

Write for Rights Holiday Party! Join Amnesty International Portland (Group 48) for our annual Write for Rights holiday event. We’ll write letters to stand in solidarity with and free human rights defenders across the world and shine a light on human rights abuses. Stop in and stay as long as you can. Write letters. Talk to other activists. Fortify yourself with the free refreshments. This year’s letter-writing cases feature individuals from Brazil, Egypt, India, Iran, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Morocco, South Africa, Ukraine, Venezuela.

Date: Thursday December 13, 2018

Time: 7:00-9:00pm (set up starts at 6:30pm)

Location: Eliot Center Buchan Building (Room A108) at First Unitarian Church (church map)
1011 SW 12th Ave, Portland, OR 97205

What to bring:

  • Food (an appetizer, main dish or dessert)
  • Drinks
  • Utensils, plates, cups, napkins
  • Greeting cards (non-denominational and non-Amnesty cards)
  • Paper for letter writing
  • Envelopes
  • $1.15 stamps (international postage)
  • 50-cent stamps (domestic postage)
  • Copies of the AIUSA Write for Rights cases (case sheets and/or sample letters)

Please RSVP by adding a comment to this post and include some details if you plan to bring food, supplies and/or guests.

Note: Comments are moderated on this site, therefore, they do not appear immediately after submission.

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Bring the Myanmar military to justice

One year ago, a terrible human rights crisis erupted in Myanmar. The Myanmar military embarked on a vicious and systematic campaign against the ethnic Rohingya in Rakhine state, burning villages to the ground and killing thousands of civilians, including men, women and children.

In the past year, Amnesty International has documented extensively this relentless campaign of ethnic cleansing, and the squalid camps on the Myanmar-Bangladesh border where more than 900,000 Rohingya who managed to escape are now housed.

The Myanmar military assaulted civilians, including children, shooting and killing them as they fled in horror. They laid landmines along the path to safety. Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya have been killed with their homes destroyed and women sexually assaulted. The United Nations called this crisis “a textbook example of ethnic cleansing.”

It’s time for United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley to move for an international mechanism that will pave the way for bringing the perpetrators of these crimes to justice. Ask your Member of Congress to push for an investigation of crimes against the Rohingya now.

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Amnesty International’s Oregon State Meeting

On Saturday, April 7, 2018, Amnesty activists from across Oregon will be gathering for a meeting! Come learn about what you can do to take action to protect human rights in the US and abroad and develop skills for effective organizing in Oregon. Join us in planning our activities in Oregon. Please RSVP today!

What: AIUSA Oregon State Meeting
Where: Lewis and Clark College
0615 SW Palatine Hill Road
Room #123, JR Howard Hall
Portland, OR 97219 (campus map)
When: Saturday April 7, 2018
Time: 9:30 am – 3:00 pm

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