The REAL ID Act would sharply restrict asylum. This bill would not protect Americans from terrorists. If passed, the Act would place burdens on asylum-seekers that would likely fall hardest on the most vulnerable among them, such as women who have been victims of gender-based persecution. Please urge the Senate to oppose it.

ACT NOW:
http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/ctt.asp?u=677776&l=12697

June 26th is the United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of Torture. Sign up now to plan actions and activities in your community. Show solidarity with victims of torture and take action to stop these heinous abuses.

SIGN UP:
http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/ctt.asp?u=677776&l=12699

ECUADOR'S AMAZON RAINFOREST

In Ecuador's Amazon, ChevronTexaco has closed its eyes to the human rights implications of oil spills that have contaminated both the soil and the groundwater of the communities in the area and threatened the economic and cultural bases of Indigenous peoples' survival.

Sign the online petition to ChevronTexaco's Board of Directors:
http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/ctt.asp?u=677776&l=12610

Learn more:
http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/ctt.asp?u=677776&l=12604

En español:
http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/ctt.asp?u=677776&l=12614

In Bhopal, Dow Chemical refuses to take responsibility for a horrific chemical disaster that has killed tens of thousands, contaminated the area and devastated the local community.

Take action to defend the rights of communities in Bhopal:
http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/ctt.asp?u=677776&l=12601

Learn more:
http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/ctt.asp?u=677776&l=12609

Amnesty International has created a new downloadable organizing kit - based on the award-winning film, Hotel Rwanda -- that you can use to bring human rights education to your community. The kit is composed of three elements: a house party kit, a teacher's guide, and a photo exhibit, and is designed to be used in conjunction with the release of Hotel Rwanda on DVD. We encourage you to use these new resources and to share them with family, friends and teachers.

ABOUT HOTEL RWANDA

In 1994 almost one million people were killed in a systematic genocide in the central African country of Rwanda. As the world stood by, a handful of brave, resourceful and inspiring individuals did all they could to save Rwandans from brutal deaths. Paul Rusesabagina, whose story is portrayed in this film, reminds all of us what one person can accomplish when moved to act.

Terry George, Hotel Rwanda's director, takes us on Paul's journey, showing the country's struggle and how the world turned a blind eye. He leads us in the end to a place of hope and promise.

"I still can't believe they made a movie about me. I'm just an average person. Hopefully people will see that even an average person can make a difference in someone else's life just by opening your eyes and your heart." - Paul Rusesabagina, USA Today, January 3, 2005

This new organizing kit will help you and others explore the history of the crisis and use the film as a guide to discuss strategies that could have been pursued to prevent the genocide. It is also a tool for analyzing what will be effective in the future as the international community confronts similar conditions. The kit also includes information and actions on the current situation in Darfur, Sudan - including a compelling, downloadable photo exhibit.

DOWNLOAD THE KIT NOW
http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/ctt.asp?u=677776&l=12576

As we enter the second year of our global campaign to Stop Violence Against Women, we thought March - Women's History Month - was an important time to remind ourselves that women are not always the victims of human rights abuse - often they are the heroes.

This month on our website, we spotlight the all-important work of four extraordinary women who have made a difference. Two of them are among the twelve women who have received the Nobel Peace Prize. One woman, Mexico's Digna Ochoa gave her life for her cause. And another will receive Amnesty International USA's highest award next month. All have sacrificed much for the rights and well-being of others.

READ ABOUT THESE WOMEN:
http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/ctt.asp?u=677776&l=12394

On every continent, women are rising up to end the abuse, torture and neglect that has long plagued their communities. Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi aroused an entire nation against decades of corruption and abuse. "It is not power that corrupts," she has said, "but fear."

Women are often uniquely able to appeal to everyday people and to engage them in collective struggle. Aung San Suu Kyi has written, "It is the cumulative effect of [ordinary people's] sustained effort and steady endurance which will change a nation where reason and conscience are warped by fear into one where legal rules exist to promote humanity's desire for harmony and justice while restraining less desirable, destructive traits in human nature."

Wangari Maathai has converted the seemingly mundane and domestic act of planting trees into a continent-wide movement aimed at empowering women and reshaping society's relationship with the natural environment. Says Maathai: "When you start working with the environment seriously, the whole arena comes: human rights, women's rights, environmental rights, children's rights, you know, everybody's rights. Once you start making these linkages, you can no longer do just tree-planting."


Bill Schulz
Amnesty International USA

P.S. GOOD NEWS! Last week's release of prisoner of conscience Rebiya Kadeer demonstrates that no government is immune to the persistent pressure applied by dedicated human rights activists worldwide.

READ MORE:
http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/ctt.asp?u=677776&l=12403

We need your help right now.

Congressman Edward Markey (MA) is offering an amendment to the Supplemental Appropriations Act (HR 1268) currently under consideration on the House floor today.

The Markey Amendment would prohibit the use of any funds appropriated in the supplemental bill to support "renditions" of individuals to countries where they are likely to be tortured. Call your Representative now and ask them to vote to support the Markey Amendment.

There are growing reports of the United States handing detainees over to countries that use torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment. Amnesty International has reported cases of people being transferred into the custody of countries such as Syria, Egypt, Morocco and Saudi Arabia in violation of US and international law. This practice of "extraordinary renditions" contravenes the obligations to uphold the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution and the Convention Against Torture. It is illegal, impractical and immoral. The Markey Amendment is a step toward restoring the rule of law and protections of fundamental human rights.

CALL YOUR REPRESENTATIVE RIGHT AWAY

Phone number: 1-202-224-3121

Talking points:

-- As a constituent, I am calling to urge you to support the Markey Amendment to the Supplemental Appropriations Act (HR1268), which prevents funds being used to outsource torture.

-- I am very concerned about increasing evidence that the United States is involved in a practice known as "extraordinary renditions" to transfer individuals into the custody of countries that have a well-documented history of using torture and other forms of cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment.

-- The US has "rendered" detainees to Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Morocco and Syria where individuals have reported being held and tortured and have eventually been released without charge.

-- This practice does not make us safer and violates fundamental human rights and principles that are important to me.

-- Please vote in support of the Markey Amendment to the Supplemental Appropriations Act. Thank you.

March 08, 2005

Take Action to Defend Women from Violence

Today, during International Women's Day, we invite you to join our efforts to help stop violence against women. Your support can change the lives of the women featured in the following cases. Please take action to protect them.

ACT NOW

Mexico: Lydia Cacho Ribeiro and Other Human Rights Defenders Under Threat
http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/ctt.asp?u=677776&l=12172

Lydia Cacho Ribeiro, president of the Women's Assistance Center (CIAM), and staff at three CIAM shelters around Mexico, have received multiple death threats as a result of their work to protect the rights of women and girls. The threats are reportedly from men whose wives and/or children found refuge from domestic violence at the shelter and want them to return home.

Iraq: Disappearance of Huda Hafez Ahmad al-'Azawi's, Businesswoman

http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/ctt.asp?u=677776&l=12173

At 4 a.m. on February 17, US soldiers and members of the Iraqi National Guard forced their way into the house of Huda Hafez Ahmad al-'Azawi, a businesswoman in Baghdad. They handcuffed and blindfolded her, and beat, handcuffed and blindfolded her two daughters, Nura aged 15 and Sarah aged 20. Her whereabouts are unknown and Amnesty International is concerned for her safety.

India: Women Facing Violence in Gujarat

http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/ctt.asp?u=677776&l=12174
During the large-scale violence in Gujarat in 2002, some medical professionals were reported to have participated in violence against members of the Muslim minority and disregarded reports and obvious signs of sexual assaults of women in their care. Victims could not count on receiving medical assistance and cannot rely upon medical/forensic evidence when pursuing justice for the crimes perpetrated against them.

Sudan: Violence Against Women By The Janjawid Militia

http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/ctt.asp?u=677776&l=12175
Urge the Government of Sudan to protect the women of Darfur from violence by the Janjawid militia. Ask that the Government to halt to attacks on women, bring perpetrators of sexual violence -- in particular members of the Janjawid militia -- to justice, and ratify international laws that protect women from sexual violence in conflict and publicly condemn all forms of gender-based violence in Darfur.

Kosovo: Rights of Trafficked Girls
http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/ctt.asp?u=677776&l=12176
Since the July 1999 deployment of an international peacekeeping force to Kosovo and the establishment of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission (UNMIK), Kosovo has become a major destination country for women and girls trafficked into forced prostitution. It has been estimated that many hundreds of women and girls have been trafficked, including some as young as 12 years old.

HOW VIOLENCE AFFECTS WOMEN?

From birth to death, in times of peace as well as war, women face discrimination and violence at the hands of the state, the community and the family. Every year, millions of women are raped by partners, relatives, friends and strangers, by employers and colleagues, security officials and soldiers. Women are the overwhelming majority of victims from violence inflicted in the home. During armed conflicts, violence against women is often used as a weapon of war, in order to dehumanize the women themselves, or to persecute the community to which they belong.

However, violence against women is never normal, legal or acceptable and should never be tolerated or justified. It's time to recognize that violence against women is a global human rights scandal that affects us all. Across the world, Amnesty International activists are working to work towards making women's human rights a reality.

Find out what you can do:
http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/ctt.asp?u=677776&l=12177


Rosa Del Angel
Amnesty International USA
Online Action Center
http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/ctt.asp?u=677776&l=12163