Natalia Estemirova, Russian Human Rights Worker
Natalia Estemirova
I woke up this morning to read that another activist for human rights in Russia had been kidnapped and murdered. Natalia Estemirova was an activist for the activist group Memorial, which was working to improve the rule of law and document abuses by law enforcement officers in the North Caucuses of Russia. She was the recipient of several international awards, including the first Anna Politkovskaya award in 2007. There is no bright side of this, even to say that these events will bring international attention and condemnation from other human rights organizations. Mrs. Estemirova has undoubtedly made an impact on the human rights in Russia; it is unfortunate that humanity has to lose yet another ally in the battle against terror and government impunity.
Reuters
Amnesty International
Amnesty International USA (check out Rule without law: Human rights violations in the North Caucasus)
Press Release from Memorial (in Russian)
Robert Amsterdam’s Blog - Natalia Estemirova and the Price of Courage
Ken Saro-Wiwa & Shell Oil
My lord,
We all stand before history. I am a man of peace, of ideas. Appalled by the denigrating poverty of my people who live on a richly endowed land, distressed by their political marginilization and economic strangulation, angered by the devestation of their land, their ultimate heritage, anxious to preserve their right to life and to a decent living, and determined to usher to this country as a whole a fair and just democratic system which protects everyone and every ethnic group and gives us all a valid claim to human civilization, I have devoted my intellectual and material resources, my very life, to a cause in which I have total belief and from which I cannot be blackmailed or intimidated. I have no doubt at all about the ultimate success of my cause, no matter the trials and tribulations which I and those who believe with me may encounter on our journey. Nor imprisonment nor death can stop our ultimate victory.
-Ken Saro-Wiwa’s closing statement at the Nigerian Military’s Tribunal
It was announced this morning by several newspapers that Royal Dutch Shell has agreed to settle out of court for complacency in various human rights violations in the Niger Delta, among them the execution of Ken Saro-Wiwa and several other Ogoni leaders. This is a huge victory for Ken Saro-Wiwa, Jr. and the people of the Niger Delta, but unfortunately, it does not come with any admission of guilt by Royal Dutch Shell. This was not an official Amnesty International action, but I’m certain there are plenty of people at AI (and certainly at Group 133) that are pleased with the settlement. I, for one, hope this sets a precedent for future corporate responsibility.
Further reading:
Shell to Settle Abuse Case for $15.5 Million @ New York Times
Shell settles Nigeria deaths case @ BBC
Joy at Nigeria oil deaths pay-out @ BBC
Center for Constitutional Rights press release
Wiwa v. Shell
Remember Ken Saro-Wiwa
Op-ed and Reaction from Ken Saro-Wiwa, Jr. @ guardian.co.uk
Slideshow and “Living Memorial” to Ken Saro-Wiwa @ guardian.co.uk
Blogs:
Ken Saro-Wiwa: The Legacy of an Environmental Defender
Ken Saro-Wiwa: The Legacy of an Environmental Defender
Update: Ken Saro-Wiwa was the the inspiration for Amnesty 133’s first Get on the Bus for Human Rights event. Full post @ Human Rights Now.
Wrong
Troy Davis is on death row in Georgia, his execution imminent.
Everything wrong with this case is what is wrong about the death penalty in general.
There were nine “witnesses” but seven have recanted and one of the other two is the guy that most likely actually committed the murder.
The witnesses have spoken of police intimidation, another common thread in death penalty cases.
Even if the witnesses had not recanted, all research points to eyewitness testimony being unreliable, particularly the way most police including in this case, elicit the testimony.
There is no physical evidence in this case. Convict a person in such a case? Maybe convict them, but with the uncertainty it is madness to put such a person to death.
Do you think that it is a coincidence that Troy Davis is black and about to be executed? Think again. Blacks and whites are murder victims in nearly equal numbers of crimes, but 80% of people executed since the death penalty was reinstated have been executed for murders involving white victims. More than 20% of black defendants who have been executed were convicted by all-white juries.
Most people think that there are endless appeals and these cases “tie up the courts.” In fact, Troy Davis has never even had a day in court to bring up all the facts about the tainted evidence that convicted him.
This execution is wrong. The death penalty is wrong. Most of the world has abolished the death penalty and most of the world have lower murder rates than the United States. It is time to stop the execution of Troy Davis and it is time to end the death penalty.
Join Group 133 and people all around the world on May 19th protesting the death penalty of Troy Davis.
“There but for the grace of God go you or I”
I AM TROY DAVIS!
I AM TROY DAVIS
News!
Before I go any further, I would like to introduce myself. My name is Stuart, and I am a recent member of Group 133 in Somerville, MA. Even though I’m still fairly new to the area, it has been a great experience over the last few months to get to know this dedicated group of individuals, to the point where I’ve even offered to donate a fair share of my time helping out the local organization. With my roots in the land of Wellstone and Mondale, I find it very gratifying to help out an organization like Amnesty International at the grassroots level - and it’s my belief that the greatest strength of AI is its ability to network at the local level. If you have any interest at all in human rights advocacy and activism, I would strongly suggest you attend at least one meeting. With that said, let me throw out a quick update as to what we’re doing on the organizational end of the group.
Not only are we looking forward to a great summer after the successful Get on the Bus from last month, we are also looking forward to several new improvements to our presence on the web! Within the next month or so we will have a brand new website at http://www.amnesty133.org, with deeper integration into our blogs (http://blog.amnesty133.org/ and http://getonthebustonyc.blogspot.com/). I am in the process of migrating the Get on the Bus blog from the blogger platform to a new subdomain, like I’ve done with the “everyday” Amnesty133 blog. We won’t be getting rid of out wordpress.com or blogger.com blogs, they will just be simultaneously updated in conjunction with the blogs hosted under our own domain name. This is a huge improvement and will give us the ability to integrate the blogs into the new website design, when finally finished. I’m hesitant to give a deadline, but I’m hoping it will be completed before mid-July.
To appease everyone’s curiosity, I will include the obligatory screenshot:
Fourth draft of design concept (click for full-size)
Please drop some comments with suggestions for improvements, criticism for my lack of color-coordination, and general encouragement. And come to a meeting! June 9th, 7:00pm at the regional office in Davis Square!
Also, please consider dropping by our local action for Troy Davis next Tuesday in Davis Square (also at amnesty133.org). Tuesday, May 19, 5:30-7:00pm.
