Amnesty Indy

Local Group 317 is the Indianapolis chapter of Amnesty International USA: We meet at 7:00 pm the 3rd Wednesday of every month on the 1st floor of the historic Athenaeum located at 401 East Michigan Street downtown Indianapolis.

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Amnesty International Day

Amnesty International Day: attend a local meeting, make a donation, sign a petition, or write a letter of hope to a prisoner of conscience.

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We’re taking over Piccadilly In London & Times Square in New York to say #IWelcome to refugees

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You have the power to lead the fight against hate, intolerance and so much more. It’s time to stand up. Take action: http://bit.ly/TakeActionAIUSA

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Heading to a protest? Know your rights! Reblog & share to keep all informed of their human rights.

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3,714,141 THANK YOUS!

Amnesty supporters across the world wrote an astonishing 3.7 million letters, messages, emails, tweets and so much more as part of Write for Rights 2015, the global letter-writing marathon.

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Celebrate Life Event March 2

Celebrate Life

Alternatives to the Death Penalty

 You are invited to the seventeenth annual Celebrate Life-Alternatives to the Death Penalty, a party to celebrate the alternative sentences available for capital trials.  It is being held in the Capitol Rotunda (200 West Washington Street) at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 2, 2016.  Alternatives work.  Indiana citizens prefer them, and will be celebrating their use. Amnesty International USA Indiana members will recognizeDoris Parlette, past president for Indiana Abolition Coalition, for hersuccess atreorganizing and reenergizing the Indiana Abolition Coalition.

 Michael Kempf, Board Member of the National Alliance on Mental Illness will present “The Cost of Capital Punishment for the Mentally Ill”.NAMI urges jurisdictions that impose capital punishment not to execute persons with mental disabilities undercertain circumstances.  The discussion will be interesting.

 Please plan to arrive early and take some time to meet with your representative and senator and let them know of your support for life alternatives and the end of the death penalty.  

 Join us to celebrate the anniversary of the day (March 1 is the actual date.) in 1847 on which the State of Michigan officially became the first English-speaking territory in the world to abolish the death penalty.  It is a day for intensified education and legislative action for alternatives to the death penalty. Refreshments will be provided.

 Sponsored by Amnesty International, Indiana Abolition Coalition, the Indianapolis Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, and the North Meadow Circle of Friends.  Contact Karen Burkhart at [phone] /[email protected] with any questions.

 Capitol Rotunda, Wednesday, March 2, 4:30 P. M.

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Apple, Samsung and Sony Linked to Child Labor, Amnesty International Reports

A new report claims that major tech companies are failing to perform the basic checks required to ensure that mining operations do not take advantage of child labor.

The report focuses on cobalt mining in the Democratic Republic of Congo - which produces 50% of the world’s supply of the mineral used in li-on battery production. 

Based on interviews with 87 people, the report shows that cobalt is mined by children as young as seven in the country, before it is sold on to large mineral firms such Congo Dongfang Mining, Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt Ltd and Huayou Cobalt.

Those companies process the ore before selling it on to companies in China and South Korea where it’s used to make batteries. Amnesty International claims that manufacturers including Apple, Sony and Samsung use parts which contain this cobalt.

The report claims that as many as 40,000 children work in the cobalt mines of the DRC. Some of the children interviewed for the report say that they work up to 12 hours a day for $1. 

They work above ground, washing and carrying heavy loads of rocks. Amnesty International claims they often face physical abuse and exposure to dangerous gas and dust.

Mark Dummett, Amnesty International’s business and human rights researcher said:

“Millions of people enjoy the benefits of new technologies but rarely ask how they are made. It is high time the big brands took some responsibility for the mining of the raw materials that make their lucrative products.” 

Companies whose global profits total $125 billion cannot credibly claim that they are unable to check where key minerals in their productions come from.”  

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It’s time to CLOSE Guantanamo. Have YOU signed the petition yet? 

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Today, January 13th, is Raif Badawi’s birthday. He is currently imprisoned in Saudi Arabia for blogging. One year earlier, on January 9, Saudi Arabian authorities publicly lashed Raif Badawi 50 times – the first flogging meted after Raif was sentenced to 1,000 lashes and 10 years imprisonment in May 2014.

Take action NOW to demand Raif’s release.

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The basic idea of human rights is that each one of us, no matter who we are or where we are born, is entitled to the same basic rights and freedoms. That may sound straightforward enough, but it gets incredibly complicated as soon as anyone tries to put the idea into practice. What exactly are the basic human rights? Who gets to pick them? Who enforces them—and how?

Benedetta Berti explores the subtleties of human rights in What are the universal human rights?

Animation by Sarah Saidan

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Justice Kennedy’s Own Logic Should Convince Him to Abolish the Death Penalty

In some ways Justice Anthony Kennedy has spent years chipping away at the death penalty. He has been a leader in the Supreme Court’s move to limit some classes of criminal defendants (for instance, juveniles) from being executed for their crimes. Keenly attuned to what the rest of the world...

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What Solitary Confinement Does To The Brain

In the United States, some inmates get put into solitary confinement. How does it affect your brain?

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LGBT Youth

According to the CDC, LGBT youth have a higher risk of experiencing violence against them, and around 19%-29% of gay and lesbian individuals and 18%-28% of bisexual individuals experience dating violence. And the numbers only increase when talking about sexual assaults. LGBT youth also are twice as likely to have attempted suicide. 

What this means is LGBT youth are not in safe, supportive, and accepting environments.

And to counter this, some organizations have started to created safe spaces for LGBT youth.

The Trevor Project is an organization that provides crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth. It is a confidential, 24/7 lifeline that youth can call if they need a safe, non-judgmental place to talk or if they are thinking about suicide.

However, Russian LGBT youth are not as lucky. For more than a year and a half, Russia has sought to shut down Children 404, an online LGBT youth support group that journalist Elena Klimova founded. This site has been an invaluable source of support for thousands of Russian LGBT teens, allowing them to share personal stories and get advice from peers and health professionals.

Klimova was convicted of “propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations among minors” by a Sverdlovsk court in January. And in March, a St. Petersburg court ruled in favor of blocking Children 404 as part of their campaign against the LGBT community.

As a result, AIUSA is urging St. Petersburg and Sverdlovsk prosecutors to give Elina Klimova a retrial and also to repeal the decision to block Children 404.

All LGBT youth should feel save in their home countries, and more importantly, they should have access to safe, non-judgmental services  and spaces to talk freely about their sexuality.

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The famous Tienanmen Square photo, captured by another photographer

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A wonderful event tonight. The first screening of the film "To Light a Candle" in Indianapolis, followed by a discussion of Amnesty International, human rights, and the situation of the Baha'i minority in Iran.

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To Light a Candle film screening tonight. Amnesty International Group 317 and members of the local Baha’i Community will be showing the film tonight at 7pm in the Athenaeum downtown Indianapolis. A panel discussion will follow.

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Senators vote to repeal death penalty : Politics

The death penalty has been repealed in Nebraska.