Musings of an Entrepreneur

The United States recently extended an invitation to Israel and the Palestinian Authority to re-start direct talks. Both sides accepted.

Tomorrow, Israel and the Palestinian Authority will begin their first direct negotiations in nearly two years. To say that a lot is riding on the outcome, would be the understatement of the century.

Divisions between Israel and Palestinians have made this one of the world's most intractable conflicts. The blockade on the tiny strip of land is about 130 square miles (approximately the size of Las Vegas, Nevada) and traps more than 1.5 million Palestinian men, women, and children within its boundaries. The Gaza Strip has served to spark more tension and hostility as well as worsen an already dire humanitarian situation. 

But we can do something about it. Your letters and postcards have a tremendous impact when we pool them together and deliver them personally. So that's exactly what we're going to do - all you have to do is sign and send a postcard. 

When we reach 10,000 postcards, we'll hand deliver them to the White House. Your postcard can help build the pressure that we need to shine a light on the people of Gaza.

In addition to restricting Palestinians' movement from Gaza into Israel, the blockade has also severely undermined Palestinians' right to access: 

• Clean water: only 5% to 10% of water available is fit for human consumption
• Medical care: people with serious medical conditions are frequently delayed or denied exit permits to leave
• Education: students are denied permits to leave even after being awarded scholarships and acceptance at higher learning centers
• Food: the malnutrition rate among children is on the rise, and four in five Gazans are dependent on humanitarian aid

Amnesty members have the power to break this blockade! Sending a postcard can make all the difference. 

Christoph Koettl 
Crisis Campaigner 
Amnesty International USA

Share on Facebook

Share on Twitter

© Copyright 2010 | Amnesty International USA | 5 Penn Plaza | New York, NY 10001 | 212.807.8400

The Gulf oil spill brought an already vulnerable region to its knees.

After spending the last 5 years picking up the pieces from the worst hurricane to ever hit the United States, survivors are now cleaning up after one of the worst environmental disasters in history. 

But residents can't help the Gulf fully recover when they don't even have a seat at the table. Decisions are being made that will have an enormous impact on long-term health, on coastal wetlands and wildlife, and on two major industries in the Gulf Coast: fishing and tourism. 

Congress can ensure that these kinds of decisions aren't just being made with the community in mind, but that residents are actively engaged in the decision-making process.

Empower Gulf Coast residents during the Gulf spill clean-up by giving them a voice in the recovery process!

A citizens' advisory council in the Gulf Coast would guarantee representation for communities of color and low-income communities – groups disproportionately impacted during crises, as evidenced in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and the Gulf spill.

This past April, actor Nicolas Cage helped us make this special video during our All Rights for All People conference in New Orleans to help shine a light on these very groups who risk being shut out once again during the recovery process. 

Seeing the communities up close and speaking with residents one-on-one just confirmed what we've known all along –Gulf Coast residents need nationwide support as they continue to fight for their human rights. 

We can't allow their voices to be drowned out this time.

Please contact your representatives and ask that they give Gulf Coast residents a voice in rebuilding their own future.

Thank you,

Jason Opeña Disterhoft
Demand Dignity Campaigner
Amnesty International USA

Share on Facebook

Share on Twitter

© Copyright 2010 | Amnesty International USA | 5 Penn Plaza | New York, NY 10001 | 212.807.8400

But I was in that courtroom in June, along with other Amnesty representatives. We saw the witnesses and heard the facts first-hand, and as Executive Director Larry Cox put it "nobody walking out of that hearing could view this as an open-and-shut case". 

So how is it that Troy has been put back on track for execution?

The courts have been far too comfortable leaving room for doubt, error and bias. There is no physical or scientific evidence linking Troy to the crime. In fact, Troy had to rely on witnesses who the judge didn't find credible, even though these are the same witnesses on which his conviction hangs!

Because the courts have failed to resolve the doubts in this case, we're taking Troy's story back to the court of public opinion. We want every news outlet talking about the disastrous system that wouldallow a man to be put to death even when doubts persist about his guilt.

Troy's case is so powerful because it has inspired:

• A majority of witnesses to admit that they lied 19 years ago
• Four witnesses to finally testify against the person who they suspect to be the real killer of police officer Mark MacPhail
• Pope Benedict XVI, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and former U.S. President Jimmy Carter to all call for clemency
• A movement of human rights supporters to unite and pass Troy's story along from one person to the next to the next...

Please send your letter in support of Troy Davis today.

Thank you,

Laura Moye
Death Penalty Abolition Campaign Director
Amnesty International USA

Share on Facebook

Share on Twitter

© Copyright 2010 | Amnesty International USA | 5 Penn Plaza | New York, NY 10001 | 212.807.8400

The country had been embroiled in a bitter conflict for nearly 30 years. Now instead of demanding justice, the government has set up yet another weak and ineffective commission¹ that threatens to prolong the country's vicious cycle of abuse and impunity. 

This month, the U.S. State Department issued a report that confirms what we've suspected all along: Sri Lanka is no closer to answering war crimes-related questions than they were before this whole charade began. 

The United Nations (UN) is the only one who can establish an independent, international investigation and ensure that justice is brought to the 300,000 displaced civilians who were trapped in a deadly crossfire between government security forces and the Tamil Tiger rebels.

Call on the UN to investigate war crimes in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka's Foreign Minister Gamini Peiris recently blasted Amnesty International and other human rights supporters for advocating on behalf of the rights of civilians². He questioned our "moral authority" in getting involved.

But to at least 58 members of Congress who signed our joint letter to Secretary Clinton³ and the nearly 40,000 Amnesty supporters who've signed our petition so far, our message is clear: the people of Sri Lanka deserve justice.

We will continue pressing officials to establish an independent and international investigation for as long as it takes. 

Thank you for helping to make a difference in Sri Lanka.

Chistoph, Jim and the rest of the Crisis Response Team
Amnesty International USA

Share on Facebook

Share on Twitter

© Copyright 2010 | Amnesty International USA | 5 Penn Plaza | New York, NY 10001 | 212.807.8400

People trapped on the blood-stained streets of southern Kyrgyzstan painted massive signs on roads and sports fields for the sake ofsending one simple message that the entire world could understand – "S.O.S."

This international code for help was as clear as day from our satellite images of the country¹. However, nearly two months after the worst of the violence has subsided, the international community has failed to push for justice. To this day, entire neighborhoods are still burned to the ground and the people who lived there are still looking for a place to call home. 

It’s not too late for the international community to finally answer Kyrgyzstan's calls for help.

Take action now to ensure that those accused of colluding in abuses don’t end up leading the investigation.

Now that video and photographic evidence from local journalists and residents who documented this abuse of power are beginning to surface, law enforcement officers are re-igniting a new wave of terror – silencing journalists and anyone who dares to reveal the truth about the horrific acts of violence that were perpetrated primarily against Kyrgyzstan's ethnic Uzbek population.

It wasn’t bad enough that Kyrgyzstan's government failed to protect its citizens from violence, now the perpetrators of the violence are about to get away with impunity. 

Don’t let Kyrgyzstan's government get away with this outrageous abuse of power. Call for an impartial, international investigation into the recent violence in southern Kyrgyzstan. 

Thank you for taking action,

Christoph Koettl
Crisis Campaigner 
Amnesty International USA

Share on Facebook

Share on Twitter

© Copyright 2010 | Amnesty International USA | 5 Penn Plaza | New York, NY 10001 | 212.807.8400