Group 15 is one of the oldest community groups of Amnesty International. As its number suggests, it was the fifteenth group formed in a U.S. community, which now has more than 400 community groups and over 1,000 local student groups. It was formed in 1982. In the early years, Group 15 often met in Wayland, but since the mid-1980s through 2009, has met in Concord, at the First Parish Church. The Group
has been meeting at the Harvey Wheeler Community Center in Concord since November 2009 and includes members from the area of around Concord (MA).

At the meeting, the group works on the case of an adopted prisoner (or group of prisoners) of conscience. These cases have involved individuals in the Soviet Union, the Philippines, Chad, Egypt, Pakistan and China. Through our efforts, and those of other groups, a number of these prisoners have been released or received shortened sentences.

We are the local voice of Amnesty, and as such, conduct public outreach. Outreach has ranged from arranging torchlight parades on behalf of our former Pakistani prisoner, Dr.Younos Sheik (recently released with our help) and Nobel Peace Prize Winner Aung San Suu Kyi, to enlisting the help of Congressman Marty Meehan with our Egypt case, to putting on a play dramatizing the unfair trials which our Philippine and Egyptian prisoners and many others around the world receive. We also participate in the July 4th Picnic in the Park in Concord, Sudbury Day in September, Bedford Plant Fair Day in May and in whatever other appropriate ways we can.

We write letters on behalf of our ‘adopted’ Prisoners of Conscience, including  Dr. Sheikh, sentenced to death in Pakistan for blasphemy and recently released. In this case, we secured letters to the president of Pakistan from Congressmen Marty Meehan, and Jim McGovern and Senators John Kerry and Paul Wellstone, plus prominent Pakistanis.

Our most recent prisoner case was on behalf of  Thet Naung Soe (right) and Khin Maung Win (left) who were prisoners of conscience in Burma (also known as Myanmar). They were among students demonstrating outside Yangon City Hall, where, on 8 August 1988, soldiers shot and killed hundreds of students, monks and other protesters peacefully demonstrating against one-party rule. The day before Thet and Khin had reportedly distributed a statement calling for the release of political prisoners, for progress in political dialogue between military ruling authorities and the National League for Democracy (the political party led by Aung San Suu Kyii that won election in 1990, and to whom authorities failed to transfer power) and announcing that Thet Naung Soe was to hold a protest the following day as an exercise of the right to freedom of expression.

We are happy to report that because of  specific actions attributed  the Group 15, all Dr. Sheik and the two Burmese students were eventually released from prison.