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Group 15 Campaigns
The following are some of the
Campaigns which members of Group 15 are currently engaged in both individually
and collectively as a group.
Prisoners of Conscience and Individuals At
Risk
Prisoners of Conscience (POC's) are men, women or children imprisoned solely for
the peaceful expression of their beliefs or because of their race, gender or
other personal characteristics. Many have never been charged with a crime.
For more than 45 years, Amnesty International has
come to the aid of prisoners of conscience and other individuals at risk of
serious human rights violations. Thanks to the actions of Amnesty supporters
like you, more than 44,000 individuals have been freed from prison, saved from
torture and protected from death threats. Amnesty's Campaign for Individuals at
Risk provides hope and improves lives.
Learn more....
Over the years, Group 15 has participated in the POC campaign by 'adopting'
numerous cases of individuals such as Dr.Younos Sheikh who was sentenced to
death in Pakistan for violating the nation's ‘blasphemy’ laws, and more
recently the case of two Burmese students who were sentenced to 14 and 7 years
in prison for there participation in a peaceful pro-democracy rally.
Because of specific actions attributed the Group 15, all three prisoners were
eventually released.
Currently, Group
15 has adopted the case of three prisoners of conscience in Vietnam. Tran Quoc
Hien, Tran Thi Le Hang ( RECENTLY RELEASED !
),and Doan Van Dien were members
of the newly formed United Workers-Farmers Organization (UWFO) which
advocates for workers rights to form trade and labor unions and for people whose
land is unlawfully confiscated by the government. Independent trade unions
are not allowed in Vietnam. The three UWFO members were arrested in late
2006/early 2007 and were tried later in 2007. Their sentences vary from 18
months to 5 years. Amnesty International
considers these people to be prisoners of conscience who were jailed for
peacefully exercising their rights to freedom of expression and association, and
AI is calling for their immediate and unconditional release.
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Tran Quoc Hien
Human rights lawyer
Born:
1965
Activity:
Human rights lawyer
Location:
Prison Camp Z30A, Phan trai 2, xa Xuan Truong, huyen Xuan Loc,
tinh Dong Nai, Viet Nam
Sentence:
5 years imprisonment followed by 2 years probation
Two days after Tran Quoc Hien was chosen as the
spokesperson for the United Workers-Farmers Organization in
January 2007, he was arrested. A human rights lawyer known for
defending farmers whose land have been confiscated by the
government, Tran Quoc Hien is also a prolific cyber-dissident.
He has published online articles and short stories about life
under surveillance. The Vietnamese government alleged that Tran
Quoc Hien and his associates incited demonstrations and “spread
anti-government propaganda.” |
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Doan Van Dien
Human rights lawyer
Born:
1954
(estimate)
Activity:
Trade
Union Activist
Location:
Arrested
11/14.2006. UWFA, prison camp B5, Dong Nai.
Sentence:
4 years and 6 months imprisonment
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Demand Dignity
Amnesty International is taking a stand beside people around the world who are
asserting their rights to lead lives of dignity. By lending our traditional
strengths of research and activism to the cause of eliminating human rights
violations that are both the cause and result of poverty, we can make a
difference in the lives of millions of people around the world and help realize
the vision of human dignity articulated in the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights.
Learn more
Death Penalty
The death penalty is the ultimate, irreversible
denial of human rights. By working towards the abolition of the death penalty
worldwide,
Since 1977, over 1,100 people have been executed in the U.S.; there are
currently around 3,300
men and women on death row across the country. Grassroots activists throughout
the USA play an essential role in advocating against this human rights violation
through monitoring cases, mobilizing around upcoming events, and lobbying for
anti-death penalty legislation. Amnesty International USA's Death Penalty Abolition Campaign
looks to end the cycle of violence created by a system riddled with economic and
racial bias and tainted by human error.
Learn More ....
Violence Against Women
Women face human rights injustices, in addition
to gender-based discrimination. Women and children account for most casualties
of war and make up most of the world's refugees, displaced and poor populations.
Living free from violence is a human right. Yet millions of women and girls
around the world encounter rape, domestic abuse, mutilation and other forms of
gender-based violence. Too often no one is held accountable for these crimes.
With your help, we can urge governments to hold perpetrators responsible and put
an end to this cycle of violence against women.
Learn more....
Counter Terrorism with Justice
 The " war on terror " does not justify violations
of international human rights law. Amnesty International's Counter Terror
With Justice Campaign works to stop torture and ill-treatment; close
Guantanamo the right way--with detainees either tried fairly in U.S. federal
courts or released; end illegal detentions at Bagram and other U.S. facilities;
stop rendition; and ensure that human rights abuses are investigated and
prosecuted. Additionally, Group 15 in its Guantanamo Project
has worked for the release of the Uighurs detainees in Guantanamo.
Learn more...
Immigrant Detention
Immigration
is growing and increasingly visible. Immigrants and their families carry all
their human rights
with them when they
move. But undocumented immigrants often live in the shadows and at heightened
risk of human rights violations.
Amnesty International calls for immigrants to be treated with full respect for
their human rights and human dignity. Amnesty International is calling on the
Department of Homeland Security to make U.S. immigration detention standards
enforceable, and to use alternatives to detention in a meaningful way. If the
government chooses to detain an immigrant, that person must be held in
conditions that meet both domestic and international standards, and before a
person is detained, all available alternatives to detention must be considered
in each individual case
Learn more...
LGBT Human Rights
Amnesty International believes that all people,
regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity, should be able to
enjoy the full range of human rights, without exception. However, every day,
across the globe, sexual orientation or gender identity leads to abuse in the
form of discrimination, violence, imprisonment, torture, or even execution.
Persecution on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity can take a
variety of forms and these contravene the basic tenets of international human
rights law. By highlighting instances of abuse against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual
and Transgender (LGBT) individuals, Amnesty's activists work to protect members
of the LGBT community whilst striving to achieve decriminalization and marriage
equality.
Learn more....
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