Join us for our monthly meeting on Tuesday, October 5, from 6:30 – 8:30 pm in the den at the Mosaic Coffee House, 4401 2nd Ave NE. First half hour is letter writing and socializing. Meeting starts at 7 pm.
We’ll talk about Individuals at Risk cases including our continuing work on Shi Tao, who is in prison in China for sending an e-mail, and our new Western Region Special Focus case for Majid Tavakkoli, a student leader arrested in Iran for criticizing the government.
Upcoming events we’ll be planning for at the meeting included having a Dia de los Muertos display at El Centro de la Razain November and our local participation in AI’s Global Write-a-thon in early December.
The Mosaic Coffee House is a nonprofit coffee house located in Seattle First Church (behind the Dick’s Drive In on 45th Street in the Wallingford Neighborhood). Check for directions, free parking and bus line information at:
When it turrns midnight on Friday, September 10, Washington state is scheduled to execute Cal Brown in it’s first execution in 9 years. Join Amnesty International and our allies with the Washington Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty(WCADP) for a vigil the evening of Thrusday, September 9, 4 – 8 pm at the steps of the King County Courthouse (516 3rd. Ave.), 4th Ave. entrance.
See the WCADP website for other vigil locations throughout the state:
Join us for our monthly meeting on Tuesday, September 7, from 6:30 – 8:30 pm in the den at the Mosaic Coffee House, 4401 2nd Ave NE. First half hour is letter writing and socializing. Meeting starts at 7 pm.
We will be talking about the resumption of the death penalty in Washington state, including our participation in Seattle’s vigil to protest Cal Brown’s scheduled execution at midnight that night on Thursday September 9, from 4 – 8 pm at the steps of the King County Courthouse (516 3rd Ave.) at the 4th Avenue entrance.
We’ll also be talking about possible upcoming actions from the fall Core Action packet, including death penalty abolition, advocating for maternal health and the UN Millenium Develpment Goals for the Demand Dignity Campaign, the launch of an AI report on torture and detention in Iraq for Counter Terror with Justice; and working for the freedom in individual cases including our annual participation in the Global Write-a-thon near Human Rights Day (Dec. 10) in early December.
The Mosaic Coffee House is a nonprofit coffee house located in Seattle First Church (behind the Dick’s Drive In on 45th Street in the Wallingford Neighborhood). Check for directions, free parking and bus line information at:
Join us for our monthly meeting on Tuesday, August 3, from 6:30 – 8:30 pm in the den at the Mosaic Coffee House, 4401 2nd Ave NE. First half hour is letter writing and socializing. Meeting starts at 7 pm.
At our August meeting, we will be sending birthday cards to Filep Karma, an Indonesian prisoner of conscience imprisoned for raising a flag symbolizing Papuan independence. Bring your own card, or create one with blank cards and art supplies we will bring.
We’ll also be talking about Majid Tavakkoli, an imprisoned Iranian student activist who is AIUSA’s newest Western Region focus case, and updates from Amnesty International’s campaigns and upcoming events for fall and winter.
The Mosaic Coffee House is a nonprofit coffee house located in Seattle First Church (behind the Dick’s Drive In on 45th Street in the Wallingford Neighborhood). Check here for directions, free parking and bus line information.
Join us for our monthly meeting on Tuesday, July 6, from 6:30 – 8:30 pm at the Mosaic Coffee House, 4401 2nd Ave NE. First half hour is letter writing and socializing. Meeting starts at 7 pm.
At our July meeting, we will be making birthday cards for Shi Tao, a Chinese journalist imprisoned for sending an e-mail in April 2004 to a U.S. based pro-democracy website summarizing the Chinese government’s orders to Chinese media organizations to downplay the upcoming 15th anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crack down. Bring your own card, or create one with blank cards and art supplies we will bring.
We’ll also be planning for group fundraising and outreach and hear about plans for a late summer AI Washington Local Group Retreat/Conference in Friday Harbor on San Juan Island.
The Mosaic Coffee House is a nonprofit coffee house located in Seattle First Church (behind Dick’s Drive In in the Wallingford Neighborhood). Check here for directions, free parking and bus line information.
Join us and our allies on Tuesday, June 22, 2010 from 5 – 7 pm at Victor Steinbrueck Park, just north of Pike Place Market, for a vigil and rally in support of Troy Davis.
Amnesty International Group 4 – Seattle, the Washington Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Seattle King County Branch, and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Washington are joining a global day of solidarity for Troy Davis. Troy Davis is a man with a compelling case of innocence that raises critical questions about the death penalty and the larger criminal justice system. He has been on death row for more than 18 years for the murder of police officer Mark Allen MacPhail in Savannah, Georgia. Davis has faced execution three times and was less than two hours from execution at one point.
– There was no physical evidence against Troy Davis
– The weapon used in the crime was never found
– The case against him consists entirely of witness testimony
– Seven of the nine non-police witnesses have recanted or contradicted their testimony
– Many of the witnesses have stated that they were pressured or coerced by police
– One of the two witnesses who has not recanted or contradicted testimony is the principal alternative suspect, who turned Troy Davis in, and the other can only be sure of the color of a t-shirt
– Nine individuals have signed affidavits implicating the alternative suspect
In the 1990s, when Davis needed investigation and work done on his appeals, the office representing death row inmates got a 2/3 budget cut – leaving just two lawyers to defend about 80 people on death row in Georgia. “I desperately tried to represent Mr. Davis during this period, but the lack of adequate resources and the numerous intervening crises made that impossible … We were simply trying to avert total disaster rather than provide any kind of active or effective representation.” –Lawyer working on Troy Davis’ state appeals.
There has not been an evidentiary hearing in a federal appeals court to examine the new witness testimony. However, on August 17, 2009, the US Supreme Court ordered that such a hearing take place in Savannah’s federal district court to review evidence of Davis’ innocence. The evidentiary hearing will begin on Wednesday, June 23 at 10am and could be as short as one day and as long as a few days. It is unclear what the judge could do at the conclusion of the hearing.
It is important to note that the evidentiary hearing is not a new trial. Davis is presumed guilty and the burden rests on him to “clearly establish his innocence”, whereas in a new trial, he would be presumed innocent and the state would have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt to a jury that he is guilty. If the judicial system continues to focus on procedures and technicalities instead of the fundamental issue of innocence, Davis is at risk of a fourth execution date. We must prevent his execution and ensure justice for Troy Davis!
All are encouraged to attend this important event to take action and show support.
Our raffle tickets for the 2 GB Silver iPod Shuffle and Pearl Jam vs Ames Bros book will be 1 ticket for $2, 3 tickets for $5 and 7 tickets for $10 (and we’ll have separate tickets for each). Drawing will be at our AI booth at 5 pm, Sunday, June 20 (you need not be present to win, just make sure to include contact info such as your e-mail address or phone number on the ticket).
Money raised will go to postage (air mail stamps are currently 98 cents each), photocopies and putting on human rights events throughout the year. We are a local, all volunteer group.
Our location has moved from our usual spot at the Fremont Fair this year. We are just past Evanston Ave. N on N 35th St., the next street west of Fremont, just past the Rocket (it’s a block north from where most of the booths are on 34th, sorry for the earlier mis-direction).
Find out more about the Fremont Fair, including the Solstice Parade, music schedules and directions at:
Welcome to the new website for AIUSA Group 4, Seattle’s local Amnesty International group!
We meet monthly at 6:30 pm on the first Tuesday of each month in the den (meeting room) of the Mosaic Coffee House, 4401 2nd Ave NE, Seattle. Our first half hour is for letter writing on Amnesty’s cases and a chance to socialize. Business starts at 7 pm, and we try to finish by 8:30 pm. All are welcome!
Check out our Events & Meetings page for more information and upcoming events, including our booth at the Fremont Fair on June 19 & 20, and a rally in support of Georgia death row inmate Troy Davis on Tues. June 22 (the day before his evidentiary hearing, which was ordered by the U.S. Supreme Court).
