AIUSA MONTHLY ACTION GUIDE

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL USA MONTHLY ACTION GUIDEEvery month, Amnesty International members gather in coffee shops, community centers, classrooms, and living rooms to take action for a world where human rights are enjoyed by all. We take injustice personally, and when we take action collectively, we have the power to change lives, and to change our world.

This Monthly Action Guide is filled with information about pressing human rights issues, updates on Amnesty International campaigns, and tangible actions that you can take in your next meeting. In this issue you’ll find these actions that your group can take: • Call on the Governor of the State of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil to stop police killings in that state, and to protect the lives of young black men• Tell the President of the Dominican Republic to end statelessness • Urge authorities to provide adequate medical treatment for Mustafa al-Hawsawi, detainee at Guantanamo• Call for the release of Prisoners of Conscience in Saudi Arabia• Pressure U.S. firms selling consumer electronics to ensure that their supply chains are free of cobalt produced by child labor

In addition to actions that you can take in this month’s meetings, we also have information about and Activist Toolkits for Amnesty International USA priority campaigns, My Body, My Rights, and Refugees Welcome. Finally, if your group is not yet committed to a long-term case, we have included information about how to strengthen your group by getting more involved with the Individuals-At-Risk campaign.

We want to hear from you! Each action you take makes a difference, and the more you report, the more impact we can have. Most group coordinators let us know right away how their meetings went and how many actions you took, so please be sure to fill out this form after each of your meetings!

Also, if you haven’t yet, please let us know how your Write for Rights Event went!

We would also love to hear feedback about this Monthly Action Guide, so we can continue to improve. If you have ideas about how this can be more useful to you, your group, and your activism, please send them to Jiva Manske at jmanske@aiusa.org with “Monthly Action Guide Feedback” in your subject line.

Thanks, and see you in Miami at the Annual General Meeting!

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“BLACK YOUTH ALIVE”: CAMPAIGN TO STOP POLICE KILLINGS IN BRAZILBACKGROUND: The use of lethal force by law enforcement officers in Brazil raises serious human rights concerns, including in regard to the right to life. Brazil is the country with the highest number of homicides in the world: 56,000 people were killed in 2012. Only 5% to 8% of homicide cases are ever investigated and brought to justice. This impunity feeds a cycle of violence. Negative stereotypes associated with the youth – especially young black men living in the favelas and other marginalized areas – have contributed to the trivialization of violence. In 2012 over 50% of homicide victims were between 15-29 years old, and 77% were black. Check out this video, and share far and wide!

CAMPAIGN UPDATES: Ahead of the one-year countdown to the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, Amnesty International launched the report You Killed My Son, which found evidence that strongly suggests the occurrence of extrajudicial executions in at least 9 out of 10 killings committed by the military police in the city of Rio in 2014. With the Olympics just around the corner, now is the time to raise awareness and demand accountability.

ACTION NEEDED: Join Amnesty International and call on the Governor of the State of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil to Stop Police Killings in that State.

Check out the online petition here, and share in your next meeting!

You can also print the petition’s text to collect signatures, and you can write letters based on the sample in this Action Guide. Paper petitions can be sent to contact person below.

FURTHER RESOURCES PRESS RELEASE: You Killed My Son: Killings by Military Police in Rio de Janeiro Miami Herald: AI-Brazil and AIUSA joint Op-EdArticle published at the Amnesty’s International Blog

CONTACT INFORMATION Marselha Gonçalves Margerin, Advocacy Director for the AmericasAmnesty International USA, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE 5th floor, Washington, DC 20003Phone: 202-675-8766 Email:Marselha@aiusa.org

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SAMPLE LETTER – Black Youth Alive:Message Recipients: Mr. Luiz Fernando Pezão, Governor of the State of Rio de Janeiro Mr. Marfan Martins Vieira, General-Prosecutor of Justice for the Public Prosecution Of-fice of the State of Rio de Janeiro

Dear Mr. Governor,

I am deeply concerned that the military police for the State of Rio de Janeiro have been using lethal force in a disproportionate, unnecessary and arbitrary manner. Between 2005 and 2014, 5,132 people were killed by police officers on duty in the city of Rio de Janeiro. The majority of the victims were black youth living in favelas/poor communities.

The extrajudicial executions committed during military police operations remain frequent. In general, the records listing those deaths as “homicides resulting from police intervention” describe a context of confrontation where the police reacted in self-defense. The cases are rarely investigated to determine whether the use of lethal force was necessary or proportionate.

The lack of impartial and effective investigations allow those records to be used as a smokescreen to hide extrajudicial executions. Other human rights violations such as threats against and intimidation of witnesses and human rights defenders fuel the cycle of violence and impunity.

Extrajudicial executions are unacceptable! Amnesty International demands that the government of the State of Rio de Janeiro and the State Public Prosecution Office: • Engage the Homicides Unit and a team of dedicated public prosecutors on a broad and immediate investigation into the evidence related to nine cases of extrajudicial executions in Favela de Acari in 2014, as documented in Amnesty International’s 2015 report “You Killed My Son: Homicides by Military Police in the City of Rio de Janeiro”;• Set up a task-force involving the Public Prosecution Office and the Public Security Secretary to guarantee the full, speedy, impartial and independent investigation into open cases of “homicides resulting from police intervention” in the city of Rio de Janeiro; • Publicly address and condemn the unnecessary or disproportionate use of lethal force by police and commit to eradicate extrajudicial executions by public security forces;• Guarantee that every police killing is investigated by the Homicides Unit, which needs to receive adequate resources and the structure to fulfill this role;• Strictly control the use of heavy weapons such as rifles and machine guns in police operations in favelas and residential areas;• Secure psychological and social support, as well as access to justice and reparation (including financial compensation) to families of all victims.

Thank you for your attention to this important matter.

[Full Name, City, State]

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YES, THEY EXIST! END STATELESSNESS IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC!BACKGROUND: Tens of thousands individuals became stateless in the Dominican Republic in September 2013 when the highest court in the country decided that even though these individuals were born and raised for generations in the country, they should not have been Dominicans because their parents, grandparents, or even great grandparents, were from Haiti. Stateless people legally do not exist, and their lives are marked by frustration and missed opportunities. They have difficulty accessing healthcare and education. They can’t travel and are forced into informal jobs. Women are at higher risk of violence. Without nationality, they have no documents, and their human rights are not respected. Dominican authorities continue to deny anyone is stateless, yet Amnesty International has documented dozens of cases of statelessness. Check out this video for more background!

CAMPAIGN UPDATES: : In Summer 2015 you joined the #UncertainFate campaign, and more than 23K AIUSA activists called on the President of the Dominican Republic not to expel Dominicans of Haitian descent who were stateless. You brought the issue of statelessness into the spotlight and increased media attention and U.S. government awareness. Years of inaction ended when the government of the Dominican Republic enacted reform, giving 55,000 individuals the ability to regain access to their identity documents and nationality. However, given bureaucracy and institutional discrimination, there are still hundreds of thousands that need their nationality restored.

ACTION NEEDED: Tell President Medina of the Dominican Republic, YES, THEY EXIST! End Statelessness in the Dominican Republic! Sign the online petition, or print the petition’s text to collect signatures. Paper petitions can be sent to contact person below. And please share it with your networks using #YesTheyExist, #YesIExist, #Statelessness, and #IBelong!You can also print the petition’s text to collect signatures, and you can write letters based on the sample in this Action Guide. Paper petitions can be sent to contact person below.

FURTHER RESOURCES Report: Amnesty International’s Report: “Without Papers, I am no One.” Stateless People in the Dominican Republic Press Release: Dominican Republic Legal Maze Leaves Thousands Stateless in Nation of Ghost Citizens AIUSA Blog: ‘They are Black, They are Poor, and They are Stateless’Amnesty International Blog: ow.ly/UQbCp

CONTACT INFORMATION Marselha Gonçalves Margerin, Advocacy Director for the AmericasAmnesty International USA, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE 5th floor, Washington, DC 20003Phone: 202-675-8766 Email:Marselha@aiusa.org

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SAMPLE LETTER – Stateless in the Dominican Republic:Message Recipients: Danilo Medina, President of the Dominican Republic

Dear President,

I continue to be extremely worried about the consequences for tens of thousands of people in the Dominican Republic of the ruling 168-13 of the Constitutional Court. By arbitrarily and retroactively depriving generations of individuals born and raised in the Dominican Republic of their Dominican nationality, the decision has rendered many stateless.

I welcome the steps taken by the Dominican authorities in May 2014 to address this human rights crisis through the law 169-14. However, recent research done in-coun-try by Amnesty International and other organizations found that many of the affected people were not able to enjoy the benefits of this law and remain stateless until a new solution can be designed and implemented.

The situation of statelessness has a dramatic impact on the daily lives of these individuals. With no access to identity documents, their rights to education, health, and work are undermined. Various cases have been documented of people whose freedom of movement is denied. Women and girls are particularly at risk of violence and exploitation with little to no recourse to justice. Stateless people are trapped in a cycle of poverty and exclusion for themselves and their children.

I am concerned that the Dominican authorities refuse to admit this reality: statelessness does exist and it must be addressed urgently.

I call on you to recognize the reality and the scale of statelessness in the Dominican Republic, and urge you to restore Dominican nationality to those deprived of it following Constitutional Court ruling 168-13.

Sincerely,

[Full Name, City, State]

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AMERICAN TORTURE STORYBACKGROUND: The detention camp at Guantanamo Bay recently entered its 15th year of existence. Indefinite detention still persists there, and there has been no accountability for the torture many detainees have suffered. President Obama’s time to act before leaving office is running out.

CAMPAIGN UPDATES: In recent months, the one-year anniversary of the Senate torture report passed, and Guantanamo entered into its fifteenth year. As part of our campaign to shutter the detention camp and ensure accountability for CIA torture, we are conducting advocacy around both the systemic changes that must be made, and the plight of people like Mustafa al-Hawsawi. Mr. al-Hawsawi spent three years in the CIA interrogation program, where he was tortured. He was then brought to Guantanamo in 2006, where he remains. He is facing unfair trial by military commission, which falls short of international fair trial standards.

ACTION NEEDED: Please sign and send the attached letter asking for improvement in Mr. al-Hawsawi’s medical treatment in Guantanamo. We believe this simple request can result in concrete changes that will make an enormous difference in this one individual’s life. Mr. al-Hawsawi suffers excruciating physical ailments that appear to be largely the result of his torture, including rectal prolapse that requires surgery, and blood in his urine that has not been ruled out as cancer. He has been denied the medical treatment he needs, including the care that any torture survivor would require.

FURTHER RESOURCES Read more about Mr. al-Hawsawi and how you can take action on the American Torture Story campaign here.Read this op-ed from 9/11 victim family member Julia Rodriguez that outlines why she believes Guantanamo and torture cannot bring her family the justice they deserve. Read more about the individuals waiting for President Obama to use his last chance to close Guantanamo and bring accountability for torture.

CONTACT INFORMATION Elizabeth Beavers, Policy & Activism CoordinatorAmnesty International USA, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE 5th floor, Washington, DC 20003Phone: 202-509-8132 Email: ebeavers@aiusa.org

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SAMPLE LETTER – American Torture Story:Message Recipients: The Honorable Jonathan Woodson, M.D.Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health AffairsUS Department of Defense1200 Defense Pentagon, Room 3E1070Washington, D.C. 20301-1200

Re: Medical Treatment of Mustafa al-Hawsawi, Detainee at Guantánamo

Dear Assistant Secretary Woodson,

I am writing to express my deep concern about the situation of Mustafa al-Hawsawi, a detainee held in Department of Defense custody at the US naval station at Guantánamo Bay in Cuba since September 2006. According to his lawyers, he is in chronic extreme physical pain, and has injuries sustained during torture and other ill-treatment he endured while in the custody of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) between 2003 and 2006. He is reported to be suffering chronic and potentially life-threatening illness, and he requires appropriate and ongoing medical assessment and treatment.

Mustafa al-Hawsawi has been diagnosed with rectal prolapse, anal fissure (torn rectum) and chronic hemorrhoids. These ailments are so severe that he is forced, in spite of excruciating pain, to manually re-insert the prolapsing tissue back into his rectal cavity with his fingers whenever he defecates or strains. This painful and humiliating condition may well be the result of torture by US government personnel: namely sodomy with a foreign object while in CIA custody.

According to his lawyers, Mustafa al-Hawsawi suffers severe pain and exhaustion every time he defecates because of the severity of his rectal condition. He limits his intake of food and liquids in an attempt to reduce the number of times he will have to defecate.

Failure to ensure appropriate and continuing medical treatment and rehabilitative care for those deprived of their liberty, including those who have been subjected to torture or other ill-treatment, contravenes U.S. international legal obligations.

I urge you to ensure that Mustafa al-Hawsawi is provided genuine access to adequate medical assessment and care, without further delay.

Sincerely,

[Full Name, City, State]

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INDIVIDUALS AT RISK CAMPAIGN – FREE PRISONERS OF CONSCIENCE IN SAUDI ARABIA BACKGROUND: The Saudi Arabian authorities have been waging a campaign of repression. Hundreds have been imprisoned and many remain in detention. Two Prisoners of Conscience who are still behind bars are blogger Raif Badawi and his lawyer Waleed Abu al-Khair: • Raif Badawi was sentenced to 10 years in prison and 1000 lashes for his blog, “Saudi Arabian Liberals.” He has been charged with violating Saudi Arabia’s information technology law and insulting Islamic religious figures.• Human rights lawyer Waleed Abu al-Khair was jailed for 15 years under a terrorism law in Saudi Arabia, solely for his work defending peaceful activists and challenging the crackdown on human rights across the country.

Amnesty International has repeatedly called on Saudi Arabian authorities to respect human rights, but we remain barred from entering the country to conduct human rights research, and Saudi Arabian activists who contact the organization have been punished. Instead of addressing gross human rights violations, authorities have rejected concerns as interference in the affairs of the Saudi Arabian judiciary, and launched a media charm offensive to “correct” the country’s image.

CAMPAIGN UPDATES: January 23, 2015 marked once year since King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud ascended to the throne. Under his leadership, Saudi Arabian authorities have stepped-up a ruthless crackdown on dissent by detaining critics and subjected them to grossly unfair trials before the Specialized Criminal Court; increasing imposition of the death penalty; and maintaining practices that discriminate against the country’s Shi’a Muslim minority. The Kingdom’s military has also repeatedly violated the laws of war in Yemen. Now, more than ever, it is critical that the international community call for Saudi Arabia’s authorities to respect human rights.

ACTION NEEDED: Action needed: Your voice matters – and so does your tweet! Use the power of social media to call for the release of Prisoners of Conscience Waleed Abu al-Khair and Raif Badawi. Here are some tweets you can use:

• One year on @Raif_Badawi’s fate is still uncertain. @KingSalman: end the torment & release him now!• You are not alone - the world is watching. We all are with you! @waleed_abualkhair #Waleed_Abualkhair #Saudi #detaineesinKSA

FURTHER RESOURCES Press Release: King Salman’s First Year in Power in Saudi Arabia a Dark Year for Human RIghtsAIUSA Blog: A Year of Bloody Repression Write for Rights Case: Waleed

CONTACT INFORMATION Jasmine Heiss, Senior Campaigner Amnesty International USA, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE 5th floor, Washington, DC 20003Phone: 202-509-8146 Email: jheiss@aiusa.org

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THIS IS WHAT WE DIE FOR: CHILD LABOR IN THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO’S COBALT MINESBACKGROUND: Children as young as seven are working in perilous conditions in the Democratic Republic of Congo to mine cobalt that ends up in smartphones, cars and computers sold to millions across the world by household brands including Apple, HP, Microsoft and Vodafone, according to a new Amnesty International investigation.

Amnesty International traced cobalt used in lithium batteries sold to 16 multinational brands to mines where young children and adults are being paid a dollar a day, working in life-threatening conditions, and subjected to violence, extortion, and intimidation. More than half the world’s supply of cobalt comes from the DRC, with 20% of cobalt exported coming from artisanal mines in the southern part of the country. Check out this video for more background!

ACTION NEEDED: Put pressure on U.S. firms selling consumer electronics to undertake due diligence to ensure that their supply chains are free of cobalt produced by child labor and/or in dangerous, unhealthy conditions.

Send a letter like this to Dell, Hewlett Packard, Apple, and Microsoft. Tweet the companies and ask if they know the story behind the cobalt in their products:

Do you know the story behind the cobalt in your phone? @Microsoft (or @HP) do you know? #DRC

Or tweet the maker of your phone to ask if and how they know where the cobalt in their products comes from: • Does your smartphone contain cobalt mined by children in the #DRC?• Do you know the story behind the cobalt in your phone?

FURTHER RESOURCES Report: This Is What We Die For - https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/afr62/3183/2016/en/

CONTACT INFORMATION Thomas Turner, DRC Country SpecialistPhone: 304 650 3999Email: tommyagain@yahoo.com

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MY BODY MY RIGHTS (MBMR)BACKGROUND: We all have the right to make decisions about our own health, body, sexuality, and reproductive life without fear, coercion, violence or discrimination. Yet, all over the world, our freedom to make these decisions is controlled by governments, medical professionals, and even our own families. We can help defend sexual and reproductive rights (SRR) around the world and in our own communities!

This Spring, the MBMR Campaign is focusing on sexual and reproductive rights violations—including barriers to accessing SRR healthcare services and information, the criminalization of abortion, and the shaming and blaming of survivors of sexual and gender-based violence—in Ireland, Burkina Faso, Tunisia, and the United States. There are a number of actions you can take, including collecting as many signatures as you can for each petition, taking part in solidarity actions, and educating your community about the SRR violations in each country. Download the Spring 2016 MBMR Activist Toolkit to start taking action now!

FURTHER RESOURCES For more information, actions, and resources you can go to the MBMR page: http://www.amnestyusa.org/our-work/campaigns/my-body-my-rights

CONTACT INFORMATION Kaitlyn Denzler, Women’s Rights Campaigner Amnesty International USA, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE 5th floor, Washington, DC 20003Phone: 202-509-8146 Email: kdenzler@aiusa.org

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REFUGEES WELCOMEBACKGROUND: Over 11.6 million Syrians have been displaced by the civil war and by acts of terror—over 4 million of them are refugees in desperate need of resettlement. Ninety-five percent of Syrian refuges are in just five countries: Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Egypt—most in refugee camps and all needing permanent homes. The United States must do more to help these refugees, who are some of the world’s most vulnerable people.

U.S. politicians and pundits have been increasing their calls to deny access to Syrian and Muslim refugees. Some have even proposed “rounding up” Syrian refugees who are already in the United States, or even considering the idea of internment camps. The anti-refugee and anti-Muslim rhetoric is shameful—we must speak out against such hatred and intolerance and we must ensure our country lives up to its international obligations for refugees and asylum seekers.

ACTION NEEDED: We need activists around the country to stand up to hate and fear and to ensure that your town welcomes refugees. Our Syrian Refugee Activist Toolkit includes steps you can take to ensure refugees are welcome in your communities and our country, including information on how to:• Help pass a city council resolution welcoming refugees• Write letters to the press on refugees’ rights • Contact your elected representatives to demand support of refugees• Answer questions and have conversations about the need to protect and resettle refugees in light of the recent attacks in Paris and Beirut

FURTHER RESOURCES • 16 Days blog • 4 Reasons Resettlement is Right for US • Focus on Europe • Syrian Refugee Crisis in Numbers • Failing Syrian refugees• Four years of Syrian Conflict• Stories of Syria’s most vulnerable refugees

CONTACT INFORMATION Tarah Demant, Senior Director, Identity and Discrimination UnitAmnesty International USA, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE 5th floor, Washington, DC 20003 Phone: 202-509-8180Email: tdemant@aiusa.org

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INDIVIDUALS AT RISK: CASE COMMITMENT INITIATIVEIn countries around the world, people’s lives are threatened because of who they are or what they believe. The Individuals at Risk Program’s mission is to free Prisoners of Conscience, stand with human rights defenders, and campaign for victims and alongside survivors of systemic human rights violations—and this is done by working on individual cases in the U.S. and around the world.

Your group can make a difference by making a Case Commitment. By joining Local and Student Groups across the country in committing to campaign on a specific case until it is resolved, your group can play a key role in impacting the cases of Prisoners of Conscience, human rights defenders, and individuals and communities at risk around the world.

To make a Case Commitment, your group simply selects a case on whose behalf you are interested in campaigning, and then you receive training and support you need to work on the case together until it is resolved!

FURTHER RESOURCES To view the Individuals at Risk cases available for commitment, please visit this link.

CONTACT INFORMATION Emily Walsh, Associate Campaigner, Individuals at Risk ProgramPhone: 212-633-4167 Email: ewalsh@aiusa.org

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INDIVIDUALS AT RISK: URGENT ACTION NETWORKBACKGROUND: Amnesty International’s Urgent Action Network provides an effective and rapid response to urgent situations involving prisoners of conscience, human rights defenders, and other individuals and communities whose human rights are at risk.

CAMPAIGN UPDATES: “Marwan” (UA 216/15 – Tunisia) and Hicham Mansouri (UA 90/15 – Morocco) have been released! “Marwan” (pseudonym) is a Tunisian student that was jailed for engaging in “homosexual relations”, however was released after his sentence was reduced on appeal on 17 December. Hicham Mansouri is a Moroccan journalist who was released on 17 January after serving a 10 month prison term on trumped-up charges. He now faces up to 5 years in prison on separate charges. Thanks for all of your dedication to activism, and please keep up the great work!

ACTION NEEDED: We encourage you and/or your group to sign up at www.amnestyusa.org/uan, in order to take action on this case, as well as others. You have the option to choose which topics, regions, and the frequency of email alerts that you would like to receive each month. Also, please visit our webpage to view more information on case updates, victories, and sample appeals letters.

FURTHER RESOURCES Please visit: www.amnestyusa.org/uan

CONTACT INFORMATION Brittney Bartlett, Assistant Campaigner, Individuals at Risk Program Phone: 212-633-4179Email: bbartlett@aiusa.org

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