Update. Lubicon Cree Film. Join the Photo Petition

Transcription

1 Update Amnesty International Edmonton Group 12/26 March 2012 Lubicon Cree Film Update Appeal for Death Penalty Week Page 2 Minutes of the February Meeting Page 3 & 4 National AGM Page Budget Page 5 Coordinators Page 6 Our March General Meeting will be held on Tuesday, March 27th at 7.30p.m. in the Knox Metropolitan Hall on 83rd Avenue just east of 109 Street. Please ring the bell for entry. Everyone is welcome to join us. Agenda: Indigenous Rights: Film on the Lubicon Cree followed by discussion. IAAW Social Justice Awards Night March 30 Review of Palestinian Bazaar Cultural Festival Bill C Bill C-31 gives the Minister broad and vague powers over the lives of refugees. Kony 2012 Video discussion and stance of AI Join the Photo Petition Amnesty International Oakville Group 75 invites us to send our images showing our solidarity with the Lubicon Cree. They will add our photos to the global gallery of supporters for the Lubicon Cree. We will take some photos at our meeting. View the gallery here

2 Amnesty International Edmonton Group Update Appeals Please sign and send the appeal letter that is attached or write a letter in your own words making the same requests as outlined in the sample letter. If you receive a reply please forward a copy to the National Office, at 312 Laurier Avenue East, Ottawa, Ontario K1N 1H9 or fax it to You can also your letter at The letter is on behalf of Ronald Smith a Canadian citizen on death row in the US state of Montana for a double murder committed in 1982 who is seeking clemency, having exhausted his court appeals. His clemency hearing has been set for 2 May, with written submissions to the parole board due by 11 April. Harvey Madman Jr. and Thomas Running Rabbit Jr., Native Americans, were shot dead in north western Montana on 4 August 1982 soon after they had picked up three hitchhikers, Ronald Smith, Rodney Munro and Andre Fontaine, who had crossed from Canada the day before. The three then stole the car and were later arrested in other US states. Ronald Smith and Rodney Munro were charged with capital murder. Andre Fontaine accepted a plea bargain, pleaded guilty to aggravated kidnapping, was sentenced to 60 years in prison, and released in The prosecutor offered Ronald Smith a similar deal if he pled guilty to murder he would not face the death penalty but be sentenced to life imprisonment and be eligible for release in some 17 years. He rejected the deal, pled guilty to capital murder, refused to present mitigating evidence, and asked for the death penalty, which the judge handed down in March Within weeks, Ronald Smith changed his mind, stating that he had been severely depressed when he made the plea but that he now wanted to live. In 1984 the judge affirmed the sentence, but this was overturned in Ronald Smith was resentenced to death in 1992, this was in turn reversed, and he was again sentenced to death in It is this death sentence, and the 1983 conviction, that has survived on appeal. In 2010, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Ronald Smith s trial lawyer had failed to investigate the facts of the crime, failed to investigate Smith s mental state at the time of the crime, and failed to discuss possible defenses before Smith pled guilty. However, it ruled that Ronald Smith had not proved that his lawyer s failings harmed him. One of the three federal judges dissented, arguing that it is hard to escape the fact that we would not be here if Smith had not succumbed to his semi-suicidal thoughts and instead accepted the plea bargain, and that with effective representation there was a reasonable probability he would have made a different decision. Ronald Smith was 24 years old at the time of the crime and is now 54. In its ruling in 2010, the Court of Appeals noted that by all accounts, Ronald Smith has reformed his life, building strong relationships with relatives and taking advantage of educational opportunities offered within the prison context. In addition, it noted that he has expressed deep regret for his deplorable actions. However, the Court said that such issues were not for it but for the wisdom of the executive branch to consider in clemency proceedings. For more information see Thank you for taking action on this case. 2

3 Update March 2012 Minutes of the February 2012 General Meeting General Meeting February 28, 2012 Mary chaired the meeting. Global Visions We are sponsoring the film The Abyss on Friday. Cathy will speak at the opening and Jonn will find someone to answer questions at the end. Jonn has letters for the table. Upcoming Meetings We can view the film on the Lubicon Cree with Dietlind and get an update on what the situation is now. Other suggestions for meetings include letter writing on women s cases as March 8 is Women s Day. There are some cases on the Write for Rights website that are still appropriate. Kirk suggested a speaker Mike Hudema Scott Harris spoke on water. U of A Group News U of A group chairpersons are Joanne Leung and Solomia Tsair. March 23 at 8.00 pm at the Haven Social Club is a Benefit Concert. Tickets are $10 each. Local artists will play. April Death Penalty Week Events include a flash mob, a debate about the death penalty, a presentation from Aubrey Harris, Coordinator, Campaign to Abolish the Death Penalty on Wednesday, April 4 at 5.30 pm. March 1 is the presentation to the Nestle Chairperson at the U of A and there will be a protest. There is a presentation in the Education Building tomorrow at 7.30 pm on Water. Institute for the Advancement of Aboriginal Women, Social Justice Awards - Muriel Stanley-Venne March 30, pm at the Royal Alberta Museum, the Social Justice Awards Ceremony will be held. Robert Urbanoski is this year s recipient. He was the RCMP Officer who solved the case of the murder of Helen Betty Osborne in The Chief Commissioner on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission will be in attendance. Beverly Jacobs former President of the Native Women s Association. Is giving a presentation. National Annual General Meeting 2012 Vancouver The 40th Annual General Meeting of Amnesty International Canada is being held on June 15th, 16th and 17th, 2012 at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver BC. In addition to standard AGM Content, we will be hosting a Human Rights Conference on Saturday June 16th, which will be open to local activists, Amnesty friends and colleagues from other organizations. April 16: Membership renewal deadline. You must be a member in good standing at least 60 days before the AGM in order to vote at the AGM May 11: Deadline for booking accommodations at UBC

4 Amnesty International Edmonton Group Minutes of the February Meeting continued June 1: Deadline for AGM registration for Members and Non-Members Contact Louise Mulvihill at for more information. Edmonton AI Refugee Committee There are so few refugees getting into Canada that they are being processed in Vancouver and Ottawa so our committee will close. Google Group Jonn is starting a google group for us to use instead of . Telephone Landline Removal No decision Minutes respectfully submitted by Isabelle Nash National Annual General Meeting 2012 Vancouver The 40th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of Amnesty International Canada (English Section) is being held on June 15th, 16th and 17th, 2012 at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver BC. In addition to standard AGM Content, we will be hosting a Human Rights Conference on Saturday June 16th, which will be open to local activists, Amnesty friends and colleagues from other organizations. Expect great speakers, challenging debates, and rousing calls to action. AGM registration will be online. To further reduce our carbon foot print, all documents will be sent by once you have registered and non-confidential materials will be downloadable from the registration site. There will be no documents mailed to you unless requested. Please check the AGM registration site for deadlines concerning subsidies and resolutions. Here are some dates to keep in mind: April 6: Deadline for subsidy applications for financial support (to offset travel, accommodation, and registration costs) April 16: Membership renewal deadline. You must be a member in good standing at least 60 days before the AGM in order to vote at the AGM May 11: Deadline for booking accommodations at UBC June 1: Deadline for AGM registration for Members and Non-Members Contact Louise Mulvihill at lmulvihill@amnesty.ca for more information. See the website for full details. 4

5 Update March 2012 Amnesty International Group 12/26 Budget for 2012 REVENUE - EXPECTED Membership Fees...$800 Donation - Group Members...$500 Donation - Others (United Way, other)...$5,000 Merchandise Sale...$1,000 Interest from Savings...$150 TOTAL...$7,450 Transfer from Savings...$10,000 REVENUE TOTAL... $17,450 EXPENSES - EXPECTED... Membership Fee to AI Canada...$800 Meeting Room Rental...$500 Merchandise Purchase...$500 Phone...$100 P.O. Box...$200 Brochures, Books...$100 Newsletter...$100 Actionfile/Refnet...$100 Website...$100 Group Brochure...$0 Special Events (Global Vision, other...$3,000 Stamps...$1,500 Regional Conference...$300 Support for Low Income Membership...$50 Administration Expense, Other...$100 TOTAL...$7,450 Donation to AI Canada...$10,000 EXPENSE TOTAL... $17,450 This newsletter is published monthly except for July, August and December by the Edmonton Group (12/26) of Amnesty International, Canadian Section (English Speaking), in Edmonton, Alberta. Submissions of articles is welcomed, please send submissions directly to Isabelle at or issina@shaw.ca The deadline for submissions is the second Tuesday of the month. 5

6 Amnesty International Edmonton Group Edmonton Group 12/26 Edmonton Groups 12/26, Box 52060, Garneau Post Office, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2T5 Meetings are held at 7.30 p.m. in the Knox Metropolitan Church Hall on 83 Ave at 109 Str the fourth Tuesday of each month except July, August and December. Amnesty International is a worldwide voluntary, activist movement that works impartially to prevent violations of people s fundamental civil and political human rights by governments and opposition groups. We campaign to free all prisoners of conscience: people detained anywhere for their beliefs or because of their ethnic origin, sex, colour, language, national or social origin, economic status, birth, or other status, provided they have not used or advocated violence; ensure fair and prompt trials for political prisoners; abolish the death penalty, torture, and other cruel treatment of prisoners; end political killings and disappearances. National Information Line, AMNESTY National Website Edmonton Group Website amnesty@edmontonamnesty.org Coordinators 2012 Co-Chairperson...Sophie Kolodziejczyk. sophie.kolodzi@gmail.com... Co-Chairperson...Anna Rozwadowska...annarz@uviv.ca... Membership Secretary...Katrin Hoffmann...katrinannahoffmann@hotmail.com Treasurer...Katrin Hoffmann...katrinannahoffmann@hotmail.com Recording Secretary...Isabelle Nash...issina@shaw.ca Action File Coordinators Urgent Action...Judith Little...jmlittle@telus.net China File...Tovah Yedlin...tyedlin@ualberta.ca Administrative Coordinators Events...Sophie Kolodziejczyk. sophie.kolodzi@gmail.com cathy Garvey...cgfree55@telusplanet.net Rosemarie Garvey...rmgarvey@shaw.ca Fundraising...Sophie Kolodziejczyk. sophie.kolodzi@gmail.com... Newsletter...Isabelle Nash...issina@shaw.ca Dorothea Moerer...moered2@shaw.ca Outreach to New Members......Ilona Niehaus...ilona@edmontonbbb.org Media and Publicity...Jonn Kmech...jonn.kmech@gmail.com... Directors...Jonn Kmech...jonn.kmech@gmail.com......Rosemarie Garvey...rmgarvey@shaw.ca Ilona Niehaus...ilona@edmontonbbb.org Fieldworkers...Charlene Scharf...scharfc@shaw.ca Sophie Kolodziejczyk. sophie.kolodzi@gmail.com... Youth Student Program..Dietlind Bork...diboliv@gmail.com... President U of A Group...Solomia Tsisar...aiuofa@ualberta.ca Joanne Leung...aiuofa@ualberta.ca Webmaster...Isabelle Nash...issina@shaw.ca