Activism Newsletter, April Edition
Amnesty International Ireland
We are a movement of over 10 million people, campaigning to stop human rights abuses worldwide.
Please find below updates on our campaigns and human rights work, opportunities to take direct and immediate action, interesting resources, and more!
Email [email protected] with any questions.
What's Been Happening
St. Patrick's Day Ceasefire Action
On?Friday 15 March, Amnesty staff and local group activists demonstrated outside the?US Embassy in Dublin?and the consulate in Belfast as part of a transatlantic?solidarity action for St. Patrick's Day. We called on President Joe Biden to demand an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza.
While the Taoiseach made his annual pilgrimage to the White House to meet with President Biden and to present the traditional bowl of shamrock, our?US colleagues were outside the White House in Washington DC?calling on him to listen to his Irish roots and demand a ceasefire now.
Amnesty International is calling for an immediate and sustained ceasefire in Gaza, the release of remaining civilian hostages, and for Israel to end its illegal inhumane blockade of Gaza. We are also calling on an arms embargo on Israel, Hamas and other armed groups.?
Sign our petition to call for an permanent ceasefire by all parties to end civilian bloodshed.
Amnesty Letterkenny's Dip for Gaza
Our Letterkenny local group participated in a local solidarity initiative for Gaza on Mother's Day, 10 March. Crowds of people gathered to take a polar plunge for two minutes in solidarity with mothers and children in Gaza.
Want to join a local group and take action today? Find one in your local area!
IDEA Webinar: We Need to Talk About Gaza
On 20 March, Irish Development Education Association held a webinar on ‘Exploring Contemporary Crises and Issues through GCE’ entitled ‘We Need to Talk About Gaza’. Our Youth Activism Officer, Talha AlAli shared his insights on the situation in Gaza and the importance of discussing these issues in an educational context.
ISSU Women's Day Conference
On Friday 8 March, our Activism Officer, Alice Regis attended Irish Second-Level Students' Union Women's Day Conference to celebrate the rights and achievements of women and girls everywhere, and to share all the ways you can get involved in the fight for human rights.
Campaign Updates
Israel/OPT: Death in Custody of Walid Daqqah
Palestinian prisoner Walid Daqqah has died in Israeli custody.
Walid was diagnosed with bone marrow cancer in 2022. Over 1,000 Irish people signed our petition to demand his release on humanitarian grounds.
His death is a cruel reminder of Israel's disregard of Palestinians' right to life.
Good News - Palestinian Human Rights Defender Set Free
Munther Amira, a Palestinian human rights defender and social worker, has been released from administrative detention at Ofer Military Prison in occupied West Bank.
He had been arbitrarily detained by Israeli forces since December 2023 without charges or trial over some alleged Facebook posts.
In a statement shared with Amnesty International after his release, Munther said:?
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“When I was told by my lawyer in Ofer prison that Amnesty International is planning to campaign on my case, it gave me so much strength - I felt that I was not alone, that I haven’t been forgotten, that Israel’s attempts to make us disappear behind bars, to silence us, have not actually succeeded.”
Thank you to everyone who took action for Munther.
Protect the Protest - Türkiye: Solidarity With Saturday Mothers 1,000th Vigil
The Saturday Mothers vigil is held every Saturday in Istanbul’s Galatasaray Square. The longstanding peaceful weekly gathering, was started in May 1995 by relatives – mainly mothers - of individuals who were forcibly disappeared and killed in Türkiye during the military coup-era of 1980s and 1990s. Those responsible have never been brought to justice.
Since August 2018, Galatasaray Square has been under constant police blockade, guarded with armed police and encircled with metal barriers. Today, the group continue to face heavy police presence and intimidation tactics, excessive use of force, ill-treatment, and detention.
Saturday Mothers continue to seek the lifting of the blockade and the opening of the Square ahead of their 1000th vigil on 25 May.
Please show your solidarity with the Saturday Mothers. You can write on social media, record a solidarity video, organise a vigil, or write a letter to Turkish authorities to take action! Please email Siobhán at [email protected] for guidance.
For some sample messaging, please see below:
Iran:?Drug-Related Executions Surging in Iran
At least 853 people were executed in 2023 in Iran, the highest number in eight years. Protesters, social media users and those expressing dissent have all been targeted.
Many of these executions are also related to drug offences and a high proportion from Iran's oppressed Baluchi minority.?
Our new report “Don’t Let Them Kill Us”: Iran’s Relentless Execution Crisis since 2022 Uprising?reveals how the Iranian authorities have intensified their use of the death penalty to instil fear among the population and tighten their grip on power.
Please help us call on the Head of Judiciary to immediately halt all drug-related executions, quash convictions and death sentences, and establish an official moratorium on executions, with a view to fully abolishing the death penalty.?Sign the petition now!
Activism Opportunities
STAND - Ideas Collective
Applications are open for the Ideas Collective, STAND summer bootcamp where students and recent graduates will learn the skills and techniques to shape their solutions for positive change.
Over three weekends in July and August, they will delve into global issues and perspectives, examine their own values and purpose, and acquire tools in design thinking, as well as skills in pitching, presenting, communications, and marketing.
Want to enact change and get the skills to do it? Apply to sign up!
Human Rights at Work
Have you ever participated in a protests or demonstrations? Do you ever wonder about the people behind them?
Meet Alice Regis our Activism and Engagement Officer who offers an insight into her role, what it involves, and her advice for getting into it.
?What is your role, and what does it involve?
As the Activism and Engagement Officer, my tasks are so varied. In one day I could be working on the organisation and?delivery of an event, a project, or helping local Amnesty groups. I am also the first point of contact for individuals or groups who want to become activists with Amnesty International Ireland. As the Activism Officer, I always look for new ways to engage individuals, communities, and other organisations to make our voice louder.
Interested? Read more over here.
In solidarity,
Alice Regis, Talha Alali & Rosina Conte
Activism Team