Support Human Rights on 10th December in Sheffield!

PLEASE SUPPORT OUR Human rights day events on 10^th december!

This year has seen revolutions, financial collapse and famine around the world.  Against this backdrop human rights abuses are committed on an appalling scale.

Indeed Amnesty International’s 2011 report shows that there are very few governments in the world that are not responsible for such abuses against innocent people.

Amnesty International is an organisation of ordinary people who are not prepared to turn a blind eye to torture, executions, disappearances, discrimination and other gross violations of human rights.


Amnesty International has more than three million members around the world. We campaign for  implementation of the wide variety of human rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was introduced in 1948 on 10^th December.  This date is world Human Rights Day when, along with millions around the world, we celebrate the founding of the UDHR but we also ceaselessly campaign for the victims of the widespread violations on these rights.

That is why on 10^th December we are holding a vigil Human Rights Day vigil outside Sheffield Town Hall  at 1-2 pm.  We will very much welcome being joined by anyone who shares our concerns.  Don’t let them get away with it! Bring your organsation’s placards and banners by all means, but most important we want to see you there.

And in the evening at 8 pm on 10^th December, we will celebrate with live music from the amazing funk and soul band, The Free Radicals at the Broomhall Centre, Broomspring Lane,S10 2FD . (Tickets £8/£4 concessions)

To find out more please contact the Sheffield Amnesty International local group’s press and media officer ,Graham Jones, on Graham.Jones@amnesty.org.uk  or ring on  0798473243

Human Rights Day Celebration all welcome

Come and celebrate Human Rights Day, with Amnesty International and the Free Radicals!

Put on your dancing shoes, tell your friends and let your hair down to live funk and soul classsics, no experience necessary!

10th December 2011 8.00 pm

Broomhall Centre 

Broomspring Lane

Sheffield S10 2FD

Tickets £7 Concessions £4

For info call 0114 255 5748

Shameful execution of Troy Davis

The state of Georgia shamefully executed Troy Davis on September 21, 2011 despite serious doubts about his guilt. But our fight to abolish the death penalty lives on.

Take a stand for Troy Davis. Pledge to fight to abolish the death penalty.
The case against him consisted entirely of witness testimony which contained inconsistencies even at the time of the trial. Since then, all but two of the state's non-police witnesses from the trial have recanted or contradicted their testimony.
Many of these witnesses have stated in sworn affidavits that they were pressured or coerced by police into testifying or signing statements against Troy Davis.
One of the two witnesses who has not recanted his testimony is Sylvester "Red" Coles — the principle alternative suspect, according to the defense, against whom there is new evidence implicating him as the gunman. Nine individuals have signed affidavits implicating Sylvester Coles.
Breaking News: The Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles denied clemency to Troy Davis on Tuesday. This means that very little is standing in the way of the state executing a ptentially innocent man this Wednesday. Join us in calling on the Board to reconsider its decision, and on the Chatham County (Savannah) District Attorney Larry Chisolm to do the right thing.

Read More

Get Involved

Learn More: Notable Leaders, Artists and Other Troy Davis Supporters

Listen: Amnesty's telephone conversation with Troy (mp3)

Troy Davis Updates

Blog

Georgia Kills Troy Davis

The state of Georgia has killed Troy Davis. Now we must redouble our efforts to abolish the death penalty so such a travesty of justice never happens again.

Learn More View All

Press Release

Troy Davis Execution a 'Catastrophic Failure of the Justice System,' Charges Amnesty International

The U.S. justice system was shaken to its core as Georgia executed a person who may well be innocent. Killing a man under this enormous cloud of doubt is horrific and amounts to a catastrophic failure...

Learn More View All

Report

USA: Less than "ironclad," less than safe

Despite the fact that the case against Troy Davis is not “ironclad,” a federal judge’s ruling, if upheld, will clear the way for the state to kill Davis in its execution chamber.

Learn More View All

Troy Davis Issues

Death Penalty

Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all cases without exception regardless of the nature of the crime, the characteristics of the offender, or the method used.

Learn more

U.S. Death Penalty Facts

The death penalty in the U.S. is unjust, costly, discriminatory and used disproportionately against the poor and minorities.

Learn more

U.S. Executions

We track all scheduled executions in U.S. states. Take action to stop current executions!

Learn more

Prisoners and People at Risk

Prisoners and people at risk are those whose human rights have been violated or are under threat of violation.

Learn more

Sign Up

Get updates on Amnesty's work on behalf of individuals at risk.

Latest Troy Davis Solidarity Updates

Laura_Moye

lauramoye

Our movement for abolition has grown in size and energy today. #TroyDavis lives on! 6 minutes ago · reply · retweet · favorite

Supreme Court has decided and they will not block execution 3 hours ago · reply · retweet · favorite

High intensity. Prayer circle of a couple hundred around Davises. Helicopters above noisy, invasive. Singing here. 7 hours ago · reply · retweet · favorite

2 arrested outside prison for civil disobedience. Men in riot gear came out. #TroyDavis 7 hours ago · reply · retweet · favorite

Savannah State Univ students speak to a tv reporter #toomuchdoubt! at prison in jackson 4 #troydavis http://t.co/X

Well done Djoly, well done everybody

 

 

Djoly: "I'm very grateful to all of you for your support and commitment"

Bavwidi Mpanzu (Djoly) escaped persecution in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in 2001 and applied for asylum in the UK. On 27th July 2011 he was given leave to remain in this country. After a successful High Court hearing Djoly said " I was delighted that for the first time in my asylum experience somebody believed me". He had to fight for his right to asylum but he never fought alone.

A return of solidarity

The campaign to support him was widespread and well-organised. Led by the Africa Time community group (which Djoly set up) the campaign raised over £5000 for his legal fees, collected 1500+ petition signatures, held 3 demonstrations, arranged fundraising film-showings, conferences and events about the DRC and asylum seekers’ right to work. We lobbied MPs and government ministers, sent them 100’s of emails and letters, wrote to newspapers. Djoly had the support of all the people and organisations he has supported in Sheffield – the support he got was just a return of the solidarity and commitment he gave to others. His message to campaigners after his victory was “keep up the good job – it does work!”

Political campaign

The campaign was a political one, trying to educate supporters (and opponents) about the history and politics of the DRC and why people, like Djoly, are forced to leave their country. We all learned about the role of western companies and governments in the theft of the DRC’s huge wealth, the proxy wars and about human rights abuses in the DRC and Africa. And the price that activists like Djoly can pay in the DRC when they oppose corruption and brutality.

Array of obstacles

Djoly faced a formidable array of obstacles between his arrival and now: the Home Office, 3 UK Government’s immigration policies, the Sheffield Star and Daily Express newspapers, Judge Simon Bourne-Arton QC at Sheffield Crown Court and various corrupt ‘legal representatives’.

Now Djoly plans to return to the voluntary, community and activist work that he is so well-known for in Sheffield. When I thanked him for helping me understand more about the asylum experience and the politics of the DRC he said “It’s an honour for me to be able to bring something from the worst experience of my life and turn it into a positive thing. I’m feeling part of the community, now more than ever.”

Next SYMAAG meeting: Tuesday 18^th October at 6.30pm at Scotia Works, Leadmill Road, Sheffield S1 4SE

If you want to come to any SYMAAG meeting or event but find it hard to afford transport don’t be put off! Please bring your ticket or a receipt and we can pay you back at the meeting. Or let us know in advance.

Stuart Crosthwaite, Secretary, South Yorkshire Migration and Asylum Action Group (SYMAAG)

As usual, let us know if you don’t want to receive these mailings or if you know someone who wants to be included on this mailing list.

Contact SYMAAG at dignitynotdetention@yahoo.co.uk or via 0114 241 2780

Djoly: "I'm very grateful to all of you for your support and commitment"

Bavwidi Mpanzu (Djoly) escaped persecution in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in 2001 and applied for asylum in the UK. On 27th July 2011 he was given leave to remain in this country. After a successful High Court hearing Djoly said " I was delighted that for the first time in my asylum experience somebody believed me". He had to fight for his right to asylum but he never fought alone.

A return of solidarity

The campaign to support him was widespread and well-organised. Led by the Africa Time community group (which Djoly set up) the campaign raised over £5000 for his legal fees, collected 1500+ petition signatures, held 3 demonstrations, arranged fundraising film-showings, conferences and events about the DRC and asylum seekers’ right to work. We lobbied MPs and government ministers, sent them 100’s of emails and letters, wrote to newspapers. Djoly had the support of all the people and organisations he has supported in Sheffield – the support he got was just a return of the solidarity and commitment he gave to others. His message to campaigners after his victory was “keep up the good job – it does work!”

Political campaign

The campaign was a political one, trying to educate supporters (and opponents) about the history and politics of the DRC and why people, like Djoly, are forced to leave their country. We all learned about the role of western companies and governments in the theft of the DRC’s huge wealth, the proxy wars and about human rights abuses in the DRC and Africa. And the price that activists like Djoly can pay in the DRC when they oppose corruption and brutality.

Array of obstacles

Djoly faced a formidable array of obstacles between his arrival and now: the Home Office, 3 UK Government’s immigration policies, the Sheffield Star and Daily Express newspapers, Judge Simon Bourne-Arton QC at Sheffield Crown Court and various corrupt ‘legal representatives’.

Now Djoly plans to return to the voluntary, community and activist work that he is so well-known for in Sheffield. When I thanked him for helping me understand more about the asylum experience and the politics of the DRC he said “It’s an honour for me to be able to bring something from the worst experience of my life and turn it into a positive thing. I’m feeling part of the community, now more than ever.”

Next SYMAAG meeting: Tuesday 18^th October at 6.30pm at Scotia Works, Leadmill Road, Sheffield S1 4SE

If you want to come to any SYMAAG meeting or event but find it hard to afford transport don’t be put off! Please bring your ticket or a receipt and we can pay you back at the meeting. Or let us know in advance.

Stuart Crosthwaite, Secretary, South Yorkshire Migration and Asylum Action Group (SYMAAG)

As usual, let us know if you don’t want to receive these mailings or if you know someone who wants to be included on this mailing list.

Contact SYMAAG at dignitynotdetention@yahoo.co.uk or via 0114 241 2780

Remember the victims of Pinochet

¡¡NUNCA MÁS!! NEVER AGAIN!!


On the 38th anniversary of the beginning of the neoliberal slaughter, the ‘other’ 11th September 1973

Tribute to the disappeared and compañeros/as murdered by the Pinochet dictatorship.


. Sheffield Town Hall
. Saturday, September 10 from 12:00 to 13:30

Join us at the Sheffield Town Hall steps

¡¡NUNCA MÁS!! NEVER AGAIN!!

http://www.chilescda.org/

International Day of the Disappeared in Sheffield

 Yesterday was International Day of the Disappeared when we remember the tens of thousands of people around the world who have been subject to enforced disappearance.  Sheffield Amnesty International organised a vigil to remember those people and to continue to seek justice for them and their families.

People came from as far as Liverpool and Newcastle to support the event.  Special thanks to local Amnesty International groups and to the members of the Chilean community many of whom have experienced the loss of loved ones in such difficult circumstances.  Their dignity and placards featuring hundreds of disappeared individuals served as a grim reminder as to why we should never forget.

 

My interview on BBC Radio Sheffield is 70 minutes into this link:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p00jrfgh/Rony_Robinson_30_08_2011/

 

Graham Jones

 

 

 

 

Remember the victims of Hillsborough and their families

 Many people in Sheffield will remember the terrible day in 1989 when 96 people were crushed to death and over 700 others sustained various injuries.  It was the worst day of my life and I never want to see anything like that again.

 After  twenty two years of pain, the brave families of those that died are still seeking justice and are calling for the governemnt to ensure the release of papers relating to this incident.

Please support this petition
 http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/2199

 If you don't understand the way these families have suffered unnecessarily at the hands of the authorities, you could do worse than to watch clips of Jimmy McGovern's film Hillsborough:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVXfXZGki4c

Please help the people find justicea nd sign the petition.

CUTS - ALL REMPLOY FACTORIES UNDER THREAT

CUTS - ALL REMPLOY FACTORIES UNDER THREAT.

A recent DWP Report proposes either the privatisation or outright closure of REMPLOY
factories. If these proposals are implemented it will mean the destruction of REMPLOY and a
bleak future for disabled workers who are the most vulnerable workers in society.
In spite of the late notice all available trade unionists and their friends and colleagues are
urged to participate in the following Demonstration which is to be jointly organised by the
GMB, UNITE, and COMMUNITY.

FRIDAY 19TH AUGUST 2011

DEMONSTRATION

DWP
STEEL CITY HOUSE
WEST STREET
SHEFFIELD
S1 2GQ

START TIME 10.00AM
EVERBODY WELCOME
IT’S TIME TO STAND UP AND BE COUNTED IT DOES NOT MATTER
WHO OR WHAT YOU ARE
CUTS WILL DESTOY OUR COMMUNITIES
Tell the DWP WHAT YOU THINK TO THE CONSULTION OF THE SAYCE
REPORT
DEFEND DISABLED WORKERS DEFEND THE FUTURE OF REMPLOY
WORKERS
NO IFS NO BUTS NO PUBLIC SECTOR CUTS
THEY SAY CUT BACK WE SAY FIGHT BACK

International Day of the Disappeared in Sheffield

In Sheffield on 30th August at 4.30 pm we will be assembling in front of Sheffield Town Hall to remember victims of enforced disappearance from around the world. 

Aug. 30, is the International Day of the Disappeared, observed by Amnesty International and other human rights groups around the word to remember the disappeared and to press for justice for the victims of enforced disappearance and their families. An “enforced disappearance” occurs when agents of the state arrest a person and the state then denies any knowledge of the person’s status or whereabouts. 

You could be taken at any time, day or night. You might be at home, at work or traveling on the street. Your captors may be in uniform or civilian clothes. They forcibly take you away, giving no reason, producing no warrant. Your relatives desperately try to find you, going from one police station or army camp to the next. The officials deny having arrested you or knowing anything about your whereabouts or fate. You have become a victim of enforced disappearance

Enforced disappearance is a grave human rights violation and a crime. Amnesty International defines an enforced disappearance as the detention of someone by the state or its agents, when the authorities deny that the victim is in custody or conceal what has happened to them. Enforced disappearances have occurred across the world - in Sri Lanka, Russia, El Salvador, Morocco, Iraq, Thailand, Pakistan, Bosnia, Equatorial Guinea, Egypt and Argentina, to name a few. No one is immune; victims have included men, women and children.

Stand up against enforced disappearances and support our vigil on 30th August.

(if we don't see you there we might get worried about you.)

UK taxpayers finance illegal, inhumane weapons

Many readers of this blog would probably be shocked to learn that their money – as UK taxpayers – is helping to prop up a bank which is investing in companies which produce illegal weapons.


But that is exactly what is happening with Royal Bank of Scotland (including Nat West), a government-owned bank which last year gave an $80million (£48.8million) loan to companies which help produce cluster bombs – weapons which the UK Government actually outlawed last year. 

A recent nationwide opinion poll found that nearly eight out of ten people in Great Britain said RBS shouldn’t be allowed to make these kind of investments. 

Cluster bombs are large explosive weapons that scatter dozens or hundreds of smaller submunitions over a wide area. They cannot distinguish between military targets and civilians. One third of all recorded cluster bomb casualties are children. Yet despite efforts to ban these indiscriminate weapons, 138 banks and other financial institutions continue to invest over US$20 billion in companies that produce them.
I imagine most of us in Sheffield would agree. Amnesty International is urging RBS to stop using our money to make investments in companies that make illegal weapons. 

For more information visit
 
http://blog.protectthehuman.com/clusterbombs/    

Shell's clammy hand in the Niger delta

 Sheffield Amnesty International works consistently on human rights abuses across the West African region.
The blog below highlights very well some of our human rights concerns caused by the environmental destrruction  caused by Shell.

(With thanks to Niluccio)
For a company whose logo is the shell of a giant clam, a marine and freshwater creature millions of years old, it’s ironic that Royal Dutch Shell is so cavalier about the pollution of watercourses that its operations frequently cause.

In the Niger Delta in Nigeria, Shell’s half-century of oil extraction has poisoned rivers, mangrove swamps and farming lands, and impoverished whole communities that depend on these natural resources for their survival.

Worst hit have been the people of Ogoniland (see this map). Now numbering some half a million, the Ogoni, to quote Ken Saro-Wiwa, have in the space of less than a century been “struck by the combined forces of modernity, colonialism, the money economy, indigenous colonialism and then the Nigeria civil war”. And of course a multinational oil company that sank nearly 100 oil wells and pumped about 28,000 barrels of oil through their land a day.

Famously – and notoriously – in 1995 the organised resistance to the oil industry’s pollution of Ogoniland by the Movement for The Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) saw its leader Saro-Wiwa and eight others put on trial before a military court and hanged. Shell’s website says it was “shocked and saddened” at this (as were Amnesty and millions of people around the world).

So, 16 years on, are the dark days of the MOSOP struggle (there were various horrible killings) a sort of nightmare from which local inhabitants and oil giant alike have moved on?

Shell would like you to think so. Its site contains an article published in the Guardian in 2009 called “It’s time to move on”. It’s about the out-of-court settlement made to the Ogoni people that year. In it Shell’s Executive Director for Exploration and Production Malcolm Brinded says he hopes “it’s the start of something new for the Ogoni people as well as for Shell in Nigeria.” He concludes with the observation that Shell is “supporting a UN-led survey of Ogoni land to meet environmental concerns.”

Hmm. Well, that survey is out today. It’s not a pleasant read. See the full report here. In summary, the study found that oil contamination in Ogoniland is widespread and severe, and that Ogonis have been exposed to it for decades.  For example, drinking water is highly contaminated. In one instance water contained a known carcinogen at levels 900 times above World Health Organisation guidelines.
Back in 2009 Brinded said Shell had “promised to clear up any damage from oil spills – whatever their cause”, but the company has meanwhile expended much public relations energy in disputing responsibility for oil spillages (Amnesty and Friend’s of the Earth International have even reported Shell to the OECD for their use of misleading figures), shifting blame onto “local saboteurs”. The point here is that, under Nigerian law, when spills are classified the result of sabotage Shell has no liability to provide compensation for damage done to local people or their livelihoods. 
Shell says it “agrees that, in the past, not enough oil revenue has been returned to the oil producing areas for developmental purposes” (a key MOSOP contention). And on spills it says “25% have been caused by operational failure or human error”, a situation it concedes is “unacceptable”. One key reason for spillage is that Shell has for decades failed to maintain its rusting, creaking pipeline infrastructure.
Spillages may represent a dent in profits for Shell, for local people they’ve been devastating. Here’s one viewpoint, that of Regina, a 40-year-old mother of six from the Bodo area of Ogoniland which suffered a major spill in 2008 wiping out fish in the creeks: “The price of fish has increased a lot in Bodo … Everybody is struggling …I think that for someone with [such] a low voice as myself it is difficult to make a claim.” And for a quick glimpse of the dreadful damage the oil spill at Bodo has caused, see this video.
Make no mistake: this a David and Goliath struggle for justice by poor people who’ve had their lives and livelihoods turned upside down by one of the world’s biggest multinational companies.
Meanwhile, chickens are coming home to roost. Shell is being forced to settle expensive legal cases for some 69,000 affected people in Bodo. If I was an institutional investor in Shell (I’m not) I’d be worried about the wisdom of putting my money into a company as neglectful of its corporate responsibility as Shell. 

http://blogs.amnesty.org.uk/index.asp

Help call for justice in Burma

Every day members of Burma’s ethnic minorities deal with the very real threat of being forced into slave labour, murdered or raped.
Meanwhile, government forces and armed groups continue to carry out violence without any risk of being held to account.
Watch a video about these human rights abuses and join the call for justice
Following an update in 2008, Burma’s constitution outlaws freedom of speech and assembly, legalises enforced labour and essentially protects government officials from prosecution for violating human rights - closing the door to justice for victims.
So while brave individuals who stand up and call for reform are often arrested without warrant and held incommunicado, those who commit human rights abuses are unlikely to ever face imprisonment. Help hold these criminals to account
The Burmese authorities have shown themselves unwilling to investigate crimes against humanity. It is time for the international community to take a stand. We have joined the call for a UN Commission of Inquiry into human rights violations in Burma.

Please add your voice to ours.http://action.amnesty.org.uk/ea-action/action?ea.client.id=1194&ea.campaign.id=11503&utm_source=email&utm_medium=mass_email&utm_campaign=Burma&utm_content=Burma_COI_image
 
Act now: urge European countries to support a Commission of Inquiry
 
Thank you for your support

The Star reports Amnesty's 50th birthday party event

 Article in Sheffield Star

With many thanks to the staff at the Courtyard cafe, the Anything Goes Ukelle Orchestra, Jackalope Tales, photographers, Lee and Pouria, Lord Mayor Sylivia Dunkley, Sophie Mei, all those who sent messages of support, MC Alex Jagger and all those who worked behind the scenes and to the poeple who came to support our Amnesty 30th birthday party event in Sheffield.

Sheffield celebrates Amnesty International at 50!

Amnesty International on Saturday celebrated its 50th Anniversary.  Here in Sheffield, a birthday party was held at the Courtyard Cafe in Attercliffe. The celebrations were kindly opened by  the Lord Mayor Sylvia Dunkley who made a very moving speech in support of Amnesty's work and lit an Amnesty candle to represent light in the darkness of human rights violations around the world.

 

Opening proceedings continued with a contribution from  Sheffield's own Sophie Mei, former "Britain's got talent " star, who had last week won the prestigious Human Rights Student  Reporter of the year at the national Amnesty International UK Media awards ceremony for her amazing work on the terrible plight of victims of trafficking here in Sheffield.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-13575893

http://www.amnesty.org.uk/news_details.asp?NewsID=19475

 

A toast was made and messages of support read out  from local dignitaries, worthies and celebrities including  The Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, David Blunkett MP, Paul Blomfield MP, Sheffield City Councillor Jillian Creasy, The Right Reverend Dr Steven Croft, Bishop of Sheffield and  author Marina Lewycka.

 

Other messages of support included those from three  of  Sheffield Amnesty International's adopted prisoners from  Russia, USA and (ex) Guantanamo.

(All these  messages of support are printed in full below.)

 

There was a stall highlighting our local group's work around the world. As ever, seeking new members to extend our impact in the campaigns.

 

There was an appel of behalf of Djoly Mpanzu who fled  political persecution in Congo DRC in 2002 and is well known in Sheffield for his humanitarian activities.  But is now facing deportation.

Brilliant live music was provided till late by the local musicians  the Anything Goes Ukelele Orchestra and Jackalope Tales.

 

With much appreciation to all those who helped make this event such a success including the staff at the Courtyard Cafe and members of Jackalope Tales and the Anything goes Ukelele Orchestra.

 

Sheffield Peace in the Park Festival 4th June

Sheffield Amnesty International will have a speaker at this year's Peace in the Park festival.  Great event!

The Peace in the Park festival promotes peace and understanding by bringing together communities through artistic, musical and vocal expression. Peace in the Park is organised by a group of artists, musicians, students, events organisers and other everyday Sheffield folk, working together in a not for profit collective
The 2011 festival is set to go ahead on Saturday 4th June back on the Ponderosa, and will be the eigth Peace in the Park, which each year collects money for nominated good causes. The festival is funded by money raised in advance, so look out for these fundraisers to help make the festival happen, and have a good old knees up too!

• If it sounds like something you want to be a part of then get involved!
• See pictures and stuff from past festivals.

Last year Peace in the Park did a radio show on Sheffield Live, to listen to the broadcasts go to the Peace in the Park podcasts.

Peace in the Park 2010

A third year on the Ponderosa and some beautiful weather led to a fantastic day for all who came along. The giant letters (Peace, Love, etc.) were back again, the bands provided music to keep people dancing all afternoon and £1400 was raised for the Sheffield Teaching Hospitals Lukemia Appeal and Osotua – supporting Massai women struggling with droughts.

http://web.peaceinthepark.org.uk/about-us/

Sheffield celebrates Amnesty International's 50th Birthday

The Sheffield group of Amnesty International  is to mark the movement's 50th anniversary by having a birthday party. Sheffield group itself is one of the longest standing groups in the UK. 

To celebrate Sheffield Amnesty group are holding an anniversary social at the Courtyard Cafe, Banners Building,  620 Attercliffe Road, SHEFFIELD S9 3QS on 28th May starting at 8.00 pm. All welcome. There will be a bar and live music.  Sheffield's Lord Mayor, Sylvia Dunkley will kindly open the proceeedings.  We have two live bands.  We look forward to welcoming a wide range of people from  Sheffield to join us in our celebrations.   We hope you can come.

Read all about it in The (Sheffield) Star:
http://www.thestar.co.uk/community/letters/our_toast_to_freedom_1_3407839 
 

Spectacular Musical Ensemble all the way from Russia!

Hermitage Ensemble are a professional ensemble from St. Petersburg, Russia and they will be performing a concert of Russian Sacred Hymns & Folk songs a capella

Spectacular Musical Ensemble

all the way from Russia!

5th May 2011,  7:30pm – 9:30pm

  

St Timothy's Church, Slinn St, S10 1NZ

£8 Adult / £5 Concession

 (price includes cheese and wine / soft drinks in the interval)

For tickets please contact Alex on 0114 3286678 or email sttimothys.events@gmail.com

http://hermitage.seenworks.com

 

 

 

Sheffield celebrates International Day Against Homophobia & Transphobia (IDAHO)

IDAHO

17th May 2011

The International Day Against Homophobia & Transphobia (IDAHO) is designed to raise awareness of the impact of prejudice and discrimination on the health and well-being of lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people throughout the world and also on the lives of their families, friends and colleagues. To mark this event, the Centre for HIV and Sexual Health and Sheffield City Council are arranging a ONE-MINUTE ‘NOISE’ on Tuesday the 17th May to speak out loudly and clearly that homophobia and transphobia are unacceptable and have no place in our society.

A number of key speakers will be present to pledge their support and call for an end to homophobia and transphobia worldwide. Out Aloud will also be singing. This event will take place at The Peace Gardens commencing at 5.30pm, the one-minute noise will take place around 6.00pm. We hope you, your friends, families, and partners will be able to join us in making some noise against  these forms of prejudice and discrimination.

To find out more about the event in Sheffield, contact the Centre for HIV and Sexual Health on: Tel 0114 226 1900 or e-mail sheffield.gay@nhs.net

To find out more about IDAHO visit the website 

News from Georgia,USA

Why the war to save Troy Davis isn't over

On March 28, 2011 I woke up elated about my 10 year anniversary as a cancer survivor. I looked outside and it was cold and gloomy, the sun was nowhere to be found. It's about 9:30 a.m. and the phone rings, it's my brother Troy Davis' lawyer and from the tone in his voice I knew, it was not good news.

My heart sank to a heavy place as I listened to his monotone voice saying,  "We just received news that the United States Supreme Court has denied Troy's appeal." Knowing that the appeals for Troy have always been an uphill battle and the lawyers have always stated that from a legal standpoint. Yet today I also heard optimism in the statement, "We will seek and exhaust all legal
means available to us." I know from a legal standpoint denial by the Supreme Court is nothing a lawyer finds optimism in, yet I felt the readiness for yet another battle.

My first concern was my mother and my brother Troy. I cannot imagine facing three execution dates and the possibility of a fourth. I knew Troy would be more concerned about our family than himself, but I also knew that as much faith and spirituality as my mother has, she is still a mother and we are fighting for my brother's very existence. In this fight Troy is no longer voiceless and my family is no longer invisible, yet the court still refuses to hear what we have to say. Innocence does matter and beyond a reasonable doubt should be of utmost.

One thing for certain is that the global concern about this case is growing and yet the highest court in the United States is not willing to address the issue of innocence and new evidence. We live in country that is supposed to promote democracy and human rights for other countries yet it is not unconstitutional for us to execute innocent people in the U.S. if the courts feel they received a fair trial.

I am both enraged and empowered, for this battle to save Troy is a war of life and death for me! Until there is no breath left in my body I will fight for Troy, fight against the injustice of the death penalty, because this battle is bigger than Troy it is a war against a system is not impartial, a system that cares less for fairness and more for finality. In no way have we ever diminished the loss and hurt of the McPhail family, yet both families have been victimized. Being a mother and having Stage 4 cancer I understand the importance of life and I am willing to give my life to spare my brother's. No matter the final outcome of this case, my war against the death penalty is far from over and I will no longer be a victimize by this system in the United States, that justice depends on your ability to pay for it.

The hearing held in June 2010 in Savannah was like a puppet show, it was entertaining to some, upsetting to others, yet once the judge opened his mouth and looked at my brother with disgust I knew that no matter what Troy's lawyers had to present the judge had already made his decision to deny Troy, so he was just going through the motions like a puppeteer. I saluted the witnesses, even though they were criminalized by the state prosecutor for recanting their trial testimony. When they testified against Troy all those years ago, the police treated them like heroes, even though they had the same criminal history in 1989. It also seemed amazing that all the police who testified had amnesia about their role of misconduct with the witnesses, yet the judge chose to believe them over recanted testimony of the very witnesses they used to secure a conviction and death sentence for my brother.

The Georgia Parole Board said they will not execute when there is doubt. The case of Troy Anthony Davis is full of doubt.

As Troy said to me, "It's not over 'til God says it's over, this fight for justice did not begin with me and will not end with me."

The battle for Justice and the War to save Troy wages on! My name is Martina Correia and I am on Death Row because that is where my brother lives, our lives intertwined. If Troy is executed he will become even more powerful, because people all around the world are saying, "I AM TROY DAVIS," and his story will be heard.

(source:  Opinion, Martina Correia, The Grio)