April 2018 Minutes

Truro and Falmouth Amnesty International Group

Minutes of Meeting held on 11 April 2018

1. Present: Margaret George, Chris Clarke, Meike Koops, Hetty Tye, Chris Ramsey.
2. Apologies: Wailim Wong, Linnea Glynne-Rule, Karen Cooper, Georgie Wong, Shirley Sweeney.
3. Matters arising from the Minutes of the meeting held on 7 March 2018: 3. Georgie was on the ‘Suffragette spirit’ map launched on 8^th March – International Women’s Day. Chris regretted that we had not known in advance so as to make some publicity for it. 4. The Family Reunion Bill was passed at the 2^nd reading. Chris intended to write again to Sarah Newton about this.7. Hetty had not managed to get more information about the Egyptian HR activist featured in the Groups News
4. Secretary’s report: i. the April Groups email included advance information about Refugee Week, 18-24 June. Chris had seen an installation in Blackpool where a ‘refugee processing’ stall had been set up and was very effective at highlighting the plight of refugees. Chris agreed to investigate with a view to possibly doing this ourselves, either during Refugee Week or at another time.  i. there was also an item about Pride, and it was agreed that we should book a stall for Cornwall Pride in August, at £60. Margaret would do this.  iii.  Margaret had a newsletter from Devon and Cornwall Refugee Support. This is not an Amnesty organisation but does support work with refugees in Plymouth. We could possibly link up with them over Refugee Week.
5. Treasurer’s report: Karen was absent. We have applied to have her name and address as the contact for HSBC but this had not yet gone through, so statements are still going to Linnea. She had given Margaret the chequebook so that payment can be made for the Pride stall and also for the table purchased last month.
6. AIUK AGM: Chris and Wailim had attended, and Chris gave a brief report. The debated motions had been less contentious than is some past years, but as usual there were excellent workshops and a good opportunity for networking.
7. Data Protection: the new Data Protection law which comes into force in May will have an impact on our working. It was agreed to hold a meeting of Chris R, Margaret, Meike and Karen to get our policy sorted out. This will then have to go out to all supporters on our list for their active approval.
8. Campaigns:

North Africa – Hetty had brought letters to sign on 2 behalf of Egyptian cases – the death sentence passed on two men, and the case of Mahmoud Abu Zeid, the photojournalist known as Shawkan who is being tried as part of a mass trial of 739 defendants. And a letter on behalf of 2 men sentenced to death in Sudan. Another urgent action letter was sent to Ghana.

Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories: Chris reported the ongoing case of Palestinian girl Ahed Tamimi who was sentenced to 8 months and given a fine. He also had a letter to sign about Salah Hammouri who is in administrative detention. Israel had announced that it was going to deport black African asylum-seekers to Rwanda or Uganda despite that not being where they are from, but the action has been held up by the outcry that this. The EU has a contract to supply electricity to Israeli settlements on the West Bank. It will shortly be the 14th anniversary of the release of Mordechai Vanunu, who is not free but under house arrest. Chris will send a card.

Former Soviet Union – Margaret had brought the latest newsletter.

9. Forthcoming events –

1. The AI activist Ziya Kocabiyik will be coming through Truro on 4^th May on his ride from Lands’ End to John O’Groats. We will be welcoming him outside the cathedral between 10.00 and 11.00 The ‘Freedom to Express Yourself’ exhibition will be at Archie Browns at this time but we are not sure Ziya will have time to go there but the exhibition will be on for 3 weeks. Meike has organised this. We will have the big Amnesty banner and photo opportunities at the cathedral. Wailim will do publicity.
2.  Street collection in Truro for Saturday 26^th May. There will be no Mayor’s coffee morning this year as the City Hall will not be in use.
3. 18-24 June is Refugee Week. We will make plans for this at a future meeting.
4. 25^th August is Cornwall Pride in Newquay. We are booking a stall.
5. 11 Nov is the end of WW1. And on 10 Dec, the 70^th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. We should keep these on the agenda; also we need to decide at the next meeting whether we want to have a bookstall in the summer.

10. Next meeting will be on Wed 9^th May, 7pm at Sambells Café.