message from Libya

Had some emails those linked to Libya... one about the Doctor who was released due to pressure via letter to Gaddafi from the cast of 'Yes Minister' and has contiued to work in Benghazi despite concerns that he may have been re arrested....

Dear Ian,

so kind of you to remember us.

Benghazi has of course had a more normal time for the last few months but it has been an anxious time.


So much unbelievable suffering and so much cruelty. The images are unbearable. I do hope the LIbyan people can have a good future now.


I can only thank you from the bottom of my heart for all that stirling work you do to help me free my husband.


Perhaps next time he visits family here we can arrange for him to meet you. He was always too afraid to stay for long in the past since he had been warned they would kill him if he did. After a few days he would become quite anxious.

My best wishes to you and your family.


Hopefully they face a less stressful future and his sons may be able to return to visit Libya

Good Riddance to Gaddafi

News that Gaddafi is on the way out is welcome. I remember a case we worked on in Walsall of a Dr Elmufti born in Libya ,who had complained about the state of the contaminated water supplies in the town in Libya where he worked as a doctor and was imprisoned after Gaddafi directed the third court to find him guilty. The first two courts had found Dr Elmufti not guilty!  Gaddafi directed that he would be in prison to rot until he died. He was placed in a cell which he could not stand up in and  suffered serious ill health issues. His wife and children were in London and we started a serious campaign to get him released. His conditions did improve and we made the final breakthrough by appealing to the arrogance of Gaddafi.
Dr Elmufti had worked for a time in Leeds as a heart sugeon and I got the hospital to askGaddafi for his release to allow him to take up a post at the hospital.
Also I heard on desert island discs where the now late Paul Eddington was the castaway that Gaddafi loved the programme Yes Minister and had the tapes flown over to him and he played them often in his 'tent' So I asked Paul Eddington if he would sign a ghosted letter that I had written to Gaddafi. The whole cast signed this and within 2 weeks Gaddafi called in Dr Elmufit's mother who lived in Tripoli and told her that he had released her son. We then had to support his wife still in London with for example help with the daily telephone calls costs to ensure he was still free.
At this time the UK had still no diplomatic links with Libya... aftermath of the murder of the police woman outside the Embassy. Walsall MP David Winnick arranged for issue of a diplomatic passport to allow Dr Elmufti to exit Libya and this was delivered to my home in Walsall!.
Dr Elmufti still works in Tripoli hospital however as a heart specialist and survived the potential further wrath of Gaddafi and the many powerful local groups that ran each district.
I am a bit surprised that Gaddafi has fallen relatively easily as he has usually been very crafty and ruthless in his hold on power.
I do hope that the new regime will not be exploited by those who may again abuse power. Gaddafi will I hope face a trial as all such ruthless dictators who imagine they are like a God on earth but actually are just a trumped up tin pot dictator with only an interest in power and prepared to torture and kill anyone who got in their way.
Regretfully it does seem to be those states who have oil who appear to stimulate the West to action... Iraq, Egypt, Kuwait and now Libya and only when their appears to be a risk to the supplies... still it is a start!

Gadhafi said his people 'love him.' I think that's what he said. It was hard to hear over the rebel gunfire." –David Letterman

letter from Libya

For those who remember this case, I reproduce the latest news from her.. I hope we can all pray that the situation will resolve as peacefully as possible.
regards
ian



Dear Ian,


so nice to hear from you,
My children are here with me. My son and his family and my daughter recently emigrated to New Zealand

with her family. My husband (?) has been helping to look after the wounded. He is safe.

It is a difficult time, people are already celebrating in Benghazi, the news is that Muamr has left for Brazil or Venezuela.

His son Saif is not credible. We are not there yet. I am worried and almost ecstatic at the same time, very confusing. The Libyan people have suffered so much and proved themselves to be as beautiful and brave as the Tunisians and Egyptian so rMisrians. We are all so proud. It has been so so long.


Hope you and your family are well.


best Wishes, 
I hope my husband will be able to meet you one day and thank you in person for your tremendous efforts. I will always be grateful and admiring of your campaigning energy.

We all pray for Egypt and their people

10th February
The news that Mubarak still sits in his ivory tower refusing to leave is typical of the arrogant position that dictators take. These dictators feel they have a divine right to rule and look where that got us in our regal history.
I have visited Egypt on a number of occasions on holiday and found them in the main a vibrant very youthful based set of communities , extremely friendly and struggling to make ends meet to keep their families fed , housed and educated.
Here again we in the West are just as guilty in supporting such regimes that are rotten to the core. the human rights abuses continue, the political prisoners of conscience remain behind bars. May democracy win and such tin pot dictators as Mubarak go.
stand in solidarity & defiance with the protestors.


We will stand with them in their demand for an end to the crackdown, for their freedom, their basic human rights and immediate reform.

There will be demonstrations, protests and stunts held in cities around the world, as well as online, so there are plenty of ways in which you can get involved.

London

Where? Trafalgar Square,

When? Saturday 12 February, 12noon – 2pm

Speakers: Salil Shetty of Amnesty International plus Trade Unions, and other partner organisations, as well as youth activists from the Middle East and North Africa region.

Wear: Black, white or red, the colours of the Egyptian flag
Time for us fellow human beings to stand together.

Burma anniversary 8/8/88

Dear Blogger, 

This Sunday marks the 12th anniversary of the famous 8/8/88 protests in Burma, when hundreds of thousands of peaceful protestors took to the streets to call for human rights and democracy. It was to end in bloodshed – a brutal crackdown by the ruling military junta would leave an estimated 3,000 people dead in the weeks that followed. 

It is a massive milestone for the Burmese people and it would be great if you could blog about it and keep an eye on the comment pages for other stories about the anniversary. 

The leader of the protests back then was Min Ko Naing. He was also involved in organising the protests in 2007. He is now in jail and is one of Amnesty’s priority cases. 

Sadly little seems to have changed over the years and the junta’s reaction to the protests back in 2007 only reinforced the point. Burma is a country where torture, slave labour and unfair trials are all common place. And there are estimated 2,200 political prisoners there. 

An overview of the current state of play in Burma can be found in our annual review entry on the country here. 


If you fancy adding a bit of video content, we also have the moving testimony of Waihhin. She is a Burmese student living in London, and her father Ko Mya Aye was also involved in both protests. He is currently serving a 65-year jail sentence. Her video can be viewed here 

There’s a good timeline of the events in Burma on Dipity 

Anything you can do to help raise awareness of the plight of Burma’s citizens would be a huge help. 

Thanks and best wishes 

Harriet 
      from the AIUK Media Unit ‘Project Blog’ Team   

News from West Midlands Amnesty

Amnesty Brings Acclaimed Film To Malvern


July 20, 2010 · Leave a Comment

Amnesty Malvern Hills group’s major event for 2010 is a presentation of this important new documentary film, followed by a discussion and public forum led by two former Guantánamo prisoners, Moazzam Begg and Omar Deghayes, and the film’s co-director, Andy Worthington. The date is Tuesday 19 October at 7.30pm, at The Forum, Malvern Theatres.



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Walsall Amnesty Group

Hi

As a local group we have not met much recently. 2 very active members now have a new baby to look after and Ian has duties as a local elected councillor in Walsall. However we would welcome some comments .. we wish to resume campaign meetings... please give us some encouragement... meanwhile we continue to write letters and takepart in the urgent action scheme.

regards

Ian Robertson

email robertsonic@hotmail.co.uk