Monthly Bulletin

Welcome to the Artists for Amnesty Monthly Bulletin, which will keep you informed on critical human rights issues, cases of individuals at risk, and the life-saving work of Amnesty International. Our Monthly Bulletin will also highlight the efforts of artists on behalf of human rights.

 

Hotel Rwanda

In 1994, over 800,000 people were killed in the genocide that ravaged Rwanda. Amid the horror and the killing, PAUL RUSASEBAGINA displayed extaordinary courage to save the lives of his family and over 1000 others by harboring them in the hotel he managed. Director TERRY GEORGE has taken this amazing story and created an incredibly powerful and poignant film, HOTEL RWANDA. The film stars DON CHEADLE, SOPHIE OKONEDO, JOAQUIN PHOENIX and NICK NOLTE.

On December 2, Artists for Amnesty co-hosted the premiere of HOTEL RWANDA with MGM/UA at the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences. HARRISON FORD and ANGELINA JOLIE hosted the evening, and Don Cheadle, on behalf of Amnesty International, presented Paul Rusasebagina with the ENDURING SPIRIT RECOGNITION for his singular commitment to the defense of human rights.

Artists for Amnesty believes this is a extremely important film both in its display of the power of the human spirit to peacefully struggle against unspeakable violence, and in its relevance to the current crisis in Darfur, Sudan. In Darfur, over 70,000 people have been killed in an ethnic cleansing campaign carried out by the Janjaweed militia. The Sudanese government has been sharply criticized for not doing enough to support humanitarian efforts in the region for allowing impunity for human rights violations by the Janjaweed, and, in some cases, for directly supporting the militia’s military efforts. Learn more about what you can do to help the people of Darfur.


Innocent Voices

INNOCENT VOICES is another powerful film that tells the true story of OSCAR TORRES, who , as a young boy, struggled to avoid forced conscription by the Salvadoran military during El Salvador’s civil war. Directed by LUIS MANDOKI and produced by LAWRENCE BENDER, LUIS MANDOKI, and ALEJANDRO SOBERON, the film movingly depicts the tragic circumstances faced by innocent people caught in the cross fire. Amnesty International has co-hosted screenings of the film to draw attention to a recent report released by the Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers, which presents a review of the issue globally.

On November 29, ANJELICA HUSTON and ALEJANDRO GONZALEZ-IÑARITTU hosted with Artists for Amnesty a brunch at the home of PAUL MAZURSKY to discuss the recent report on child soldiers and the important role that INNOCENT VOICES can play in raising awareness on the issue.


Stanley Kramer Award

On December 9, the Producers Guild of America, in an unprecedented move, awarded the STANLEY KRAMER AWARD to HOTEL RWANDA and INNOCENT VOICES. The Stanley Kramer Award recognizes work that dramatically highlights provocative social issues. Artists for Amnesty congratulates the filmmakers involved on their receipt of this well-deserved award.


Darfur

Artists for Amnesty continues its work to educate and encourage action on the crisis in Darfur. On November 20, Artists for Amnesty hosted a salon at the home of director PHILLIP NOYCE and producer JAN SHARP on the issue. JOHN PRENDERGAST, Africa expert from the International Crisis Group, spoke about his recent trips to Darfur, and discussed possible solutions to the crisis.

Despite three UN Security Council resolutions calling for a disarming of the Janjaweed and a halt to further hostilities, the Sudanese government has not met any of the demands set forth in the resolutions. There has been recent evidence that Sudanese security forces, as recently as last month, have engaged in killings and human rights violations against individuals in camps housing displaced people. Armed conflict is spreading in Darfur and the Council must, at a minimum, impose an arms embargo and targeted sanctions.


Get Up, Stand Up

TRAFFICKED GIRLS IN KOSOVO

Since the July 1999 deployment of an international peacekeeping force to Kosovo and the establishment there of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission (UNMIK), Kosovo has become a major destination country for women and girls trafficked into forced prostitution. Amnesty International has documented these human rights abuses in its report, "So does that mean I have rights?: Protecting the human rights of women and girls trafficked for forced prostitution in Kosovo." The clients of the women and girls often include international police and troops. In fact, members of the international community are thought to constitute 20 percent of those using trafficked women and girls.

According to Amnesty International research, the number of establishments at which trafficked women and girls may be exploited has risen from 18 in 1999, the year that the peacekeeping deployment began, to over 200 in 2003. However, the number of prosecutions for offenses related to trafficking has not increased accordingly. In fact, trafficked women and girls are themselves often prosecuted as criminals in Kosovo for engaging in prostitution or for being in Kosovo illegally, with little regard from the authorities as to the double violation of their human rights experienced by these women, first in being sold into slavery and later at the hands of their “owner” and clients. To date, despite the existence of anti-trafficking legislation in Kosovo, no trafficked women or girls have received redress for the damage they have suffered and those guilty of trafficking these women and girls have enjoyed impunity. Governments that fail to protect trafficked women and children are failing in their human rights obligations. Trafficking of women and girls into slave-like conditions is one of the most serious crimes named in the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, making it an offense that may be prosecuted at the international level. Amnesty International calls on UNMIK, NATO, and the Kosovo authorities to protect women, provide for their legal redress, and ensure their safety and health.

Please write to Prime Minister Rexhepi asking him to:

  • call on Kosovo authorities to develop a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to protect the rights of trafficked children in accordance with the UNICEF Guidelines for Protections of the Rights of Children Victims of Trafficking in Southeastern Europe;
  • ensure that children are not detained by law enforcement authorities and that, in addition to the appointment of competent legal counsel, they are appointed a legal guardian to protect their interests when necessary; and
  • call on authorities to increase the training given to social workers in the Centers for Social Work in order build up their capacity, expertise and ability to provide support to children who have been trafficked.

Send your letters to:

Prime Minister Bajram Rexhepi
Government Building
Nene Tereze n.n., Pristine
Kosova (Serbia and Montenegro)


Child Soliders

On November 17, Amnesty International and the other members of the Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers joined in the launch of a report on the use of child soldiers worldwide. The Global Child Soldiers Report is a comprehensive review of the use of child soldiers from 2001-2004, in over 190 countries, and includes over 300 pages of information, statistics, and recommendations. The report found that, despite some improvements, the situation remained the same or deteriorated in many countries. Wars ending in Afghanistan, Angola and Sierra Leone led to the demobilization of 40,000 children, but over 25,000 were drawn into conflicts in Côte d’Ivoire and Sudan alone. The report further concludes that children are fighting in every major conflict around the world, for both government and opposition forces. “Children should be protected from warfare not used to wage it. Instead generations are having their childhoods stolen by governments and armed groups,” said Casey Kelso, head of the Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers.

Despite gains that have been made in international policy on this issue, including the signing of 87 countries to the Convention on the Rights of the Child Optional Protocol which sets the age limit for recruitment at 18, and 16 for volunteers, there remain approximately 300,000 child soldiers in the world.

Learn more about this issue and/or see the report.


Cuba

Amnesty International welcomes the recent releases of four Prisoners of Conscience in Cuba. However, we remain concerned for the more than 70 Prisoners of Conscience that remain in prison for the non-violent expression of their beliefs. In some cases, individuals face 28-year prison terms for voicing their political views. We are further concerned that nearly all the releases that have occurred to date have been on medical grounds. Amnesty has received numerous reports of health problems endured by prisoners aggravated by poor conditions in prison. In March 2003, the Cuban government rounded up 75 people, all of whom were named Amnesty International Prisoners of Conscience.


Your Support

Artists for Amnesty would like to express our gratitude to the individuals who have donated generously to our year end fundraising appeal. If you have not yet donated, please consider doing so. Your financial support will allow us to continue our life-saving work and your donation is tax-deductible.