Welcome to the website for the Ithaca, NY chapter of Amnesty International.

"When the first two hundred letters came, the guards gave me back my clothes. Then the next two hundred letters came, and the prison director came to see me. When the next pile of letters arrived, the director got in touch with his superior. The letters kept coming and coming: three thousand of them. The President was informed. The letters still kept arriving, and the President called the prison and told them to let me go."
- A released prisoner of conscience from the Dominican Republic

News items and announcements:

• Press Release: Upcoming Vigil in Ithaca to support International Human Rights Day
  Candlelight vigil. to commemorate International Human Rights Day
  
  
• Press Release: Vigil and Write-a-thon in Ithaca to support International Human Rights Day
  Vigil and Write-a-thon to commemorate International Human Rights Day
  
  
• The current issue of our local newsletter
  Detailed information on what's happening in the local chapter this month.
   
• AI Works
  Recent stories of the effect that pressure from Amnesty International had on
  releasing prisoners of conscience or political prisoners.
   

AI-Ithaca current activities:

• Monthly meetings
  Complete meeting schedule and directions to our montly meetings.
  Meetings are free, and all are welcome!
   
• The AI-Ithaca TV program schedule
  A schedule of past and upcoming topics on our chapter’s TV program
  The program airs on channel 13 (Ithaca area) on Sundays at 11PM,
  Tuesdays at 9PM; and Fridays at 9PM

What you can do to support human rights in five minutes:

• AI Urgent Action appeals from the international chapter
  A link that will take you to the current worldwide Urgent Action Appeals. 
  In five minutes, you can take an active role in supporting human rights by
  reading about a case that has been researched by the main AI organization.
  You do not need to be a member to send a letter, and they have sample letters
  to make writing quick. From the above link, you can even sign-up to be notified
  about these appeals automatically.
   
• The “Act Now” center from AI International
  Lists several things you can do immediately to support Human Rights around the world.
   
• Become an Amnesty International member

Background information on Amnesty International:

Amnesty International is a worldwide movement of people acting on the conviction that governments must not deny individuals their basic human rights. Since its founding in 1961,
AI has worked toward four primary goals:

• The release of all prisoners of conscience (men, women, and children imprisoned for their beliefs, color, sex, ethnic origin, language, religion, or sexual orientation who have neither used nor advocated violence).
• Fair and prompt trials for all political prisoners.
• An end to torture, execution, and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment of prisoners.
• An end to extra judicial executions and "disappearances."

Amnesty International seeks the most effective means of helping individuals whose rights have been violated. Techniques include long-term adoption of prisoners of conscience; publicizing patterns of human rights abuses; meetings with government representatives, and, in cases where torture or death are feared, a network of volunteers who send urgent telegrams indicating international concern.

Amnesty International members send letters, cards, and telegrams on behalf of individual prisoners to government officials.

Amnesty International members also organize public meetings, collect signatures for petitions, and arrange publicity events, such as vigils at appropriate government embassies. They work on special projects, such as the Campaign to Abolish Torture. Members also raise money to send medicine, food, and clothing to prisoners and their families.

Amnesty International sends missions to countries to appeal in person for the protection of human rights.

AI-Ithaca contact information:

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
Group #73 Ithaca, New York
 

Group coordinator: Charlotte Acharya 227-3471 (cba9@cornell.edu)
Phone: (607) 227-3471

Website design and management: Jesse Ernst. (jae@mail.lns.cornell.edu)
 

© All pages Copyright: AI Ithaca Group #73, N.Y. and Jesse Ernst    (Last update 17 February 2006)

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