DATE: MONDAY 5 OCTOBER 1998 - 15:15 USA PACIFIC TIME ZONE FROM: HUGH ( FOOD NOT BOMBS - San Francisco ) THIS IS PART 1 OF A 7 PART MESSAGE FROM < sffnb@iww.org > MESSAGE: On October 6th, 1998, Amnesty International will begin its first ever campaign on human rights violations and issues in the U.S.A. One of the cases which almost certainly contributed to their decision to launch this campaign was the case of Food Not Bombs. Food Not Bombs is a direct-action, anti-militarist, anti-Capitalist econonmic human rights organization which has experienced 1,000 arrests for its distribution of literature and free vegetarian food to the poor and homeless, as well as for its political protests and message. I have transmitted in the other 6 parts of this communication the text of the letters and press releases which Amnesty International wrote on the Food Not Bombs case. Please reply to confirm that you have received all 7 parts of this e-mail communication. Sincerely - Hugh THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION HAS BEEN DIRECTLY TAKEN FROM AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL'S PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS AND LITERATURE: On December 10th, 1948, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as a common standard of achievement for all peoples and nations. Has the United States fulfilled this promise for all its citizens ? Is there truly one standard that applies to every person in the U.S.A. ? On October 6th, 1998, Amnesty International launches it first-ever international campaign focusing on human rights violations and issues in the United States of America. __________________ | | | RIGHTS FOR ALL | |__________________| AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL'S CAMPAIGN ON THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA ---------------------------------------------------------------- Human Rights Belong To Everyone - Or They Are Guaranteed To No One ! Our leaders frequently proclaim that the United States lives and thrives by its founding creed - democracy, equality and individual freedom. Our Constitution embraces the rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The U.S. actively broadcasts this message to its own citizens and the rest of the world. Contrary to popular image, the facts show that the United States of America suffers from a persistent and widespread pattern of human rights violations. The promise of human rights for all people was proclaimed 50 years ago in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Yet that promise remains unrealized for large sections of our society. Women, childern and men are trapped by poverty in the world's most powerful economy, and racial and ethnic minorites continue to face prejudice in a nation yet to overcome a legacy of racism. Systematic police brutality has been uncovered in many of the country's police departments. Behind the walls of prisons and jails, hidden from public scrutiny, there is more violence and abuse. Women and childern are particularly vulnerable to human rights abuses. As technological advances are introduced, the greater becomes the risk of abusive use of items like the electro-shock stun belt. U.S.A. authorities persistently violate the fundamental human rights of people who have been forced to leave their own countries and seek asylum from persecution, torture and certain death. The rate of executions and the number of crimes punishable by death have relentlessly increased. Beyond its own borders, the U.S.A. dominates the global market for arms and security equipment exports, supplying arms and training to those who commit human rights atrocities upon their own citizens as well as neighboring countries. In all of these areas - the conduct of police, the treatment of prisoners, the death penalty, the reception given to asylum-seekers, disregard of human rights in its arms trade, and the failure to adopt international human rights treaties and convenants - Amnesty International calls on the United States of America to bring its laws and practices into line with international standards. Ultimately, when a nation begins not to care what happens to some of its people, or to believe that certain people have forfeited their human rights because of their actions, then it creates the conditions in which human rights violations thrive. Amnesty International now challenges U.S.A. authorities to live up to their international human rights promises, promises to be found in the U.S.A.'s own laws and in international human rights standards including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In doing so, Amnesty International adds its voice to those of the many groups and individuals within U.S.A. society already pressing the government to treat its own citizens in accord with the same international standards expected of others. JOIN US ! Many of the human rights violations that Amnesty International documents arise in the context of larger social problems: economic disparity, racism, and the continuing struggle against crime. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the international human rights standards that followed it, provides a framework that regulates government conduct in its attempts to solve such problems. The U.S.A. played a leading role in developing this framework and spelling out the human rights obligations that governments must abide by in all circumstances. Amnesty International's role is to challenge governments if they do not meet these commitments. In the wide variety of jurisdictions across the country, practices persist which result in real and serious abuses. They range from individual misconduct, to inadequate systems of control, to outright refusal to recognize international standards for human rights protections. Additionally, economic polices and political trends create conditions favoring more widespread and increasingly severe patterns of abuse. >From its birth in 1961, Amnesty International has inspired people to raise their voices when fellow human beings were imprisoned and persecuted simply for their beliefs or identity. Today it is a worldwide movement of over 1.1 million volunteer members who mobilize their communities, put pressure on governments, support victims of human rights violations and their families, lobby for legal reform and raise public awareness about human rights guarantees set forth in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Amnesty International works to release prisoners of conscience, insure fair and prompt trials for political prisoners, and to put an end to torture, executions, and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment. This unprecedented campaign offers Amnesty International's worldwide activist base a unique opportunity to work together with the vast number of human rights activists in the U.S.A. to effect real change. Imagine the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, when raised up by the U.S.A.'s civil, peace, women's, lesbian, gay, childern's, health care and economic rights movements. Imagine its impact, combined with the legally binding international human rights treaties, becoming a powerful umbrella under which all human rights work can thrive. THE NEED WAS NEVER GREATER. Our Campaign Goals Include: * Raising the profile of human rights in the U.S.A. * Strengthening the U.S.A.'s Human Rights Constituency * Working to win concrete improvements in people's lives Amnesty International is developing strategies and tactics to focus attention on specific issues within the following areas: * Police conduct and accountability * Prison conditions and ill-treatment * Asylum seekers * The death penalty * Women in detention * U.S.A. arms trades and military training We are working together with various organizations and individuals dedicated to truly and positively impact people's lives in the U.S.A. JOIN US ! For Additional Information Please Contact: AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL U.S.A. National Campaigns 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE 5th Floor Washington, D.C. 20003 U.S.A. PHONE: + 1-202-544-0200 , + 1-202-775-5161 WEB Address: < http://www.amnesty-usa.org/rightsforall > AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL - INTERNATIONAL SECRETARIAT 1 Easton Street London WC1X 8DJ, United Kingdom PHONE: + 44-171-413-5500 FAX: + 44-171-956-1157 E-MAIL: WEB: ***************************************************************************** Signature File Thurs 17 Sept 98 Communications from this e-mail address DO NOT necessarily reflect views of the San Francisco Food Not Bombs organization, unless it is otherwise indicated. The information content and opinions expressed in this communication are from individual members, allies and affiliates of San Francisco Food Not Bombs. San Francisco Food Not Bombs P.O. Box 40485 San Francisco, California 94140 USA Phone: +1-650-985-7087 E-Mail: < sffnb@iww.org >