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AI 500

AI 500 is the Austin, Texas chapter of Amnesty International.
Amnesty International is "a worldwide movement of 1.8 million members, supporters and subscribers in over 150 countries and territories ... [who work] independently and impartially to promote respect for all the rights set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights."

About AI 500

We were officially chartered as AIUSA Group 500 in September 1994.

Like all AI local groups, we work for:

  1. the release of all prisoners of conscience
  2. fair trials for all political prisoners
  3. abolition of the death penalty, torture and other forms of cruel treatment of prisoners
  4. an end to extrajudicial executions and "disappearances".

Meetings

·         A planning meeting is held on the fourth Sunday of each month.

·         The fourth Sunday planning meeting will now be held at Carver Library (1161 Angelina, 78702; (512) 974-1010 - near Rosewood and East 11th Street).  The next planning meeting is January 23, 2005.  It starts at 4:00 pm and continues until 6:00 pm.

·         A letter-writing meeting is held on the second Sunday of each month. The regular location is the cafe at Central Market, upstairs. Letter writing is any time between 4pm to 6 pm. Everyone is welcome - please come by.  The next letter writing date is January 9, 2005.

Current News

·         The Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held at the Hyatt Regency in Austin on April 8-10, 2005. The AGM serves to bring the membership together, to educate the membership about AI's priorities and plans for the future, to do the governance business of AI (passing resolutions), and bring publicity to AI. The conference is organized by national membership with the support of paid staff and local volunteers like us in the host community. More detail will be posted here soon.

·         Amnesty International Local Group 23 in Houston has been working since March 2001 on the case of Avdo Palic, a disappeared prisoner from Bosnia. Please visit their Palic page at www.mindswithoutborders.org.

How You Can Help

·         "Write a letter, save a life" is a slogan in AI. It refers to writing letters on behalf of victims of human rights violations throughout the world, based on reports evaluated and published by the central offices of AI. Letters are usually written to the officials of governments that are committing the wrongs.

In fact, we can't be sure that most individual letters actually get any results. Collectively, however, they make a difference. A letter may bring a case to the attention of a government, or let them know that people elsewhere care. If a letter gets through to a political prisoner, or a prisoner finds out that people are writing, it may give the person hope. In the best cases, prisoners are released, or abuses stop. In most such cases, again, we can't be sure that our letters were the reason, but we believe they help.

·         Outside of the meetings, much of our communication takes place on the mail list. To contact the group, please write to: jcbierley1@yahoo.com or call 469-9012

Misc.

·         Amnesty International Canada: Please visit the website of Local Group 27 in Victoria, BC.

Last updated 27 December 2004 • email: jcbierley1@yahoo.com