Hi!

I hope everyone has had a really good summer, doing whatever you’ve been doing. I say summer with hilarious irony, because if you all like me were in the UK it was essentially a weird extended springish autumn thing. But hey-ho good news it is getting very, very close to fun Fresher’s week!

I am just wondering who is around to help out with some really fun things that we have planned! You can be a part of Amnestea and cakes at the cultural carnival, an arms trade photo campaign, a second hand clothing stall, a social at our old favourite the Halt bar, some interesting new decorations for the streets around the Uni – and of course the Amnesty stall!!

So if you are around the week beginning the 14th, and most particularly the 15th and the 16th please email me/text me/facebook me to let me know!

Just to inspire you to re ignite your Amnesty passion I’ve just put together a list of the things we are campaigning to stop-

• During 2008 at least 2,390 people are known to have been executed
• In 2008 78% of executions took place in G20 countries
• In 2008 people were tortured or ill treated in 50% of all countries
• Last year people were subjected to forced eviction in at least 24 countries
• And people seeking asylum were forcibly returned by at least 27 countries to states where they faced torture, detention or even death
• The CIA is still known to use waterboarding to extract information from detainees in the ‘war on terror’
• During 2008 at least 8,864 people were sentenced to death
• The UN reported 1,200 cases of enforced disappearance last year
• Last year prisoners of conscience were held in at least 50 countries
• In 2008 freedom of expression was restricted in at least 81 countries
• In 2008 of all people detained unjustly often for prolonged periods without charge or trial, 74% were in G20 countries.

With very best wishes,

Ruth Hickin

p.s I am currently on the hunt for a clothing rail and a hot water urn…so even if you can’t make it but can think of someone who can help with that it would really, really helpful