Guatemalan Defender Threatened While Seeking Truth about "Disappeared"

New Action:

From Human Rights First:

Guatemalan Defender Threatened While Seeking Truth about "Disappeared"

Sara Poroj, a founding member of Guatemalan human rights organization Grupo de Apoyo Mutuo (GAM), was threatened while seeking to exhume one of several mass graves located on a defunct military base at Playa Grande. On February 3, 2005, at 3 AM, an armed, unidentified man entered her hotel room and held a gun to her head, while others examined her work-related documents and stood watch outside her room.

During the 36-year civil war in Guatemala, hundreds of thousands of civilians - including Ms. Poroj's husband - were "disappeared" and are believed to be buried in mass graves like those at Playa Grande. Exhumation of mass graves enables investigators to identify people who disappeared without a trace and were killed in secret. Attacks continue against those who try to uncover the truth.

The day after the incident, Ms. Poroj and a colleague were followed by a car for several hours as they went about their business. When they returned to their hotel, armed men emerged from the car. The Presidential Human Rights Office (COPREDEH) did not respond to calls for help by GAM's director. Finally, members of nearby human rights groups arrived and managed to escort Ms. Poroj to safety. She has not returned to the region for fear of further intimidation or attacks.

Call upon the Guatemalan authorities to guarantee the safety of Sara Poroj and others working for justice and accountability in Guatemala.

Click Here to Take Action: http://action.humanrightsfirst.org/campaign/poroj/ii86xu64f7ttdxk

Click here for more information on Sara Poroj.

We are the last hope for millions

New Action:

From Amnesty USA:

Have you seen Hotel Rwanda? It’s the heart-breaking – and by all accounts accurate -- account of the 1994 massacre of nearly 800,000 innocent men, women and children in Rwanda. The senseless slaughter took place in less than four months.

Actor Don Cheadle was nominated for an Academy Award for his role playing a real-life hero, Paul Rusesabagina, in Hotel Rwanda. Whether Cheadle wins this Sunday at the Oscars or not, he has already helped tell a story too recent and too important to forget.

The horrors of the Rwandan genocide of 1994 are pregnant with lessons and warnings to all of us who care about human rights and global justice. Yet while Rwanda slowly heals from its incomprehensible nightmare, a human horror of comparable scope has befallen the people of Sudan.

Only weeks ago Cheadle was in the Darfur region of Sudan, hearing eyewitness accounts of Janjawid atrocities firsthand. Cheadle makes the connection in a recent op-ed written on his return from Sudan:

At a moment during "Hotel Rwanda" when all hope for a meaningful international response to the genocide seems lost, the main character Paul Rusesabagina proclaims, "We must shame them into helping." Nothing else had worked. Pictures, pleas, facts, international conventions, and United Nations resolutions all had produced a cowardly retreat by a world unwilling to stand up to evil.

Millions are depending on Amnesty. It is why I am so proud to be part of Amnesty International, and so grateful for your past support.

You are one of a million ordinary people who have made a personal commitment not to stand idly by while such atrocities abound. It is why I ask each of you to renew your commitment, today, right now, by joining Amnesty and donating as generously as you can to support our life-saving work in Sudan, in the Congo, and wherever people are crying out for fundamental dignity and justice.

Amnesty was the first international human rights monitor on the ground in Darfur, where some estimates put the death toll from government-condoned attacks, dislocation, and disease at more than 10,000 people each month. Amnesty has been at the forefront of global demands that the perpetrators of violence in Darfur, and in Sudan’s blood-soaked southern region, be held accountable for their acts.

How the world responds to genocide and other crimes against humanity represents one of the greatest moral tests of our lifetime.

In a recent interview, real-life Paul Rusesabagina said of Hotel Rwanda, “This movie is a message of hope. It is a message of hope for those people who might think that was the end of evil. That was not the end of evil. We can always try to do something good whenever there's a will.”

Our test is upon us. Please join with me today in making a generous donation to Amnesty International.

Sincerely,

Bill Schulz
Amnesty International USA

P.S. Your donation will send a message of concern the whole world will hear.

Tsunami Relief Coffee sends aid to survivors

New Alert:

From The Child Health Site:

Tsunami Relief Roast Coffee is Making a Difference

Good news from Peace Coffee, our fair-trade coffee supplier... your purchases of their special Tsunami Relief Roast Sumatran Coffee are making a difference! So far, over $2,000 has been given to coffee farmers affected by the devastating December disaster.

The Aceh province in Indonesia was one of those hardest hit when the earthquake and resulting tsunami ripped through less than two months ago. For each pound of this delicious, lighter-bodied blend purchased, $10 goes directly to the growers and their families to help provide vital food and shelter, and assist them as they rebuild their coffee processing plant, an important part of their livelihood.

Click here to order Tsunami Relief Roast Sumatran Coffee for yourself or give it as a thoughtful gift to a coffee lover. Your purchase will send help and hope to the coffee farmers, plus for each bag purchased you'll also fund health services to save or improve the lives of four children.

Sign the Tsunami Relief Petition

New Action:

From Mercy Corps:

Sign the Tsunami Petition

The Indian Ocean tsunami and its aftermath revealed a lot about the world we live in: the unbridled fury of nature, the courage and strength of ordinary people and amazing generosity in the face of unimaginable crisis. Most of all, though, the past several weeks have demonstrated the undeniable power of people working together.

Since the emergency's first hours, Mercy Corps has delivered lifesaving aid and assistance to over 250,000 tsunami survivors. Today, we're standing with courageous communities and pitching in to help families as they rebuild their homes, lives and dreams.

Mercy Corps is committed to helping tsunami survivors fully recover from their ordeal. Our innovative economic, agricultural and educational programs are helping families take their next steps into a brighter future.

You can help Mercy Corps' ongoing efforts by signing our online tsunami relief petition. Together with our partner The Hunger Site, ask President Bush and other lawmakers to keep their commitment to fully fund promised tsunami relief efforts, while also meeting the needs of those suffering from conflict and famine in places like Sudan and Congo. You can read and sign the petition here.

Mercy Corps believes in the power of people working together - we work with communities, families and brave individuals every day to affect change and improve lives. Today, we're asking for your help to make sure vulnerable families continue to receive the critical relief and assistance they need.

Please sign the tsunami relief petition today. Thank you for your kind support.

Stop Violence Against Women

New Alert:

From Amnesty USA:

Your Support Will Make a Difference

March is Women's History Month. Please join us in marking the occasion by celebrating four women who have made history by defending our rights. Each week we will highlight a different human rights hero. Each woman's story is one of heartbreak and hope and enormous personal sacrifice.

Women Human Rights Defenders

Aung San Suu Kyi lost her husband to cancer while she was in house arrest in Myanmar. They had not seen one another for years. Digna Ochoa made the ultimate sacrifice - she was murdered for speaking out against injustices in Mexico.

Visit our Website today and every Tuesday throughout March to read about the courageous work of one of these human rights defenders:

-- Aung San Suu Kyi - read about her today!

-- Digna Ochoa - check back on Tuesday, March 8th

-- Wangari Maathai - check back on Tuesday, March 15th

-- Hawa Aden Mohamed - check back on Tuesday, March 22nd

History is made by us all. You can help make human rights history by supporting Amnesty's Stop Violence Against Women campaign. Our multi-year campaign is aimed at achieving a breakthrough for women and girls worldwide, and to protect the next generation of women who dare to speak out against repression and injustice.

We look forward to sharing these women's stories. May they inspire you as much as they do me!

Sincerely,

Bill Schultz
Amnesty International USA