Help End Torture: Join Our Webinar for Activists

Maher Arar Grassroots Activism

Amnesty activists created a giant paper airplane petition calling on President Obama and Congress to apologize to Maher Arar at the AGM in San Francisco in March 2011.

What can you do to help end torture during Torture Awareness Month? Start by joining an interactive webinar with Amnesty International staff and other activists on Thursday, June 9th at 8 PM EDT/ 5 PM PDT. The discussion will focus on how grassroots activism can be used to end torture and hold governments accountable for human rights violations.

Sunday, June 26th marks the United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, the focal point of June’s Torture Awareness Month. During this month, the Security with Human Rights (SWHR) campaign of Amnesty International is focusing attention on the moving case of Maher Arar.

Arar, a Canadian national, was detained at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York while traveling home from a family trip to Tunisia in 2002. US officials then sent him to Syria where he was tortured and illegally imprisoned for almost one year. In a June 1, 2011 blog post, Tom Parker, Policy Director for the SWHR campaign, described how this innocent man was swept up by the post-9/11 US national security program.

Amnesty International has launched the “I Apologize” campaign to urge President Obama and Congress to apologize to Maher Arar and fulfill his right to a remedy. The campaign is focused both on raising awareness of Arar’s case and collecting online and paper airplane signatures on his behalf.

Experts from the SWHR team will be hosting a webinar to discuss the campaign with activists and field any questions you may have. The session will focus on activist skills training, specifically how to submit effective letters to the editor and how to host house parties to screen the CNN investigation of Arar’s case. All are welcome to join the discussion this Thursday, June 9th! You can email [email protected] for details on the campaign or the upcoming webinar, and please be sure to register at this link: https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/352138302.

Anti-Torture Activism Webinar
Time: 8:00 PM EDT/ 5:00 PM PDT
Date: Thursday, June 9
Registration: https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/352138302

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