Amnesty Int'l: Thanks To Letter Writers
Amnesty Int'l:
Thanks to Letter Writers
For two years Group 61 (and others) investigated the case of a Sri Lankan man , A. Vettithasan. In June we learned from the U.S. embassy n Sri Lanka that Mr. Vettihasan was treed and was actually in prison for only a short time. He was detained under the Prevention of Terrorism Act in May 1984, was tried and convicted for an unspecified crime and served one week's rigorous imprisonment. A Sri Lankan human rights worker informed the embassy that Mr. Vettithasan returned to his home town upon completion of his prison term. According to this source, he is now married with a child and is working as a salesman . The case is now officially closed The embassy suggested that the Sri Lankan government's responsiveness in this case may have been due in part to the many letters written concerning the welfare and whereabouts of Mr. Vettithasan. Thanks to everyone for all the letters written over the past couple of years.
Presently the group is working on the case of a Peruvian man, Reyber Murrieta Chistama, who disappeared after being detained in January 1988 by combined Peruvian army and police forces
Meetings & Membership: One of several ways in which individuals become involved in Amnesty International's (Al) activities in defense of human rights around the world is to join an adoption group. Among its various activities, an adoption group writes letters and does other work on behalf of individual prisoners whose cases have been researched by AI's International Secretariat.
Group 61 holds its meetings at the University of Michigan Student Union on the second Tuesday of every month at 7:30 pm. For further information on Group 61, call 761-1628 or 761-3639.
To learn more about AlUSA programs, contact the national headquarters at AIUSA, 322 8th Ave., New York, NY 10001 , (212) 807-8400. For information about, or to join, the AIUSA Urgent Action Network, which concentrates on cases that demand immediate action (such as those in which torture - or imminent execution are feared), contact The Urgent Action Network, AIUSA, P.O. Box 1 270, Nederland, CO 80466, (303) 440-0913. An urgent action group in Ann Arbor works on LatÃn American cases; for more info. contact Bob Hauert, Ethics and Religion, Michigan Union, Ann Arbor, Ml 48109.
Amnesty International (Al), U.S.A Group 61, Ann Arbor, Ml, 761-1628 or 761-3639.