JOIN US ON TUESDAY (18 JAN) AT 18H00!
Amnesty International (South Africa) Global Day of Action on Israel - Candlelight vigil commemorating the attacks on Gaza
VENUE: Main
Library, Wits University, Johannesburg
DATE: Tuesday, 18 January 2011
TIME: 18h00
INFO: in...@amnesty.org.za /
011 339 5505
HOSTED BY: Amnesty International and the Coalition for a
Free Palestine
BACKGROUND:
18 January 2011 marks the second anniversary of the attacks on Gaza
(December 27, 2008 – January 18, 2009) that saw the killing of over
1400 people, 400 of whom were children. The subsequent UN Fact Finding
Mission Report, led by South Africa’s Judge Richard Goldstone,
revealed war crimes and other serious human rights violations that took
place during the conflict; yet, the perpetrators are still to be held
accountable and the victims are still to receive justice and reparations.
INTERNATIONALLY:
The Amnesty International Global Day of Action on Israel marks the
beginning of a two-month international campaign between January and March 2011
demanding that the United Nations Human Rights Council take concrete
measures to ensure international justice for the victims.
LOCALLY:
In August 2009, the Palestine Solidarity Alliance and the Media Review
Network together with other applicants (including international jurist,
John Dugard, former Intelligence minister Ronnie Kasrils, and Law professor
Max du Plessis) lodged the Gaza Docket with the National Directorate
of Public Prosecutions (NDPP).
The docket, relying on the UN Fact finding Mission Report, alleges war
crimes against a number of Israeli political and military figures and
calls on the SA government to prosecute South Africans who served in the
Israeli Defense Force during the attacks on Gaza. The NDPP has up
till now failed to seriously act upon the Gaza docket. This, for
a democratic South Africa, is simply unacceptable.
HOSTS:
- Amnesty International (AI) is a global movement of 2.8 million supporters, members and activists in more than 150 countries and territories who campaign to end grave abuses of human rights. AI's vision is for every person to enjoy all the rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international human rights standards.
- The Coalition for a Free Palestine (CFP) is a COSATU led coalition representing a wide range of civil society organizations and trade unions. Some member organizations include the South African Council of Churches, South African Young Communist League, South African Communist Party, Muslim Judicial Council, Muslim Students Association, Palestine Solidarity Alliance, Palestine Solidarity Committee, Palestine Solidarity Group and the student society, the Wits University Palestine Solidarity Committee.
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