Carolyn March 28-31st

Hello! I am just getting caught up on work from my weekend in Chicago and Champaign. I had some logistical things to figure out in Champaign and I also received an award for an article I wrote last semester. I was really excited! I hope everyone is having a good week. Last week seems like a long time ago, and I also left on Thursday so the week was short for me.

The most notable development in Amnesty-related news was the disappointing rejection by the Supreme Court to Troy Davis' appeal; a man that Amnesty has been advocating for as having a strong case of innocence. Amnesty issued this statement on the development:

"Amnesty International is extremely disappointed that the Supreme Court rejected Troy Davis’ appeal. It appears that the justice system is comfortable allowing someone to be executed when there are lingering doubts about guilt in the case. No objective person could confidently determine that Davis is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt from the evidence available now in his case. That leaves an ominous cloud hanging over an irreversible sentence such as the death penalty. Because there was no physical evidence linking Davis to the murder, nor was there physical evidence exonerating him, the case rested on a group of witnesses whose credibility was readily accepted for conviction, but so easily rejected in the appeals process. The Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles, as the final fail-safe, has the opportunity to commute his sentence to life and prevent the possibility of executing an innocent person."

As you can see by the content of this statement, Amnesty has been working tirelessly to garner support for Troy Davis' appeal. It is very disappointing when Amnesty works toward a goal that does not come to fruition, because people here feel very strongly about the ideas behind what they are doing. However, there is still a chance of commuting to a life sentence through the State Board of Pardons and Paroles.

While cases about the death penalty are not necessarily the issue that I am interested in, I read about all of Amnesty's causes because they all necessitate interaction with the media.

Also in the news were further developments about Syria and the Tunisian migrants to Italy. The issue of mistreatment of Tunisian immigrants in Italy is interesting to me because I studied abroad in Italy, and I witnessed the very obvious sentiment against immigrants and foreigners. While I was there I didn't realize the gravitas of the situation.

Another task I completed last week was drafting a letter to the editor template about Amnesty's stance on the crackdown of collective bargaining rights in Wisconsin. Amnesty often tries to mobilize support by providing activists with materials like letter templates, so I did research on the statements that Amnesty has issued and put together a cohesive but brief statement about what Amnesty's position. I enjoy getting writing experience because that is what I want to do when I finish my degree. I can't believe it's already April- time is going so fast! Have a great day and weekend everyone!