[JNV] Afghan women / Free Hicham! / Peace Prisoners / Anti-War Events

[Justice Not Vengeance]

1) Afghan women mark International Women's Day
2) Free Hicham Yezza!
3) Other Peace Prisoners
4) Online Islamophobia course
5) Anti-war events March-April

Dear friends

We hope you find the listings below useful. Please do write to Hicham
Yezza, and please do tell your friends in London about the JNV Gaza
Art Auction next Saturday (2pm, Housmans Bookshop, 5 Caledonian Road,
London N1 9DX).

Thank you

Maya Evans, Emily Johns, Milan Rai
JNV

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1) Afghan women mark International Women's Day

<http://tinyurl.com/jnv002>

United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) =97 To mark
International Women=92s Day, women across Afghanistan will come together
for a Prayer for Peace with Justice. The gatherings will take place at
10am, 8 March throughout the country in Kandahar, Bamyan, Kabul,
Herat, Mazar, Daikundi and Jalalabad. At the gatherings, the women
will wear scarves whose blue colour matches that of the burka, the
garment widely regarded as a symbol of women=92s oppression under the
Taliban regime.

"The women in Afghanistan deliberately chose this colour to call
attention to the need to look beyond the burka toward a future where
women's contribution to society is fully acknowledged," says Wenny
Kusuma, UNIFEM country director in Afghanistan. "The situation for
women in Afghanistan is very mixed. There are a lot of achievements to
point to institutionally, such as the Constitution, which stipulates
gender equality, but the situation on the ground is not matched by the
progress on paper," she adds. =93In particular, we see with ever-growing
concern a return to a public acceptance of violence against women that
is not addressed with the legal means in existence." It is estimated
that more than 87 percent of women in Afghanistan are subjected to
domestic violence.

UNIFEM is supporting the Prayer for Peace with Justice on 8 March that
is expected to be the first gathering of this size and scope in
Afghanistan. The idea for the prayer gathering was born last year,
when a small group of women in Kandahar, one of the most volatile
areas of Afghanistan, spread the word to friends and colleagues,
expecting only a few women to show up. In the end, more than 1,500
women gathered in Kandahar on that day.

"Afghan women are tired of being subject to egregious acts of
violence, they are tired of watching their family and friends being
killed, and they refuse to accept the pervasive political, cultural
and economic violence that woman face on a daily basis, both at home
and in their pursuit to participate in public life," says Rangina
Hamidi, a women's rights and peace activist in Kandahar.

> Also see the Feminist Peace Network
http://www.feministpeacenetwork.org/international-womens-day/


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2) Free Hicham Yezza!

One of the founders of the Nottingham Student Peace Movement has been
imprisoned as the result of a vindictive campaign by an embarrassed
government.

Last May, Nottingham University administrative worker and editor of
the campus peace magazine Ceasefire Hicham Yezza was wrongfully
arrested and detained for six days for handling an al-Qa'eda training
manual - a publicly available document which had been downloaded from
a US Justice Department website. He was printing it out for a
colleague researching terrorism - something a tutor immediately
testified to. After an international outcry, Hicham and his friend,
student Rizwaan Sabir, were released, but the embarassed authorities
immediately tried to pursue Hicham for unrelated immigration
'offences'.

See this Guardian article for coverage of the initial incident:
<http://tinyurl.com/jnv003>

The case finally came to court in February, and on 12 February, after
a surprisingly brief trial (the judge cut the presentation of complex
evidence down to one day), Hicham came closer to being deported from
Britain after a jury found him guilty of lying to immigration
officials about the expiry of his visa =96 =93securing avoidance of
enforcement action by deceptive means=94.

Nottingham University peace activists believe the immigration charges
are an attempt by the government to smear Hicham and distract
attention from their initial blunders and repressive actions. It is
clear that he failed to get a stamp from the authorities extending his
stay in the UK; it is equally clear that, as his lawyer told the
court: 'He did not in any way try to hide his identity and, if he had
done things properly, he would have been granted in all likelihood the
right to stay in this country.'

See the Nottingham Evening Press (you can comment on the article):
<http://tinyurl.com/jnv004>

On 6 March, Hicham was sentenced to a completely disproportionate nine
months in prison. He is understood to be preparing to appeal.

a) Please donate to Hicham's legal fund.

Sort Code: 400205
Account Number:81474715
IBAN number: gb44midl40020581474715
International Swift Code: midlgb2140c

b) Please write to Hicham

A cheerful, chatty, colourful postcard - without too much hero worship
or commiseration - or a letter describing what you are doing for
peace, with some stamps enclosed, are often the best.

Hicham's current address:

Hicham Yezza XP266
HMP Woodhill
Tattenhoe Street
Milton Keynes
Buckinghamshire
MK4 4DA


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3) EDO Peace Prisoners

Taken from this month's Peace News:

The nine activists who decommissioned the EDO arms factory in Brighton
in January, in protest against the supply of British arms to Israel
and the assault on Gaza, are now facing the much vaguer charge of
'conspiracy to cause criminal damage' as well as the charge of
criminal damage itself, following a court hearing on 16 February.

The charge of burglary was dropped against all nine. Because of this
change to a 'conspiracy' charge, the three activists who were arrested
outside the factory, and who caused none of the damage, are more
likely to be convicted. In addition to the change in charges, the
claimed value of the property damaged has risen to =A3300,000, up
=A350,000 from the initial estimate.

Two of the protestors remain in jail: Robert Alford in Lewes Prison
and Elijah Smith in Bristol. Robert applied for bail, but was turned
down. Elijah refused to apply for bail until Alford was released.
Though the two men were originally held in Lewes Prison together,
Elijah Smith was moved to Bristol earlier this month for =93security
reasons=94.

A pre-trial hearing is scheduled for 8 May.

Donations welcome:
The Decommissioners, PO Box 6, Booty, 82 Colston Street, Bristol. BS1 5BB.

Please write to the prisoners:
Elijah Smith VP7551,
HMP Bristol,
19 Cambridge Road,
Horfield, BS7 8PS

Robert Alford VP7552,
HMP Lewes,
1 Brighton Rd,
Lewes,
East Sussex, BN7 1E


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4) Online Islamophobia Course

Milan Rai, JNV researcher and author of 7/7: The London Bombings,
Islam and the Iraq War, is running a 10-week online course with ZNet,
the world's top radical website.

Courses (there are several other excellent options) cost $100 for
non-Sustainers; only $50 for Z Sustainers.

ZSchool is at:
http://moodle.zcommunications.org/


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5) Twelve Events (March-April)

Network for Peace continues to provide an invaluable guide to peace
movement events at:
www.networkforpeace.org.uk

Twelve events coming up are:

Wednesday 11 March
LONDON. "Emergency Lobby of Parliament for Palestine." Please make an
appointment to lobby your MP now. This lobby has been organised at
short notice to call for urgent action by the British government to
address the horrific humanitarian crisis that has been forced upon the
people of Gaza. You can request a meeting via the Palestine Solidarity
Campaign website. 2-6pm, House of Commons, London (nearest tube
Westminster). "Call on your MP to: End the blockade on Gaza; Suspend
the EU-Israel Trade Agreement; Bring Israeli war criminals to justice;
End the arms trade with Israel." Contact: Palestine Solidarity
Campaign; 020 7700 6192;
www.palestinecampaign.org

Saturday 14 March
ABERYSTWYTH. "Networking for a more just and peaceful world."
Reimagining a peace and justice network in Wales. A Peace Institute
for Wales? Annual Peace Festival. Putting a stop to St Athan. Climate
Camp Cymru 2009. Canvassing public opinion... 2 - 6 pm, Morlan Centre,
Queens Road, Aberystwyth. (Wheelchair accessible.) Contact James
Maiden, 07825 991 557;
info@cynefinywerin.org.uk

LONDON. "Art Auction for Gaza." Organised by JNV and Peace News and
hosted by Housmans Bookshop. Art donated by Hastings artists (see
below for brief report). All proceeds to Medical Aid for Palestinians
and the Free Gaza Movement. Auctioneer Milan Rai, JNV/Peace News. 2pm.
Housmans Bookshop, 5 Caledonian Road, London N1 9DX (2 minutes from
Kings Cross). (Shop wheelchair accessible; no accessible toilet.)
Contact: JNV, 0845 458 9571; 07980 748 555.

Saturday 21 March
BRISTOL. "Change in Progress." Join activists from eight campaigning
organisations for a day of training and networking to make change
happen! We are all engaged in trying to change the world we live in
for the better. Take part in Change in Progress to: Learn skills and
share ideas that will make your campaigning more effective. Choose
from over 12 skills workshops including campaign planning, using the
media and lobbying your MP. Share experiences with campaigners from a
broad range of organizations. College Green Centre, City of Bristol
College, St George's Road Bristol BS1 5UA. (Fully wheelchair
accessible, please book a parking space if required.) The event is
free to attend but spaces are limited, so book now at
http://www.changeinprogress.org.uk/practical.html; or by emailing
annemarie@caat.org.uk.

Thursday 26 March
BRIGHTON. 'Afghanistan'. With Jonathan Neale, a writer and
long-standing anti-war activist who has lived in Afghanistan.
Organised by Hands Off. 7.30pm. Brighthelm, North Road, Brighton BN1
1YD.

Saturday 28 March
LONDON. "Tell the G20 =96 'Put People First'." A march for - Jobs:
decent jobs and public services. Justice: end global poverty and
inequality. Climate: build a green economy. Organised by an alliance
of unions, NGOs & campaigners. Assemble 11am Victoria Embankment.
Rally Hyde Park 2 pm. Speakers & entertainment.
www.putpeoplefirst.org.uk

Wednesday 1 April
LONDON. Anti-war/nuclear disarmament/Palestine solidarity march
through central London on the eve of the G20, assemble central London,
2pm. Send a message to Barack Obama and other leaders of the world's
most powerful nations at the G20 summit which starts on 2 April. It
will be Barack Obama's first visit to Britain.Organised by the Stop
the War Coalition, Palestine Solidarity Campaign, The British Muslim
Initiative and CND.

Thursday 2 April
LONDON. Anti-war/nuclear disarmament/Palestine solidarity protest at
the ExCeL Centre London Docklands, assemble 11am. Send a message to
Barack Obama and other leaders of the world's most powerful nations at
the G20 summit which starts on 2 April. Organised by the Stop the War
Coalition, Palestine Solidarity Campaign, The British Muslim
Initiative and CND.

1-5 April
STRASBOURG. "No to war. No to NATO!" NATO's 60th birthday events:
resistance camp, direct action, counter-conference, demonstration. (A)
To take action, do trainings, or otherwise help with the Resistance
Camp, please book a place in a vehicle (=A330, leaving the UK 31 March,
returning 6 April): 0845 337 0282; mellcndeast@cnduk.org - seats
probably gone, but worth checking (B) For coaches to the demonstration
on 4 April (=A373, leaving London 9am, 3 April, returning 5 April), book
with Stop The War Coalition, 0207 278 6694; or online:
http://tinyurl.com/peacenews061
www.no-to-nato.org

3-5 April
LANCASTER. "Exploring grassroots consensus." An in-depth skillshare on
facilitation and consensus in small and large groups. For people with
wide experience of facilitating consensus to explore and build their
skills. Vegan food and floor space provided (bring sleeping mats &
bags) and a limited number of proper beds =96 contact us if you need
one. The venue is wheelchair accessible with an induction loop. The
cost is =A330 per person inclusive (or pay what you can). Please apply
by 15 March: 0845 3307 583;
www.seedsforchange.org.uk

Wednesday 22 April
LONDON. "End the war in Afghanistan." With Peter Marsden, author of
Afghanistan- Aid, Armies and Empires and The Taliban, Jonathan Steele
of the Guardian and Gabriel Carlyle, Voices in the Wilderness UK.
7.30pm.Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion Square, London WC1R 4RL. Wheelchair
accessible. Organised by JNV, Voices and the Northwood Die-in
committee, 0845 458 2564;
www.stopbombingafghanistan.org

24-25 April
LONDON. "Peace History Conference". Organised by the Movement for the
Abolition of War at the Imperial War Museum! Speakers include; Joseph
J Fahey, Mahattan College, New York on civilian resistance to the war
in Vietnam, Lyn Smith of the Imperial War Museum on Conscientious
Objectors in action, and more. =A330/=A310 full-time students. Imperial
War Museum, Lambeth Road, London SE1. Bookings:
www.abolishwar.org.uk