Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch

A chilling campaign of extrajudicial executions and violence by the Nigerian Army allegedly resulted in deaths of at least 150 peaceful pro-separatist protesters in the Southeast of the African country, a report by the Amnesty International said on Thursday

Amnesty: Nigerian Army Killed 150 Peaceful Protesters
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950904000895

Thu Nov 24, 2016 - “The military should not be involved in managing or responding to peaceful demonstrations or gathering. The Nigerian government should initiate prompt and impartial investigations into allegations of killings, torture, arbitrary arrests and detentions, incommunicado detention and excessive use of force in the Southeast of Nigeria," says Makmid Kamara, the Director of Amnesty International in Nigeria, Africa News reported.

But both the military and police have dismissed the allegations.

According to the 62-page report, the military fired live ammunition, with little or no warning, to disperse members of the Indigenous People of Biafra group known as IPOB between August 2015 and August 2016.

The findings of this report involved an analysis of 87 videos and 122 photographs showing IPOB gatherings and members of security forces in the process of committing violations and victims of these violations. 193 interviews were conducted.

On 30 September 2016, Amnesty International shared the key findings of this report with the Federal Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Chief of Defence Staff, Chief of Army Staff, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Interior, Inspector General of Police and the Director-General of the state Security Services. Responses were received from the Attorney General and Inspector General of Police but neither answered the questions raised in the report.

IPOB emerged in 2012 and campaigns for an Independent Biafran state. Almost fifty years ago, an attempt to establish Biafra state led to a civil war from 1967 to 1970 that killed an estimated 1 million people.
 
Human Rights Watch Purposefully Mistranslates a Leaflet to Aleppo Rebels from Syrian Government (Photo)
http://www.globalresearch.ca/human-rights-watch-purposefully-mistranslates-a-leaflet-to-aleppo-rebels-from-syrian-government/5559825

Dec. 1, 2016 - Rami Jarrah (who is widely cited as an authority by mainstream Western media) posted the Arabic leaflet dropped by Syrian government forces and the English translation by Human Rights Watch, which has been widely circulated.

I will provide to you my translation of the original Arabic and you judge how reliable the translation by Human Rights Watch is. [Moreover they have shortened the text of the message]

The Arabic says (in full):

“Read and Repeat. This is the last hope. Save yourselves.

If you don’t evacuate those areas soon, you shall be finished off (or vanquished or destroyed).

WE have provided you with a safe passage to exit. Take your decision fast. Save yourselves.

You know that all have abandoned you and left you by yourselves to face your destiny and they won’t provide you with any help. General Command of the army and armed forces.”

PS The word annihilation is very specific and has an equal Arabic equivalent “Ibadah” which does not appear in the original Arabic.

[The substance of the message is turned upside down in the English translation. It does not mention that the government is providing exit and safe passage to the Al Qaeda rebels.]

The original source of this article is The Angry Arab News Service
http://angryarab.blogspot.ca/2016/11/human-rights-watch-purposefully.html
 
Amnesty International USA (AIUSA) has called for an investigation by the Department of Justice into the policing of protesters of the Dakota Access Pipeline.

Amnesty demands DOJ probe into treatment of DAPL protesters
https://www.rt.com/usa/368857-dakota-dapl-amnesty-police/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS

1 Dec, 2016 - The organization made the official request after four AIUSA human rights observers found that police used “tear gas, concussion grenades and fire hoses against protesters in sub-freezing temperatures”. Referring to their findings, the organization said, “we believe federal oversight is necessary.”

“We believe that an investigation by your office of the policing of the Dakota Access Pipeline demonstrations in North Dakota is warranted, and that the Civil Rights Division should deploy observers to the area to ensure that the rights of people opposed to the pipeline are respected, protected and fulfilled,” AIUSA executive director Margaret Huang wrote in a letter to the DOJ.

Should your investigators uncover any civil rights violations by law enforcement, individual officers should be charged and prosecuted as warranted,” Huang continued.

On November 22, the US Commission on Civil Rights called for officials to de-escalate tensions and guarantee safety of protesters exercising their First Amendment Rights after “reports and testimony” highlighted the “use of military-style equipment and excessive force against protesters”.

Last Monday, several protesters filed a class action lawsuit against Morton County and Law enforcement agencies for alleged “illegal use of force” with “highly dangerous weaponry” on the night of November 20 and early morning of November 21.

The most serious injury to date was sustained by 21-year-old protester Sophia Wilansky who faces possible arm amputation after being struck by an alleged concussion grenade used by law enforcement officers during an altercation with pipeline security on November 21.

Activists are demonstrating against the pipeline’s proposed route which involves running under a river less than a mile from the Standing Rock reservation. The route has prompted fears it will harm the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe’s water source.

The company involved, Energy Transfer Partner, has reportedly suffered leaks of more than 18,800 barrels of oil in US pipeline spills since 2005.

The DOJ previously said it would not authorize the crossing under Lake Oahe until it has reviewed the issues raised by the tribe.
 
Amnesty International said on Tuesday that Turkey needs to compensate tens of thousand people and permit them to return to their homes in the Sur district of Diyarbakir after they were displaced by Turkey’s crackdown over the past year.

Amnesty Calls on Turkey to Compensate Thousands Diyarbakir Residents Displaced by Crackdown
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950916000852

Tue Dec 06, 2016 - “A year after a round-the-clock curfew was imposed in Sur, thousands of people remain displaced in their homes, struggling to make ends meet and facing an uncertain future in an increasingly repressive atmosphere,” said Amnesty’s Europe Director John Dalhuisen, Rudaw reported.

“Whilst the crackdown on civil society in Southeastern Turkey has been widely reported, there has been little coverage of the forced displacement which has devastated the lives of ordinary people under the pretext of security,” he added.

Violent clashes ended in Sur in March 2016 however the curfew imposed by Turkish government has remained largely in place.

Following the re-ignition of Turkey’s war with the PKK militants, Ankara imposed strict curfews on Diyarbakir under the pretext of eliminating PKK presence there. This has displaced all 24,000 residents of the historic Sur district of that city, which is a UNESCO world heritage site.

Amnesty says the right of return of these residents to their homes remain “in grave danger” as a result of continued curfews and has called upon the Turkish authorities to “lift the curfew without delay” and give these displaced residents safe passage back to their homes and compensation for the damage.

“On the bitter anniversary of the curfew in Sur, much of the population of this world heritage site have been forced to look on as their own heritage has been bulldozed,” said Dalhuisen.

“Shockingly, the desperate situation facing the displaced residents of Sur is mirrored in dozens of other districts across Southeast Turkey," he added.

"The government must act urgently to lift the curfew, ensure affected communities are fully compensated and either helped to return to what remains of their homes or, at the very least, to their neighborhoods."
 
(HRW) Saudi Arabia Uses Cluster Bombs Again against Yemeni People in Sa'ada Province
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950920001417

Sat Dec 10, 2016 - The residents of al-Malil district in Kitaf city of Sa'ada province came under the Saudi warplanes' cluster bomb raids.

"There were no immediate reports of the possible casualties in al-Malil district of the city of Kitaf, but locals said tens of people have been killed or wounded in the raid," the Arabic-language al-Massira TV quoted a local source as saying on Saturday.

Last week, several Yemeni civilians were wounded in Saudi Arabia's cluster bomb attacks in Shahar region in Sa'ada province.

A human rights watch in its latest report announced in a report that the US helps Saudi Arabia in its air raids on the Yemeni people. It noted that tens of people have so far been killed in the Saudi Arabia's cluster bombs attacks while the bombs had US flags on them.

On Friday, seven civilians were killed and 11 more were injured in Saudi Army's rocket and aerial attacks in the Northwestern Sa’ada province, local media said.

Saudi forces' rocket attack killed five civilians and wounded eight more in the city of Haydan in the Telan district of Sa’ada, al-Masirah tv network reported.

Saudi warplanes also targeted the al-Nazir region of the city of Razeh in the same province, leaving two residents dead and three more wounded.

In later August the UN human rights office said the Saudi military is using cluster bombs against residential areas in Yemen in violation of international law, blaming the Riyadh regime for most of the civilian casualties in its impoverished Southern neighbor.

Also in August, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Zeid al-Hussein called for the creation of an independent international body to investigate cases of human rights violations in conflict-ridden Yemen.

"Civilians in Yemen have suffered unbearably over the years from the effects of a number of simultaneous and overlapping armed conflicts,” Hussein said in a statement, adding that “they continue to suffer... while those responsible for the violations and abuses against them enjoy impunity.”

The UN official further said “such a manifestly protracted unjust situation must no longer be tolerated by the international community,” calling for “an international, independent investigative body” to be established.

On May 6, Human Rights Watch (HRW) criticized the United States for selling cluster munitions to Saudi Arabia, urging Riyadh to stop using such banned arms that leave behind unexploded sub-munitions and endanger civilians.

Steve Goose, arms director at HRW and chair of the Cluster Munition Coalition, an international coalition of groups working to eradicate cluster munitions, said Saudi Arabia has used various types of US-made cluster munitions, including CBU-105 Sensor Fuzed Weapons, in its war against Yemen despite evidence of mounting civilian casualties.

Experts say CBU-105 is designed to explode above the ground and project an explosively formed jet of metal and fragmentation downward. The cluster ammunition is equipped with electronic self-destruct and self-deactivation features.

On April 7, HRW said its investigators traveled to a town in Yemen’s northwestern province of Hajjah the day after the attack and identified 97 civilians killed in the strike, including 25 children. The team said another 10 bodies were burned beyond recognition, bringing the total number of victims to 107.

They found fragments of a GBU-31 satellite-guided bomb as well as its guidance equipment supplied by the US, matching an earlier report by British television network ITV.

The US has backed the Saudi campaign in Yemen. In November last year, Washington approved a USD 1.29 billion rearming program for Riyadh, including thousands of similar bombs.
 
Amnesty International said the Bahraini Appeal Court ruling to jail opposition leader Sheikh Ali Salman for 9 years was shocking, stating it represents another example of blatant disregard of the right to freedom of expression in Bahrain.

Amnesty: Bahraini Court Verdict against Sheikh Salman “Unfair, Arbitrary”
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950923001448

Tue Dec 13, 2016 - The shocking verdict is another example of Bahrain’s flagrant disregard for the right to freedom of expression,” said deputy director of the Middle East office of Amnesty International Samah Hadid, Al Manar reported.

“Sheikh Ali Salman is a prisoner of conscience. He has been put behind bars merely for peacefully reaffirming his party’s determination to pursue power in Bahrain, to achieve the reform demands of the 2011 uprising and to hold those responsible for human rights violations to account,” she added in a statement.

Amnesty called the monarchy “instead of punishing Sheikh Salman for peaceful criticism the Bahraini authorities must order his immediate and unconditional release.”

The statement stressed that “the international community can no longer turn a blind eye to the Bahraini authorities’ relentless persecution of government critics and human rights activists with the sole purpose of crushing any form of peaceful dissent or opposition to the government.”

Instead of ignoring criticism of Bahrain’s human rights record, its international allies must use their influence to push for the release of Sheikh Ali Salman and all prisoners of conscience in Bahrain.”

“Instead of ignoring criticism of Bahrain in the field of human rights, international allies should use their influence to press for the release of Sheikh Ali Salman, and all prisoners of conscience in Bahrain,” the statement read. (Notice - repeat statement?)

Sheikh Ali Salman is the Secretary General of the main opposition party in Bahrain, al-Wefaq national Islamic Society.

Following his sentencing in 2015, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention also called on the Bahraini authorities for his immediate release. An initial four-year-sentence against Sheikh Ali Salman was more than doubled to nine years during the first appeal.

In October 2016, Court of Cassation had taken a step in right direction by rejecting the extension of the sentence and ordering a retrial.


Note - UNICEF often partners with Amnesty International, mainly in Africa and the Congo, in offering and promoting vaccination programs, generally under the funding by the Gates Foundation.

UNICEF said in a new report on Tuesday that at least one child dies every 10 minutes because of malnutrition, diarrhea and respiratory-tract infections.

UNICEF: One Child Dies Every 10 Minutes in War-Hit Yemen
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950923001186

UN children's fund UNICEF said in its report that nearly 2.2 million Yemeni children are acutely malnourished, victims of the near-collapse of the health care system during two years of escalating conflict, the Daily Star reported.

According to the report, at least 462,000 are suffering from severe acute malnutrition as food supplies have been disrupted by the devastating war the Saudi-led coalition has imposed on the Yemeni people.

Saada province, in Yemen's far north, has the world's highest stunting rate among children with eight out of 10 children affected in some areas, it added.

"Malnutrition in Yemen is at an all-time high and increasing," said UNICEF's acting country representative, Meritxell Relano.

"The state of health of children in the Middle East's poorest country has never been as catastrophic as it is today."

At least one child dies every 10 minutes in Yemen because of malnutrition and preventable diseases such as diarrhoea and respiratory infections.

"Diseases such as cholera and measles have spread and, with few health facilities functional, such outbreaks are taking a heavy toll on children," Relano said.

In 2016, UNICEF supported the treatment of 215,000 children suffering from severe acute malnutrition and provided more than four million children under the age of five with vitamin supplements.

But relief operations remain hindered by funding shortfalls and limited access to battleground areas.

"We call on parties to the conflict to give us unhindered access to children in need across the country so we are able to deliver nutrition supplies, treat malnourished children and support Yemen's health services," Relano said.
 
EU leaders have been heavily criticized by human rights group Amnesty International over its failure to put the situation of refugees suffering in appalling conditions in Greece higher up their agenda at their meeting, December 15, Sputnik has been told.

Amnesty Slams EU Leaders for 'Hypocritical' Failures over Migrant Crisis
https://sputniknews.com/europe/201612161048644541-amnesty-greece-turkey-refugees/

16.12.2016 - EU leaders only had time for a short consideration of the refugee crisis in Greece, in the context of the controversial EU-Turkey migrant deal, under which "irregular migrants " — those refused asylum — are returned to Turkey. After the meeting, the leaders said, simply, they "reiterated their commitment to a full implementation of EU-Turkey Statement on migration".

"We are deeply disappointed and very concerned that — despite the fact that over 16,000 men, women and children are living in appalling conditions on the Greek islands — EU leaders did not consider that serious enough to merit attention at the Council," Iverna McGowan, Director of Amnesty International's European Institutions Office told Sputnik.

​Amnesty says that, despite having a right to family reunification under EU law, some refugees are unable to reunite with family members in other EU countries. The European Commission is proposing they should be returned to Turkey and seek family reunification from there.

"What's more, in a week when reports are coming in about Syrian people — including children — being massacred in their homes, there was no reflection on that and that part of the EU-Turkey deal involves returning Syrians to Turkey," McGowan told Sputnik. "At this stage, horrendous crimes are being committed, Syrian civilians urgently need support. They don't need doors closing or to be sent back. That overall combination is deeply worrying indeed." The news comes a week after the Commission announced that member states could begin relocating migrants back to Greece — whence many of them originated after crossing the Mediterranean or the West Balkans — in order to reassert common immigration policy which was thrown into chaos by the mass movement of migrants which overwhelmed the Athens authorities.

EU Credibility as Risk - The move is seen as putting pressure on Greece to process migrants arriving on its shores — in line with the Dublin rules, which say all arrivals must be processed in the country of arrival — and stem the flow of asylum seekers moving northwards through Europe. "The commission's proposal to restart returns to Greece is not only deeply hypocritical, it's also ridiculous. Anybody who has recently been to the Greek islands would see that's completely untenable. It's hypocritical in the fact that — although the Greek Government does have some peer responsibility for providing basic housing etc. — the broader problem has been caused by the bigger EU member states' policy towards migration. "Namely, the EU-Turkey agreement that has left thousands stranded on the islands and the fact that other states have closed their borders and are refusing to chow solidarity by spreading asylum seekers more equally and more rapidly across the European Union. So it's very hypocritical to try and blame Greece for the entire situation when — clearly — this is an EU issue," she told Sputnik.

Asked whether the European Council President Donald Tusk had his priorities right after telling reporters after the December 15 summit that an EU-Turkey summit would be organized "in the next months, McGowan said: "The situation has already proved fatal for some people. Refugees have lost their lives. The images of people living in squalid conditions and vulnerable groups continue to be transmitted across the world."

"So it beggars belief, at this stage. At what point will they realize that they have made a mistake in policy and this needs a drastic u-turn if not only for the dignity and rights of the refugees and asylum seekers, but also for the EU's credibility."
 
HRW: Nearly 600 Dead in Indian Police Custody from 2009-2015
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950929000696

Human Rights Watch said in its report that police regularly disregard arrest procedures and torture suspects in custody to death. The police often blame such deaths on suicide or illness, the Kashmir Monitor reported.

While torture is illegal in the country, and law enforcement agencies in many countries now say it does little to elicit accurate information, many Indian police are open about their use of the ‘third degree’, a term that can encompass anything from a couple slaps to a savage beating, to extract details or confessions.

“Until you use third degree against them, they will not speak,” said Jairaj Sharma, a retired police officer in Uttar Pradesh, long a center of crime and corruption. Citing government data, the report said that 97 people died in police custody in 2015. In 67 of those cases, authorities either failed to take the suspects before a magistrate within 24 hours of arrest, as required by law, or the suspects died within 24 hours of being arrested.

Human Rights Watch said strict enforcement was needed of existing arrest guidelines, including such things as informing the families of those arrested, providing medical examinations and quickly producing suspects before magistrates. The New York-based group demanded that police officers who engage in torture and other ill-treatment of prisoners be disciplined and prosecuted.

Police officers will only learn that beating suspects is unacceptable when some are prosecuted, said Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia director of Human Rights Watch. “Our research shows that too often, the police officers investigating deaths in custody are more concerned about shielding their colleagues than bringing those responsible to justice,” she said in an interview.

Vikram Singh, a top retired Indian police officer, acknowledged that the country’s criminal justice system is riddled with problems, from desperately overcrowded jails to suspects sometimes held for years as cases are investigated. He said police officers have little concern about getting in trouble if they beat a suspect.

“My feeling is that not many cases against police officials have been registered, not many police officers suspended, and certainly no one has been dismissed in recent years for being brutal on accused and wanted criminals,” Singh said.

The 114-page report focused on 17 deaths in custody from 2009-2015, including more than 70 interviews with witnesses, victims’ families, justice experts, and police officials.

“In each of the 17 cases, the police did not follow proper arrest procedures, making the suspect more vulnerable to abuse,” said Jayshree Bajoria of Human Rights Watch, the author of the report.

The report cited the case of 37-year-old Shyamu Singh, who was arrested in April 2012 in Uttar Pradesh when police couldn’t tell him apart from his older brother Ramu, who was suspected of involvement in a string of extortion and theft cases. When neither brother would give his identity, a group of policemen forced Ramu to the floor.

“Four people held me down and one man poured water in my nose continuously. I couldn’t breath,” the report quoted Ramu as saying.

“Once they stopped on me, they started on Shyamu.” When Shyamu fell unconscious “they started worrying and talking among themselves that he is going to die. One of the men got a little packet and put the contents in Shyamu’s mouth,” Ramu said.

Shyamu Singh died later in a nearby hospital. Police told his family he had killed himself by taking poison. An initial inquiry by the State Investigation Department concluded in 2014 that seven police officers had tortured Singh and poisoned him to death. But a final inquiry report submitted a year later cleared all seven, according to the report.
 
Re: Amnesty International

angelburst29 said:
WOW - that was quick! A lot of good information and feed back Posted! Thanks so much. Now I have some leads - to help me get started on digging deeper.

The Russian article stated that Amnesty Int. was located in Moscow for 20 years. I'm guessing, Amnesty set up Office, during the time when Boris Yeltsin was President, after the fall of the Soviet Union? Putin has been doing a lot of "house cleaning", recently banning Soro's organizations, so maybe Amnesty is another organization connected to Soro's?

Interesting information, also, on Suzanne Nossel and her connections, including to H. Clinton. I wonder, if Amnesty is also tied into the Clinton Foundation, in some way? Worth checking out .....

angelburst, how would you like to visit our NC facility for a week and get some hands on SOTT training and hang out with cool peeps?
 
Re: Amnesty International

Laura said:
angelburst, how would you like to visit our NC facility for a week and get some hands on SOTT training and hang out with cool peeps?

They would throw me out in a day! ........ No, just kidding. It's my ultimate dream - to visit the NC facility, along with maybe visiting France some time in the near future.

After viewing all the amazing hard work and photos, since the purchase of the NC property and all the unbelievable accomplishments and detailed workmanship, visiting would be a "very humble" undertaking. Plus, it would really be great to meet the Members who worked together in transforming an ordinary house, into a spectacular working environment.

After the Holiday's, I'll get in touch with NC. Thank You for the thoughtful offer.
 
Human rights group Amnesty International warned that the actions of Myanmar’s military may constitute crimes against humanity, based on accounts of violence against the country’s Rohingya Muslims.

Note - Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch (HRW) are working together, in blaming Myanmar military for abuses, as a ploy to gain access under humanitarian aid, to undermine Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi and his association with the Southeast Asians Nations, which is part of BRICS.

Amnesty Warns Myanmar over Treatment of Rohingya Muslims
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950929001229

Myanmar has come under heavy criticism for its army’s forceful treatment of the Rohingya, and international human rights groups such as Amnesty
have accused the military of mass murder, looting and rape, the Indian Express reported.

“The Myanmar military has targeted Rohingya civilians in a callous and systematic campaign of violence,” said Rafendi Djamin, Southeast Asia director for Amnesty International.

“The deplorable actions of the military could be part of a widespread and systematic attack on a civilian population and may amount to crimes against humanity.”

Amnesty released a report Monday outlining its accusations. The report comes as Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi is set to meet fellow members of the Association of Southeast Asians Nations at a Monday meeting in Yangon.

The military sweeps were sparked by an October 9 attack on police outposts in Rakhine state that killed nine officers.

Rakhine, located in Myanmar’s West, has long been home to simmering tensions between the Rohingya and the country’s Buddhist majority population. The last major outbreak of violence in 2012 left hundreds dead and drove 140,000 people into internal displacement camps.

Amnesty cautioned that the scale and extent of the violence is unclear, as the military has closed Rakhine to outside observers, including aid workers. But eyewitness accounts detail specific cases of murder, looting and rape. In one incident on November 12, following an alleged skirmish between the army and villagers armed mostly with swords and other simple weapons, helicopter gunships descended on a village and sprayed bullets indiscriminately, killing civilians fleeing in a panic, Amnesty said.

This was corroborated to an extent by Myanmar army officials, who said helicopters opening fire that day and killed six people, who officials said were insurgents.

Refugees told Amnesty that the military is torching villages. Satellite images Amnesty obtained show 1,200 burned structures, which they say is in line with images released by Human Rights Watch (HRW) in November that showed 1,500 burned homes. Amnesty’s report follows concerns voiced in an International Crisis Group report released last week that repressive government policies are radicalizing the Rohingya, and sharp criticism from the UN’s High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein.

“Myanmar’s handling of Northern Rakhine is a lesson in how to make a bad situation worse,” al-Hussein said in Geneva on Friday. “The results have been catastrophic, with mass displacement, the nurturing of violent extremism, and everybody ultimately losing.”

Amnesty is urging the government to immediately cease hostilities, open Rakhine for humanitarian aid groups, and allow independent investigations.
 
I recently received an e-mail from Amnesty International asking me to sign a petition to stop the killing and brutality against civilians in Aleppo by Syrian t troops and Russian troops.
Is this for real?
 
Redrock12 said:
I recently received an e-mail from Amnesty International asking me to sign a petition to stop the killing and brutality against civilians in Aleppo by Syrian t troops and Russian troops.
Is this for real?

It's not uncommon to get solicited by one of these organizations. They are usually bundled and sent out in bulk and generally end up as spam. They hope that you will sign the petition - so they can add you to the "active list" and flood your inbox with constant requests for a donation of $50. or more.

The "delete" button works best in these kinds of situations.
 
I had a very similar email from Amnesty International, I was tempted to write a scathing email back, but instead I just unsubscribed, not that I ever remember subscribing in the first place.
 
Lindenlea said:
I had a very similar email from Amnesty International, I was tempted to write a scathing email back, but instead I just unsubscribed, not that I ever remember subscribing in the first place.

Best to just "delete" any unsolicited charity organization request, unless you have first hand knowledge of the organization. Any feed back from you, "as a rule" puts you on an active list, that's even "sold" as a master list to other organizations. There are several that are "legit" but that's where you come in - you need to do your homework in checking out their background and "follow the money" as they say. What are they collecting for, what is their purpose and cause and what are they hoping to accomplish with your funds or donation? How much of "that donation" truthfully gets to it's intended recipient?

One of the many things to consider in unsolicited charity requests - is "the timing" you received the request. Target dates are generally before a National Holiday - like "just before" Thanksgiving, Christmas, March-April (during tax filing and returns) and around 4th of July, when many have saved for their Summer vacations. Another thing to consider, even with legit organizations and causes, can you afford to take x-amount out of your budget? It's OK to give, if that's your intention, for there "are" many great causes out there and the proceeds "do reach" the one's who need it the most but in anything, its best to look - before you leap.

As for Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, knowing their background, who's behind them and how they are funded and the foot prints they have left behind, I don't consider them "donation worthy"!
 
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