Prisoner of Conscience: Sutanti Aidit, Indonesia
Dr. Sutanti Aidit, a medical doctor, was arrested in 1961, right after the attempted coup in Indonesia. Her husband, head of the Indonesian Communist Party, was executed for his involvement in the coup. By the time Group 11 received the case she had been imprisoned for 11 years without being tried. Despite many years of work by Group 11 and other Amnesty affiliates, it was only under the Carter administration, which took a particular interest in human rights in Indonesia, that Dr. Aidit was freed under an amnesty. After she was freed Dr. Aidit recognized the untiring efforts of Amnesty and other organizations.
In addition to the letters that Group 11 sent to Dr. Aidit and to the Indonesian authorities, we contacted the U.S. Department of State and members of Congress on the case. At one point, over 80 registered letters were sent at the same time to the prison where she was being held. Soon after the letters arrived a trial date was set, although unfortunately it was never held. Among our other initiatives were sending packages and money to Dr. Aidit’s children in the Netherlands, through a Dutch Amnesty group, and meeting with a former cellmate who traveled to many countries speaking about their ordeal in prison.
Prisoner of Conscience: Liu Gang, People's Republic of China
Liu Gang, a physics graduate student, was ranked third on the list of “most wanted” protesters after the 1989 Tiananmen Square demonstration. He was arrested in June 1989 and sentenced to six years in prison. During his imprisonment, Amnesty 11 sponsored a petition on his behalf which was sent through Amnesty USA to Amnesty chapters throughout the United States. The petition was signed by over 7,500 people in more than 900 towns and cities in 45 states and the District of Columbia. The collected petitions and a list of the places where the signers lived were sent to the Prime Minister of China. In addition, thousands of post cards were sent to government authorities protesting his imprisonment and calling for his release.
Liu Gang was released from prison to be kept in isolation, but was smuggled out of China to the United States. On June 21, 1996, at the annual meeting of Amnesty International in Washington, D. C., Group 11 presented a plaque to Liu Gang, thanking him for his heroic contributions to human rights in China. After receiving a five-minute standing ovation as he help up the plaque, Liu Gang addressed the meeting and stated that Amnesty had saved his life.
Conscientious Objectors: Greece
In the early 1990’s, when Group 11 took on this case, Greece was the only country in the European Community that did not provide conscientious objectors an alternative to military service. Young men, almost all members of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, who refused to serve the required term in the armed forces were sentenced to several years in a military prison. Our case involved several young men who refused to serve in the military based on their religious beliefs..
Our efforts took several forms. We wrote letters to the Greek authorities emphasizing how their policy on conscientious objectors differed from other European nations and urging that it be changed. We also presented our position to the Greek Counsel General in New York. Letters of firm support were sent to the families of the men in prison as well as to their attorneys in Greece. Lastly, we repeatedly brought this clear denial of human rights to the attention of the European Parliament, which forcefully raised it with the Greek government. The men were freed before the expiration of their prison sentences.
High School Course on Human Rights
In the early 1990s members of Group 11 designed and presented an introductory course on human rights for high school students in New York City. The course included the concept and definition of human rights, the nature of human rights violations, efforts to protect human rights, and what individuals can do to extend these rights. The course was given in a high school using lectures, discussions, and guest presentations. The group also contributed a library of material on human rights to the school. In conjunction with the course, Group 11 sponsored a contest in high schools for posters and essays on human rights, and awarded prizes to the best entries.
