Amnesty International to hold human rights lectures

Friday Harbor Group 607 of Amnesty International USA invites the San Juan County community to join with them in celebration of the 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that were proclaimed and adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on December 10, 1948.

In celebration and rededication, the local Amnesty International Group will present, in conjunction with the Friends of the San Juan Island Library, three monthly panel discussions of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The discussions will be held at the San Juan Library from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. The Sunday, September 14 discussion, “Life, Liberty, and Personal Security,” will be devoted to Articles 1-11, the Sunday, October 12 discussion, “Rights in Civil Society and Polity” will relate to Articles 12-21, and the Sunday, November 9 discussion, “Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights,” will pertain to Articles 22-30. Free copies of the “Universal Declaration of Human Rights” booklet are available to all at the San Juan Island Public Library.

Former United States Army Captain James Yee, a Muslim Chaplin at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba will be the honored speaker at the December 10 Anniversary Celebration. Despite awards for his service, Chaplain Yee was arrested and charged with treason and espionage in September 2003. Chaplain Yee subsequently was exonerated, the charges dropped and, without apology, Chaplain Yee was honorably discharged in January 2005.

Amnesty International is a non-profit, non-partisan organization devoted to protecting human rights worldwide. For more information, call Roger deRoos at 378-6323.

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