Amnesty International presents

Amnesty International presents
Just Earth! program March 14
March 2001

Amnesty International will present information on the nexus between environmental preservation and human rights protection on March 14, 8pm at the Civic Media Center. They will discuss the Just Earth! Program and International Right-To-Know legislation as well as providing tools for activism to mitigate the byproducts of globalization.

The Just Earth! Program is a collaboration between Amnesty International and the Sierra Club to defend the defenders of Earth. According to organizers, the goals of this joint endeavor are to (1) increase pressure on the U.S. government to include the human rights of environmental advocates as a central component of foreign policy and (2) to provide direct support for threatened activists in other nations through grassroots activities. The group uses lobbying, the media, community events, demonstrations, direct letter writing, shareholder activism, lawsuits and trade initiatives as to push forward this agenda.

The International Right-To-Know Initiative builds on domestic right-to-know laws and is at the heart of Amnesty International's legislative efforts. The International Right to Know would require U.S.-based multinational corporations to disclose information on labor practices, environmental protection and human rights to both the U.S. government and the local communities within which they operate. Passage of this legislation would assist those who are concerned about a corporation's actions within their local community as well as inform shareholders of the actions of companies with which they invest.

In addition to the discussion two videos will be presented. Environmentalists Under Fire: 10 Urgent Cases of Human Rights Abuses outlines the joint campaign of Amnesty International and Sierra Club. Defending the Forests: The Struggle of the Campesino Environmentalists of Guerrero (from the Chiapas Media Project, Spanish with English subtitles) highlights the cases of Rodolfo Montiel and Teodoro Cabrera, two environmental activists calling for preservation of the ecology of their local community.

Opportunities for activism will be available at the conclusion of the discussion. Copies of the action alert concerning Rodolfo Montiel and Teodoro Cabrera will be available at the Civic Media Center at the conclusion of the presentation. The report: Environmentalists Under Fire: 10 Urgent Cases of Human Rights Abuses will also be available to be checked out at the Civic Media Center, which is at 1021 W. University Ave. (373-0010).

For more information on becoming involved with the Human Rights and Environment Campaign, please contact David Fazzino, Gainesville Campaign Organizer: davidfazzino@hotmail.com. (352) 246-6680, www.defendtheearth.org.