Amnesty International Group #612
Saturday, September 12, 2009, 6-8:00 pm
Fremont Community Center
40204 Paseo Padre Pkwy.
Fremont, CA 94538
Amnesty International Group 612 (East Bay, California) invites you to the Fremont Community Center to learn about how you can help stop torture. This event is free of charge, and refreshments will be served. Although not required, an RSVP to aiusa612 [at] aivol [dot] org (address obfuscated) is appreciated so we can estimate attendance. For more information, please email aiusa612 [at] aivol [dot] org.
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Free parking is in the lot
In 1975, the Khmer Rouge took over Cambodia and enslaved the entire population. Overnight, all Cambodians were stripped of their rights and individuality and forced to work as slaves to help build the Khmer Rouge's utopian society. At the end of the process, approximately 1.7 million people died of torture, summary execution, starvation, and malnutrition.
Chivy Sok, a child survivor of the Cambodian Killing Fields, will talk about life under the Khmer Rouge and the journey that led her to international human rights advocacy. As an advocate for international human rights with a focus on child labor issues, Sok is currently collaborating with several institutions to advance the teaching and curriculum development about child labor.
Most recently, Sok served as the Deputy Director of the University of Iowa Center for Human Rights (UICHR) and Project Director of the $1.2 million Child Labor Research Initiative at the University of Iowa. Prior to joining the UICHR, she worked as a consultant to the Cambodian Association of Illinois that raised funds to build the first Killing Fields Memorial and Museum in the United States.
Chivy Sok earned a B.A. in Political Science from the University of California at Santa Barbara and a Master of International Affairs degree from Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs with a special concentration in East Asia and human rights.
Saw Myat Mar was arrested in Burma in July 1989 because of her support for Daw Aung San Suu Kyi (Nobel Peace Prize recipient) and her National League for Democracy party. She was sentenced to three years imprisonment with hard labor, and was released in September 1991. After encountering further harassment from the military and potential re-imprisonment, she emigrated to the United States in 1999, with her husband and two daughters following four years later. She continues to advocate for freedom and democracy and works for the release of political prisoners, including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. Her advocacy work includes talking about her personal experiences in prison as well as her country's experiences under the military junta. You can learn more at the Clearview Project
Sarah Aird, Amnesty International USA Board of Directors, will speak about Amnesty's work to stop torture and our current program "Counter Terror With Justice." Sarah was recently elected to serve a three-year term as AIUSA Board Member. She previously worked as a Country Expert on Guatemala. Responsibilities included providing content and feedback to U.S campaign staff, drafting Action Files and individual case files, providing support and documentation for asylum cases, collaborating with AIUSA's Communication Department, and maintaining contact with government officials.