Acting locally, acting globally

www.townonline.com By Susan May Danseyar / Journal Staff Thursday, January 23, 2003

Somerville chapter of Amnesty International is one of most active groups in the world

Despite their awareness that human rights violations are taking place - and possibly increasing - all over the world, members of Amnesty International Group 133 in Somerville are not discouraged but rather extremely encouraged by the progress they've made in abolishing heinous acts.

That may be because Group 133, one of 1,500 local and student branches in the United States, is one of the most active groups in the world, said Rick Roth, a former Somerville resident who owns his own T-shirt factory. He joined the group 21 years ago and said since its establishment 25 years ago, Group 133 has attracted unusually committed members who dedicate enormous amounts of time to research and action for the protection of human rights guaranteed to every individual on earth.

"It's not the amount of evil happening in the world that we focus on," said Carl Williams of Roxbury, a computer programmer who joined Group 133 10 years ago. "It's the resolve of people who want to do something about it which gives us encouragement."

And Group 133 has accomplished quite a bit, said Paul Bugala of Somerville, a market analyst who joined four years ago. In addition to writing thousands of letters to elected officials on behalf of changes they insist must take place in countries and regimes and attending demonstrations and educational events, members of the group were responsible for the release of two Tibetan nuns who were jailed, along with 12 others, for taking part in peaceful demonstrations. In addition, Group 133 was responsible for the release of Manuel Salazar who was sitting on Death Row in an Illinois prison by pushing for a second trial where he was found guilty of manslaughter and later released from jail.

"Once you accomplish something, you realize what you can do," said Roth. "And the continuity of the work this group has done over such a long period of time means we have so many individuals we can count on to dedicate their time."

Tamara Jenkins of Boston, a Web programmer who joined Group 133 three years ago and serves as group co-coordinator with Bugala, said Amnesty International has many concerns. "There are more slaves now than ever in the history of the world," she said. "What that means to us is that we have a lot of work to do."

And their unending energy comes from seeing tremendous accomplishment, said Roth. "One of the biggest inspirations came from seeing what happened in East Timor," he said. "If things could change there where 10 years ago things seemed so hopeless, then things can change anywhere."

Perhaps the campaign Group 133 worked on which had the most measurable changes was one which tackled the abolition of physical contact between guards and inmates in womens' prisons which was not illegal in many states, said Williams. "No one but Amnesty International was campaigning against this and, as a result of so many groups working on this, laws were passed in many states which now outlaw such contact," he said.

Serving Somerville as well as neighboring communities, Group 133 is divided into several action teams which work on specific themes or regions of the world. Current teams include those which work for refugees and asylum seekers forced to flee their homelands in fear for their safety; for worldwide abolition of the death penalty; opposing human rights violations in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela; work for the five Tibetan nuns who remain in jail after being arrested and tortured for their taking part in peaceful demonstrations; defending the environment from large corporations which fail to ensure environmentally responsible behavior; and 'Get on the Bus.'

In 1995, Group 133 started 'Get on the Bus' - the largest human rights demonstration in the country which takes place each April in New York. It's a day of action where thousands of members from Amnesty International groups all over the Northeast congregate to take part in a rally and meet with various consulates to either persuade of further action that must be taken or to thank for those that have already taken place.

Another endeavor the group started is '14 for 14' - a series of concerts for 14 months in a row which will raise money for the effort on behalf of the Tibetan nuns. So far, there have been six concerts and there will be eight more at the Linwood Bar and Grill in Boston.

Jenkins said Amnesty International is completely non-partisan. The 40 or 50 active members of the organization are extremely diverse with a variety of political leanings, she said. "There are people who have supported extremely conservative politicians but we all agree on the issue of human rights."

This is a group of people who are doing the very best thing one can do with freedom, said Bugala. "The best patriotic act you can perform is to use your freedom to help others," he said.

Group 133 is always looking for new members, said Roth. One doesn't have to devote as many hours as he and many of the other members do but can help by just writing letters or contributing to its newsletter, he said. Or donations to Group 133 are accepted with all proceeds going to direct human rights work.

The group's action teams meet on Monday nights. The entire 133 meets on the second Tuesday of every month from 7 to 9:30 p.m. in the Northwest Regional Office at 58 Day Street in Davis Square. The next meeting is on Jan. 14 and new members are welcome to attend.

For additional information, see the group's Web site at www.Amnesty133.org or contact group co-coordinator Paul Bugala at pbugala@amnesty133.org or call him at 617-504-3991.