Introduction
Meeting Information:
Group 141 meets on the fourth Tuesday of each month at 7:00 P.M. at:
Sisters of St. Joseph Center
480 S. Batavia Street
Orange, CA
The meeting room is in the Special Events Center located behind (west of) the main building (the Motherhouse). After entering the complex from Batavia Street, drive around the the south side of the Motherhouse and park in the lot in the back. Look for the signs directing you to the meeting room.
About the Group:
For more than thirty years, AIUSA Group 141, based in Orange, has actively worked on behalf of prisoners of conscience and other victims of human rights abuse.
Contact Us:
For more information please e-mail our group coordinator or write to:
Amnesty International
P.O. Box 864
Orange, CA 92856
Group History:
Since it was founded in 1972, the group has worked on behalf of adopted prisoners in Benin, Turkey, the Soviet Union, Somalia, South Korea, Tibet, Myanmar, and Viet Nam.
Current Activities:
Amnesty International’s 100 Days
Our group is closely following the progress on human rights issues made by the new US President Barack Obama, and we are encouraged by much of the positive steps taken so far. Come to our next meeting to help us thank him for his actions so far and inspire him to keep up the good work!
Prisoner Case:
Group 141’s most recent prisoner of conscience was The Venerable Thich Huyen Quang, who served as the Supreme Patriarch of the unofficial Unified Buddhist Church of Viet Nam. As as result of his outspoken defense of human rights and, in particular, the right to freely practice religion, he spent much of the time since 1977 until his death in July 2008 under house arrest. At the time of his death, he was 87 years old and had been suffering from poor health for several months.
Our group wrote countless letters on his behalf, and we counted it as a small success when in 2003, following persistent calls from AI members and other groups, the authorities changed the location of his imprisonment from a remote pagoda in Quang Ngai province, allowing him to return to Nguyen Thieu Monastery because of his declining health. We continued to call for his release from house arrest, and we were saddened to hear of his death in custody. We were also tremendously inspired by his continued courage in standing up for Democracy and Human Rights during the last thirty years of his life, even when facing detention and total isolation under arrest.