Aug. 29
UNITED KINGDOM:
Amnesty teen takeover: Annabel Pitcher on writing about the death penalty for
teens
As part of the Amnesty teen takeover, we're running interviews between authors
who have written about human rights issues for teens and an Amnesty youth award
winner.
The 5th and final interview in the series is with Annabel Pitcher, author of My
Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece, who tackled the death penalty, guilt and
retribution in her latest book Ketchup Clouds. Interview by Isla Ratcliff, who
won an Amnesty protest song award for her composition about the death penalty.
Did you always want to write for young people?
Yes, when I wrote my 1st book, I didn't think about who I was writing it for, I
just hoped it would find an audience. But since I had worked with teenagers and
in schools, as an English teacher, and I read a lot of young adult fiction I
suppose I was naturally interested in that sort of writing. I had seen how much
books inspired young people and how excited they got when they really loved
something, like Twilight, and it reignited my passion for books and stories and
I thought, I want to have a go at this.
Did you set out to write about the death penalty?
The death penalty came fairly late on in the writing process actually. The
first thing I wanted to do was write a novel about guilt. That really came
first, the story about a central character, Zoe, caught in a love triangle
between 2 boys - Aaron and Max, one of whom she ends up killing and so is
carrying around this guilt. I like to explore themes in a larger, cosmic way
and that's when I came up with the idea of making other characters in the book
feel guilty about various things they have done; so there's a mother who feels
guilty about something she has done and a sister who feels guilty. But I still
felt that something was missing, that it was lacking an emotional punch. Then
it occurred to me that Zoe could write to a man on death row confessing the
secret, then that brings guilt in in another way. So actually the guy on death
row came much later in the process, but he was the key really, that's when the
story really took off.
What sparked your interest in the topic of the death penalty originally?
I had the experience when I was growing up of writing to a man on death row, I
got involved in a scheme set up by Amnesty International when I was 18 and I
could use all the kinds of research that I had done myself and I could
incorporate all the kind of anger I felt about the death penalty, and all the
passion of how I felt that it was very wrong, and bring those in to the book
and so it became something very special.
Did you base the website on which she finds the man in death row on a real
website?
It's based on a number of websites. It really is surprisingly easy to find the
contact details for someone on death row, you sort of imagine they're going to
be cut off from the world, but you just google it and loads of different
websites come up. It was based on my own experience really, I wrote to a man on
death row, when I was 18 and I used that more than anything else really. I had
been to listen to a talk by a nun organised by Amnesty and I felt really
inspired to do something, to offer these men some sort of human companionship
and compassion so I started to correspond with this man at death row. So a lot
of the book was based on my own experience, though it wasn't all a confessional
thing - I didn't actually kill anyone when I was at school.
What's more important to you, producing a work of art or delivering a political
message?
That's a very interesting question. I think the thing that's most important to
me is to tell a decent story. As a writer that has to come first. With this
book, it had to work on the level of the love story and the reader has to be
gripped by that predominantly, but when you have the reader you can bring in
other things. I want the reader to care about issues of guilt and the death
penalty, but I think they can only care about those things if they already care
about the characters, so first and foremost it's the art, but the two have to
be combined.
Isla Ratcliff is the winner of the lyric section of Amnesty Protest Song award
with a song about Troy Davis who was on death row for almost 20 years. To find
out more about this year's awards visit www.amnesty.org.uk/youthawards
Inspired by the Amnesty teen takeover to get involved? Here are 10 ways to
stand up for human rights with Amnesty
1. Inspired to write about human rights? Write an article or song lyrics and
enter our Youth Awards...
2. If you are a photographer, performer, or if you're already an Amnesty
activist or fundraiser find out about the awards - you can win too
3. Save lives with your phone. Join Pocket Protest and we'll text you with
urgent actions
4. Watch an Amnesty youth group in I Talk Out Loud and find out how you can set
one up in your school
5. Take action right now - find out the most important thing we're asking you
to do today
6. Read a book or watch a film with a human rights theme - check out our
recommendations
7. It's official - cakes are a great way to stand up for human rights. Raise
money and awareness by holding an AmnesTea
8. Sign up for email, like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram
for the latest news and actions to take
9. Invite an Amnesty speaker to visit your school and give an assembly or
lesson
10. Join us - for 5 pounds a year you can become a youth member of Amnesty
(source: The Guardian)
SIERRA LEONE:
Manifesto 99 Ends Seminar On Death Penalty
Manifesto 99, a human rights organization, has concluded a one-day seminar on
the death penalty with the theme, "Abolition of death penalty as legacy of the
Special Court".
The session was part of the regional consultative seminars; a prelude to an
international seminar slated for December this year.
The session was held at the presidential lounge of the national stadium in
Freetown yesterday with participants drawn from human rights organizations, the
security sector, and other stakeholders. In his opening remarks, head of
Manifesto 99, Abdul Rahim Kamara, said they monitor compliance with government,
human rights and international treaties, and also work in close collaboration
with the Special Court for Sierra Leone. He said the seminar [to be held] in
December will attract experts to debate on issues surrounding the death penalty
and its application in Sierra Leone within the framework of the on-going
constitutional review process.
Kamara observed that on the 10th October, 2012, President Koroma was awarded
'Abolitionist of the Year' for not invoking the death penalty in the country,
stating that it is not clear if a moratorium has been placed on the death
penalty in our law books.
"Sierra Leone is not much a violent nation where people are killed at random,
as murder cases are rare occurrences," he stated,adding that successive
governments have used the penalty, and that accused persons were tried on cases
that carried the death penalty such as treason, murder, robbery with
aggravation and with military charges such as mutiny. He said the debate is not
to convince the participants but to get their views as to whether the death
penalty should be abolished in our law books or not.
Former Ambassador Allieu, in his statement, said "we have to look into the
issue of having the death penalty in our books", stating that "we need the
views of the people of Sierra Leone whether to abolish or put a moratorium on
the death penalty". He said international law has no place for death penalty,
asthe International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the African
Charter on Human and Peoples Rights imply this.
"We support President Koroma for his bold step by not invoking the death
penalty," he said, adding that the outcome of the seminar will result in
providing recommendations for the constitutional review committee.
Coalition for Human Rights and Justice's Sulaiman Jabati pointed out that most
European countries have abolished the death penalty and are instead imposing
long jail terms which results to life imprisonment. He said civilians die by
hanging and soldiers by firing squad, which he attributed to sheer wickedness,
giving a short history of how we borrowed the death penalty from our colonial
masters. Rev. Daniel Goba of World Vision and Christians in Action, who spoke
on the biblical side of the death penalty, said there are flaws in our laws,
citing the Birmingham incidence.He said Jesus Christ denounced violence in his
teachings, and that the death penalty was imposed to mitigate or stop crimes
but it is not preventing the act from happening. He said as Christians and
followers of Christ, "our mandate is to follow the doctrine of Christ and
abolish the death penalty as Jesus Christ has died for us".
(source: All Africa News)
TRINIDAD & TOBAGO:
Death penalty high on agenda
Crime remains the Government's number 1 priority. So said Prime Minister Kamla
Persad-Bissessar on Tuesday night, hours ahead of today's talks on crime
between the Government and Opposition teams. Speaking with reporters after
commissioning lights at the Morne Diablo Recreation Ground, Penal,
Persad-Bissessar said while crime was something the People's Partnership
inherited, it was moving to reduce the rate.
She admitted her Government continued to be concerned that "we are not moving
fast enough to bring down crime." While she said the police must be
acknowledged and thanked for reducing serious crimes by 34 %, Persad-Bissessar
said: "The murder rate continues to be very, very high. "We will continue to
put all our heads together, all our hearts together, all our minds together in
that fight against crime. It remains the number one priority for my
government."
She said the resumption of hangings would be among the top issues up for
today's discussion, the second instalment of talks on crime, which began last
Thursday. She said discussions on the death penalty would be tabled today.
"Many in the country, indeed, from polling done, the majority of citizens seem
to be in favour of the death penalty. We go into the talks with an open mind
and that is one of the issues on the table for discussion," she added.
Last week, Persad-Bissessar, Opposition leader Dr Keith Rowley and their
respective teams met at the Diplomatic Centre, St Ann's, for the 1st round of
talks, which were held at the request of the Opposition. On Tuesday night,
Persad-Bissessar said: "I am very heartened by the move by the Opposition to
join with the Government in the way forward in the fight against crime."
The Government and Opposition teams are expected to meet at 3.30 pm at Tower D
of the Port-of-Spain International Waterfront Centre. Persad-Bissessar said the
Government team would review the proposals submitted by the Opposition. The
Prime Minister declined to comment much on the killing of attorney Dr Wesley
Debideen, who was gunned down as he sat in his car at Grand Bazaar, Valsayn, on
Tuesday. She said she did not have any information about the shooting.
She added: "I am very saddened to hear about this. Whether it is a person in
authority or not, any life that we have lost is a tragedy and a pain."
Commenting on the fatal mauling of Maraval grandmother Lillian Bunsee, the PM
said while the Dog Control Act had been passed, amendments were still to be
made and the Attorney General had advised her he would try to bring them as
fast as possible.
On Tuesday the Dr Eric Williams Memorial Committee suggested Independence Day
should be renamed in honour of Williams. Persad-Bissessar said it was the 1st
time she had heard it. She said: "We will have to put it to Cabinet for
discussion. It cannot be a unilateral thought."
(source: The Guardian)
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