Maya Evans Afghanistan Speaking Tour Begins this Saturday (4 February)
JNV | 02.02.2012 17:34 | Afghanistan | Anti-militarism | Terror War | South Coast
Activist Maya Evans, who spent Xmas in Kabul on a peace delegation with Voices for Creative Nonviolence and the Afghan Youth Peace Volunteers, begins her UK speaking tour this Saturday (4 February) with a talk at Housmans bookshop in London: 7pm, 5 Caledonian Rd, N1 9DX (tube: King's Cross).
Other events are already booked for Glasgow, Helensburgh, Edinburgh, Stirling, Darlington, Stroud and Faringdon.
Other events are already booked for Glasgow, Helensburgh, Edinburgh, Stirling, Darlington, Stroud and Faringdon.
Details of the Housmans event can be found here: 
http://www.housmans.com/events.php
Other confirmed events include:
Tuesday 14 February, Glasgow: time and venue tbc. 07584 307 209. Co-sponsored by Scottish CND and Scottish Stop the War.
Wednesday 15 February, Helensburgh: 7.30pm, Victoria Halls, Sinclair Street, Argyll & Bute G84 8TU. Organised by Helensburgh CND
Thursday 16 February, Edinburgh: 7.30pm, Friends Meeting House, 7 Victoria Terrace, EH1 2JL. Organised by Edinburgh Peace and Justice Centre
Friday 17 February, Stirling: 7-9pm, venue tbc. 07876 593 016. Organised by Stirling CND
Saturday 3 March, Darlington: 2pm, Friends Meeting House, 6 Skinnergate, Darlington, DL3 7NB. Organised by the Northern Friends Peace Board.
Friday 16 March, Stroud: 7.30pm, Painswick Inn, Gloucester Road, Stroud. 01453 751 010. Organised by Mid Glos Amnesty Group.
Wednesday 2 May, Faringdon: 8pm, Friends Meeting House, 4 Lechlade Road, SN7 8AQ. Organised by Faringdon Peace Group. 01367 710 308.
For updates - or to invite Maya to speak to your local group - see http://fromhastingstokabul.wordpress.com/
ABOUT MAYA EVANS
In December 2005 Maya Evans became the first person in the UK to be convicted under the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 for taking part in an unauthorised demonstration within 1 km of Parliament Square, at which she read aloud the names of British soldiers who had been killed in Iraq following the 2003 Iraq war.
Maya has spent thIS winter visiting the capital of Afghanistan, Kabul, where she met with Afghans committed to nonviolence, and ending the conflict in Afghanistan. She was blogging as throughout the trip (internet access permitting) here: fromhastingstokabul.wordpress.com
In June 2010 Maya won “a partial victory” in the High Court, when it ruled that Afghans detained by British forces could no longer be transferred to a detention centre in Kabul run by Afghanistan’s intelligence agency (NDS), because of the risk of torture. Since then, the UN has found compelling evidence of systematic torture in five facilities run by the NDS – including at least one facility deemed safe for detainee transfers by the High Court.
Maya says: “Last year, as a result of a legal challenge brought by British activists, the High Court ruled that it was unlawful for Britain to transfer Afghan detainees to the secret police in Kabul, because of the high risk that they might be tortured. However, this ruling provides no protection for the thousands of Afghans who are being detained by Afghan forces – despite the fact that these forces are trained, funded and equipped by the US and Britain. The British Government remains complicit in torture in Afghanistan, and so long as this is the case I intend to continue challenging it.”
We hope you can come along to here Maya discussing her recent trip and her thoughts on the continuing conflict across Afghanistan, and the efforts to bring peace and much needed aid to the region.
http://www.housmans.com/events.php Other confirmed events include:
Tuesday 14 February, Glasgow: time and venue tbc. 07584 307 209. Co-sponsored by Scottish CND and Scottish Stop the War.
Wednesday 15 February, Helensburgh: 7.30pm, Victoria Halls, Sinclair Street, Argyll & Bute G84 8TU. Organised by Helensburgh CND
Thursday 16 February, Edinburgh: 7.30pm, Friends Meeting House, 7 Victoria Terrace, EH1 2JL. Organised by Edinburgh Peace and Justice Centre
Friday 17 February, Stirling: 7-9pm, venue tbc. 07876 593 016. Organised by Stirling CND
Saturday 3 March, Darlington: 2pm, Friends Meeting House, 6 Skinnergate, Darlington, DL3 7NB. Organised by the Northern Friends Peace Board.
Friday 16 March, Stroud: 7.30pm, Painswick Inn, Gloucester Road, Stroud. 01453 751 010. Organised by Mid Glos Amnesty Group.
Wednesday 2 May, Faringdon: 8pm, Friends Meeting House, 4 Lechlade Road, SN7 8AQ. Organised by Faringdon Peace Group. 01367 710 308.
For updates - or to invite Maya to speak to your local group - see
http://fromhastingstokabul.wordpress.com/ ABOUT MAYA EVANS
In December 2005 Maya Evans became the first person in the UK to be convicted under the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 for taking part in an unauthorised demonstration within 1 km of Parliament Square, at which she read aloud the names of British soldiers who had been killed in Iraq following the 2003 Iraq war.
Maya has spent thIS winter visiting the capital of Afghanistan, Kabul, where she met with Afghans committed to nonviolence, and ending the conflict in Afghanistan. She was blogging as throughout the trip (internet access permitting) here: fromhastingstokabul.wordpress.com
In June 2010 Maya won “a partial victory” in the High Court, when it ruled that Afghans detained by British forces could no longer be transferred to a detention centre in Kabul run by Afghanistan’s intelligence agency (NDS), because of the risk of torture. Since then, the UN has found compelling evidence of systematic torture in five facilities run by the NDS – including at least one facility deemed safe for detainee transfers by the High Court.
Maya says: “Last year, as a result of a legal challenge brought by British activists, the High Court ruled that it was unlawful for Britain to transfer Afghan detainees to the secret police in Kabul, because of the high risk that they might be tortured. However, this ruling provides no protection for the thousands of Afghans who are being detained by Afghan forces – despite the fact that these forces are trained, funded and equipped by the US and Britain. The British Government remains complicit in torture in Afghanistan, and so long as this is the case I intend to continue challenging it.”
We hope you can come along to here Maya discussing her recent trip and her thoughts on the continuing conflict across Afghanistan, and the efforts to bring peace and much needed aid to the region.
JNV
Homepage:
http://www.j-n-v.org/
