by Write for Rights (W4R) is Amnesty International’s largest annual letter writing campaign. People around the world write letters on behalf of individuals who need urgent help. Beginning on Human Rights Day and continuing through and beyond our Winter break, until Jan, we at Herkimer College will provide opportunities for the college community to MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
See a short video on W4R: https://write.amnestyusa.org/what-is-write-for-rights/
Every year to mark Human Rights Day on December 10th,* hundreds of thousands of people around the world send a letter and sign online petitions on behalf of someone they’ve never met, as part of Write for Rights. (W4R). These messages help convince government officials to release people who have been imprisoned solely for who they are or what they believe, support human rights defenders, stop torture, commute death sentences, and end other human rights abuses. Herkimer College’s W4R will continue through winter break and beyond.
Letter writing has always been at the heart of Amnesty International’s human rights campaigning, and 63 years of human rights activism shows us that it still works. Volume matters: the more participants in Write for Rights, the more letters and e-mail messages we generate, increasing our influence on government officials.
Check out our Successes Page for proof! https://write.amnestyusa.org/good-news/
HC students, friends and staff are encouraged to use the links below to continue activism through the winter break. In addition to a quick on-line petition, letters are available in each description. These letters can be copied, shortened and signed. We will send our completed letters out after winter break. We MAY try a virtual Teams letter-writing over break. Sign up on Teams with Amnesty International to keep posted on details this year’s W4R.
What follow are the individuals featured in this year’s appeal and includes case summaries with a link for more details for each. Included in the link is a short video about the case, a sample letter, an online petition to sign and the opportunity to send words of encouragement. (This will be part of our Have a Heart for Human Rights, in February.)
Ana da Silva Miguel, known as Neth Nahara, is a singer and social media influencer in Angola. In August 2023, Neth Nahara went live on her TikTok channel, criticizing President João Lourenço. The next day Neth was prison, later increased to two years. The Angolan authorities are using a controversial law criminalizing criticism of the president to silence critical voices.
Leonard Peltier is an Indigenous elder and activist who has been incarcerated in the USA for nearly 50 years despite serious and ongoing concerns about the fairness of his trial, including for example the prosecution’s withholding of evidence that might have assisted Peltier’s defense.
Dang Dinh Bach, Environmental justice lawyer, has dedicated his life to protecting people in Viet Nam from pollution and the impact of climate change.
The Wetʼsuwetʼen Nation are deeply connected to their ancestral lands, but this is threatened by the construction of a fossil fuel pipeline through their territory.
https://write.amnestyusa.org/cases/wetsuweten-nation-land-defenders/
Twenty-seven-year-old student Oqba Hashad has been held in pretrial detention in Egypt since May 2019, solely in retaliation for his brother Amr’s human rights activism.
Forensic medicine expert and human rights defender Professor Şebnem Korur Fincancı of Turkey, has dedicated her life to eradicating torture and defending human rights.
Joel Paredes is a 29-year-old father from Jujuy province, Argentina.On June 30, 2023 Joel attended a protest against changes to the province’s constitution, including restrictions on the right to peaceful assembly. Police fired rubber bullets at protesters. Joel was hit, permanently blinding him in the right eye, and leaving him with debilitating nerve pain. No one has been held accountable.
Manahel al-Otaibi (Saudi Arabia) is a fitness instructor and a brave outspoken advocate for women’s rights. In November 2022, she was arrested after posting to Snapchat photos of herself at a shopping mall. In the photos, she was not wearing the traditional long-sleeved loose robe known as an abaya. She was arrested and has been sentenced to 11 years in prison in a secret hearing.
Kyung Seok Park (South Korea)
is a dedicated disability rights activist who has has worked to draw attention to how hard it is for people with disabilities to easily access trains and subways safely – denying them the ability to travel to work, school, or to live independently. His activism has been met with police abuse, public smear campaigns and punitive litigation.
Maryia Kalesnikava (Belarus) — On September 7, 2020, Maryia, a political activist, was abducted by the Belarus authorities. She was taken to the border where she resisted forced deportation by tearing up her passport. She sentenced to 11 years in prison on false charges. Maryia’s family haven’t heard from her for more than a year.
SEE HERKIMER COLLEGE AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL ON TEAMS AND SIGN UP TO KEEP INFORMED OF HOW EACH OF US CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!
THANKS FOR READING, HERKIMER COLLEGE AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
