Volunteers with the Yellowknife chapter of Amnesty International are hoping that millions of letters written around the world in support of people wrongly imprisoned will shine a light on human rights abuses that occur in many countries.
SA国际影视传媒淚t is a way to try and speak up and defend human rights around the world,SA国际影视传媒� said Lois Little, Amnesty International volunteer, during a Write for Rights awareness campaign held at the Javaroma coffee shop Saturday.
During the campaign, stories and photos were displayed of several victims of injustice who have been either oppressed through detention or who have disappeared: a woman in Russia who spoke out against the Russian invasion of Ukraine; a woman from Cameroon who was imprisoned for attending her first protest; a man in Morocco protesting appalling economic and social conditions in his community SA国际影视传媒� all different situations, but all voicing concern and pleading for positive change.
SA国际影视传媒淓very year, we feature different cases SA国际影视传媒� around five or six SA国际影视传媒� although there are hundreds of cases,SA国际影视传媒� Little said of the examples provided of those whose human rights are being violated.
Dec. 10, 1948 was the United NationsSA国际影视传媒� (UN) first designated Human Rights Day SA国际影视传媒� the day when the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted by the UN General Assembly.
To stand up for the human rights of citizens across the globe, Amnesty International developed the Write for Rights campaign, that, for 25 years, has helped create an impetus for change by giving voice to oppressed and innocent people who dared to express dissent or opposition to corruption, human rights abuses or untenable living conditions.
Although Amnesty InternationalSA国际影视传媒檚 Yellowknife chapter consists of a small corps of volunteers, they have mighty intentions.
They explained to people stopping in for their daily coffee how writing letters to various governments that have jailed innocent citizens can make a difference in how the detained are treated or how those letters may facilitate their release from jail.
SA国际影视传媒淚tSA国际影视传媒檚 amazing. When you get people around the world writing, saying, SA国际影视传媒楾his is wrong, release this person,SA国际影视传媒� it happens. Not always, but you never know when that pressure point is going to result in what we are trying to achieve,SA国际影视传媒� Little said.
One instance of a successful outcome was for a water protector in Guatemala who was wrongly imprisoned for defending the water for his people, Little said.
SA国际影视传媒淎 half-million people around the world wrote letters. He was released in March. That is an example of what we are trying to do,SA国际影视传媒� she said. SA国际影视传媒淚f we educate people, we bring awareness to wrongful convictions and we put pressure on governments and embassies. We write in solidarity to individuals who are wrongly convicted as well.SA国际影视传媒�
Canada no exception
Little said human rights abuses are everywhere, including in Canada.
SA国际影视传媒淲e also wrote in support of Grassy Narrows in Northern Ontario, which has decades of abuses from industry and people have suffered from mercury poison. We were writing in solidarity for them, and it did influence the decisions about Grassy Narrows that the government has since taken,SA国际影视传媒� she said. SA国际影视传媒淪olidarity does work.SA国际影视传媒�
No country is immune to human rights abuses, Little said, adding that itSA国际影视传媒檚 difficult to determine how many people are actually imprisoned across the world.
SA国际影视传媒淧eople are disappearing in every country in the world.SA国际影视传媒�
Countries must uphold democratic and human rights for their citizens, she asserted.
SA国际影视传媒淲e are moving towards these authoritarian, right-wing times and democracies are fragile and human rights are fragile and we canSA国际影视传媒檛 take anything for granted,SA国际影视传媒� said Little.
Volunteer Nancy Trotter said the campaign means a lot to her on a personal level, as she has witnessed first-hand human rights abuses while volunteering in Africa.
SA国际影视传媒淚 saw people who were disadvantaged and whose human rights were so fragile. There were people fleeing from persecution related to war in West Africa and Liberia and who didnSA国际影视传媒檛 have a voice,SA国际影视传媒� Trotter said. SA国际影视传媒淭here is nobody to hear how things are for them, and I feel anything we can do to give people a voice to shine a light on their situation will improve things.
SA国际影视传媒淚t doesnSA国际影视传媒檛 always mean that people will be freed or released from prison, but their situation can improve by shining a light on their difficulties from the persecution that they received.SA国际影视传媒�
It can get frustrating when human rights advocates are aware that someone suffers while sitting in a very difficult and horrendous situation in a prison for something that would be inconsequential for citizens in Canada, she added.
SA国际影视传媒淚 think anything we can do to alleviate that situation goes a long way,SA国际影视传媒� Trotter said, adding that itSA国际影视传媒檚 imperative to write letters of support to the family members of those detained to provide support and hope SA国际影视传媒� something very much appreciated by those not knowing the fate of their loved ones.
While, on occasion, the organization receives a reply from other countries in response to their letters, it doesnSA国际影视传媒檛 happen often, she acknowledged, adding that letters written to CanadaSA国际影视传媒檚 prime minister almost always garner a response, however.
Because Amnesty International has a long history of being involved in researching and investigating human rights abuses, Trotter said the organization is aware when effective change occurs and people are released from prison.
SA国际影视传媒淭hey know what is happening. With social media, we know that much faster than in the past, but we definitely get updates on what is happening with people,SA国际影视传媒� she said.
Amnesty International estimates that since the inception of the Write for Rights campaign, more than 100 people have been freed from various human rights violations.
-By Jill Westerman, Northern News Services
