Write for Rights (W4R) in St. Marys

Free event to be held Saturday, Nov. 30 at the St. Marys Public Library from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

St. Marys Public Library.

By Alizon Sharun

A letter can change someone’s life. That is the idea behind Write for Rights (W4R), Amnesty International’s global letter-writing campaign held each year around Human Rights Day, Dec. 10.

Given a different country and a different political situation, it could be any one of us who has been arrested for peacefully demonstrating against environmental threats to the land and waters which sustain us, or held without trial and tortured for speaking out against injustice.

In many countries, people from all walks of life are vulnerable to violations and discrimination and denied their basic human rights. They could be young or mature, a student, someone with a disability, or someone living in a city or an isolated rural area. For these people, speaking out against political or social injustices and the erosion of their freedoms brings a heavy penalty and even death.

The nine cases chosen as a focus for Write for Rights this year include a singer and mother of two sentenced to two years in prison for criticizing the president of Angola on TikTok.

Another case describes a Vietnamese environmental justice lawyer, imprisoned in 2021, who is being held in poor conditions with deteriorating health.

A young fitness instructor in Saudi Arabia is another of the W4R cases this year. She is facing 11 years behind bars for supporting women’s rights and has suffered beatings.

A fourth case is a man living with disability in South Korea, subject to lawsuits and often violence from the authorities who regard him and other disabled activists as a nuisance.

Letter-writing is a gentle but effective way to protest. The letters and petitions go directly to the presidents, ministers of justice and governing authorities of the countries in question. There is also opportunity to write cards of support and encouragement to the prisoners or human-rights defenders themselves. Often, the sacks of letters which arrive at the prison or the law court or on the president’s doorstep show that the world is watching, and may result in the release of the prisoner or protection from further harm, or the bringing to justice of the perpetrators of violence.

All are welcome to join the local St. Marys/Stratford/London group of Amnesty International for Write for Rights in the upstairs meeting room at St. Marys Public Library on Saturday, Nov. 30 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. There will be copies of the cases, guidance and writing materials, and also refreshments to enjoy while writing letters, signing petitions or cards for the prisoners.

It’s something we can do and it makes a huge difference.

Anyone who cannot attend this event but would like to join the W4R campaign can find information and details on the Amnesty International website at amnesty.org. For information about the local Amnesty group, which meets monthly, email elenadumitru1983@yahoo.ca.

Amnesty International is a global movement of more than 10 million people, independent of any government, political ideology, economic interest, or religion, funded mainly by the membership and public donations. Amnesty members and supporters campaign for a world where human rights are enjoyed by all according to the rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international human-rights standards.