A small amount of time can make a huge difference for human rights

Amnesty Quinte members invite you to join them on Saturday, Dec. 10 at the Belleville Public Library, or Sunday, Dec. 11 at St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church in Picton, to participate in their annual Write for Rights letter writing.

Everything volunteer letter writers need will be supplied as they write in support of cases identified as urgent by Amnesty International.

“Sending these letters to the governments responsible for the detention and mistreatment of human rights defenders lets their governments know that their actions are visible and watched by the world,” says Mary Jane Green, an Amnesty Quinte volunteer.

In addition, seasonal cards will be available for volunteers to send messages of support and encouragement to the victims who are being held and mistreated for the expression of opinions critical of their governments' activities.

Letter writers will be able to call for justice for Joanah, Netsai and Cecillia. These three women in Zimbabwe have a lot in common: they love playing board games, watching Netflix and are passionate about politics. Sadly, they also share horrific memories of a terrible attack. In 2020, after leading an anti-government protest, the women were arrested and then abducted and allegedly tortured, including by sexual assault. The women have been charged with faking their own ordeal and face years in jail.

Another one of this year's 10 cases is that of Shahnewaz Chowdhury of Bangladesh, imprisoned for a Facebook post. He was concerned about the polluting effects of a coal-fired power plant, especially during an era when fossil fuel use must be eliminated.

“Environmental and human rights activists are not enemies of anyone. They are friends of…nature and people…. For simply sharing my opinion, I have been treated like a criminal,” Chowdhury says.

“Dropping by to write a few letters and to sign cards of support for people trying to exercise their right to free speech takes very little time. That small amount of time can have a significant impact on either their cases being reconsidered or the conditions of their imprisonment being improved. Please join us to write for the rights of others in less fortunate situations,” says Green.

On Saturday, Dec. 10 drop in to the Belleville Public Library 3rd floor Meeting Room between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Or on Sunday, Dec. 11 drop in to St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church in Picton between Noon and 2:30 p.m.

“Please join us at one of these locations to let governments know that their activities are visible to the world when they act to suppress the freedoms of their citizens to speak freely,” says Green.

For more information, contact Mieke Thorne at (613) 969-1782 or Mary Jane Green at (613) 966-1427.