Writing for human rights
Local chapter of Amnesty International holds annual campaign with goal of freeing wrongfully imprisoned people
Robin Grant
Northern News Services
Wednesday, December 14, 2016
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Laurence Wilson said he knows firsthand how badly governments can treat their citizens. He was born in Liberia, a country with a reputation for severe human rights abuses. He came to Canada in 2002 as a refugee.
The local branch of Amnesty International held a Write for Rights event at Javaroma on Saturday asking people to support a
letter campaign to oppose human rights abuses taking place around the world. From left are Metslal Mesgun, Joyce Gilchrist, Tasha Stephenson, Jill Christensen and Laurence Wilson. - Robin Grant/NNSL photo |
This is why he was at Javaroma on Saturday as a volunteer for Yellowknife's local Amnesty International chapter, raising awareness about human rights violations in other countries.
Amnesty International's Write for Rights event is held every Dec. 10 on International Human Rights Day, the anniversary of when the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights was created in 1948.
The event involves inviting ordinary citizens to sign pre-drafted letters addressed to national leaders and embassies in Canada as well as governments around the world, to urge the release of political prisoners. The hope is that international pressure will contribute to freeing people who have been imprisoned by their governments for things like exercising free speech.
"I compare governments to snails," Wilson said.
"A snail walks very slowly and that's how a government moves. But when the international community puts pressure on governments, they accelerate their pace."
He said people in countries like Canada should make themselves aware of human rights abuses across the world.
Last year, Amnesty International sent 3.7 million letters and messages from more than 200 countries.
"The letters we write have an impact. Since last year, two individuals have been freed from jail because of the letters written by people all around the world," said Wilson.
Some of the more publicized political prisoners this year are Mahmoud Abou Zeid, a photojournalist who has been jailed in Cairo for more than 1,100 days and who is at risk of the death penalty, graffiti activist Qiyas Ibrahimov who was sentenced to 10 years in prison and tortured for spray painting on a statue of the former Azerbaijan president, as well as Ilham Tohti, a university professor serving a life sentence in China.
Austin Marshall was running with friends Saturday morning and decided to sign letters after stopping in for a coffee.
"There's strength in numbers," he said, explaining why he participated.
"When I read the letter, it's quite evident to me, whether it's speaking up for yourself or protecting your personal security against big corporations or governments, all of these things are very important. We live in a society that is only as good as the ability of the citizen to stand up and be secure."
Suzette Montreuil also signed letters because she said she's heard they have been effective in the past.
"It's really important that people from all over know about what's happening in other countries and it's very significant what's happening," she said.
"I think more and more it's a global planet, we are all connected to each other. We should all try to contribute."
