Posted: 09 December 2011
MSPs support Amnesty's campaign marking International Human Rights Day
As international human rights come to the fore following the arrival of pandas at Edinburgh Zoo and First Minister Alex Salmond's visit to China, seven MSPs have joined with people from around the globe to put pen to paper in support of Amnesty International's new Write for Rights campaign ahead of International Human Rights Day (tomorrow, Saturday 10 December).
MSPs Bob Doris, Jamie Hepburn, Angus MacDonald, Joan McAlpine, Liam McArthur, John Pentland, Dave Thompson and Humza Yousaf have returned to the humble hand-written letter which has proved to be such a powerful tool for change throughout the organisation's 50 year history.
Whilst millions of people around the globe take all forms of action for Amnesty’s campaigns, from online petitions and other methods of digital communication to public rallies and demonstrations, it is the oldest form of correspondence which is being championed once again, in a “penaissance”.
It is hoped that Scots from Aberdeen to Zoar will join the campaign, writing letters demanding action on one of the ten cases in the Write for Rights campaign. The cases illustrate the diversity of Amnesty’s work; from people facing the death penalty, to people imprisoned for peacefully calling for political change, to communities facing forced eviction and women who are challenging the impunity which allows soldiers in Mexico to avoid justice for rape.
Shabnum Mustapha, Director of Amnesty International in Scotland, said:
“The power of a simple hand-written letter is the ability to embarrass, persuade, protect, coerce and force people to alter their behaviour, and ultimately to change the world. When Amnesty began, 50 years ago, our founding members had no idea whether ordinary people writing letters to heads of state and other people in power would make any difference. It turns out that it did, and it still does.”
The ten individuals and groups who feature in Amnesty International’s Write for Rights campaign, include: Chen Guangcheng and Yuan Weijing, two legal activists in China who, together with their 5 year old daughter, are currently under house arrest and have faced a relentless campaign of harassment and persecution since attempting to bring a lawsuit against local officials accused of rights violations; Jabbar Savalan, a 20 year old history student in Azerbaijan who is serving a prison sentence for anti-government comments he posted on Facebook, and Inés Ferndández Ortega and Valentina Rosendo Cantú, two rape survivors in Mexico who have tirelessly campaigned to have the perpetrators of the attacks brought to justice.
Angus MacDonald MSP has written to the President of the Republic of Nigeria about the threat to more than 200,000 people who are at risk of forced eviction in Port Harcourt if the authorities continue with the planned demolitions of waterfront shanty-town settlements. He chose to support this campaign because of a family connection to Nigeria – his grandfather worked there in the 1920s.
Angus said: “While I have a personal connection to Port Harcourt, I am sure that all the other causes are just as deserving of support, and I commend Amnesty International for raising awareness of the plight of all these individuals around the world. Without Amnesty International bringing these injustices to the world’s attention they would simply go unchecked and unchallenged.”
Bob Doris MSP also got behind Write for Rights by tabling a motion supporting the campaign in the Scottish Parliament.
- On Saturday 10 December (Human Rights Day) Amnesty International is hoping that an unprecedented number of people across Scotland and around the world will write to people with the power to stop human rights abuses. Thousands of school pupils across Scotland will also be writing letters on behalf of the cases on Friday 9 December.
- On 30 November Bob Doris MSP tabled the following motion in support of Write for Rights in the Scottish Parliament:
“That the Parliament supports Human Rights Day on 10 December 2011 and celebrates the 63rd anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; however, while it laments that human rights violations still occur globally on a daily basis, it strives to protect human rights in Scotland and internationally and, accordingly, supports Amnesty International’s Write for Rights campaign which aims to unite people all around the world in writing to figures of authority across the planet urging them to stop human rights violations; recognizes the power of the individual to support the oppressed and challenge oppressors, and encourages the Scottish people, including our elected representatives, to Write for Rights and exercise their freedom of expression by defending the rights of others.”
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