The local Champlain Valley Amnesty International (CVAI) group is holding its WRITE FOR RIGHTS on Saturday and Sunday, December 5 and 6, 2020 as part of the 2020 Vermont International Festival which will be held virtually this year. Information on the Festival can be found at https://vermontinternationalfestival.com/
WRITE FOR RIGHTS is the world’s largest human rights letter writing campaign that takes place annually around International Human Rights’ Day: December 10th. The goal of the campaign is to free, protect or seek justice for people who have not committed or condoned violence, but have had their human rights abused for just speaking up for human rights. This year we are advocating for seven people from various countries including the US.
Nassima al-Sada of Saudi Arabia, jailed for defending women’s rights, is one of this year’s seven cases. For much of her life, Nassima al-Sada has campaigned for women’s rights in Saudi Arabia. Now, she has lost her own. She is one of 13 prominent female activists prosecuted for demanding women’s right to drive and the right to carry out their daily business without the permission of a male guardian. Since her arrest in July 2018, she has been locked up, enduring ill-treatment and solitary confinement – all for her peaceful efforts to defend women’s rights.
Information about WRITE FOR RIGHTS will be shared throughout the Festival. A half-hour workshop on how to participate in the letter writing campaign will be held between 1 and 3 PM on Saturday and Sunday during the Festival. To participate in the workshop, go to CVAI’s website at https://champlainvalleyai.wixsite.com/cvai/events for more information and the zoom link.
You can also sign up on your own with Amnesty International USA to participate in WRITE FOR RIGHTS and write one or more letters and sign petitions by going to https://write.amnestyusa.org/ There are opportunities to email or tweet advocacy letters. Sending solidarity messages to some of the people at-risk will be an option.
Won’t you join us and help save a life?