{"id":2537,"date":"2018-12-03T01:00:00","date_gmt":"2018-12-02T18:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.amnesty.or.th\/en\/10-ways-you-proved-your-words-have-power\/"},"modified":"2024-11-11T18:21:03","modified_gmt":"2024-11-11T11:21:03","slug":"10-ways-you-proved-your-words-have-power","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.amnesty.or.th\/en\/blog\/2018\/12\/10-ways-you-proved-your-words-have-power\/","title":{"rendered":"10 ways you proved your words have power"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Amnesty supporters around the world took an unprecedented 5.5 million actions for human rights activists in 2017 as part of Write for Rights, our global letter-writing marathon.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s in a word? More precisely, what\u2019s in a letter? Since the first known correspondence, written in Babylonian times, to the most common form of offline correspondence we receive today: junk mail – the letter has seen a dramatic rise and fall in personal value. Letters have gone from bearing longed-for thoughts from loved ones, to soulless marketing speak from corporations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You might say, letters have had their day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And yet, every year, people around the world get together on 10 December, World Human Rights Day, to write letters. They write to people who are locked up unfairly \u2013 and to their family members. They write to the government leaders who put them there, and demand they release them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They write because for the person sitting in a cramped cell, fearful and forgotten, a letter from outside brings hope. They write because for government leaders and authorities, a letter from outside says the world is watching. In short, hundreds of thousands of people write because their words have the power to bring strength and comfort \u2013 and enough force to unlock prison doors. They do all this as part of Write for Rights<\/a>, Amnesty\u2019s global letter-writing marathon. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

5.5 million messages of support<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In 2017, Amnesty supporters \u2013 students, schoolkids, teachers, cleaners, market stallholders, and so many more \u2013 took an unprecedented 5.5 million actions <\/strong>as part of Write for Rights. Among them were carefully crafted letters, drawings and postcards. Their collective impact was undeniable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Mahadine is free<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In April, Mahadine<\/a>, an online activist in Chad, walked free after spending more than 18 months in prison on fabricated charges. He had been facing a life sentence for a Facebook post critical of the government. Supporters took more than 690,000 actions for him, including this solidarity card, read by his son. <\/p>\n\n\n

\u201cI want to express my gratitude to you all. I appreciate you, I love you, I respect you. Humanity.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n

2. Ni Yulan is safer<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

\"Solidarity\u00a9 Sophie Matysek<\/p>\n\n\n\n

China\u2019s Ni Yulan<\/a> has braved decades of violent harassment for standing up for those evicted from their homes.  Thanks to the hundreds of thousands who wrote in support of her, her situation has improved. \u201cDue to the international attention [on my situation], the police have reduced their assaults, verbal abuse and violations of my rights,\u201d she said. \u201cThank you to those of you who wrote for me. Your generous support has not only helped me but also advanced China\u2019s human rights.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Hanan received urgent healthcare<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Hanan Badr el-Din<\/a> had been demanding answers from the authorities since her husband disappeared at their hands in July 2013. Her experience led her to co-found an association for families whose loved ones had similarly disappeared in Egypt. But her work was cut short in May 2017, when the authorities arrested her on false charges. Hanan\u2019s health deteriorated in prison, but thanks to the more than half a million people who took action for her, she received the care she needed. Her family say this is a direct result of the international attention focused on Hanan through Write for Rights. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Clovis\u2019 activism was rewarded<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Clovis Razafimalala\u2019s<\/a> dedication to saving Madagascar\u2019s precious rainforest put his life in grave danger. But with his inclusion in Write for Rights came global media attention which has changed his situation in his native country. Today, local organisations show open support for him, awarding him a prize for his environmental activism. \u201cI don\u2019t know how many letters I received, but it\u2019s in the thousands,\u201d he said. \u201cI have even received letters from school children from Canada, all the way to Amsterdam. It is incredibly touching, and really gives me courage. The Amnesty campaign has made a massive difference for me, because it has echoed my story worldwide. And now, I am on my way to receive the prize of 2017 Brave Malagasy. It makes me really proud, and it makes me want to continue the fight.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Xulhaz\u2019s family felt supported<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Xulhaz Mannan\u2019s<\/a> brave defence of LGBTIQ rights in Bangladesh, which ended in him being murdered in his own living room, touched people across the world. Hundreds of thousands demanded justice for his killing, while also sending words of friendship and support to his family. \u201cI have just received the packs and opened one or two to find the cards and letters \u2013 amazing,\u201d said his brother Minhaz. \u201cSo much care and love for Xulhaz, can\u2019t believe my eyes, thanks to all of you for this.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. MILPAH lives to fight another day<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The MILPAH Indigenous Movement<\/a> has braved threats and intimidation in Honduras as they defend their land against corporations bent on exploiting that land for profit. But with global support, members of the movement have said their safety has improved. \u201cIt is thanks to Amnesty International and other international organizations that we are still alive,\u201d they told us. \u201cWe haven\u2019t been able to read all of the letters but they\u2019ve come from so many countries around the world. We are happy and proud to have friends from all over the world: children, young people, adults. We thank you for the support. It gives us strength. We do not feel alone. It gives us more courage and with this we continue defending human rights and the environment.\u201d <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

7. Sakris has the support of thousands<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Sakris Kupila<\/a> is a medical student, youth activist and defender of transgender rights in Finland. When he first started working with us, things weren\u2019t easy. He was being harassed, feeling isolated, and was facing lots of hostility even in university. But being part of Write for Rights gave him a platform and the respect he deserves. \u201cI\u2019m less of a token or strange object and more of an individual who happens to be trans, and other things besides that,\u201d he said, adding: \u201cIt is unbelievable to see how many people took action and cared.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

8. Shackelia\u2019s message has gone global<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

More than half a million people echoed Shackelia Jackson\u2019s<\/a> calls for justice in the killing of her brother Nakiea. Reflecting on her long-standing campaign and the impact Write for Rights has had, she said: \u201cIt is no longer a national outpouring of solidarity but a global one. Just the commitment towards writing letters to the Prime Minister and the things that are achievable as a result of that, it made me feel that I was in the best position in pursuit of justice\u2026I saw the kind of resources that this activism takes and I was happy that Amnesty International was able to support me in this\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

9. Farid and Issa feel protected<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

\"Farid\u00a9 Farid al-Atrash<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Human rights defenders Issa Amro and Farid al-Atrash<\/a> have taken a peaceful stand against Israel\u2019s illegal settlements in the city of Hebron and other places in the occupied West Bank for years. And for years they have faced harassment and repeated arrests for their activism. But with Write for Rights turning the world\u2019s attention to the authorities, the two men say they feel protected. \u201cWe never knew how much support we had from all over the world,\u201d said Farid, pictured with just some of the many solidarity cards the men received \u201cPeople stood with us in order to pressure the Israeli authorities to drop all the charges against us and to stop harassing human rights defenders in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. We thank Amnesty and its supporters for standing with us and for highlighting our case in the Write for Rights campaign.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

10. Taner and the Istanbul 10 know the world is with them<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

\"A\u00a9 Jennifer Nestrud<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nearly 875,000 people wrote for the freedom of Amnesty Turkey\u2019s chair Taner Kili\u00e7<\/a> and the Istanbul 10. Although the Istanbul 10 are no longer in prison, their freedom is still at risk, and Taner remains locked up. All are under threat simply for defending human rights. We continue to fight on until Taner is free and the charges against all are finally dropped. G\u00fcnal Kur\u015fun, one of the Istanbul 10, told us he kept the very first solidarity letter he received in his back pocket for good luck at his hearing in January: \u201cI was writing post cards and letters 15, 20 years ago, for different AI [Amnesty] campaigns to Colombia to Egypt to Myanmar, I remember. Twenty years later I have now received letters\u2026 Thank you very much for sending, this is very valuable for me.\u201d Writing to Amnesty<\/a> in April, Taner said: \u201cYour cards and letters gave me power, thank you very much for this.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u0e25\u0e07\u0e0a\u0e37\u0e48\u0e2d\u0e40\u0e25\u0e22<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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