THE local push for Amnesty International\u2019s annual Write for Rights cause is set to take place in Bendigo next month.<\/p>\n
Following a session in early November, a second will be held at the Bendigo Library from 1.30pm on Thursday, 1 December.<\/p>\n
About 50 letters were signed during the previous session and the local branch\u2019s coordinator Jan Govett said she\u2019s hoping to double the number.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe virtually took over the library so hopefully we\u2019ll get an even better response now that we have some momentum behind the previous one,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had about 15 people attending and five people who signed up to join the branch.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe petitions and letters are all focused on people that are, we think, unjustly treated because they protested in some way.\u201d<\/p>\n
Attendees will be encouraged to sign petitions and write letters in protest against 11 human rights cases, with one about climate change in the Torres Strait Islands.<\/p>\n
Nearly 12,000 Amnesty International supporters are listed in the Bendigo region.<\/p>\n
Ms Govett said Write for Rights is an important initiative to get involved in.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt really has a definite impact. The more people that turn up, the more letters that are written, the more effective we are,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom last year, there was a chap in Guatemala who people took over half-a-million actions for. After four years in prison, he was freed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWrite for Rights has been running for about 20 years across the world. Last year we wrote about four-and-a-half million letters about 10 specially-chosen human rights cases.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
THE local push for Amnesty International\u2019s annual Write for Rights cause is set to take place in Bendigo next month. Following a session in early November, a second will be held at the Bendigo Library from 1.30pm on Thursday, 1 December. About 50 letters were signed during the previous session and the local branch\u2019s coordinator […]<\/p>\n