Writing for Rights

To celebrate International Human Rights Day, 10 December, the Bishop Nicholas last night took part in Amnesty International’s largest annual letter writing campaign at a reception in Speakers’ House in Westminster Palace.

He joined MPs, members of the House of Lords, staff and campaigners from Amnesty International as part of Amnesty’s Write for Rights Campaign.

Bishop Nicholas said, “The pen truly is mightier than the sword. Serious wrongs have often been righted because enough ordinary people have written or e-mailed to a government making it clear that someone’s plight has not been forgotten. It is incredible that such small actions from enough people can make a difference to some of the world’s most vulnerable people.

“I wrote a note to refugees in Salisbury welcoming them here. Amnesty’s Refugees Welcome campaign follows the recent rise in the number of people leaving their homes because of conflict or persecution, Amnesty is urging the UK government to show international leadership and share responsibility for supporting and hosting refugees.”

Also featured in this year’s campaign are:

• British-Iranian charity worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe. Nazanin was arrested at Tehran's airport and has been sentenced to five years in prison on unspecified ‘national-security-related charges’. Nazanin’s husband Richard Ratcliffe attended Amnesty’s event, where he appealed for continued support and campaigning for his wife. 
• Annie Alfred – an 11-year-old girl with albinism living in Malawi. Thousands of people living with albinism in Malawi are in danger of being abducted, mutilated or killed because of erroneous beliefs and superstitions
• Prominent Egyptian photojournalist, Mahmoud Abu Zeid, popularly known as “Shawkan”, who has been in detention in Egypt for more than three years.
• Uighur academic Ilham Tohti - a prominent critic of the Chinese government’s policies in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region – who was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2014.

Find out how you can take part in Write for Rights and support victims of injustice around the world by clicking here.