Today, the 15th May, is “Bloggers Unite For Human Rights” Day and one of the newest members of this union is Amnesty International, a worldwide movement with over 2.2 million members who campaign for human rights.
Their symbol – the candle and barbed wire comes with the message: “It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness”.
There are five key areas which Amnesty deals with: Women’s Rights, Children’s Rights, Ending Torture and Execution, rights of Refugees and Rights of Prisoners of Conscience. Within these key areas are specific aims to abolish the death penalty and extrajudicial executions and “disappearances.
One of their main areas of focus currently is working on improving China’s human rights record, prior to the Beijing olympics. Amnesty International estimates that 1,010 people were executed and 2,790 people were sentenced to death in China during 2006. They are also campaigning to put pressure on the Chinese government regarding their treatment of the Tibetan monks, their detention of people without a prompt and fair trial and their press censorship, amongst others.
Should you want to find out more about the organisation. Click on this link. There is information about how to add your name to global petitions and about other key issues that they are currently prioritising. Amnesty International
