This Human Rights Day, make Waleed’s words famous

'The oppressor dies and he is forgotten, the free man is jailed and he is mentioned everywhere.'
Waleed Abu al-Khair

Today is Human Rights Day – marking the day when, 67 years ago, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights came into being – a watershed moment for human rights.

Today at Amnesty UK we’re marking Human Rights Day by using our freedom to shout loudly for the rights of Waleed Abu al-Khair, a human rights lawyer in Saudi Arabia, imprisoned for defending the rights of others.

From setting up one of the few human rights organisations in Saudi Arabia to representing many victims of human rights violations, including blogger Raif Badawi in court, Waleed is one of the most outspoken critics of his government's human rights abuses – challenging repression from the authorities with fair and just human rights principles.

'I will only live once in this world therefore I will live it as a big adventure and as a dream called "The Hope"'
Waleed – tweeted 17 May 2012

Waleed’s words have got him in trouble in the past: he was charged with violating Saudi Arabia’s cybercrime law in relation to the content of his tweets.

When he was sentenced under Saudi Arabia's new counter-terror law in July 2014, the court ordered Waleed to shut down all social media accounts and websites relating to him, because the authorities accused him of committing numerous offences – such as ‘preparing, storing and sending information that harms public order’.

No one has the right to suppress you.
Waleed – tweeted 8 December 2014

We will defy the Saudi Arabian authorities’ violation of Waleed’s rights today
by spreading his words far and wide.

Our aim today is to make Waleed’s words famous. And we need your help.

Three things you can do

1. Tweet for Waleed's freedom

Hit the buttons bellow to tweet the Saudi Arabian Embassy to the UK

Tweet Please free @WaleedAbulkhair, @SaudiEmbassyUK - he is a prisoner of conscience, not a terrorist #FreeWaleed

Tweet #FreeWaleed on #HumanRightsDay. @SaudiEmbassyUK, please release @WaleedAbulkhair

Tweet Help me make @WaleedAbulkhair’s words famous, & ask @SaudiEmbassyUK to #FreeWaleed

Share Waleed's words: retweet his quote

This #HumanRightsDay, call on @SaudiEmbassyUK to free @WaleedAbulkhair https://t.co/5t6eZO0LxD #FreeWaleed pic.twitter.com/2VZxqTjqBl

— Amnesty UK (@AmnestyUK) December 10, 2015

2. Share Waleed's words on Facebook

Share this quote from Waleed on your Facebook timeline and encourage your friends to do the same.

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Today, on Human Rights Day, please share this quote from Waleed and show the Saudi Arabian authorities that they cannot...

Posted by Amnesty International UK on Thursday, 10 December 2015

3. Post a photo of yourself with a quote from Waleed

If you have access to a printer, download and print the quotes from Waleed below. Upload your photo to Twitter and instagram and tag them #FreeWaleed

You can also of course write out one of Waleed's quoted, or just scrawl a very straightforward message to 'Free Waleed'! Remember to post your photo with the hashtag #FreeWaleed

• 'The oppressor dies and he is forgotten, the free man is jailed and he is mentioned everywhere'
• 'Pity a nation whose resources are spent on repression and corruption'
• 'I will only live once in this world, therefore I will live it as a big adventure and as a dream called The Hope'
• 'I didn't ask to change the system. I just speak freely on twitter, so why do you punish me?'