Write for Rights 

At the Members social meeting in December members concentrated for much of the time on writing letters and cards supportin victims of human rights abuse in several countries where we seldom hear what is happening.  

Countries included Bangladesh where we wrote on behalf of  a young woman, Kalpana Chakma, who campaigned for the rights of the indigenous people in the Chittagong Hill Tracts.  She was abducted from her home and has never been found.    

In Brazil, a young woman, Laisa Santos Sampaio, who is one of the most high-profile critics of illegal logging and charcoal burning in her region, has been the target of persistent death threats since 2011. 

In Tunisia the use of Facebook has meant a seven-and-a-half year prison sentence for Jabeur Mejiri who published articles and pictures of the Prophet Mohamed, received from a friend. 



A 44-year-old journalist, Eskinder Nega, is serving 18 years in prison for terrorism offences after he criticised the Ethiopian government and called for freedom of expression in speeches and articles. 

In Honduras one of the country;s main human rights organisations is known as COFADEH.  Its work includes seeking justice for current human rights abuses by the security forces and “disapearances” in the 1980s, and training local human rights activists.  This is putting them at great risk.