Top Ten Reasons to Write for Rights

Fall is my favorite time of year: the air is cooler, the leaves are pretty, Amnesty International student groups are back together again, and people start signing up for the Write for Rights Global Write-a-thon.

In this—the world’s largest human rights event—we use letters, cards and more to demand the human rights of individuals are respected, protected and fulfilled. We show solidarity with those suffering abuses and work to improve people’s lives.

Those are some pretty amazing reasons to participate, but in case you need more, here are my top ten reasons to Write for Rights: SEE THE REST OF THIS POST

Outrageous Prison Sentences for Bahraini Teachers

Scores of perceived political foes have faced trials in military courts © Amnesty International

We’ve had a lot to say over recent months about Bahrain’s treatment of protesters, and unfortunately, the most recent news doesn’t make the situation much brighter: a Bahrain military court decided to uphold the guilty verdicts against a group of prominent opposition activists, exposing yet again the inherent unfairness of the trial process.

The activists whose sentences were confirmed today (in proceedings lasting less than five minutes) are not the only civilians being tried in military courts. The ongoing struggle of teachers Mahdi ‘Issa Mahdi Abu Dheeb and Jalila al-Salman, former president and vice-president of the Bahrain Teachers’ Association (BTA), suffered another setback on Sunday: they have been sentenced to 10 and three years in prison respectively.

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