| Dear Inga,
Six months in and what a year it’s been! With your incredible support we’ve fought against the scrapping of the Human Rights Act, demanded action to stop drownings in the Mediterranean, seen torture survivor Moses Akatugba go from ‘prisoner to conqueror’, and – in a world first – used innovative technology to bring the horror of the devastation in Syria to people on the streets.
The news has been particularly hard to watch recently, but there is much to be hopeful for, and so much we should be proud of. Here are just a few reasons why: |
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| When he was 16 Moses Akatugba was accused of stealing mobile phones and tortured until he confessed. He was sentenced to death. Nine years on and he is now a free man – pardoned after more than 50,000 of you demanded his release.
In a heartfelt message Moses thanked ‘Amnesty International and their activists for the great support that made me a conqueror in this situation. Amnesty International members and activists are my heroes…I promise to be a Human Rights Activist, to fight for others.’ |
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| Thousands of you spoke out against the government’s plan to scrap the Human Rights Act, and they definitely heard you: the planned British Bill of Rights was left out of the Queen’s Speech. Ahead of the speech more than 2,000 of you helped fund newspaper adverts telling the government to save the Act. People power like that can’t be ignored. The say they are still planning to scrap the Act. But we are ready for the fight. |
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| In April, more than 1,000 people fleeing war, persecution and poverty drowned in one week as several overcrowded boats sank in the Mediterranean and Aegean Seas. Thousands of you rallied against this horror and demanded that the EU act. Thanks to that pressure, it finally has. The UK’s HMS Bulwark has since rescued thousands of people. This is great news, but we must keep up the work to ensure life-saving action is sustained. |
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| The journey towards abolition of the death penalty took another great step forward in May when Nebraska became the 19th US state to abolish the cruel and inhuman punishment. |
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| In April, we hosted the next generation of human rights defenders at our annual Youth Awards where we awarded 400 young people from across the UK for their outstanding reporting, photography, song-writing, performing, fundraising and campaigning for human rights. |
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| Last month saw the launch of a ground-breaking project. Using refurbished smartphones and low-tech headsets users are able to explore unique 360-degree images taken by Syrian human rights activists in Aleppo, helping raise awareness and bring home the reality of barrel bomb damage, still denied by the Syrian government. |
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| This is just a taster of what we’ve managed to achieve together in the last three months.
Let’s keep up the good work and complete the year the way we started – defiant, united, committed.
Thank you so much for all your support.
Warmest regards,
Kate Allen
Director
Amnesty International UK |
