Human Rights Day

Today was Amnesty International’s annual Human Rights Day event in Parliament. Despite major steps forward on human rights since the middle of the last century, there are still huge numbers of people facing repression from Government across the world.
 
This year Amnesty are asking supporters to write to repressive governments as part of their Write for Rights campaign - and in recent weeks they’ve highlighted to the case of Ni Yulan to me.
 
Ni Yulan is an ex-lawyer who was arrested by the Chinese authorities for protesting home demolitions before the Beijing Olympics. Despite winning international awards for her courageous work, Ni Yulan has faced nearly 20 years of harassment, evictions, and surveillance. The police once tortured her so brutally, she was left with broken feet, smashed kneecaps and confined to a wheelchair for life. China’s leadership has detained or imprisoned dozens of rights lawyers since President Xi Jinping took power in a widespread crackdown on dissent.
 
Amnesty are demanding that the Chinese Government
 
  • Stop the harassment and intimidation of Ni Yulan and her family, allowing them to enjoy their rights to adequate housing in Beijing
  • Carry out a thorough, transparent and impartial investigation into the ongoing harassment against Ni Yulan and her family and bring those responsible to justice in agreement with international standards.
  • Lift the travel ban and issue Ni Yulan a valid passport to allow her to travel freely
I know that many Brighton & Hove residents are getting involved with Human Rights Day this weekend, and I urge everyone to take a look at Amnesty’s website take action:https://www.amnesty.org/en/get-involved/write-for-rights/

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