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For many years now Group Nine Amnesty International (Kitchener-Waterloo) has actively participated in Write for Rights on Human Rights Day December 10. We have joined with Amnesty International’s seven million supporters around the world in a letter-writing blitz calling on governments to respect the rights of selected individuals at risk. We have had many successes over the years including the release of political prisoners, the ending of torture in specific cases and in bringing human rights offenders to justice.

This year while human rights abuses continue worldwide, COVID-19 again makes an in-person event impossible.

In spite of that constraint, last year together we took over 300 actions in our “Ten Days for Human Rights” at-home campaign.

This year, we hope you join us again to produce a mountain of letters and sign online actions to let governments know that we are still watching, and send messages of support and encouragement to those who are in the front lines of the struggle for human rights.

Here is the Group Nine Write for Rights 2021 letter writing plan:

Ten Days for Human Rights!!!

There are two ways in which you can participate in the letter and card actions:

1. by sending individual actions yourself (by post and/or online) at your cost,
2. by collecting all your letters and cards for us to send by bulk mail at our cost. We will also have some in-person outdoor photo opportunities for sharing messages of support on social media and a small group indoor socially distanced card- making gathering (more on that separately).

Each day from Dec 1 to 10, Group 9 will send you an email giving background information on one case, a sample letter, a link for an online action, and a suggestion for a supportive action (usually a card) that you can take. We will repeat this each day for 10 days to cover all the cases.

Option 1 – If you are sending individual actions:

Each day, participants will complete and mail the letter and card – as well as getting their “bubbles” to do the same. Please keep a record of the number of cards, letters and online actions sent for each case (including cc’s).

On December 11th, we will send out an email to everyone asking each of you to send in the number and type of actions you and your bubble have completed for each case.

Option 2 – If you would prefer to have your letters and cards included in a Group Nine bulk mailing:

Collect your letters and cards during the ten days so that you can make one delivery. Please do not use an envelope for each letter or card. Rather, fold your letter once and write the name of the recipient and country on the outside. Do the same on the outside of the card. Put them all in one large envelope or wrap with a rubber band and include a slip with your name so that we can keep a record. Mary and David will provide a drop-off box at their front door in Waterloo from Dec 10 to Dec 15. They will quarantine the letters, organize them by recipient and then mail them in bulk.

Email groupnine9@gmail.com for the drop off address and directions.

If you would like to make a contribution towards postage costs for the bulk mailing, please send an e-transfer to groupnine9@gmail.com

We know that this is much more lonely work than coming out to Seven Shores Café to write letters together and socialize over coffee and delicious treats, but we hope that you will involve your “bubble” in creating a mountain of cards and letters for Ten Days for Human Rights!!!

We’ll keep you posted about our possible in-person events via separate emails.

Your first case letter will arrive on December 1.

Thank you for your support for human rights!

David and Margaret for Group 9

Group Nine is the local chapter of Amnesty International Canada in the Kitchener-Waterloo area. We normally meet at 7:30 pm on the first Tuesday of every month in *Room 4224 (The Fretz Seminar Room) at Conrad Grebel College*, University of Waterloo (140 Westmount Road North, Waterloo N2L 3G6). Please confirm by email or on our Facebook page..

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AmnestyInternationalGroup9/

Website: https://www.amnesty.ca

E-mail: groupnine9@gmail.com