December 18, 2005

Write for Rights. An appeal from you to the authorities can help the victims of human rights violations whose stories are told here. All it costs is an international stamp. But does it work?

Nothing political here, and while I do give money to Amnesty, I'm not trying to get anyone to donate. But writing a letter is a really important (and simple) action every person can take to make the world better. Allan Nairn once said that an Indonesian general told him that if they received just one letter from another country indicating awareness of a detainee, it would keep them from killing the person.

posted by scartol 18 years ago
  • I've done it before. I think the message is we all need to write more actual, snail-mail letters. To senators, congresspersons, local officials and, yes, to far-off dictators to let them know. There is nothing like a snailmail letter. Thanks scartol.
  • Nice post.
  • Great link, scartol. Am busy putting together some letters that will go in the mail tomorrow.
  • This is something so simple, that to my shame I only rarely done.
  • err, *have* only rarely... I should write more, the world's oppressors and abusers will be so busy trying to work out what on earth I'm on about that their poor victims may gain a brief respite.
  • Has anyone else decided to send off letters? I'm curious - I realized that without really thinking about it I shortlisted those in parts of the world that I am unlikely to want to visit or have to travel through to get to another destination. I don't know if this is due to having watched too many conspiracy / political intrigue movies, or simply subconscious common sense.