Does One Crisis Outrank Others?
In times of crisis, people rally. We put all hands on deck, do whatever is necessary, and fight for the greater good. The current pandemic is no exception.
In times of crisis, people may forget that there are ongoing human rights crises occurring all the time. Perhaps they feel far away, and we feel we are not impacted. Perhaps they seem unrelated to what concerns us on a daily basis.
But if this pandemic has showed us anything, it’s that nothing is far away. We ARE impacted, if we acknowledge it or not. For many human rights defenders who are unjustly imprisoned, dislocated, muzzled, or in exile, life is constantly in crisis. These human rights defenders face incredible injustices that go against their own basic human rights. They cannot complain of boredom of being incarcerated and removed from their families, their livelihoods, their normal.
In times of crisis, we can’t forget that crisis is a state of existence for many. Some of us are privileged that we have never experienced one until now. Others have lived “crisis” as a daily reality.
Here’s How YOU Can Help
Awareness. Share the ongoing injustices and violations of human rights publicly. Help others to not forget them. Retweet, repost, and share the systemic and continuous injustices that are affecting you, your neighbourhood, your city, your province, your country, your continent, your global community. It only takes a second to help spread awareness.
Action. Move from spreading awareness to taking action by writing a letter, sending an email, or composing a tweet on behalf of one of the many urgent action cases provided by Amnesty International’s Urgent Action Network.
Activism. Amnesty International has provided a host of resources to continue engaging in activism and social solidarity from a physical distance. Learn the facts, identify ways you can contribute, and communicate virtually with other human rights defenders. For instance, check out this course on COVID-19 and Human Rights.
Current Urgent Actions
Venezuela: Reporter on COVID-19 jailed. On 21 March 2020, journalist Darvinson Rojas was detained after having reported on the spread of COVID-19 in Venezuela. Special Action Forces (FAES) of the National Police (PNB) arrested him in an apparent attempt to silence his reporting on the spread of the virus. Learn more and take action.
China: Fears for activist held incommunicado. Li Qiaochu, an active defender of the rights of women and workers, was taken away by police in Beijing on 16 February 2020. No copy of her detention notice has been provided to her family. They do not know what charges she is being held under. Learn more and take action.
Niger: Journalist held for COVID-19 post. Journalist Mamane Kaka Touda is currently being detained at Niamey Civil Prison, Niamey, Niger, having published a post on social media regarding a suspected case of COVID-19 infection in the Emergency Department of the Niamey Reference Hospital on 5 March. He was arrested at home on the same day and charged with “disseminating data tending to disturb public order”. Learn more and take action.
China: Bookseller sentenced to 10 years. Bookseller Gui Minhai was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment and deprivation of political rights for five years on the charge of “illegally providing intelligence to foreign entities” on 24 February 2020. Without access to his family, a lawyer of his choice and consular officials, there are grave concerns for his health and that Gui Minhai is at risk of torture and other ill-treatment. Learn more and take action.