Day 293

I have a full day today, so I am doing my giving first thing this morning. I visited Amnesty International and wrote letters for several different human rights issues:

The first was to stop the execution of Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani who converted to Christianity at age 19. Freedom of religion is a basic human right guaranteed by internationally recognized human rights conventions to which Iran is a state party. I wrote to urge that any death sentence against Mr. Nadarkhani for choosing to peacefully express his religious faith be overturned.

The next was to release Maikel Nabil Sanad a 26-year-old Egyptian blogger who was sentenced on April 10 to three years in prison by a military court for charges related to criticisms he posted on his Facebook page.He is a prisoner of conscience arrested solely for the peaceful expression of his views so I wrote to ask that the government immediately and unconditionally release him. 

I think I have written in support of this one before, but it is one that I think is very important and would have a huge impact in the country. In 2005, Zimbabwe evicted 700,000 people from informal settlements. As a result, an estimated 222,000 children had at least some part of their education disrupted. Families were rendered homeless, poverty increased due to lost income earning potential resulting in an inability to pay school fees, and in some areas schools were demolished. So I wrote again to demand education as a human right in Zimbabwe.

The last one for this morning was to ask that former President Jean-Claude Duvalier faces trial in Haiti.  He returned unexpectedly in January 2011, after 25 years in exile. It is incumbent upon Haitian authorities to ensure that he faces a trial after being charged with embezzlement and crimes against humanity. Between 1971 and 1986 under his presidency, hundreds of Haitians, journalists, trade unionists and political opponents were forcibly disappeared or extrajudicially executed, tortured and arbitrarily detained or forced into exile. His crimes must be investigated to ensure that justice is done.

Fighting for human rights - the perfect way to start my day and make an impact! Hope you all have a good Thursday.