December 12, 2022 by Francisca Schmalz (’24)
This year Amnesty International has 13 individuals that need help–your help. For the last 21 years, Amnesty International has been running a letter-writing campaign called Write for Rights–established with the aim of helping those whose rights have been violated in their home country. This month on Tuesdays after school in room B115, you can join Saratoga Springs High School’s Amnesty Club in their personal writing campaign seeking to write and help the 13 individuals Amnesty is sponsoring this year.
Amnesty International was founded in Britain by Peter Benson, an English lawyer, aiming to promote amnesty for prisoners of conscience all over the world. Now it’s a movement of millions fighting for human rights. For the last 60 years, Amnesty has helped those wrongfully imprisoned, tortured, or communities in danger. To learn more check their website, or click the link.
This year Write for Rights aims to help Joanah Mamombe, Netsai Marova, and Cecillia Chimbiri–who were abducted, beaten, and assaulted after leading an anti-government protest in Zimbabwe. On May 13th, 2020, the three friends were arrested in Harare (capital city of Zimbabwe). The trio were taken to the police station only to be forced into an unmarked car with hoods on their heads, unaware of where they were going–only that it was out of the city.
When they reached their unknown location, the women were forced into a pit and tortured. When found two days later, they were taken to the hospital–only to be charged with criminal offenses in relation to the protest. Guards and police were stationed at the hospital to keep the women silent. When the ladies recognized their attackers, they were re-arrested on June 10th, 2020 and charged for faking their torture. They continued to be detained until June 26th, 2020, when bail was posted.
Another case Write for Rights is focusing on is from 11,194.9 kilometers away (6,956 miles) in Marseille, France in 2018. Eighty-year-old Zineb Redouane was shot in the face by police with a tear gas grenade. On the evening of December 1st, 2018, Zineb was on the phone with her daughter, chatting while preparing dinner. Just outside her apartment, people were protesting the poor living conditions in Marseille. Police were using tear gas as a way to disperse the protestors, a chemical weapon meant to stimulate the nerves of the lacrimal gland in the eye to produce tears. It can cause severe eye and respiratory pain, skin irritation, bleeding, and blindness, and–as seen in Zineb’s case–is deadly when shot directly at someone..
When Zineb realized tear gas was entering her apartment through the open window, she went to shut it. That’s when she noticed the police officers below. One of the police officers pointed a tear gas grenade in Zineb’s direction and fired. She was hit in the face by an MP7 tear gas grenade. Zineb was taken to the hospital, but ultimately wouldn’t make it. Now, four years after her death, an investigation into the events that led to her death is still ongoing. No charges or suspensions over the killing of Zineb Redouane, and her family is still awaiting justice.
Those are just two of the thirteen cases Amnesty International is supporting. If you go to their Write for Rights website the eleven other cases are there to read. It’s not necessary to be a part of Saratoga’s Amnesty Club to write a letter, and anyone is welcome to partcipate and help Write for Rights!