Local Amnesty International holds urgent letter campaign

During Amnesty International's monthly urgent action campaign, Mary Anne Chapelle writes letters to prisoners, their families or to governments suspected of violating human rights. Amnesty urges both members and non members to take part in their letter writing sessions. Photo by Liam Kavanagh-Bradette.

By Liam Kavanagh-Bradette

Dzmitry Kanavalau and Uladzslav Kavalyou of Belarus were found guilty of conducting terrorism attacks and have been sentenced to death. The pair are the subjects of a letter-writing campaign by Belleville’s Amnesty International chapter.

The chapter held an urgent letter writing campaign in the basement of Christ Church on Everett Street in Belleville on Saturday.

Amnesty said they have found serious flaws in the investigation techniques, and believe the security camera used in court has allegedly been tampered with. There are also reports that both Kanavalau and Kavalyou were tortured, beaten and forced to confess before the trial.

Jan Sosiak, the urgent action co-ordinator of the chapter, joined the group in 2004 and has worked at organizing and writing each month’s urgent action letter on the 10th day of each month.

As the co-ordinator, Sosiak is directing the letters to Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko, the president of Belarus.

“Amnesty writes Urgent Action letters for people who are being tortured right now or are in a very dire situation,” explained Sosiak. “Amnesty wants to get them mailed within a month, but we really try to get the letters finished and out in a week.”

The group is moving their letter writing into the Belleville library in January.

“Until now, we’ve been holding the urgent action campaigns in peoples homes, but from January to June the library is allowing us use some of their space on the second floor for free, as an experimental trial,” said Sosiak.

Sosiak said the letter made a difference in people’s lives.

“I remember hearing from one man who covered his cell with these cards,” said Sosiak. “He said it gave him hope and courage. After he was released, he went to the local Amnesty group and didn’t leave their office until he had replied to every person who had sent him a letter.”

Don Albright, who has been the chairperson for the Belleville chapter since 2000, is a strong supporter of the monthly letter writing campaigns.

“I think that to some degree, a handwritten or typed letter is better and has more of an impact,” said Albright.

For an organization like Amnesty, publicity plays a key role in its survival, which is where Mieke Thorne comes in. Thorne moved to Canada from Belgium in the mid 1980‘s and has been involved with Amnesty International since 1987. Thorne helps primarily with publicity for the group.

Thorne is a bit of a local celebrity for her work with the local chapter of Grannies for Africa as Ms. February.

“As I’m getting older, I find that I can’t give up my life goals, from human rights to women’s rights,” said Thorne. “We need more young people getting involved.”

Without high school and college students becoming involved with the organization, Thorne is concerned that the chapter will soon come to its end.