Amnesty success

650 prisoners released last year

It sometimes seems like a forlorn battle being an Amnesty supporter.  The tide of executions, arrests for peacefully protesting, torture and other state crimes seems inexorable.  Despite countries signing solemn pledges in the UN, persecution by states of their own people and minorities continues on a grand scale around the world.

But a light sometimes does shine and in a recent report, Amnesty claims that 650 prisoners were released last year due in part to our

campaigning.  Albert Woodfox was released from 44 years in solitary confinement in Louisiana, USA and he said:

Even when it feels like you are not going to win, when you grow disillusioned with politics which put geed before people’s human rights. when you don’t think you can make a difference – please remember that if you had not taken a stand and joined hundreds of thousands of activist around the world, I may not have been able to write this to you today.