ELEANOR SIGNS MESSAGE OF HOPE (Eleanor Burnham )

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Eleanor Burnham <info@eburnham.org.uk>

ELEANOR SIGNS MESSAGE OF HOPE

December 12, 2008 8:00 AM

Eleanor signs a message of hope

Eleanor Burnham AM took part in Amnesty International Greetings Cards Campaign, held at the Senedd this week to celebrate International Human Rights Day and the 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).

In signing a card, Eleanor Burnham, the Welsh Liberal Democrat Assembly Member for North Wales called on the people of North Wales to send messages of hope to those suffering human rights abuses.

As a poignant reminder of the state of human rights in the world today, a life size recreation of a Guantánamo Bay cell was placed outside the Senedd to remind people of the continued need to campaign for freedom around the world.

The cage based on the 6ft by 8ft cell in which hundreds of detainees have been held without trial for more than six years, provides a strong visual jolt of the human rights abuses happening at this time.

Cathy Owens, Amnesty International's Programme Director for Wales said, "There has been real progress since the World came together after the atrocities of World War II to establish a hopeful vision for humanity, but there is so much more to be done.

"There are serious challenges to overcome before people around the world can truly enjoy the basic rights set out in the UDHR. People are still tortured, executed or imprisoned for their views. Women still suffer violence around the world. Many people suffer dreadful violations on a daily basis.

"If we are to consign to history some of the worst human rights abuses, there is a great deal more work to be done. Governments should take responsibility, but so must individuals.

"If we are serious about making human rights a reality then we must all play our part. We need to recognise that human rights abuses anywhere are the concern of people everywhere."

Amnesty is calling on people in Wales to speak up for people whose human rights are under threat by sending them a message of solidarity as part of its Greetings Card Campaign.

Last year's campaign led to supporter in Wales receiving a letter from a British resident detained in Guantánamo Bay. He said: "I am very glad for this card you sent to me. You remind me I'm not forgotten and you are thinking of me. Thank you very much."