Write 4 Rights: Still Time to Wish Gao Zhisheng Happy New Year!

  

Another look back at 2012 with photos by Esteemed Reader Stevi of last year's successful 'Write 4 Rights' letter-writing marathon. We were especially pleased that this year's collection of actions included our Prisoner of Conscience, Chinese human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng. You can still take action on behalf of Gao and the other worthy cases-- info is here.

Interestingly, according to Radio Free Asia, it looks like Chinese activist and Sakharov Prize winner Hu Jia, who lives in Beijing, launched his own 'Write 4 Rights' style-campaign,

"Christmas is nearly here, and we should send a card to our brother who is imprisoned far away in the desert," Hu wrote, in a Tweet that was widely retweeted among the online activist community. 

"Even if Gao never gets to see them, the prison guards will, and that will increase their respect for lawyer Gao," he wrote. 

"This could lead to an improvement in his prison conditions," Hu said. "I have experienced this sort of thing myself." 

"I was jailed between 2008 and 2011, and people sent me cards at Chinese New Year and on my birthday, including cards drawn by my kid," he said. "They all expressed real feeling, and ... for a while, the electrified fences all melted away."

I am so impressed that Hu Jia is taking this action-- I would think at no small personal risk. All the more reason for those of us who can do this simple thing with no thought of retaliation, should get writing. There's still plenty of time to send Gao a greeting for the Chinese New Year.

Just a reminder that additional pictures of Rights Readers and Amnesty International-Pasadena activities past and present can be found here.