HOW YOUR SUPPORT HELPS
WHEN YOU ENTER THE AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL UK RAFFLE, HUMANITY WINS.
We are a movement of ordinary people from around the world standing up for humanity and human rights. And we’re a movement that produces extraordinary results. Prisoners of conscience are released. Death sentences are commuted. Torturers are brought to justice. Governments are persuaded to change their laws and practices. Our achievements have a huge impact on the lives of individual people. And your support makes us even stronger.
WANG QUANZHANG RELEASED AFTER FOUR YEARS
Wang Quanzhang is a human rights lawyer, defending a movement of grassroots activists seeking to expose corruption and promote transparency in the Chinese government. When the government cracked down on lawyers like him, Quanzhang was forced into hiding. But he was caught, imprisoned and accused of involvement in state security crimes. Then, in 2017, after two years of being held unlawfully in prison, he was charged with “subverting state power”. It was a clear abuse of his Freedom of Expression, and his right to a fair trial.
But with our support – and yours – Li and the families of other imprisoned lawyers campaigned tirelessly for their release. And four and a half years later, in April 2020, Wang Quanzhang was reunited with his family. Every time you play the Amnesty International UK Raffle, you’re taking on injustices like this – and making sure humanity wins.
When her husband was finally released, Li Wenzu thanked Amnesty International, and everyone who’d been by their side:
“Wang Quanzhang is finally home. In the past 5 years, we couldn’t have kept fighting without your continuous support. We are very thankful for having all of you by our side in this journey.”
FOOTBALL WELCOMES REFUGEES
Football is a shared passion for millions around the world. It has the power to overcome prejudice, forge friendships and bring people together. Amnesty International UK’s Football Welcomes initiative encourages football clubs to harness that power to welcome refugees and asylum seekers and promote inclusion.
This year more than 100 clubs got involved, including some big names from the premier league. From stadium tours and player visits to friendly tournaments, football clubs around the UK are putting on events to make refugees and asylum seekers feel welcome every weekend. This culminates in one big weekend in April when we bring clubs together to celebrate the contribution refugees make to the world’s most popular sport.
YOUR SUPPORT IS CRUCIAL
Although there is reason to celebrate, there is still much to be done. Germain, Quangzhang, Joaquín and many others have expressed their gratitude for the work our supporters have done to facilitate their releases. But there are still many more who are seeing their human rights violated and abused every single day.