Student Success Initiatives – 2010-2011
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Write for Rights December 10, 2010
For the fourth year in a row Northern Lights Secondary School participated in Write for Rights Amnesty International’s Annual Write-a-thon. This year students wrote letters on behalf of Femi Peters, a 64 year old man from Gambia.
Femi Peters was the campaign manager for the Gambian opposition party, the United Democratic Party, and was arrested in October 2009 following a peaceful political rally in the country’s largest city, Serekunda. He was charged with “control of procession and control of use of loud speakers in public” without permission from the Office of the Inspector General of Police, and was sentenced to prison until March 2011. Amnesty International considered Femi Peters to be a prisoner of conscience because of the violation of his rights to freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly. Femi’s family was very upset he was in jail, particularly because of his age and poor health.
27 Northern Lights Secondary school students along with many other individuals around the world wrote letters to the Gambian government explaining why they felt Femi Peters should be released. On December 15, 2010 a press release on the Amnesty International website stated that Femi Peters had been released from prison and was back with his family.
If you are interested in learning more about Write for Rights please visit http://www.amnesty.ca/writeathon/.
Ms. Wright
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