The Equity Committee participates in Amnesty International’s Urgent Action Network to combat injustice and inequity around the world and advance our vision of a world when everyone is treated fairly regardless of who you are, what you look like, or what you believe.
Who is Amnesty International?
Amnesty International is a non-partisan human rights organization that conducts research and generates action to prevent and end human rights abuses, and demands justice for those who’s rights have been violated around the world.
What is the Urgent Action Network?
The Urgent Action Network is a group of 165,000+ volunteers in 55 countries who expose and pressure human rights violators to change their illegal and unethical behaviours including torture, extrajudicial executions, genocide, depriving equity groups of food/water/other necessities, etc. After Amnesty verifies that these types of illegal activity are happening, they distribute an Urgent Action notice to the network and ask folks to send letters, faxes, emails, and other messages to the government or organization committing these crimes to inform them that the world is watching and pressure them to stop their illegal activity immediately.
Check out this video to see how an urgent action process works!
How does the Equity Committee participate?
The Committee reviews each urgent action notice from Amnesty, discusses the alleged rights violation, and decides if they want to participate or not. After approving participation, Committee members meet to draft a letter fulfilling the requirements of the request, have the letter signed by the Union’s President and Vice President Equity, and email, fax, or mail the letter off to the intended recipients as soon as possible.
How can I get involved in the Urgent Action Network?
Visit Amnesty International Canada’s Urgent Action Network webpage for more information and how to join.
Urgent Actions Participated In:
Click on any of the titles below to see a copy of the letter sent by the Students’ Union
- UA2a.21 – Turkey – Please Release the Detained Bogaziçi Protestors
- UA13b.21 – SaudiArabia – Please Repeal Sentence against Loujain al-Hathloul
- UA20.21 – Russia – Release Family Members from Detention
- UA23a.20 – Malaysia – Stop Dispossession In Kuala Langat North Forest Reserve
- UA27.21 – Pakistan – Immediate And Unconditional Release Of Shagufta Kausar And Shafqat Emmanuel
- UA118a.21 – Afghanistan – Ensure Security Of Human Rights Defenders
- UA134.20 – Thailand – Peaceful Protesters Must Be Protected
- UA164.20 – China – Human Rights Lawyer Detained and at Risk of Torture
- UA161.20 – Vietnam – Viet Nam Woman Human Rights Defender At Risk Of Torture
- UA156.20 – Iran – Abbas Lesani Arbitrarily Detained
- UA140.20 – China – Peaceful Protesters Targeted In Inner Mongolia
- UA138.20 – Russia – Activist Faces Jail For Female Body Drawings
- UA128.20 – Slovakia – Women’s Access to Safe Abortion at Risk
- UA126.19b – RussiaUkraine – Unjust Convictions Of Crimeans Must Be Reviewed
- UA123.20 – Honduras – Investigate Disappearance of Honduras Human Rights Activists
- UA114.20 – Ecuador – Help Protect Indigenous People’s Lives Against COVID-19
- UA113.19a – China – Human Rights Defenders Should Be Released
- UA123.20 – Honduras – Investigate Disappearance of Honduras Human Rights Activists
- UA106.20 – China – Uyghur Model Held Incommunicado For Months
- UA74a.20 – China – Terminus 2049 Contributor Chen Mei (陈玫) Should Be Released From Custody
- UA84.20 – Zimbabwe – Bring Justice to Unjustly Charged Zimbabwe Activists
- UA126b.19 – Russia & Ukraine – Unjust Convictions Of Crimeans Must Be Reviewed
- UA114.20 – Ecuador – Help Protect Indigenous People’s Lives Against COVID-19
- UA100.20 – Indonesia – Papuan Anti-Racism Protestors Must Be Freed
- UAR 95.20 – Guatemala – COVID-19 hospital workers unlawfully fired and unpaid
- UAR 92.20 – Hungrary – Please Protect Transgender and Intersex Peoples’ Rights
- UAR 90.20 – Peru – Please Protect Vulnerable People From Evictions During COVID Crisis
- UAR 79.20 – China – Please Release Ekpar Asat And Investigate His Unfair Imprisonment
- UAR 199.18 – Indonesia –Justice for Survivor of Sexual Harassment Baiq Nuril Maknun
- UAR 133.19 – El Salvador – Please End the Unjust Criminalization of Evelyn Hernàndez
- UAR 131.19 – Egypt – Release Mahienour el-Masry and Other Prisoners of Conscience
- UAR 128.19 – Turkey – Unlawful Deportation of Syrians Must Stop
- UAR 121.19 – Morocco – Journalist Detained Unjustly
- UAR 118.19 – Bangladesh – Allow Rohima Akter Khushi to Complete her Studies
- UAR 113.19 – China – Non-Governmental Workers Detained for “Subversion”
- UAR 105.19 – Sri Lanka – Writer Released on Bail, Still at Risk of Jail
- UAR 104.19 – Sudan – Please Commute the Death Sentence impose on Abbas Mohammed Nur Musa
- UAR 098.19 – Turkey – Mohamed Aijani Younes, Palestinian Refugee from Syria, Risks Deportation
- UAR 096.19 – Iran – A Decade in Jail for Defying Forced Veiling
- UAR 089.19 – Paraguay – Indigenous Community Facing Forced Eviction
- UAR 086.19 – Turkey – Ensure Pride Marches Can Safely Take Place
- UAR 084.19 – México – Prevent Arbitrary Detentions of Migrants and Asylum Seekers on México’s Southern Border
- UAR 078.19 – Mozambique – Refugees, Asylum Seekers Held Without Charge
- UAR 069.19 – USA – Drop Charges Against Human Rights Defender
- UAR 068.19 – Italy – Please Ensure Adequate Alternative Housing Arrangements for Evicted Roma People
- UAR 064.19 – Honduras – Honduras Land Defenders in Ria Blanco Still at Risk
- UAR 052.19 – Colombia – Please Protect the Indigenous and Afro-descendant Persons in Bojayà, Chocó
- 1A-E-1-Letters-UAR 041.19 – Israel – Stateless Palestinian Mustafa al-Kharouf Must be Granted Permanent Residency StatusUAR41.19Israel_and_Occupied_Palestinian_Territories
- UAR 004.19 – Israel – Unconditionally Release Bedouin Leader and Recognize al-‘Araqib as a Village
- UAR – Canada – Pleas Continue Forward with Your Partnership Agreement with the Saulteau and West Moberly First Nations
- UAR 211.18 – China – Christian House Church Members Should Be Released
- UAR 194.18 – India – Non-governmental Organization Rights Should be Protected
- UAR 180.18 – Malaysia – Syrian Refugee at Imminent Risk of Deportation
- UAR 172.18 – Nigeria – Nigerian Community Drinking Polluted Water
- UAR 168.18 – Cameroon – Cameroon activist’s disappearance should be investigated
- UAR 161.18 – Indonesia – Buddhist Woman Imprisoned for Complaining of Noise at Mosque
- UAR 156.18 – Iran – Saudi Arabia Women’s Rights Defenders Should be Released
- UAR 149.18 – Paraguay – Indigenous leader Amada Martínez should be protected
- UAR 144.18 – Venezuela – Indigenous Activists Should be Able to Operate Without Stigmatization
- UAR 134.18 – Chile – Karina Riquelme’s safety and freedom should be protected
- UAR 126.18 – Iran – Iran Lawyer Jailed for Defending Women’s Rights
- UAR 112.18 – Colombia – Guatemalan human rights defender’s murders should be investigated
- UAR 105.18 – Saudi Arabia – Saudi Arabia Women’s Rights Defenders Should be Released
- UAR 104.18 – Indonesia – Authorities Must Ensure the Safety of the Ahmadiyya Community in West Nusa Tenggara Province
- UAR 095.18 – Sudan – Conviction and Death Sentence for Noura Hussein Hamad Daoud Should be Quashed
- UAR 083.18 – Turkey – Ban on LGBTQ Events in Ankara Should be Lifted
- UAR 044.18 – Chad – Release Alain Didah Kemba and Investigate Allegations of Torture
- UAR 026.18 – Israel – Politically Motivated Charges Against Munther Amira Should be Dropped Immediately
- UAR 022.18 – Colombia – Prevent the Endangerment and Displacement of Indigenous Communities in Choco
- UAR 009.18 – Norway – Halt deportation of Taibeh Abbasi and others to Afghanistan
- UAR 006.18 – Kenya – Cease Forced Evictions in Embobut Forest
- UAR 003.18 – India – Release Adivasi activists Judhishtira Jena and Babula Samal
- UAR 281.17 – Russia – Removal of Lyubov Litsegevich’s Adoptive Children Should be Reversed
- UAR 253.17 – China – Stop the Forced Return of any Person to North Korea Including Lee Su-jung and her Child
- UAR 256.17 – USA – Reports of DHS Officials Violating US Policies on Family Unity Need Investigation
- UAR 249.17 – Egypt – Politically Motivated Charges Against Rajat Kalsan Should be Dropped Immediately
- UAR 244.17 – Tanzania – Human Rights Lawyer and Activists Should be Released Immediately
- UAR 237.17 – Madagascar – Human Rights Defender Raleva Should be Released Immediately
- UAR 231.17 – Egypt – Citizens Detained on the Basis of Sexual Orientation Should be Released Unconditionally
- UAR 234.17 – Chile – Alfredo Tralcal Coche, Benito Trangol Galindo, Pablo Trangol Galindo, and Ariel Trangol Galindo Should be Fairly Tried Under Ordinary Criminal Law Procedures
- UAR 205.17 – Algeria – Mohamed Fali Should be Released Unconditionally and Treated Fairly
- UAR 080.17 – Russia – Reports of Homophobic Hate Crimes in Chechnya Need Investigation
- UAR 165.17 – Bahrain – Ebtisam al-Saegh Deserves Fair Treatment not Torture