Defending human rights and ensuring that everyone is treated fairly regardless of who they are, what they look like, or what they believe is a fundamental value of the TRU Students’ Union. The Equity Committee has worked to put this value into practice this fall by participating in Amnesty International’s Urgent Action Network. Since January, the Committee has sent seven letters to governments around the world to pressure them to intervene and protect the human rights of marginalized groups and communities.

During this semester, the Urgent Action Network has continued to connect hundreds of thousands of volunteers in dozens of countries around the globe to shine a spotlight on shady behaviour and pressure governments to clean up their oppressive policies.

Some folks who the equity committee has pressured to take action against abuses include:

• The Prime Minister of Thailand to request the release of peaceful protestors advocating for political reform, LGBTQ+ equality, and women’s & children’s rights
• The Second Vice President of Afghanistan to request an investigation into growing violence and murders against human rights defenders, particularly women’s rights activists, in the country
• The Chief Public Prosecutor of Istanbul, Turkey to request that he drop criminal investigations against nine people, mostly university students, who peacefully protested the disbanding of Boğaziçi University’s LGBTI+ club
• The Chief Minister of Selangor, Malaysia to request that he stop the forced displacement of the Temuan Indigenous community from the Kuala Langat North Forest Reserve

Click here to see all seven letters we’ve sent this winter!  

If you’re interested in getting involved in the fight for global human rights, you can find more information about joining Amnesty International’s Urgent Action Network here.  

For more information contact: