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 semester by participating in Amnesty International’s Urgent Action Network. Since May 2018, the Committee has sent 22 letters to governments around the world to request they intervene to protect the human rights of various marginalized groups and communities.

Highlights include contacting:

• The Malaysian government to request they investigate the case of a Syrian refugee at risk of illegal deportation,
• The Russian government to request they investigate a campaign of homophobic/transphobic violence against the LGBTQ+ community in Chechnya,
• The Guatemalan government to request they not table legislation that would grant amnesty to those suspected of crimes like genocide and torture,
• King Salman bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia to request he intervene to ensure the prompt release of women’s rights activist Nassima al-Sadah, who was arbitrarily detained for her peaceful human rights work.

The Equity Committee gets the best feeling in the world when it receives word of a successful pressure campaign to protect a marginalized group. Check out Amnesty’s newsletter update below to see all the results of successful urgent actions.

Click here to check out the Spring Newsletter from Amnesty International Urgent Actions. 

Click here to see the letters we’ve sent on behalf of the Students’ Union this year!

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 information, contact:

About the Equity Committee

The TRUSU Equity Committee is a group of eight elected and appointed students who work to raise awareness about the systemic oppression of marginalized groups in society, and to challenge that oppression on campus.