Germain Rukuki

“Thank you for all the support you have shown me since 20 November 2020, which also happens to be the birthday of my youngest, born four months after my arrest.
Amnesty International really does have a positive impact. Their support has made me come out of prison even more committed to defending human rights.”

 

Germain Rukuki in Brussels, 27 October 2021.
Human rights defender Germain Rukuki was arrested in July 2017 and was serving a 32-year prison sentence after he was convicted of “rebellion”, “threatening State security”, “participation in an insurrectional movement” and “attack on the authority of the State”. During Amnesty International’s global campaign, our members and supporters called for his immediate and unconditional release. And it worked! After the appeal court on 4 June reduced his sentence from 32 years to one, he was finally released from prison on 30 June 2021.

Moses Agatugba

“I was about to be executed, but then 800,000 letters from Amnesty Supporters all over the world were sent to support me. Thanks to those letters, authorities decided to release me. These letters saved my life.”

Moses Akatugba in Helsinki 10.11.2016. Photo: Miikka Pirinen / Amnesty Finland
Moses Akatugba was 16 years old when he was wrongfully arrested in 2005 for stealing three mobile phones and repeatedly tortured into signing two pre-written “confessions”. At 16 years old, he was sentenced to death.

Khaled Drareni

“I want to thank everyone who supported me and who supported the prisoner of conscience because your support is essential for all of us”.

Journalist Khaled Drareni was imprisoned for covering a demonstration in Algeria. Khaled is the founder and director of the online news website Casbah Tribune; he is a correspondent for the French TV station TV5 Monde and a representative of Reporters Without Borders (RSF) in Algeria.
Drareni was accused of “inciting an unarmed gathering and undermining the territorial integrity of the country” after covering a demonstration in Algiers. Khaled not only reported from the ground, but he was himself an activist and participant in the peaceful mass demonstrations.

Paing Phyo Min

“I just want to say as a parent, thanks so much for helping my son” – Paing Phyo Min’s Father

Portrait of Paing Phyo Min, a member of the Peacock Generation, who was sentenced to 6 years in prison in Myanmar for peaceful satirical performances.

Maura

“I am so, so happy. I still can’t believe it. I thought I was alone in this world. I thought it wasn’t worth it to keep fighting. And then I realised that there were good people around the world, who I didn’t even know, very good people who have been very supportive”.

Maura is a transgender woman originally from Nicaragua who fled to the United States seeking protection rom relentless violence and abuse. Maura was locked up in immigration detention facility in California for over two years.

Gulzar Dushenova

“I am grateful for all the support and solidarity from so many of Amnesty International’s activists who care about our rights despite being from another country.”

Gulzar Dushenova portrait at home. Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.
Gulzar Dushenova is a fighter. In 2002, she lost movement in her legs after a car accident. But she never let it defeat her. She made it her life’s mission to ensure people with disabilities can live with dignity and move around freely. But she faces daily discrimination in a society where women aren’t meant to speak out and people with disabilities are seen as “invalids”. Amnesty International supporters joined with Gulzar and other disability rights advocates to call on the Kyrgyzstan Government to ratify the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.