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Protesters in Istanbul wave Turkish flags, June 2nd, 2013
Text and photographs by Anna Shea, Amnesty International Canada Legal Program Coordinator

I was expecting to have a great vacation in Turkey. I wasn’t expecting to watch history unfold. Fortunately, however, I happened to be in Istanbul between May 26 and June 5. I had rented a room near Taksim Square, and I was in the square or the adjacent Gezi Park for almost 24 hours a day (it’s impossible to stay home when the world seems to be ending…).

For me, the beginning of the protests was the most difficult time, because we all felt forgotten. When I returned to the apartment in the middle of the night on Friday May 31, I anticipated frantic emails and phone messages from my family and friends. But no one had been in touch. This was not surprising, since unless you were directly connected with Turkish protesters on Facebook or Twitter, it was impossible to know what was happening. But the feeling of isolation was nonetheless dreadful. It was such a relief when bloggers and the international media started taking notice. Amnesty – the national office in Turkey and the international secretariat – was one of the first organizations to draw attention to the situation. Simply knowing that people were paying attention – especially people overseas, completely unconnected from the action – was incredibly empowering, much more than I could have imagined.
Woman in Red Dress, Graffiti on Mahmoud Street, Cairo, 2012
By Tharani Thirumalairajan, Youth Intern, Amnesty International Canada, in Ottawa
On June 4th, 2013, Amnesty Canada ran a four day Human Rights College for youth from across the country as part of Amnesty Canada’s Annual General Meeting. The goal of the HRC was to empower and support young activists and to facilitate their active leadership within Amnesty International. We spent the three days building our human rights knowledge, developing skills as activists, preparing for the AGM. Sharing an experience with other individuals who are also committed to standing up against injustice was inspiring.
A 13-year-old rape survivor in Nicaragua draw her hopes for the future
By Jacqueline Hansen, Major Campaigns and Women’s Rights Campaigner

This week Canada had the rather unenviable position of chairing negotiations at the UN Human Rights Council on its annual resolution on violence against women. It is something Canada has done for close to twenty years, and Canada’s leadership has been lauded for progressively strengthening this important resolution.
This should be easy, right? Who wouldn’t want to support actions to combat violence, and in particular sexual violence, against women and girls? Think again. It certainly wasn’t the case this year.

‘This is a Cold War’

Pussy riot member Ekaterina (Katia) Samutsevich talks to Amnesty International about her activism, life after prison, and her band mates who are still in prison
Take action to free Katia's bandmate
By Jacqueline Hansen, Major Campaigns and Women’s Rights Campaigner
A mother’s tireless efforts to search for her missing son tell a tale of horror and hope in Mexico



by Kathy Price, Amnesty International Canada's campaigner on Latin America
Seven weeks ago, few people knew who Beatriz was, but over the last weeks the plight of this 22-year-old woman in El Salvador has inundated social media networks and travelled across the globe.
by Gloria Nafziger
Campaigner for human rights of refugees and migrants

Take action now for Hamid

 
by George Harvey
Action Circle Coordinator on LGBT issues in Toronto

Get organized for Pride Season - Check Out Amnesty's Pride Activist Resource Kit


by The Campaign Team
Responding to Urgent Actions and Individuals at Risk