Messages of hope to political prisoners

POLITICAL prisoners were sent Christmas cards of hope and solidarity by members of the Stratford branch of Amnesty International as part of their Write for Rights campaign.

This year a special focus was on Zhang Zhan, a female journalist who reported on the Chinese government’s attempts to censor reports about the Covid-19 outbreak in Wuhan, and who is now serving a four-year prison sentence.

Stratford Amnesty member Penny Freedman said: “The cards and messages not only give heart to prisoners, but can make a difference to their treatment. The arrival of hundreds of cards lets the authorities know that they are being watched.”