Letter for rights 1- Teodora Del Carmen Vasquez: El Salvador

Benito Antonio Lara Fernandez

Ministro de Justicia y Seguridad Publica

17 Avenida Norte Complejo Plan Maestro

Edificio B1, nivel1, Alameda Juan Pablo ll

San Salvador, El Salvador

Dear Benito Fernandez:

I am writing to express my concern of  Ms. Teodora, who was accused of a “still-birth”, and was arrested for it . Also a mother of a 11 year old boy. The baby was already dead when she gave birth, but the police came thinking that Teodora killed her baby because there was blood everywhere. Teodora was sentenced to 30 years in prison.

I strongly believe that it is a problem how Teodora was accused of something that happens naturally. shed should not be arrested for this and it is even more upsetting that she has a 11 year old son, that will most likely live with other people that he will not know.

The police thought that she did an abortion, which is impossible in her case because her water did break meaning that she has to go to the hospital and give birth right away. And not knowing that her baby will be dead when it came out. She should not be in jail. She comes from a poor family so she does not have the money to find a lawyer or to be free from jail.

I write to you so that the problem will be fixed. Thank you for your time in understanding this problem.

Sincerly,

Mabel Narayanan

Banned Books: Of Mice & Men

The book “Of Mice & Men” was challenged by community members who believed the book was “a quality story nor a page turner”. They objected saying that the profanity in the book such as “goddammit” and “bastard”  and the time setting of the story during the Great Depression is too “dark” and “negative”. Things began to get so bad that someone said “It has been 10 long years that I have worked to get this district to be more accountable to parents with safeguards and standards, and now I would suggest that parents pull their children from [School District] 271, or better yet, never put them in.” Although the book was on a set course to be banned, John Steinbeck’s book Of Mice and Men was not banned 

Waleed is not a terrorist.

King Salman bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud

The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques

Office of His Majesty the King, Royal Court,

Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Dear King Salman bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud:

I am writing to express my concern over the imprisonment of Waleed Abu al-Khair. He was imprisoned because  he had challenged the widespread attack on human rights in Saudi Arabia. So he was practically imprisoned for speaking his mind, and attempting to bring awareness over what is going on. What he did was harmless, and was sentenced to 15 year. There are a lot of activists out there, peaceful, and harmful. Waleed was a peaceful one. His brother-in-law Raif Badawi, the blogger, was jailed and sentenced to 1,000 lashes. A form of torture, but it is a human right not to be tortured.

Article 5, “Freedom from torture and degrading treatment: Nobody has the right to torture, harm or humiliate you.”

Waleed is being deprived of his human rights for speaking his mind. The world needs more people like Waleed. People like him who are active towards bringing a change on something they do not like, are the ones who change the world for the better.

Article 19 states, “Freedom of opinion and information: You have the right to hold and express your own opinions. You should be able to share your opinions with others, including people from other countries, through any ways.”

By depriving him of his right to Freed of opinion and information, you are also depriving him of

Article 30, “Freedom from interference in these human rights: No person, group or government anywhere in the world should do anything to destroy these rights.”

There are a lot of people like Waleed, who are imprisoned for being active in their beliefs in a harmless manner. I am writing for them as well. Waleed should be let go immediately and let him be reunited with his family who find it hard to visit Waleed in prison because he keeps getting moved around.

Thank you for your attention to these urgent matters.

Sincerely

Joseph Meza

Jailed for suffering a stillbirth

Benito Antonio Lara Fernández
Ministro de Justicia y Seguridad Pública
17 Avenida Norte, Complejo Plan Maestro
Edificio B1, nivel 1, Alameda Juan Pablo II
San Salvador
El Salvador

Dear Minister of Justice,

I write to demand the release of Teodora del Carmen Vasquez. A woman who was presumed guilty of having an abortion, when she really could have been a victim of pregnancy complications. She is currently serving 30 years in jail. Unfortunately, Teodora is one of the several hundred women being jailed because when women suffer a miscarriage or a stillbirth, in your country, you suspect the situation as an “abortion” related case and presume the women guilty.

Not only do you presume the women guilty but you do not even give them a fair trial. Several of the trials are deeply flawed and since most women come from a poor family, they cannot afford a good legal team to represent them. As the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states in Article 11,

“Article 11.
 (1) Everyone charged with a penal offence has the right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law in a public trial at which he has had all the guarantees necessary for his defense.
(2) No one shall be held guilty of any penal offence on account of any act or omission which did not constitute a penal offence, under national or international law, at the time when it was committed. Nor shall a heavier penalty be imposed than the one that was applicable at the time the penal offence was committed.”

I urge you to release Teodora and review the sentences of the women jailed, like Teodora, for pregnancy related issues. Their rights are being violated and the whole world is watching.

Thank you for taking the time to read this letter on a very important matter.

Sincerely,

Christine Morga

40+ Years of Solitary??

Attorney General of Louisiana

Office of the Attorney General

1885 North Third Street

Baton Rouge

LA 70802

USA

Dear Attorney General of Louisiana,

I am writing to you to express my concern for the well being of Albert Woodfox. He has spent 40 years in solitary confinement with his initial release date of June 10, 2015 being overturned. There is no straightforward evidence proving that he killed the prison guard, so I find that 40+ years of solitary confinement isn’t necessary for a man who is most likely innocent.

Respectfully, I urge you to set Albert Woodfox free immediately from this inhumane torture.

I urge you to end your campaign of vengeance against Albert and release him as soon as possible. A man spending 23 hours a day with no natural light, just the four walls surrounding him, isn’t healthy and can cause severe mental problems. I believe investigating the crime further will prove Albert’s innocence and will show that 40 years of solitary confinement isn’t necessary for him.

Thank you for taking the time out of your day to read what I’ve had to say.

Sincerely,

Niurka Perez

Write For Rights

Marco Antonio Higuera Gomez

Procurador General de Justicia del Estado de Sinaloa

Procuraduria General de Justicia del Estado de Sinaloa

Blvd. Enrique Sanchez Alonso No. 1833

Desarollo Plan Tres Rios, C.P. 80030

Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico

Dear Attorney Gomez

I am writing this letter to give you my full opinion on the matter that I read about concerning Yecenia Armenta. When first reading the case about her had me in shock but the more i read into it the more i felt that this issue needs to be dealt with. This woman’s freedom, rights, and well being were strongly abused and taken away from her. It is truly horrific what Yecenia had to deal with and partake in without any evidence what so ever. The fact she was tortured until she confessed to a murder she didn’t commit is enough to send any body over the edge.

Now i truly believe this needs to be dealt with and fast. I believe that this woman should be freed and given her life back.It is astonishing to me that this situation happened and without any evidence or consent was tortured, raped, and beaten until she confessed. There is no reason for any of the things that happened to her to happen. I think the mexican authorities should free Yecenia and i hope they do very soon. I hopew you take into consideration all that i have wrote in this letter. Please allow Yecenia to live again.

Sincerely

Daniel Febres

Beaten and Raped By Undercover Police Then Imprisoned: A Letter for Yecenia Armenta’s Release

Marco Antonio Higuera Gómez

Procurador General de Justicia del Estado de Sinaloa

Procuraduría General de Justicia del Estado de Sinaloa

Blvd. Enrique Sánchez Alonso No. 1833

Desarrollo Plan Tres Ríos, C.P. 80030

Culiacán, Sinaloa, México

Dear Attorney General Marco Gómez,

Before I begin my argument for Ms. Armenta’s release from prison, I must say that I am unaware of the circumstances when it comes down to the responsibility of her husband’s death. But, the punishment given to Yecenia Armenta is almost hard to believe. For a total of nearly fifteen hours, Armenta was hung upside down by her ankles, beaten, suffocated, threatened, and raped because she would not confess to an accusation stating she killed her husband. But this torture was not done by just anyone. It was done by two undercover police.

Over the past years, medical experts have concluded that Armenta was indeed tortured that day in July 2012 after dropping relatives off at the airport.

Rape and torture in general are some of the most cruel things in this universe. And to think that cops, those who are supposed to protect citizens, is indeed a pretty scary and dangerous thing to think about. I am not sure if those two men are still “protecting” your country, but it would be very haunting to think that they are still one the force.

Not only was Armenta’s beating and rape absolutely horrific, but her imprisonment is even more cruel as there is not enough evidence to conclude Armenta ordered her husband’s murder. I strongly urge you to free Ms. Armenta because she is innocent until proven guilty.

Sincerely,

Domenic Nalbandian

IN PRISON AFTER SUFFERING STILL-BIRTH?!

Benito Antonio Lara Fernández

Ministro de Justicia y Seguridad Pública

17 Avenida Norte, Complejo Plan Maestro

Edificio B1, nivel 1, Alameda Juan Pablo II

San Salvador, El Salvador

Dear Minister of Justice,

Cases like Teodora’s are the reason why my blood boils and the injustice is extremely real. Women shouldn’t feel scared or intimidated to come to doctors or seek medical attention for their pregnancies. People should be there to support women through every decision they make for their own body, whether it’s one you agree with or not. Suffering through a still-birth is hard enough as it is, and it must have been pretty traumatic. She didn’t receive immediate medical attention for it, which could have resulted in some bad consequences. But to add insult to injury of her now dead child, she also had to go to prison for 30 years. Having a dead baby does not make you a murderer. She deserves to be able to fight for herself, but due to her lack of money, that doesn’t seem quite possible. She needs justice, and she deserves it.

Thank you for your attention on these urgent matters.

Sincerely,

Alexandra O.

“Inverse” Personal Film Critique

The short film “Inverse” was a finalist of Tropfest Australia 2014. As the film begins, you may feel a sense of foreboding towards the woman on the floor, covered in blood. As she arises, the audience can see that the world appears to be frozen and the music remains a bit eerie, adding to the ominous feel. It starts to make you feel a bit confused as to how everything became this way. The color palette of the film is muted which perfectly goes along with the theme, which you soon find out is sad. The woman wakes up to this paused world and watches the last few moments of her life replay, unable to do anything about it. The entire short film, including the ending, is completely an unexpected surprise. You soon find out that she jumped in front of a car, causing a domino affect of accidents just to save the little girl. You watch as she passes through all the frozen people, picks up the child and brings her to safety, and watches as the world continues on. The tagline is “What is the cost of a second chance?” I believe that the main character thinks, and the message that they are trying to convey, is that the price of a second chance is her own life. She risks it all for the young child who would have been killed had it not been for her heroic act. It’s an amazingly written short film with a beautifully constructed concept. A lot of the plot is up for debate and discussion because the director chose to leave it up to the audience to draw their own conclusions, not giving a large summary, but instead a one line sentence. I think “Inverse” was one of the best finalists of Tropfest 2014 and it certainly did raise a lot of questions for the person watching.

13 Years Old Marrying a 70 Year old Man??!!

Ministry of Justice and Human Rights

Avenue de l’Indépendance

Ouagadougou 01 BP 526

Burkina Faso

Dear Ministry of Justice and Human Rights,

It has come to my attention as of late that young girls in Burkina Faso are being forced into marriage at ages as young as 11 years old. Every single one of these girls is a human with a life, and I am strongly asking you to stop doing this to them as it does indeed violate their human rights. It concerns me that marriage in this country does not come from a consensual and equally beneficial gain. It’s truly appalling to be informed that just mere children are being forced to have their own children. Since when is it morally correct to take a child and throw on top of them the responsibility of a family, house work, and the emotional strain of being raped by older men. Hearing stories of 13 year old girls marrying people at the age of 70 is absolutely terrifying and someone that young has nothing to gain and all to lose. Reconsider allowing this to happen. Give the rights back to these young victims.

Thank you for your attention on these extremely significant matters.

Sincerely,

Alexandra O.