Thousands of people rallied in cities across the world on Saturday, February 12th to demand respect for human rights in the Middle East and North Africa as part of a global day of action organized by Amnesty International.
Activists, trade unionists, students and Amnesty International supporters created a sea of red, black and white - the colors of the Egyptian flag - in countries from Switzerland to South Korea in a day of "solidarity and defiance."
“Across the Middle East and North Africa, and around the world, ordinary people who held little hope for a better future just two months ago are realizing now that change truly is possible,” said Salil Shetty, Amnesty International's Secretary General, who led events in London’s Trafalgar Square.
“Today, as we raise our voices, our placards and our fists, we have joined them in solidarity and defiance." Rallies were held in cities across Australia, Benin, Canada, Germany, France, Mali, Norway, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the United States and many other countries.
The event in London was linked to Egypt Tahrir Square, the center of mass protests calling for human rights and political reform.
The rallies were organized by Amnesty International and supported by the International Trade Unions Congress, Human Rights Watch, the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies, the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network and the Arab Program for Human Rights Activists, among others.
"We stand in defiance against all those who try to suppress this growing movement of people standing up for their rights, facing down injustice and offering hope for a better future," said Shetty.
Mass anti-government demonstrations have flared across several countries in the Middle East and North Africa in recent weeks, with many protesters killed, injured or detained. Amnesty International is urging all state authorities in the region to respect human rights.
Amnesty International is a Nobel Peace Prize-winning grassroots activist organization with more than 3 million supporters, activists and volunteers who campaign for universal human rights from more than 150 countries. The organization investigates and exposes abuses, educates and mobilizes the public, and works to protect people wherever justice, freedom, truth and dignity are denied
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