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Amnesty seeks to boost membership

Suzanne Wilson is executive director of the Bermuda branch of Amnesty International

The Bermuda chapter of Amnesty International is looking to boost its ranks after a drop in membership.

Executive director Suzanne Wilson told The Royal Gazette that the charity now has only about 100 paying members, along with about 200 non-paying supporters.

“We are just looking for genuine support,” she said. “I think [the decline in membership] is because there are a lot of charities out there looking for help. People are making tough choices about which ones to support.”

The charity’s annual general meeting is tomorrow at 6pm at the Wesley Methodist Church on Church Street, Hamilton and Ms Wilson hopes it will attract potential new members, as well as existing ones who plan to renew their membership.

She said though the charity did not tackle many local issues, its members could contribute to improving human rights on a global scale by taking part in letter-writing campaigns on behalf of political prisoners.

Almost 100 signatures were collected on the Island for a petition to see Cambodian land rights activist Yorm Bopha freed.

“We sent them to Australia,” said Ms Wilson. “The day they were presented, she got released on bail. There was over 90,000 signatures collected worldwide by Amnesty.”

Ms Wilson said members would have the opportunity to serve on different boards and get involved in spreading the message about human rights in Bermuda.

Amnesty International Bermuda can be followed on Facebook and Twitter.