Leiðbeiningar við bréfaskrif
Það gilda nokkrar einfaldar reglur:
1. Verið ávallt kurteis. Það er grundvallarregla, og frá henni má ekki víkja. Markmið þitt er að hjálpa einstaklingunum, ekki að fá útrás fyrir eigin tilfinningar. Ríkisstjórnir svara ekki bréfum, þar sem málfar er niðrandi og dónalegt (hversu mjög sem að þau eiga slíkt skilið).
2. Gerið ævinlega ráð fyrir því að viðkomandi stjórnvöld muni hlusta á skynsamleg rök og séu tilbúin til viðræðna.
3. Mikilvægt er, þar sem það er hægt, að minnast á það góða orðspor sem fer af landinu vegna hófsemdar og réttlætis, vegna virðingar stjórnvalda fyrir stjórnarskrá landsins og góðra réttarvenja, og sýna skilning á erfiðleikum sem landið á við að glíma. Þannig gefst betra tækifæri til að benda á leiðir til að bæta mannréttindaástand í landinu.
4. Farið nákvæmlega eftir þeim fyrirmælum, sem Amnesty International gefur í viðkomandi máli. Ef í „Ákalli um hjálp“ (World Wide Appeal) er farið fram á að þið biðjið um læknishjálp til handa fanga, verið þá viss um að skrifa slíkt í bréfið, en ekki biðja um réttarhöld án tafar, eða lausn úr fangelsi, sem gæti átt við í öðru máli.
5. Notið aldrei málfar sem er litað af stjórnmálum. Gefið aldrei til kynna að þið séuð að skrifa vegna þess að þið eruð andsnúin stjórnvöldum, af stjórnmálegum eða hugsjónalegum ástæðum. Mikið áhrifaríkara er að leggja áherslu á að áhugi þinn á mannréttindum sé ekki á neinn hátt af stjórnmálarótum runninn, heldur í anda grundvallarreglna í alþjóðalögum.
6. Þegar það á við geturðu skýrt frá því hver þú ert og hvað þú gerir. Í sumum sýnishornanna af bréfum (hér fyrir neðan) er slíkt gert. Með slíkum hætti er sýnt fram á að viðkomandi hafi í raun skrifað bréfið, og sýnir líka að fólk úr ólíkum þjóðfélagshópum fylgist með atburðum, sem eiga sér stað í viðkomandi landi.
7. Ef að þú hefur einhvern sérstakan áhuga á viðkomandi landi, eða sérstök tengsl við land, er góð hugmynd að minnast á slíkt í bréfinu. Þú gætir til dæmis hafa heimsótt landið, eða kynnt þér sögu þess (sjá bréfasýnishorn H).
VERIÐ STUTTORÐ. Einfalt bréf, sem aðeins er ein lína, nægir (sjá bréfasýnishorn A og B), og er örugglega betra en að skrifa ekki bréf. Bréfasýnishornin C og D sýna ágæta meðallengd á bréfi, þegar þið hafið engu sérstöku við að bæta. Góð regla er að skrifa ekki meira en eina síðu (aðra hlið á A-4 blaði)
Dear Prime Minister,
I write to appeal to you, on humanitarian grounds, to release ......... .
Yours truly,
Your Excellency,
I write to appeal to you, on humanitarian grounds, to spare the life of......... presently under sentence of death.
Yours sincerely,
Dear Sir or Madam,
I am writing to you, in the spirit of friendship that has always existed between your country and mine, about the plight of ......... who I understand has been detained for nearly three years under the Internal Security Act without any reason being given. If this information is correct, this would appear to violate Article 9 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which says "No one shall be subject to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile". I therefore appeal to you to look into this case urgently, with a view to releasing ......... .
Yours respectfully,
Dear Minister,
I write this letter as a Board Member of the Moravian Friendship Association to appeal to you to ensure that Professor ........., a prisoner held in ......... State Prison, is given the medical treatment she requires and an adequate diet. In view of the seriousness of this case, I would ask you to make inquiries to satisfy yourself personally that the conditions under which she is kept in prison are in keeping with the basic standards expected today by all members of the international community.
I would like to add that our Association, whose function it is to promote friendship and goodwill between the peoples of our two countries, has every confidence that the human rights enshrined in your Constitution are fully observed in your country.
Yours sincerely,
Bréfasýnishorn E
Your Excellency,
I am a clerk in government service in Sri Lanka, and I also work in a voluntary Buddhist social service organization. I am deeply concerned at the news that ......... has been sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment in your country for publishing an article critical of the government. If this is true, it appears to be a harsh and unjust punishment. I appeal to you on humanitarian grounds, and in furtherance of the principle of freedom of expression enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, to review this case with a view to releasing ..........
Yours sincerely,
Bréfasýnishorn F
Your Excellency,
In my capacity as President of the Women's Institute of Toronto, I am writing to you on the subject of the recent arrest of ......... who is, I understand, in detention under the regulations for the Suppression of Rebellion.
In view of the information available to me concerning this case, ......... is deprived of her freedom in violation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. May I take the liberty of drawing to your attention the specific violations of the Declaration apparently involved in her case.
Her arrest under the regulations for the Suppression of Rebellion constitutes a violation of Article 9 of the Declaration. She has been held since her arrest without charge (at least as far as is publicly known) and without trial, which constitutes a violation of Articles 9 and 10 of the Declaration.
The only reason which has been given for the arrest of ......... is her role in the legal and legitimate opposition in the public life of your country, not only as a parliamentarian, but as a political worker conducting actions guaranteed the full protection of your Constitution. It therefore appears that the rights proclaimed in Articles 18 and 19 of the Declaration have also been violated.
Motivated solely by respect for human rights, I appeal to you to intervene personally in this case to secure the immediate release of ......... from detention or to grant her the right to an early, fair and open trial.
Please accept, Your Excellency, the assurance of my highest consideration,
Yours sincerely,
Bréfasýnishorn G
Your Honour,
I am an engineer, and I worked on an irrigation project at ......... where the dam was constructed with the expert assistance of technicians from your country. This was truly a memorable experience. The dedication of your engineers, both to the irrigation project and to the development of your country, was really inspiring. Many misconceptions about your country were dispelled, and we became good friends too. It was therefore with special concern that I came to hear of the case of.........
I understand that he was arrested in November for publishing a book critical of some aspects of the government, and has been held since then without charge or trial in contravention of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This matter has been the subject of discussion among my colleagues. If the facts are incorrect, please let me know and I will see that the true version is explained. If, however, they are true, I appeal to you to look into this case with a view to releasing.........
Yours sincerely,
Your Excellency,
Some time ago I wrote to you about the case of prisoner of conscience.........
I was delighted to learn that ...... has been released and is now happily reunited with her four young children. I do appreciate very much this act of compassion and humanity on your part.
Yours sincerely,