Freedom Challenge successes you've contributed to

20 April 2015, 11:11 UTC | New Zealand
Burnside High School Freedom Challenge 2014 © Amnesty International

You are never too young to take a stand for human rights. Youth all over New Zealand have taken up the Freedom Challenge for almost ten years now, and helped create lasting change.

In 2014 you helped us fight for eight of your fellow student activists imprisoned in Azerbaijan. Four of the N!DA activists are free today because of your efforts, and we continue pressuring the Azerbaijian government to release the remaining four.

In 2010, you raised the profile of Khun Bedu, Khun Kawrio and Khun Dee De. The Kharenni youth activists from Myanmar had been arrested and tortured for their peaceful protest. Thanks to you, all three of them are free today.

In 2008, we took advantage of the spotlight on China during the Beijing Olympics to demand they improve their human rights record. We focused on imprisoned pro-democracy journalist Huang Jinqiu, and Ye Guozhu who was arrested and tortured for protesting the bulldozing of his home. Your voices were heard - Jinqiu’s prison sentence was reduced in 2009 and he was released in October 2011; Ye Guozhu was released in October 2008!

Previous Freedom Challenge themes

2016 Ignite Minds Not Bombs 
​​​​Supporting of the rights of kids in Yemen to live in dignity. 

2015 Double The Quota
Encouraging the New Zealand government to double the annual refugee quota 

2013 Chalk like an Egyptian: Stand up for women's rights
Standing against sexual and gender-based violence in Egypt through street art

2012 Stop bulldozing people’s lives: End forced evictions
Focusing on housing rights in Cambodia and in Israel & the Occupied Palestinian Territories

2011 Be a lifesaver: Keep the heartbeat for human rights
Protecting freedom of expression of at-risk communities in Zimbabwe and Colombia

2010 - Free the speech: Make some noise for Myanmar students
Standing with Khun Kawrio, Khun Bedu and Khun Dee De, imprisoned for holding peaceful protests in Myanmar

2009 - Kids against camouflage: Keeping children out of conflict
Turning the spotlight on the plight of child soldiers in Liberia, Colombia and Sudan

2008 - Don't play games with human rights
Taking advantage of the Beijing Olympics to ask China to improve its human rights record

2007 - Shut down repression, reboot human rights
Fighting repression of internet freedoms in China and Egypt by advocating for detained journalist Shi Tao and blogger Kareem Amer

2006 - Human rights defenders are the real superheroes
Focusing on human rights heroes in Zimbabwe, Colombia and Rwanda

International Region: 
New Zealand