Human-Rights Day Vigil

10th of December is Human Rights Day, and along with Aberdeen Amnesty we mount a regular publicity event in the town centre.

On some occasions the venue has been St Nicholas Square. Situated in a very busy shopping plaza, in front of Marks & Spencer, it is an ideal place to get our message across to the teeming throngs of pre-Christmas shoppers. Recently we have, thanks to the generosity of the management, been able to host the event in the Trinity Centre, which makes-for easier campaigning and petition-signing in what is often a bitterly-cold time of the Scottish year.

The stall typically concentrates on a selected number of Tibetan human-rights cases, for example the shooting of Tibetan refugees by CCP soldiers near to the Nepalese border. A popular feature is the candlelit vigil which we hold as dusk approaches, with the dozens of bright candles on the campaign table looking not unlike a Buddhist shrine. Press interest in this event has been high, with many local newpapers covering it. Some years the Human Rights Day event included a filmshow in the Arts Centre, on King Street, showing films related to the Tibetan and Chinese human-rights issues.

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