Hello friends,

In 2025 I will be running the London Marathon to raise money for Amnesty International UK in solidarity with the people of 🇵🇸 Palestine 🇵🇸 , and with all oppressed people everywhere who are united by their fight against colonial domination. They all deserve safety, dignity and the right to self determination.

This is a cause very dear to my heart and whilst I have been running for many years, I have never run a marathon, so this is a huge challenge for me. I want to use the intensely physical and psychological challenge of running this distance (26.2miles / 42.2km) to raise money to help Amnesty fight human rights abuses in these countries and all over the world.

Amnesty International is the world's largest grassroots human rights organisation fighting to protect people wherever justice, freedom, truth, and dignity are denied. I have chosen Amnesty as its campaigns include focus on:

🇵🇸 The gen*cide being committed in Palestine by the Israeli Occupation Forces, and in particular their targeting of children and civilians;

🇸🇩 The grave human rights abuses and ethnic-cleansing being committed in Sudan by the RSF and SAF;

🇾🇪 The recruitment of 'child soldiers' and the targeting of civilians and civilian infrastructure in Yemen's civil war;

🇨🇩 The extreme violence and modern day slavery (including children as young as seven) in toxic cobalt mines of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The human rights violations in these nations are vastly underreported by Western media.

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All oppression is connected. No one is free until we are all free.

Free Palestine.

Free Sudan.

Free Yemen.

Free Congo.

In solidarity,

Lucy x

❤️‍🔥 🕯️❤️‍🔥 🕯️❤️‍🔥 🕯️❤️‍🔥 🕯️❤️‍🔥 🕯️❤️‍🔥 🕯️❤️‍🔥 🕯️❤️‍🔥

Further information:

🇵🇸 Palestine 🇵🇸

Since Oct 2023 'Israeli bombardment [of Gaza] has killed at least 37,953* Palestinians, including at least 15,000* children, and wounded 87,266* others, while about 10,000 remain under the rubble (a total of 4.8% of Gaza population), according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. At least 157 UNRWA staff, and 78 journalists were killed also in Gaza, making the the Israeli bombardment of Gaza since October 2023 the deadliest conflict for staff and journalists. Instead of investigating their deaths, Israel has continuously delegitimized and demonized UNRWA workers and journalists. Further, Israeli authorities continue to subject the residents of Gaza to collective punishment imposed through the illegal blockade of Gaza, which was further tightened and brought to a near-total siege on 9 October 2023. According to UNRWA, 1.7 million people, or nearly 75% of the total population of Gaza, are estimated to be internally displaced. Israeli authorities’ restrictions and military operation continue to severely limit the availability of food, water, healthcare, electricity, and communications leading to widespread hunger and increase of diseases among the population including children.'

*numbers updated to reflect data from 05/07/24 from source.

Watch this / Read this.

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🇸🇩 Sudan 🇸🇩

'Since 2003, Amnesty and other organisations have repeatedly documented evidence of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and other serious violations of international humanitarian law committed by Sudanese government forces, including the unlawful killing of civilians; the unlawful destruction of civilian property; the r*pe of women and girls; the forced displacement of civilians; and the use of chemical weapons.'

Watch this (CW: SA and r*pe) / Read this.

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🇾🇪 Yemen 🇾🇪

'The internationally recognized government of Yemen and the Huthi de facto authorities, which control different parts of the country, continued to harass, threaten, arbitrarily detain, forcibly disappear and prosecute journalists and activists for peacefully exercising their right to freedom of expression. The Huthi de facto authorities forcibly disappeared members of the Baha’i religious minority for exercising their right to freedom of religion and belief. All parties to the conflict restricted delivery of humanitarian aid. The Huthi de facto authorities continued to ban women from travelling without a male guardian, restricting their ability to work or receive humanitarian aid. All parties failed to provide justice for victims of crimes under international law and human rights violations.'

Read this.

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🇨🇩 Congo 🇨🇩

'The expansion of industrial-scale cobalt and copper mines in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has led to the forced eviction of entire communities and grievous human rights abuses including sexual assault, arson and beatings... Amnesty International recognizes the vital function of rechargeable batteries in the energy transition from fossil fuels. But climate justice demands a just transition. Decarbonizing the global economy must not lead to further human rights violations.

The people of the DRC experienced significant exploitation and abuse during the colonial and post-colonial era, and their rights are still being sacrificed as the wealth around them is stripped away.'

Watch this / Read this.

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❤️‍🔥 🕯️❤️‍🔥 🕯️❤️‍🔥 🕯️❤️‍🔥 🕯️❤️‍🔥 🕯️❤️‍🔥 🕯️❤️‍🔥 🕯️❤️‍🔥

Visit the AIUK website to see the impact of your support: www.amnesty.org.uk/issues