Is the art of letter writing long forgotten in the age of the internet and cell phone? Manx Amnesty International members don’t think so. And on Human Rights Day this Saturday, 10th December, they want other Manx people to join ‘Write for Rights’, an international event which will mean thousands of letters being written to and about people who despots also wish were long forgotten. Manx Amnesty activist Stuart Hartill said: “This is an event anyone can join in with, even if only for an hour or so, and either alone or with family or a few friends. Just go to http://www.amnesty.org.uk/content.asp?CategoryID=10673 to find a highly varied list of individuals and organisations. Some were imprisoned for expressing opinions we would consider common sense. Others live under daily threats of state violence, or have had relatives murdered or ‘disappeared’. There are full case details and you can download addresses, specimen letters and even foreign language translations of messages to be sent to both representatives of the governments concerned and their victims.” Even Stephen Fry is putting away his techno-toys for the day to join in. He has been loudly urging ordinary people everywhere to “Get out a fresh sheet of paper and a pen and compose a letter that might help unlock doors.” Thanks to digital technology it could not be easier to write an old-fashioned message of common decency, then post it to people on the other side of the world. ENDS