BETWEEN 60 and 100 cards with messages of hope for the New Year have been sent to prisoners of conscience around the world.

The local branch of Amnesty International invited the public to sign the greetings card at a number of signing events over the last two weekends.

The card-signings mark the end of an annual campaign which offers words of hope to people who are in danger or unjustly imprisoned.

This year the varied list of groups and individuals including a rape crisis centre in Nepal, a trade unionist in Greece who was blinded by an acid attack, and three Burmese teenagers who were imprisoned without trial for encouraging people to blow up balloons and launch paper boats.

Local activist Stuart Hartill said: "In previous years we had large public signings in shopping centres but that is no longer practical either for us or for commercial venues.

"So this year we went back to basics creating situations where we could talk one to one with potential card-signers and making new links with community groups for the future.

"The result was a smaller more intimate campaign but one where we could explain cases in detail and work with civic-minded organisations in ways which help both parties to reconsider their role in the Manx community."

Amnesty would like to thank the Isle of Man Freethinkers, the Java Lounge and the One World Centre for offering venues and isleofman.com, Manx Radio and Manxnet for their help with publicity.

Anyone interested in helping the local branch of Amnesty should contact Stuart on 01624 814496.