A woman who was attacked after she went to the rescue of another woman who was being beaten and stripped by soldiers was one of the people being sent messages of hope in Diss on Friday.

Amnesty International Diss supporters were asking visitors at a charities fair in the United Reformed Church to send cards expressing sympathy and solidarity to victims of human rights abuses around the world.

Azza Hilal Ahmad Suleiman, 49, was at a protest near Tahrir Square in December 2011 when she tried to help a young woman who was being beaten and stripped by Egyptian soldiers. Azza was knocked to the ground and beaten severely, leaving her with a fractured skull and memory problems.

She is just one of several people featured in Amnesty International's annual Write for Rights greetings card campaign this year.

Journalist Mehman Huseynov, 23, could face up to five years in prison on a bogus 'hooliganism' charge. Amnesty International believes the charge was fabricated to punish him for using the Eurovision Song Contest, held in Azerbaijan in May, to highlight human rights concerns in the country.

Gao Zhisheng, one of China's most respected human rights lawyers, has suffered enforced disappearance, imprisonment, torture and illegal house

arrest because of his work.

Chair of the Diss Amnesty group Chris Dowling said: 'Sending a card with a simple solidarity message or writing a letter to a government are powerful ways to defend people suffering human rights abuses.

'We do this every year and if people are interested, they can visit our website and find out how they can take part.'

To find out more about the campaign, or the Diss group, visit www.amnesty.org.uk/diss, see Diss Amnesty's Facebook page, email dissamnesty@gmail.com or call Andrew on 01379 852301.