Welcome to Amnesty International’s Write for Rights letter-writing kit. Here you will find everything you need to successfully take part in the Write for Rights 2024 campaign. Write for Rights changes lives and your words matter.
The people featured in this year’s campaign are from all around the world – from a TikToker in Angola to a women’s rights defender in Saudi Arabia, all these amazing people are connected because their human rights have been violated. This is your chance to make a real difference to their lives.
You’re here because you want to make a difference. You want to speak truth to power. Whether you do this with a group of friends, classmates, your family or by yourself, the words you write will change lives.
Quick links: 2024 Cases, How does W4R work, Key Dates, Organise your own Write for Rights event, Helpful Resources , Young Activist’s Guide to W4R , Let us know how it went!
What is Write for Rights?
A letter can change someone’s life. That’s the idea behind Write for Rights, our global letter-writing campaign. Over two decades ago, a small group of activists in Poland decided to run a 24-hour letter-writing marathon for 10 December – Human Rights Day. The idea took off and today, Write for Rights has grown into the world’s biggest human rights event.
Every December, supporters across the globe write millions of letters, cards and tweets, and sign petitions for those whose basic human rights are being attacked. These supporters form a vibrant community of people like you, continuing a long tradition of writing letters to right some of the world’s biggest wrongs.
Real change happens because of your letters and actions. People wrongfully imprisoned are released. Abusers are brought to justice. And people in prison are treated more humanely. You can read more about our wins here or check out this inspiring video about Sasha Skochilenko, an artist and human rights activist from Russia who was one of our Write for Rights cases. Sasha was imprisoned for peacefully protesting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine by replacing supermarket price tags with anti-war messages. Thanks to international pressure and activism, Sasha’s case gained global attention, emphasising the power of solidarity and advocacy.
How does Write for Rights work?
2024 Cases
Right now, all around the world, human rights are under attack. This year we’re taking action for individuals and communities from 10 different countries who are courageously speaking truth to power.
ANGOLA: Neth Nahara (she/her), a mother of two young children, was jailed for criticizing Angola’s president on TikTok. She was summarily tried, convicted, and sentenced to six months in prison – later increased to two years. Sign the petition and call on the authorities for her immediate and unconditional release.
Call on the authorities for her immediate and unconditional release.
CANADA: Wetʼsuwetʼen land defenders are being criminally prosecuted just for defending their lands. Now they are fighting for its very survival, and the survival of our planet during a global climate crisis.
Demand that the Canadian authorities stop criminalizing Wet’suwet’en land defenders and their allies now.
SOUTH KOREA: Kyung Seok Park (he/him) refuses to wait any longer for the rights of people with disabilities to be fully recognized in South Korea. Despite facing violence and harassment, he continues to fight so people with disabilities can live freely and fully in South Korea.
Demand that the mayor of Seoul protect the rights of people with disabilities, including their right to peaceful assembly, so that no one gets left behind.
ARGENTINA: Joel Paredes (he/him) was blinded in one eye by rubber bullets at a peaceful protest. No one has been held accountable.
Call on Jujuy’s attorney general to hold accountable those responsible for Joel’s injuries, and to ensure that there is effective accountability and access to remedy for all other human rights violations against protesters.
VIETNAM: Dang Dinh Bach (he/him) is an environmental lawyer who dedicates his life to protecting people in Viet Nam from pollution and the climate crisis. On 24 June 2021, he was arrested for alleged tax evasion, a tactic used by the authorities to silence environmental activists. He was sentenced to five years in prison
Call on Viet Nam to free Bach immediately.
TURKEY: Professor Şebnem Korur Fincancı (she/her) has helped thousands in her home country of Türkiye and around the world by advocating for the eradication of torture. Now she needs your help to defend herself against the relentless hostility of the Turkish authorities.
Tell the Turkish authorities to stop harassing Şebnem now.
BELARUS: Maryia Kalesnikava (she/her) challenged the repressive Belarus government. On 7 September 2020, Maryia was abducted by the Belarus authorities, detained, and later sentenced to 11 years in prison on false charges. Maryia’s family haven’t heard from her for over a year.
Demand Maryia is immediately released from prison, and that her unjust conviction is overturned.
SAUDI ARABIA: Manahel al-Otaibi (she/her) is serving an 11-year prison sentence in Saudi Arabia. A brave defender of women’s rights, a “terrorism” court gave her an incredibly harsh punishment merely for promoting women’s rights and expressing herself on social media.
Demand that Manahel al-Otaibi is immediately and unconditionally released, and all charges against her are dropped.
EGYPT: Oqba Hashad (he/him) has been held by Egyptian authorities in pretrial detention since May 2019, in retaliation for his brother’s human rights activism. The 27 year old was forcibly disappeared, tortured and denied the prosthetic leg he has used to move unassisted since a childhood accident.
Call on the Egyptian government to release Oqba immediately and unconditionally.
THAILAND: Manun Wongmasoh (she/her) and two other transgender women gave an interview about LGBTI rights in the Muslim community that became viral. The three women subsequently faced an offline and online backlash by internet users, primarily male teenagers, which included anti-LGBTI comments and private messages to their personal social media accounts’ inboxes.
Demand the Thailand government to take all the necessary steps to ensure that Manun, and all women, girls and LGBTI people can freely and safely exercise their right to freedom of expression in digital spaces, without fear of discrimination and violence.
Helpful Resources
- PDF petition and QR code for Write for Rights: One signature, ten times the impact!
- Webinar Launch Recording – hear from Manun firsthand!
- Human Rights Education activity (all cases)
- W4R Letter Writing Kit 2024
- W4Rs cover sheet for reporting actions
- Log your event so it’s promoted on our website and so we can provide additional support and resources. Log your event through SupporterBase (or if you aren’t on SupporterBase yet you can log your event here).
- Activist Comms Team Brief – Get in touch with our amazing Activist Communications Team that can help with promotion for your event!
- Use our handy Events & Tactics Checklist when organising your Write for Rights event!
- Campaigning for human rights can be difficult. Burnout and vicarious trauma can happen and it’s important to keep a look out for the signs in yourself and your friends. You can check out our Sustainable Activism & Self Care guide and workshop here. It examines how we can better take care of ourselves as activists and what you can do to make sure your activism is sustainable!
Key Dates
- Tuesday, 29 October 2024 – National Write for Rights Campaign Launch. Register here.
- Monday, 11 November 2024 – Get Active: Intro to Amnesty & Write for Rights Activism webinar. RSVP here.
- December – Asia Pacific solidarity action and webinar!
- Tuesday, 10 December 2024 – Human Rights Day!
- Wednesday, 31 January 2025 – Deadline for all offline actions to be sent back to us at ”Amnesty International Australia, Gadigal Country, Locked Bag 23, Broadway NSW 2007, Australia”
- March 2025 – Handovers and Stunt in Canberra
Organise your own Write for Rights event!
Increase your impact this year by organising your own Write for Rights event!
You can organise a general Write for Rights event and take action for all ten cases, or focus on one or two cases that particularly resonates with you and your group. You could aim for something big and ambitious like a screening of a film or documentary that strongly relates to one of our Write for Rights cases, followed by an action taking blitz by all attendees. Or you could plan something simple like a gathering of friends and family at the local library or at your favourite café to collectively take action together.
The key thing for any Write for Rights event is taking action. Your event can focus on gathering petition signatures, writing letters calling for justice for our 2024 Write for Rights cases or writing solidarity messages of hope for our 2024 Write for Rights cases, or any combination of these actions!
You can host your event anytime between now till the end of the year. Just remember that any offline actions collected like petitions, letters and solidarity messages need to be sent back to us by the 31st of January 2025 so that it can be counted as part of our March 2025 Handover event.
Big or small, Write for Rights event are an amazing way to increase action and, ultimately, increase our impact. They raise community awareness about important human rights issues happening around the world, and demonstrate just how much of a difference collective action and solidarity can make. Last year there were just under 50 Write for Rights Events happening all around the country. With your support we can reach that target again, or even knock it out of the park!
No matter what kind of Write for Rights event you decide to host, we’re here to support! Log your event so it’s promoted on our website and so we can provide additional support and resources. Log your event through SupporterBase (or if you aren’t on SupporterBase yet you can log your event here).
How you can promote your activities with SupporterBase
Are you hoping that Write for Rights will help expand your impact and reach more people?
SupporterBase is here to help you grow your group, promote your Write for Rights events, and engage supporters through text and call functionality – all in one easy-to-use platform. Many of our activists have already been using this platform over the last 3 months but if you haven’t had a chance to login and use it yet, Write for Rights is the perfect opportunity!
What SupporterBase can help with:
- Create and Manage Events: Add your Write for Rights events to the platform, ensuring your covered by our public liability and have the event resources you need to make it a success!
- Automatic Website Promotion: Your events will automatically be published to our Amnesty Australia website, making them accessible to a broader audience across the country.
- RSVP Management: People will then be able to register directly for your event. You can track RSVPs and manage attendee lists in real-time, ensuring you’re prepared for the day.
- Bulk SMS Campaigns: You can send out (or schedule) important updates or reminders to your event RSVPs with a few clicks.
- Call Campaigns: If you have the time and interest you can also call any RSVPs who may be new to the group providing that more personal touch to build relationships and encourage them to attend.
- Advanced Audience Filters: Finally you can use advanced filters to segment your supporter list and email specific groups based on their interests or past involvement. For example you can ask your existing group members to volunteer on the day while tailoring a different communication to newer sign ups. This helps to make your communications more impactful and relevant.
Everything you need to know about SupporterBase is here including how-to guides and handy video tutorials. You can also email activism@amnesty.org.au should you need any help getting set up.
Check out events happening around Australia here.
Let us know how it went!
- Please fill out the Event Evaluation Form to let us know how your event went—evaluations enable us to report on events, recognise your work and address any issues.
- Share your pictures and success via the National Facebook group for activists.
- Send all your letters and petitions back to the Sydney action centre at: Amnesty International, Locked Bag 23, Broadway NSW 2007 OR scan and email them to supporter@amnesty.org.au and we’ll post them to the target, include them in the handover in March 2025 and ensure that your solidarity messages are delivered!
Young Activist’s Guide to W4R
Are you a passionate young person looking to get involved in our Write 4 Rights Campaign but not sure where to begin?
How many letters could your school community write to help others?
Put pens to paper during Term 4 for the world’s biggest human rights event, Write for Rights!
How can my school participate in W4R ?
Host a Letter Writing Marathon (during lessons or home room, over lunch, or at dedicated events any time at all during Term 4) with groups of students (Year 9 to 11), staff, and/or members of the wider community to:
- Cultivate compassion.
- Discuss human rights issues.
- Foster an inclusive, rights-respecting community;
- And challenge injustices by writing as many letters as possible!
What support and resources will Amnesty provide?
To be a part of this important campaign, simply register your school’s interest using our super-quick form (anyone in your community can do it – with school permission, of course) and we will send you our School W4R Pack, which includes instructions, letter templates, and a wealth of resources to guide you. Please feel free to share the flyer below with students, teachers, parents, and friends in the meantime – to gather momentum and spread the ‘Write for Rights’ word.
If you have any questions at all, please email Tahlia (tahlia.nesfield@amnesty.org.au) or Liz (liz.malcom@amnesty.org.au) – we are here to help!
Inspiration from previous years
In 2022, the Amnesty Chermside Group held a Write for Rights event at their local library where they hosted a screening of the documentary ”The Troublemaker” which looked at the international wave of civil protest that has emerged in response to the unfolding climate crisis. They had a speaker from Extinction Rebellion come along to speak at the event and took action together for two of the 2022 Write for Rights cases focused on climate justice and environmental activism.
In 2021, the Victorian Activism Leadership Committee celebrated Amnesty’s 60th birthday and Write for Rights with a project called #LightUpYellow. They arranged for major landmarks across Victoria to be lit up in yellow on Human Rights Day.
These are just a few examples to get you started. Be creative, and think of a fun and engaging way to take action for Write for Rights in your community! If you have any questions, please reach out to the Community Engagement and Organising at activism@amnesty.org.au—we’d love to help! If your group has done something creative and impactful for Write for Rights in the past, please share it in our National Activist Facebook group.
Important note: we need at least one contact method to verify that an action taker is a unique individual. When collecting actions, please ensure action takers provide at least one point of contact (phone, email address or home address) so we can process their actions, count them towards the action total and include them in the handovers! For more information about how Amnesty collects, stores and uses personal information, please review our privacy policy.
