What is the Urgent Action Network?
The concept is simple: Take Action, Change a Life.
Urgent Actions ask our community of volunteers to flood the mailboxes, inboxes, phones and social media of authorities when someone is in imminent danger of human rights violations. Your letters, emails, phone calls, faxes and Tweets have helped to halt executions, support human rights defenders and free prisoners of conscience—people jailed solely for the peaceful expression of their beliefs and identity.
Please note that the US postal service has suspended service to some countries in light of COVID-19 – reach out to [email protected] if you have any questions.
How Does It Work?
STEP 1: Sign Up Today!
Sign up to receive Urgent Action emails. You can choose to receive all emails or a more limited number. You can also choose to receive emails on specific issues or regions.
STEP 2: Take Action Now!
Urgent Action emails specify the case, local and international government officials to contact, their contact information and suggestions about what to write, say or Tweet.
Our Educator’s Guide
Are you an educator looking for ways to engage your students in human rights? Find out how your students can show their power through letter writing!
In many cases, your action on these cases leads to better conditions for prisoners and their eventual release. Those individuals at the center of these Urgent Actions often send their thanks to Amnesty International, citing that these messages serve as a source of hope.
Browse Urgent Actions
Urgent Action
Urgent Action: UNJUSTLY JAILED STUDENT WITH DISABILITY “ROTATED” (Egypt 110.23)
Share: On This Page Despite a February court order for his release, Egyptian authorities are continuing to arbitrarily detain Oqba Hashad who has been in prolonged pretrial detention for almost…
Urgent Action
Urgent Action: ACTIVISTS APPROACHING ONE YEAR IN DETENTION (China 19.18)
On April 13, 2023, prominent human rights lawyer, Yu Wensheng, and his wife, Xu Yan, were taken into police custody while en route to the delegation of the European Union…
Urgent Action
Urgent Action: POLITICAL ACTIVIST FACING TRIAL BEFORE MILITARY COURT FOR FACEBOOK POST (Jordan 26.24)
On December 21, 2023, the Jordanian authorities arrested Ayman Sanduka, political activist and mathematics professor, in relation to a Facebook post addressed to the King in October 2023 where he…
Urgent Action
Urgent Action: DETAINEES REMAIN AT RISK OF FURTHER TORTURE (Lesotho 24.24)
On December 22, 2023, detainees at Maseru Correctional Institution (MCCI), Lesotho, were subjected to torture and other ill-treatment by the Correctional Services officers who beat the detainees with various weapons…
Urgent Action
Urgent Action: ARTIST JAILED FOR CRITICIZING PRESIDENT (Tunisia 27.24)
On January 31, 2024, the Monastir court of appeals in Tunisia sentenced artist, Rached Tamboura, to two years in prison on bogus charges for the peaceful exercise of his right…
Urgent Action
Urgent Action: PALESTINIAN HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDER IS RELEASED (Outcome IOPT 2.24)
NO FURTHER ACTION IS REQUESTED. MANY THANKS TO ALL WHO SENT APPEALS. On February 29, Palestinian human rights defender and social worker, Munther Amira, was released from administrative detention at…
Urgent Action
Urgent Action: FORMER MP’S CONVICTIONS MUST BE QUASHED (Zimbabwe 90.22)
On January 30, 2024, former opposition leader, Job Sikhala, was released after 595 days of arbitrary detention. Job Sikhala was arrested on June 14, 2022, and convicted on May 3,…
Urgent Action
Urgent Action: JAILED HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDER AT RISK OF TORTURE (Equatorial Guinea 21.24)
On March 1, Anacleto Micha Ndong, an Equatoguinean human rights defender, was transferred to the Malabo prison of Black Beach on pre-trial detention. He has been accused of outrage and…
Urgent Action
Urgent Action: RELEASE CONVICTED ANTI-WAR LOCAL POLITICIAN (Russia 23.24)
The Russian authorities are putting the health and life of Aleksei Gorinov at risk due to his treatment and conditions in detention, including being held in prolonged solitary confinement, not…
Urgent Action
Urgent Action: JOURNALIST ARRESTED UNDER STATE OF EMERGENCY (Ethiopia 20.24)
On November 13, 2023, Belay Manaye, co- founder and presenter of Ethio News, a YouTube based news channel, was arrested in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital, by a group of police…
Urgent Action
Urgent Action: PROTESTER RISKS DECADES IN PRISON FOR T-SHIRT (Egypt 90.23)
Arbitrarily detained protester Mahmoud Hussein faces up to 25 years in prison simply for wearing a T-shirt with an anti-torture slogan back in January 2014. He was already arbitrarily detained…
Urgent Action
Urgent Action: DISAPPEARANCES STRATEGY PUTS SEARCH AT RISK (Mexico 1.24)
On December 14, 2023, president of Mexico Andrés Manuel López Obrador and representatives of the Ministry of the Interior shared the results of the Disappeared Persons Search Strategy. This strategy…