Frequently Asked Questions

General Questions

What is the Urgent Action Network?
Amnesty International's Urgent Action Network provides an effective and rapid response to urgent situations involving prisoners of conscience, detainees, and other individuals at risk of imminent and often life threatening human rights violations. As soon as they are alerted, members of the Urgent Action Network in 70 countries compose and send letters, e-mails, and faxes to government officials who are in a position to ensure the safety and fair treatment of those whom Amnesty International seeks to protect. Once the Urgent Action communications are generated and received, appropriate authorities realize that their actions are witnessed by an international audience deeply concerned about the case's outcome.

Learn more about the Urgent Action Network.

How did the Urgent Action Network start?
The first Urgent Action was issued on March 19, 1973, following the unwarranted and secret arrest of Luiz Rossi, a professor of economics at the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil. His case eventually reached Amnesty International headquarters in London. Initially, Amnesty researchers developed the Urgent Action technique as a means of acting rapidly when torture and "disappearance" were most likely. Gradually, the focus of the program enlarged, encompassing a variety of cases/situations at risk.

Read more about the Urgent Action Network's story.

How large is the Urgent Action Network?
Globally, the Urgent Action Network has more than 100,000 members registered in 70 countries. AIUSA's Urgent Action Network comprises approximately 3,500 members.

Is there a required registration fee for the Urgent Action Network?
There is no required registration fee to become involved in the Urgent Action Network.

Please click here to become a member.

Participating in the UA Network

How does Amnesty International receive its information?
Amnesty International receives information from a variety of sources including families, colleagues, friends and lawyers of the victims, local human rights groups, and newspaper reports. If the research specialists decide that the situation is pressing enough to require an Urgent Action, an appeal is drafted and forwarded to the UA staff where it is subsequently issued as an action and distributed to the UA network.

I would like a wider variety of countries represented in the appeals I receive. Can you do this?
We try to give each UA participant a political and geographic variety of Urgent Actions throughout the year but are not always successful due to the following reasons:

Human rights abuses requiring immediate action occur more frequently in some countries than in others. The lack of Urgent Actions on a particular country does not necessarily mean that Amnesty International is not taking any action against potential abuses. Amnesty International might be applying more appropriate techniques or might be seeking more information on cases of interest.
The usefulness of an Urgent Action appeal depends to a large extent on the quick receipt of reliable information. In some countries, channels of communication are well-established, while in other countries, information on individual cases reaches Amnesty International too slowly for us to immediately react and issue an Urgent Action.

Can I receive more UAs each month?
Yes. You can receive as many or as few Urgent Actions as you like each month (please let us know what your preferences are, should they change). We only ask that you attempt to write on each Urgent Action we send you.

Why are there time limits on appeals?
We list a final date for action at the end of each Urgent Action to help us coordinate the UA campaigns. If we receive important news before this end date, we immediately relay the news to you. If we receive news after the action period expires, we know that you aren't still working on the case, and we can include the new information in the next newsletter. The "end date" of each action can also serve to remind us that the action is "urgent" and letter-writing should not be put off past the deadline.

Why are most of the follow-ups in the Urgent Action Monthly Newsletter about cases I never received?
We issue an average of 4 Urgent Actions each day to different sections of the Urgent Action Network. Most individuals receive one to two actions a month; most Amnesty International groups receive from 2 to 8 actions a month. We include all follow-up information, both positive and negative, on previous cases in our monthly newsletter. This allows participants not only to look up their own cases but also to get an overview of the cases handled by the Urgent Action Network worldwide.

How do I know that my letters have an impact?
Since Amnesty International's inception in 1961, the grassroots efforts of our members have contributed to the release of more than over 44,000 prisoners worldwide. The Urgent Action Network has been a paramount tool in mobilizing public pressure to end grave human rights abuses and to demand justice for those at risk. Our campaigning remains firmly rooted in the power of individuals working in support of others who need protection. Each month, the Urgent Action Newsletter lists all the positive outcomes for our recent cases. It can be hard to "feel" the effect of these improvements because of the geographic distances which separate you and the victims; however, we frequently include letters and comments from released prisoners. These thank you notes are a perfect reminder to us all that we are making a difference with our efforts in the lives of so many individuals.

How can I involve my children in the program without exposing them to sensitive/graphic details?
We have special information and monthly Urgent Actions designed for young activists. This part of the program is called AIKids. Each Urgent Action is edited for young readers and graphic details of ill-treatment are not included. For more information, go to our AIKids' Urgent Action webpage.

I no longer have time to write letters; what are other ways I can stay involved?
Yes! You are welcome to join the FIRST APPEAL Pledge Program which is part of the Urgent Action Network. We will send a fax or an email in your name each month and bill you. For more information about FAPP, e-mail the Urgent Action Network at uan@aiusa.org.

Writing Letters

What type of letter is the most effective?
An effective letter is both firm and courteous. It gives an indication of who you are and why you are concerned with a particular case. It is written on the assumption that the government is open to reason and that the official may not know of the specifics pertaining to the individual victim for whom you are writing. The letter should emphasize personal concern for the prisoner and for the country's international reputation. Stress the fact that your concern for human rights is not politically-motivated but in line with basic principles of international law. Remember that you are writing on behalf of a specific individual who can be harmed as well as helped by our efforts. It is for this reason that it is important that we consider the tone and content of our appeals. Always ask the official not only to improve the human rights situation of the victim, but also keep you informed about developments in the case. Finally, keep your letter brief and focused, no more than a page in length.

Click here for more tips on writing an appeal.

Can I write on my company letterhead?
Some companies may object to the use of their letterhead for human rights advocacy; others will be pleased. Unless you are authorized to make such a decision, ask your supervisor before using company letterhead.

Can I hand write my letters?
Yes. We encourage people to express themselves in a variety of ways as long as the message is polite, non-political and legible.

Is it more effective to send letters representing myself as a member of Amnesty International or simply as an interested individual?
We encourage letter-writers to use their professional or academic affiliations in their correspondence with government officials. You can refer to Amnesty International as your information source but it may be more effective to simply state that you have learned about this person's plight and are therefore concerned.

Why isn't a sample letter included with the Urgent Action?
Although we would like to provide this service, there are several reasons why we are unable to:

We issue an average of 4 actions a day, each one going to an average of 5 different officials. Unfortunately, we do not have the resources or the capacity to provide our members with the option of a sample letter.
We believe that much of our effectiveness comes from the diversity of letters, postcards, faxes and emails which we, as a network, produce. From elementary school students adding drawings to their handwritten letters to the professional person writing for her colleague on letterhead, we express ourselves in different ways which, cumulated, result in a rich mix of expressions of concern that help the Urgent Action Network be more effective in campaigning.

For helpful tips on letter writing, please visit our resource page.

Should I send copies of my appeals to you?
No. If you would like to send us a copy of your very first letter so that we can establish that you are on the right track, you are welcome to do so. Every few years we will send a survey to the Urgent Action Network members in order to collect important data about the network and at that time we ask how many letters are being written by you or your group. Always feel free to contact us regarding your concerns at uan@aiusa.org

Can you provide more background information on the cases?
It is true that we often do not provide many details about certain cases. Sometimes this is because we just do not have the time or the opportunity to get more information. Other times it is because of our own space limitations. We design each Urgent Action to be the equivalent of no more than two pages so that it can be quickly and economically distributed. Just as Amnesty International staff relies on its members to write appeals, members rely on careful and concise documentation from the AI research staff. All concerns expressed in Urgent Actions conform to our organizational mandate, without exception.

Amnesty International has an on-line library of past reports and press releases indexed by country on its website. These resources can be useful for learning more about patterns of human rights abuses in specific countries.

Are the addresses listed in priority order?
Amnesty International never really knows with certainty which official may respond to our appeals in a way that will stop the abuse or potential abuse. Generally, government officials are listed in a priority order, the first official being the most important for the specific appeal. If you can write to each official listed on the Urgent Action, great. It is also fine for you to pick just one or two officials, knowing that other UA letter-writers will potentially choose to write to the other officials. Addresses listed in the "Copies" section are not listed in any specific order; just send copies to as many as you can.

What should I do if I my email bounces back and does not reach the intended recipient?
When an email address is available for an official, it is included in the address section of the Urgent Action. The email addresses listed represent the most up to date information we had available at the time the Urgent Action was issued. If your email bounces back to you or you receive an "undeliverable" notice, please forward the email response to uan@aiusa.org, and we will try to rectify the situation. In some instances, a full inbox is the cause for the email failure, and is therefore only temporary.

What should we do when we receive a reply to our letters from a government official?
Please send us the original or a copy of each government reply you receive. This information is important to Amnesty International researchers who monitor the reaction of officials to our actions.

Frequently Asked Questions

General Questions

Participating in the UA Network

Writing Letters