Thanks for being one of the thousands of activists who promoted freedom and human rights by joining Amnesty International's annual Global Write-a-thon, the world's largest letter writing event!
Please take a quick moment and let us know how many letters you wrote and sent.
With approximately 9% of Write-a-thon participants reporting back we have confirmed that 59377 letters have been sent!
This global action marked International Human Rights Day on December 10 brought people together just about anywhere – in classrooms, churches, workplaces, homes, and more – to make a difference in the lives of prisoners of conscience, human rights defenders, victims of torture and other individuals at risk.
Using the proven power of writing letters, they pressured authorities to release those who have been unjustly imprisoned and to stop the torture and abuse of others.
The pen truly is mightier than the sword. Millions of Amnesty International members around the world have taken up the pen to bring freedom and hope to prisoners of conscience, human rights defenders, victims of torture and other individuals at risk since 1961. They've acted on the words of imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, who asked the world: "Please use your freedom to promote ours."
You can promote freedom and human rights by joining Amnesty International's annual Global Write-a-thon, a worldwide action marking International Human Rights Day on December 10. People around the world will gather in classrooms, churches, workplaces and homes to take action on behalf of prisoners of conscience, human rights defenders, victims of torture and other individuals at risk. Using the proven power of the pen, they will pressure authorities to release those who have been unjustly imprisoned and to stop the torture and abuse of others.
How to Get Involved:
It's easy! Follow these simple steps:
Sign up today! Then SPREAD the word and encourage your friends and family to register for the Write-a-thon by texting or emailing them the registration link: www.amnestyusa.org/writeathon
Get your resources in early November: Learn how to hold a successful write-a-thon and download case summaries, sample letters and other promotional materials for your event. If you would like hard copies of these items, please feel free to email us at
WRITE and MAIL your letters from December 5-13! (Feel free to start earlier than that and go through December.)
REPORT back to us letting us know how many letters you sent. Do this by filling out the on-line evaluation form or sending us an email at .
Promoting human rights is serious business, but it can also be fun. Make the Global Write-a-thon a part of your holiday celebrations this year and show your support for human rights.
Success!
Last year, more than 7,000 people across the United States sent tens of thousands of letters on behalf of the Write-A-Thon's featured cases. Those letters made a difference in the lives of real people. » Read their stories
Ma Khin Khin Leh, a school teacher, was freed from prison in Myanmar (Burma) on February 21, 2009. She was arrested 10 years earlier for allegedly planning a demonstration to protest the deteriorating economic and human rights environment in Myanmar. For this "crime," she was sentenced to life in prison. Following her release in February, Ma Khin Khin Leh could finally return to her daughter, who was only three years old when her mother was first arrested.
Hana Abdi, a women's rights advocate, was released from prison in Iran on February 26, 2009. An Iranian Kurd, she was arrested in October 2007 for her work with Campaign for Equality, an organization that seeks equality for women in Iran. Her three-year prison sentence was happily cut short when authorities freed her in February.
Action by people like you helped free these women from political imprisonment. Now you can follow the words of Aung San Suu Kyi by using your freedom to promote freedom for others. Sign up today for the 2009 Write-A-Thon!