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 2025 campaign. Write for Rights changes lives and your words matter.
The people featured in this year’s campaign are from all around the world, with some of them fighting for the environment such as Mother Nature Cambodia and others fighting for press freedom, such as Sonia Dahmani in Tunisia. This is your chance to join their fight and 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: 2025 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 those in prison are treated more humanely. In 2024, over 4.6 million actions were taken across more than 200 countries, amplifying voices of courage and resilience. Nearly 1 million people were mobilised through Human Rights Education, and over 376,000 messages of hope were sent directly to individuals at risk. In Australia, we had more than 97,000 actions, including 5,000 offline actions from communities nationwide. You can read more about our wins here or the 2024 global report back or watch the inspiring story of Sasha Skochilenko, a Russian artist imprisoned for her peaceful anti-war protest – whose case shows the true power of solidarity.
How does Write for Rights work?
2025 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. You can check out videos of all the cases here.
CAMBODIA: Mother Nature Cambodia are being criminally prosecuted just for protecting their environment. Now they endure harsh prison conditions for defending the environment.
Demand that the five detained activists are immediately released and all convictions against Mother Nature Cambodia activists are quashed.
ECUADOR: Guerreras por la Amazonia are a group of activists who are fighting to protect their communities from toxic fumes and physical devastation caused by gas flares. They now face stigma and violent intimidation for their work.
Call on Ecuador to eliminate gas flares and protect climate defenders.
HONDURAS: Juan Lopez (he/him) tirelessly defended his local environment from mining and energy projects that threaten the ecosystem. He was met with harassments, threats and eventually shot dead.
Demand justice for Juan Lopez.
MADAGASCAR: Damisoa (he/him) was forced to leave his house in southern Madagascar after droughts worsened by climate change reduced the food supply. He now advocates for the residents in his area who are living in degrading conditions.
Demand that the government takes urgent steps to address the hunger, homelessness, poor healthcare and other hardships faced by Damisoa and others displaced by drought across Madagascar.
MYANMAR: Sai Zaw Thaike (he/him) is a journalist in Myanmar, who travelled undercover to report on the devastated caused by Cyclone Mocha despite the danger. He was arrested for his journalism and sentenced to 20 years by a military tribunal.
Demand that Myanmar’s military immediately release Sai Zaw Thaike.
NORWAY: Ellinor Guttorm Utsi (she/her) is an Indigenous Sami woman, and a passionate leader fighting to protect her community’s ancient reindeer-herding way of life. This practice is being threatened by several hundred wind turbines planned directly on the grazing lands which would disrupt reindeer migration and destroy deep connection to nature.
Call on Norway to listen to Ellinor and the Sami People, and help them protect their land, livelihoods and culture.
SOUTH AFRICA: Unecebo Mboteni (he/him) was a lively three-year-old boy who fell into a pit toilet at his pre-school in South Africa and died the next day. However, despite his death, put toilets are still not eradicated and there has been no investigation into his death. His family deserve answers.
Demand justice for Unecebo Mboteni.
TUNISIA: Sonia Dahmani (she/her) is a lawyer and media commentator who has dedicated her life to defending human rights, and vocally criticising racism and inhumane prison conditions. She was arrested for “spreading false news” and is currently in being held in inhumane conditions and denied medical care.
Demand Sonia’s release now.
RUSSIA: Mark Kislitsyn (he/him) is a transgender man and human-rights defender sentenced to 12 years in a penal colony for “high treason” after donating about $10 to what he believed was a humanitarian fund for Ukraine.
He is imprisoned in a women’s colony, denied gender-affirming care, and regularly placed in solitary confinement under harsh, degrading conditions.
Demand Mark’s immediate and unconditional release now.
Helpful Resources
- All Case Cards and Letter Writing Kit
- W4Rs cover sheet for reporting actions – please fill in this sheet, instead of filling out your details across all the individual letters. This will help us ensure that your letters get to the right place efficiently to maximise our collective impact.
- Join our Online Community to chat about the cases and learn more HERE.
- PDF petition and QR code for Write for Rights: One signature, Nine times the impact!
- Human Rights Education Resources: Freedom of Expression, Climate Change and Safety and Dignity in Education (Unecebo Mboteni – South Africa)
- Log your event so it’s promoted on our website and so we can provide additional support and resources. If you are part of an Amnesty Action Group log your event through SupporterBase (if you aren’t on SupporterBase yet you can log your event here). If you are not part of an Amnesty Action Group, please let us know about your event by emailing activism@amnesty.org.au.
- 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
- Wednesday, 5 November 2025 – National Write for Rights Campaign Launch. Register here.
- Saturday, 22 November 2025 – Activism Forum. RSVP here.
- January – Solidarity action and webinar!
- Wednesday, 10 December 2025 – Human Rights Day!
- Saturday, 31 Jan 2026 – 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 2026 – 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 2025 Write for Rights cases or writing solidarity messages of hope 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 2026 so that it can be counted as part of our March 2026 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 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 2026 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 Charlie (Charlie.Eggleton@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, hosting a screening of the documentary The Troublemaker, which explored the global wave of civil protest in response to the climate crisis. They invited a speaker from Extinction Rebellion and took action together for two 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 their #LightUpYellow project, arranging for major landmarks across Victoria to be lit up in yellow on Human Rights Day.
Last year, the National Iran Network hosted a Write for Rights art workshop in collaboration with local artists, providing a space for participants to slow down, reflect, create artworks, and take meaningful action for human rights.
The Manly Action Group also hosts a Write for Rights event each year at their local surf club, featuring speakers, raffles, and food. In 2023, they collected 251 letters, 86 messages of support, and 85 petition signatures at their event.
These are just a few examples to get you started. Be creative and think of a fun, 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.
