Right now, all around the world, human rights are under attack.

Vahid Afkari comes from a close-knit family. In 2018, Vahid and his brother Navid were arrested for peacefully attending protests in Shiraz. Three months later, his brother Habib was also arrested for peaceful protesting.

Vahid, Navid and Habib were tortured repeatedly and forced to “confess” to crimes they said they did not commit. Navid was executed in 2020, and Habib spent 550 days in solitary confinement, and was released from prison in March 2022.

Vahid has been in solitary confinement since September 2020, unjustly convicted of various baseless crimes and sentenced to decades in prison and 74 lashes.

10 chances to make a difference
Brothers Vahid, Habib and Navid standing side by side

Your actions have the power to make a difference.

Joanah, Netsai and Cecillia have a lot of things in common: they love playing board games, watching Netflix and are passionate about politics. Sadly, they also share horrific memories of a terrible attack.

In 2020, after leading an anti-government protest, the women were arrested and then abducted and allegedly tortured, including by sexual assault. The women have been charged with faking their own ordeal and face years in jail.

Demand justice for Joanah, Netsai and Cecillia.

What is Write for Rights?

Attend a Write for Rights event.

Join an event in your local community and take action for those whose rights have been wronged.

This year, Write for Rights will be our biggest event to date. We will be raising our collective power to push for the right to protest to be protected. We’ll deliver the signatures of everyone who takes action in Australia to Embassies in Canberra in February 2023.

Check out the map to RSVP to a Write for Rights event near you!

View event map
Write for Rights Activist Marathon

TAKE ACTION NOW

  Send Your Email
Email the Russian Embassy demanding Aleksandra’s release from unfair detention!
Send an email to the Russian Ambassador to keep up the pressure and demand Aleksandra’s immediate release.
Take Action
  Send Your Email
Email the Paraguay Supreme Court: Demand Legal Recognition for Yren and Mariana
Email the Supreme Court of Justice in Paraguay demanding they legally recognize the identity of trans people so they can exercise their rights!
Take Action
  Take urgent action
ONE BROTHER EXECUTED & ONE RELEASED. HELP FREE VAHID
After nearly two years in solitary confinement and losing his brother, we can't let Vahid suffer any longer. International pressure helped secure Habib's release.
Take Action
  Join the call now
Australia: Protect the Torres Strait with climate action now
Take Action
  Stand in solidarity
ONE SIGNATURE, TEN TIMES THE IMPACT!
This year, we are taking action for brave individuals from 10 different countries, who have all paid a great price for speaking truth to power.
Take Action
  Stand with him
FACING PRISON FOR A FACEBOOK POST
After expressing his concerns about climate change on Facebook, Bangladeshi engineer and activist, Shahnewaz, was detained in inhumane conditions for 80 days, without trial. If convicted he faces many years in prison.
Take Action
  Demand justice
ACTIVISTS ON TRIAL FOR ‘FAKING’ THEIR OWN ABDUCTION
Joanah, Netsai and Cecillia are three women with many things in common: they love playing board games, watching Netflix and are passionate about politics. Sadly, they now share horrific memories of a terrible and degrading attack.
Take Action
  Do Something Now
JAILED FOR OPPOSING RUSSIA’S INVASION OF UKRAINE
Along with dozens of others, Aleksandra has been detained for criticising Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. She has been harassed by detention centre employees and her cellmates. If she is convicted, Aleksandra faces up to 10 years in prison.
Take Action
  Raise your voice
INVISIBILITY IS DISCRIMINATION
As trans women, Yren and Mariana are busy defending themselves against discrimination. They’ve been bullied, physically attacked and prevented from speaking out about the issues they face in their daily lives.
Take Action
  Do Something Now
LOCKED UP FOR 20 YEARS FOR DEMANDING CHANGE
Nasser Zefzafi was living a peaceful life with his family in the Rif region of northern Morocco, an area struggling with poor healthcare, education and employment opportunities. Its population has been marginalized by successive governments in Morocco.
Take Action
  Take urgent action
ONE BROTHER EXECUTED & ONE RELEASED. HELP FREE VAHID
After nearly two years in solitary confinement and losing his brother, we can't let Vahid suffer any longer. International pressure helped secure Habib's release.
Take Action
  Demand justice
KILLED BY A TEAR GAS GRENADE
Zineb Redouane, an 80-year-old woman who lived in Marseille, France, found joy in music and flowers. On the evening of 1 December 2018, Zineb was preparing dinner and chatting to her daughter on the phone in her fourth-floor apartment. In the streets below, people were protesting about poor living conditions in Marseille after two residential buildings collapsed, killing eight people. Police officers were using tear gas to disperse the protesters.
Take Action
  Sign the petition
ARTIST JAILED FOR PROTECTING FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION
Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara is a self-taught Black Cuban artist. He loves to paint, dance, and wear bright pink suits. His home in San Isidro, one of the poorest neighbourhoods in Havana, is a haven for the community – an open house for people to meet and connect.
Take Action
  Do Something Now
CAMEROON: RELEASE MOTHER JAILED FOR DARING TO SPEAK OUT
Dorgelesse Nguessan, a single mother and hairdresser, has been jailed for peacefully exercising her right to freedom of expression and assembly. While awaiting trial, she was mistreated and kept in terrible conditions.
Take Action
  Stand in solidarity
SHE’S IN PRISON FOR REMEMBERING THE VICTIMS OF THE TIANANMEN SQUARE CRACKDOWN
Chow Hang-tung is in prison in Hong Kong for organising a vigil commemorating the victims of the Tiananmen Square crackdown.
Take Action

Activist resources

Here's all the information you need to take offline action in 2022.

Latest updates

Below are all the updates for Write for Rights. Twenty years on, our annual event brings millions of people together to stand in solidarity with courageous people around the world who are facing human rights abuses.

Our Wins

Through the power of collective action challenging injustice, your letters, emails and petition signatures convince governments to free people unjustly imprisoned, stop torture and end other abuses.
More Wins