This year marks the 25th anniversary of Amnesty International’s global Write for Rights campaign, which has supported more than 200 people and groups.
That’s 25 years of people taking action against injustice, writing letters and signing petitions in support of people whose human rights have been denied. Some have been imprisoned for peacefully expressing their views. Others have been targeted because of who they are or who they love. Some have been criminalized simply because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time.
More than 50 million actions have been taken – in the form of letters, emails, cards, petition signatures, social media posts and more – since Write for Rights started in 2001. Amnesty’s brilliant supporters have written letters both to those whose rights are being violated, and the person in authority who can make change happen.
People have taken action because they believe hope and humanity can win over fear.
As a result, over 100 people featured in our Write for Rights campaign have seen a positive outcome in their situation. People unlawfully detained have been released, families have been reunited and justice achieved. Just as important – individuals have been reminded that they have not been forgotten.
Here are the stories of a few of them, whose lives have changed – and even been saved – thanks to the support of people like you…
Germain Rukuki – Burundi
On 30 June 2021, Burundian human rights defender Germain Rukuki was released from prison four years into a 32-year sentence. He had been found guilty of a number of sham charges relating to his human rights work. He was jailed before getting a chance to hold his youngest child, born just weeks after he was arrested in July 2017.
Yves Makwambala and Fred Bauma – Democratic Republic of Congo
Youth activists Yves Makwambala and Fred Bauma were released at the end of August 2016 in the Democratic Republic of Congo. An amazing 170,000 people took action for the pair as part of Write for Rights 2015. “Every letter, every visit, every word has strengthened us and reinforced our determination in this long but just struggle for freedom and democracy,” said Yves.
Seán Binder – Greece
In January 2026, human rights defender Seán Binder and 23 others connected to a search and rescue NGO were acquitted of all charges in Greece. After years on trial, Seán no longer faces the possibility of a 20-year prison sentence for helping refugees.
Eight years after Amnesty first called for the charges to be dropped, Seán was finally acquitted.
Moses Akatugba – Nigeria
Moses Akatugba was a 16-year-old student when he was arrested in 2005 by police in southern Nigeria, on suspicion of armed robbery and stealing three telephones. He was tortured by police during their interrogations, beaten and suspended upside down from a ceiling fan for hours. His nails were pulled out with pliers to coerce him into signing a “confession” – the only basis for his death sentence eight years later.
Rita Mahato – Nepal
In 2009, human rights defender Rita Mahato was threatened with death, rape and kidnapping for helping women in Nepal who had suffered acts of violence. She was a health adviser at the Women’s Rehabilitation Centre (WOREC), a leading NGO in Nepal, yet police failed to provide Rita with protection or to investigate the threats. After Amnesty took up her case for Write for Rights 2009, schools, campuses and other institutions around the world started sending letters, postcards and other materials in support of her. The publicity and posters became so widespread that the police and local authorities began calling Rita to provide support, making her feel less alone. While the harassment has ended, Rita still stands up for what she believes in.
Aleksandra (Sacha) Skochilenko – Russia
Russian artist Aleksandra “Sacha” Skochilenko was arrested for protesting Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In March 2022, she replaced price tags at a supermarket with paper labels that contained information censored by Russian state-run media. She was charged with “dissemination of knowingly false information about Russian Armed Forces” and sentenced to seven years in December 2023. In 2024, thanks in part to international pressure from Write for Rights 2022, Sacha was finally released as part of a huge prisoner swap, involving Russia and Belarus, who agreed to a swap with the United States, Germany, Norway, Poland, and Slovenia. Sacha now lives in exile in Germany.
https://amnesty.ca/urgent-actions/outcome-uae-sudanese-political-activist-released-after-19-months
