And that's a rap

19 December 2016

Thanks to everyone who campaigned and collected letters in your community for Write for Rights 2016.

We have now closed off the offline component of the campaign and are busy collating the many thousand of letters you collected so we can deliver them to the right people.

If you haven’t already, please make sure to send any completed letters, case sheets or petitions to your local action centre ASAP so we can ensure they are included in the final count, and sent off to make a difference!

We’ll provide an update of the final action tally and any news we receive on the cases in the new year, but we already know that this looks likely to be the biggest Write for Rights ever, with over 2 million actions counted globally so far. A huge shout out to everyone who wrote a letter or encouraged someone else to get involved. Over 55 years of human rights activism show that your actions can change people’s lives:

I am so grateful to Amnesty and all of the people who participated in the campaign for my release. International movements like yours put pressure on governments for our physical freedom, but knowing we have your solidarity also supports us mentally.

– Myanmar student activist Phyoe Phyoe Aung, freed earlier this year following Amnesty’s Write for Rights 2015.

What’s next?

While we are no longer collecting hardcopy actions, you can continue to campaign online for each of the cases via our action page, as well as for other prisoners of conscience year-round via our Individuals at Risk hub.

Got a great pic?

This year activists hosted dozens of write-for-rights events across the country.

Writing letters for W4R16 at Manly action group's 30th anniversary celebrations

Have any great photos? Make sure to send them through to you Community Organiser or attach them to an email to activism@amnesty.org.au so we can include them in our campaign wrap-up early next year.

A lasting impression

Let’s hope the new year brings good news. Here are some videos showcasing our campaign and the individual stories that make Write for Rights so powerful. Watch and feel good knowing that by simply picking up a pen, you have been part of massive movement taking a stand for human rights across the globe.