Write for Rights (W4R) is Amnesty International’s annual campaign, sending greetings cards to prisoners of conscience, their families and other human rights defenders around the world. Since W4R started in 2001, millions of people have taken part, helping to change the lives of those whose human rights have been taken away. Over the past 20 years, more than 56 million actions have been taken and over 100 people featured in the campaign have seen positive outcomes in their cases.

To take online actions about all the cases on the main Amnesty International site.

You can download the Campaign Booklet and other information on the AIUK site.

You can see videos on all the cases, created by Amnesty Canada, on YouTube.

Below are two case our group will focus on this year. The Guerreras por la Amazonía we have taken on as a case file and will be working on in the months ahead.

Ecuador: Guerreras por la Amazonía
(Warriors of the Amazon)

Young Amazonian defenders fighting gas flaring

‘We are not just activists, we are daughters of the earth, of our communities. We are warriors of the jungle that refuses to die. We are the
Amazon that resists the impacts of the oil industry, and for which our communities and our planet are burning.’

Fifteen young Indigenous activists from the Ecuadorian Amazon – known as Guerreras por la Amazonía – are challenging gas flaring operations that harm their health and environment. Despite facing threats and intimidation, they continue to demand climate justice and
protection for their communities.
Gas flaring emits potent greenhouse gases such as methane, exacerbating the climate emergency. These gases severely damage the environment, biodiversity and the health of marginalised Indigenous communities in the Amazon.
In 2020, Guerreras por la Amazonía and the Union of People Affected by Chevron-Texaco (Unión de Afectados por Texaco; UDAPT)
sued the Ecuadorian state over gas flaring. Although a court ruled in favour of eliminating flares in 2021, the government has delayed compliance and the practice continues, polluting the environment and risking activists’ safety.
Urgent international support is crucial to safeguard their rights and health.  Read more about the Guerreras por la Amazonía and the history of their campaigning.

Send a message of support and solidarity

Guerreras por la Amazonía
c/o Unión de Afectados por Texaco (UDAPT)
Av. Venezuela y Progreso
Lago Agrio, 210150
Ecuador

Language Spanish
Pronouns All she/her
Suggested message “You are brave warriors fighting against the monsters of fire. With your actions, you not only defend the rights of
your communities, but also protect our planet from climate change.
Keep fighting to extinguish the gas flares and ignite life. You have all our support. Your struggle is our struggle.”

In Spanish this is

“Eres valiente; guerreros que lucha contra los monstruos de fuego. Con tus acciones, no solo defiendes los derechos de tus comunidades, sino que también proteges nuestro planeta del cambio climático.Sigue luchando para extinguir las antorchas de gas e encender la vida. Cuentas con todo nuestro apoyo. Tu lucha es nuestra lucha” [Read more…]

A new Urgent Action for Argentina has been published. It’s not yet on the AIUK website, so please follow the link below to take action.

President Javier Milei vetoed a bill that had been passed by Congress to improve pensions for older people. This was to adjust for the large loss of purchasing power they have suffered in recent months. This Urgent Action is to urge the Congress to insist on approving the law as a measure towards the guarantee of a dignified standard of living for older people.

https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/amr13/8497/2024/en/

(if you prefer to work with the Spanish version its here https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/amr13/8497/2024/es/)
This is a letter to the Chamber of Deputies; not specifically to one Congress person.

Email
We have been sent individual congress members to email.  There are four main targets:-

Apologies to those living in Christchurch, but most of you are still getting used to having a new MP.  And, hopefully, one with a much more progressive outlook than the person they replaced.
As an Amnesty International supporter you can help. Let your MP know you want them to commit to supporting and defending human rights in this country and internationally. You can download this pre-forma letter to edit and send. Please personalise as much as you can.
If you are not sure of your MP, check here- https://www.theyworkforyou.com/ – you can also send them a message via this site. But some of us still believe posting a letter has more impact. MPs do reply!
Still write if your MP hasn’t changed – let them know you are a supporter of Amnesty International.  Ask them as your MP to commit to supporting and defending human rights in this country and internationally, both in parliament and more widely.
https://amnestyat50.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Template-for-post-election-letter-to-MP.docx

Write for Rights (W4R) is Amnesty International’s annual campaign, sending greetings cards to prisoners of conscience, their families and other human rights defenders around the world. In 2022, more than 5 million messages of support and appeal letters were sent during the W4R campaign. They made a big difference to the people and communities confronting injustice and facing human rights violations.

We will be holding W4R events, where you can come along and write cards or letters, at Bournemouth Library on Friday 8th December and Saturday 9th December. Both 1.30 to 3.30.  Details of all cases are below, along with videos of their case and letters to authorities you can download. You can also download a copy of the W4R 2023 booklet.

Poland: Justyna Wydrzyńska

Prosecuted for defending safe abortion

Activist Justyna Wydrzyńska felt compelled to help a woman in an abusive relationship access a safe abortion. But it is a crime in Poland to help a woman access an abortion outside the two remaining legal grounds, in the case of pregnancy resulting from an illegal act such as rape or incest, or danger to a woman’s health or life. Now Justyna has been convicted, setting a dangerous precedent and making access to safe abortion even harder for those who seek one.
Justyna Wydrzyńska’s own abortion experience, with no support or access to reliable information, gave her the strength and motivation to help others make informed decisions about their reproductive lives. Justyna co-founded Abortion Dream Team, an activist collective campaigning against abortion stigma and offering advice on accessing safe abortion in Poland, where abortion laws are among the most restrictive in Europe.
In February 2020, Justyna was put in contact with Ania (not her real name). Ania was in an abusive relationship, pregnant and desperate, saying she would rather die than continue with her pregnancy. Justyna, a survivor of a violent relationship herself, knew she had to help. She sent Ania her own abortion pills through the post, but Ania’s partner intercepted the package and contacted the police, who confiscated the pills.
In November 2021, the public prosecutor brought charges against Justyna for “helping with an abortion”. In March 2023, she was found guilty and sentenced to eight months’ community service. Her lawyers have appealed.
Justyna’s conviction sets a dangerous precedent. Without the support and trustworthy information that she and other activists provide, people like Ania would be alone and without access to safe abortion.
Demonstrating her courage in spite of the hostility she faces, Justyna says: “I was driven by the will to help when no one else wanted to or could help. For me, helping Ania was an obvious, decent, and honest thing to do.”

Take Action: Demand that Justyna’s unjust conviction is overturned

Tell Polish authorities to take all necessary measures to ensure that Justyna’s unjust conviction is overturned and to refrain from bringing any other charges against her for carrying out her legitimate defence of human rights.  SIGN the AIUK petition
Write to:
Prosecutor General National Prosecutor’s Officeul. Postępu 3 02-676 Warsaw Poland
Email: biuro.podawcze.pk@prokuratura.gov.pl
Sample Letter
Salutation: Dear Prosecutor General
Twitter / X: @PK_GOV_PL
Hashtags: #IAmJustyna #W4R23

Help keep Justyna’s spirit strong
Send her your message of solidarity and hope.
Justyna Wydrzyńska c/o Amnesty International Polska Sapieżyńska 10A 00-215 Warsaw Poland
Email: dla.justyny@amnesty.org.pl

Justyna is heavily featured in the October Europe Newsletter (and the AIUK coordinator has organised a demonstration outside the Polish Embassy in London on Saturday 2nd December)

[Read more…]

Below is a briefing from AIUK on current legislation going through Parliament that will impact on our rights. Currently there is an online petition relating to the  Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill. Do write to your MP if you have time. There is a proform letter to MP – relating to all legislation – you can download and adapt. The briefing document it refers to can be downloaded here..

Your human rights are your personal freedoms. You can’t see or touch them, but they should always have your back. Think of them as your invisible armour. If you don’t find yourself thinking about your rights much, that’s a good sign that they’re there for you and doing what they should be: making you feel safe, accepted and free to enjoy your life with dignity and without fear. But what if someone quietly took your armour away, bit by bit, and you didn’t realise until it was too late? How would you protect yourself?  

That’s what’s happening right now, right under our noses – and the UK government doesn’t want you to know about it. As we speak, they are trying to introduce new laws and make changes to existing ones that will result in less freedom for ordinary people, more power for people in authority, and even greater inequality in our society. These changes will also make it harder for you to stand up for yourself if your human rights are being abused. And on top of that, in many cases it will be society’s most vulnerable people who are the worst hit by the changes. Our freedoms are under attack from all angles: this is a raid on our rights.  

If you’re still not sure what all this means in practice, you’re not alone. That’s exactly what people in power want, as a lack of public understanding makes it easier for them to sneak through changes that will negatively affect people’s lives without them realising (until it’s too late). We’re here to shout about the changes and make sure as many people as possible are aware of them, as we need your help to fight them.  

Here are some examples of what’s at risk in the UK Government’s rights raid. 
 
The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill    [Read more…]