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”
Can I
Send a religious card or message? Yes
Send an Amnesty card or mention Amnesty? Yes
Include my name and address? Yes
Creative solidarity ideas
Celebrate the activists’ courage and resilience. Each activist has an animal that represents her: Dennise: puma; Rosa Daniela: rabbit; Kerly: cat; Dannya: capybara; Scarlett: butterfly; Evelyn: hummingbird; Leonela: jaguar; Jamileth: cow; Wita: rabbit; Dannya: hummingbird.
Send an appeal letter
Urge the authorities to fully comply with the 2021 court ruling by immediately eliminating all gas flares, protecting activists and
ensuring environmental justice for Indigenous Amazonian communities. Write to
Daniel Roy Gilchrist Noboa Azín
President Of Ecuador
Palacio de Carondelet
García Moreno N10-43 entre Chile y Espejo
Quito 170401
Ecuador
Salutation Dear President
In your letter also highlight that the young defenders face intimidation and violent attacks, for example, the bombing outside Leonela Moncayo’s home. Emphasise that their protection must not be conditional on silencing activism.
Key dates
5 December: 18th birthday of Jamileth, one of the Guerreras por la Amazonía
Tunsia: Sonia Dahmani
Lawyer unjustly detained for peacefully expressing her views
“You condemn me for sullying Tunisia, when it’s you who sully it with your unfair trials.’
Sonia Dahmani, a lawyer and media personality, has been arbitrarily detained since May 2024 for peacefully exercising her right to freedom
of expression. She faces five prosecutions and is enduring cruel, inhumane detention conditions that seriously threaten her health.
Sonia has long spoken out on racism, migration, and prison conditions in Tunisia. Since late 2023, she has faced mounting legal harassment for her public comments. Authorities have charged her under a repressive cybercrime law for ‘spreading false news’.
Her arrest follows President Kais Saied’s authoritarian power grab and growing repression of civil society. Sonia is one of dozens of people targeted for criticising the government, and her case reflects the sharp decline of free expression and judicial independence in Tunisia.
Stop Press, 27th November – it has just been announced that Sonia Dahmani has been released from prison. This outcome is a tangible demonstration that persistent pressure and solidarity can make a real difference. We have been urged to keep the pressure alive until Sonia has been fully released, her convictions quashed, and all charges against her are dropped. Do still send her cards.
Send a message of support and solidarity
Sonia Dahmani
c/o Amnesty International Tunisia
5 Rue Zouhair Ayadi
El Menzah 4
Ariana, Tunis 1082
Tunisia
Language French, Arabic, English
Pronouns She/her
Suggested message:-
Dear Sonia, you are not alone. People around the world are standing with you and raising their voices to demand your release. Your courage in defending truth and dignity inspires us. We hope you feel our love and solidarity through every message you receive.
Can I
Send a religious card or message? Yes
Send an Amnesty card or mention Amnesty? Yes
Include my name and address? Yes
Creative solidarity ideas
Share drawings of her dog, Carla.
Write messages referencing her love of art, beaches and/or classic Arabic and ‘80s music. Send postcards with scenes of the sea or football motifs. Include theatre-themed notes or quotes; and/or handwritten playlists or movie titles she might enjoy.
Solidarity messages can be posted on Instagram, tagging @soniadahmani.
‘You condemn me for sullying Tunisia, when it’s you who sully it with your unfair trials.’
Send an appeal letter
Urge the president to immediately and unconditionally release Sonia Dahmani, quash her sentences, and drop all charges against her, as she
is detained solely for exercising her right to freedom of expression.
Write to
Kais Saied
President of the Republic of Tunisia
Carthage Presidential Palace
La Goulette Road
Carthage Archaeological Site
Tunis
Tunisia
contact@carthage.tn
Salutation Your Excellency
Key dates
24 May: Sonia Dahmani’s birthday
10 December: Human Rights Day
18 December: International Migrants Day
Social media pressure is encouraged:
@TnPresidency using the hashtag #FreeSonia.
facebook.com/Presidence.tn
