Good News
Your Words can change people’s lives. This is how.
Since Write for Rights started in 2001, millions of people have changed the lives of those whose human rights have been taken away. Over the past 25 years, more than 50 million actions have been taken, and over 100 people featured in our campaign have seen a positive outcome in their case.
It’s a privilege to see how your actions make a difference.
Panusaya “Rung” Sithijirawattanakul
Rung, whose name means “rainbow” in Thai, became a student activist in Bangkok and emerged as a leader in Thailand’s 2020 pro-democracy protests. Arrested in March 2021, she spent 60 days in prison after being repeatedly denied bail. After a 38-day hunger strike, she was released in April 2021. Rung was featured in Write for Rights 2021, inspiring people around the world to call for her freedom and send messages of hope and solidarity. Facing dozens of charges and the possibility of life imprisonment, she now lives in exile outside Thailand.
Bernardo Caal Xol
Bernardo Caal Xol, a Guatemalan teacher and environmental activist, worked tirelessly to defend communities affected by hydroelectric projects on the Cahabón river, in northern Guatemala. In November 2018, he was sentenced to more than seven years in prison on bogus charges aimed at preventing his human rights work. During Write for Rights 2021 more than half a million actions were taken for Bernardo and in March 2022 he was released.
Magai Matiop Ngong
Magai Matiop Ngong was just 15 when he was sentenced to death in South Sudan in 2017 after being convicted of murder. He maintained the death was accidental and was tried without access to a lawyer. Following more than 700,000 Write for Rights actions in 2019, a High Court ruling in March 2022 recognized that he had been a child at the time of his conviction and ordered his release.
“Having learned there were thousands of people all over the world thinking of me moved me…they gave the strength, the courage, and a reason to live…If I had a chance to meet them now, the first thing I would do is bow my head down before them, appreciate them and honor them…they made it possible for me to be here today.”
–Magai Matiop Ngong
You too can change the world and here’s how
Each year, Amnesty International uses the power of words to advocate for people who are unjustly imprisoned and/or experiencing human rights abuses, by inviting millions of people to write letters, emails, and social media posts directed to those responsible for human rights violations, demanding action.
This year’s Write for Rights 2026 campaign features individuals and groups from around the world, connected because their human rights have been violated.
Every action makes a huge difference, as you can see from the stories above, so please do write a letter, sign a petition or share our social media posts. With your help, we hope to help change the lives of even more people this year.
One action does make a difference because it is through the power of our collective action that we see results!