Write a letter!

Dear Activist,

Bedouin blogger, Musaad Sulimaan Hassan Hussein, of Egypt was held in detention without trial for almost three years over protests against the demolition of thousands of homes in the Sinai Peninsula. In December 2009, during Amnesty International's annual event called the letter-writing marathon, members from around the world wrote thousands of letters to the Egyptian authorities demanding his release. He was freed in July 2010 and upon his release he said, "Your messages gave me a sense of solidarity."

What is the letter-writing marathon?

The letter-writing marathon is held between 4th and 14th December every year, for Human Rights Day (10th December). Hundreds of thousands of Amnesty International supporters get together to write letters in solidarity with people or communities whose rights have been violated. Last year, we sent as many as 733,120 letters and online signatures for individuals at risk. As in the case of Musaad Sulimaan Hassan Hussein, international pressure can make a difference. Last year, we organised letter-writing events in 50 countries and we want to make this year's event even bigger.


Bedouin blogger Musaad Suliman Hassan Hussein was freed in July 2010 after three years in detention.

How you can get involved

We are looking for event organisers who can get together a group of people anytime between 4th and 14th December to write letters and demand that the rights of selected individuals are respected, protected and fulfilled.

What you need to do

If you are interested in organising a letter-writing event anytime between 4th and 14th December, please send us a short note on why you would like to get involved, your event plan, your address and contact details.

Please email this information to online.communities@amnesty.org with "letter-writing marathon" in your subject line.

The deadline to respond is 1 November 2010.

You can change people's lives! Stay tuned for future emails about the letter-writing marathon.

Yours Sincerely,
Online Communities Team
Alaphia, Buddha, Jennifer and Jeremy
Find us on Twitter and Facebook at the Activism Centre.



Amnesty International

International Secretariat

1 Easton Street
London, WC1X 0DW
United Kingdom

www.amnesty.org