Submitted by Amnesty International Quinte
Amnesty International’s annual Write for Rights campaign returns in 2025, mobilizing communities around the world to defend human rights and protect the environment.
This year’s focus highlights eight Human Rights Heroes and Heroines in eight countries whose safety, land, and livelihoods are at risk due to environmental destruction and human rights abuses.
“These Human Rights Heroes have been standing strong, but they need support to keep fighting,” says Joanne Poppenk, spokesperson for Amnesty International Quinte. “They are brave warriors waging battle every day to improve lives. Sometimes they’re simply trying to maintain the mental resilience needed to survive another day. And we can help with simple acts—letters, signatures, messages of comfort. These small actions can make the world more just and compassionate.”
Amnesty International Quinte will advocate for eight critical cases this year:
• Myanmar – A photojournalist imprisoned for reporting on a devastating cyclone.
• Madagascar – A man and his family displaced and facing starvation due to environmental catastrophe.
• Tunisia – A mother jailed for speaking out against inhumane conditions.
• Honduras – A murdered land defender targeted for protecting a fragile ecosystem.
• Ecuador – Young women threatened for demanding enforcement of environmental rulings.
• Cambodia – Youth activists harshly imprisoned for protecting cherished natural spaces.
• Norway – A Sámi reindeer herder fighting to safeguard Indigenous lands.
• South Africa – A young boy who died tragically when he should have been safe.
“These stories show what happens when governments ignore human rights and environmental protections,” Poppenk notes. “But they also show incredible courage.”
“With a global pushback against many hard-fought rights, this work is more urgent than ever,” says Poppenk. “Signing a card or petition, colouring a drawing, copying a letter, or writing your own may take only minutes—yet it can have a huge impact.”
When thousands of people raise their voices together, governments take notice. “When your name joins tens or hundreds of thousands of others, governments know their actions are under scrutiny,” Poppenk explains. “It pressures them to protect the environment and uphold human rights. And for the Heroes and Heroines themselves, these messages prove they are not alone. That encouragement helps them stay strong and keep fighting for their communities.”
A public action event will take place on December 10, Human Rights Day, from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Belleville Public Library, 254 Pinnacle St.
The event is free to the public and all materials will be provided.
Participants can write letters, send cards, colour drawings, or sign petitions—each one helping protect those who defend land, water, air, and human dignity.
Write for Rights is the world’s largest human rights letter-writing campaign, engaging millions of people in acts of solidarity that have helped free prisoners of conscience, protect environmental defenders, and pressure governments around the globe.
