Amnesty International Canada

Gabriola Island Write for Rights
2025-12-08 | Gabriola Island Public Library, 575 N Rd, Gabriola, British Columbia, V0R 1X3, Canada
A small group of AI members on Gabriola Island, B.C., is planning to organize a Write for Rights event at our local library. We will have tables where the public can sign petitions or write letters on their own. We will serve tea/coffee and cookies.

Write for Rights at the Unitarians Universalist Fellowship, Ottawa
2025-12-07 12:00 - 14:00 (America/Toronto) | Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Ottawa, 400 McArthur Ave, Ottawa, Ontario, K1K 1G8, Canada
During a short two hour session we will be writing to the individuals that we are fighting for to remind them that we have their backs. In addressing the persons in authority we add our voice to the thousands of others who are watching.
A short two hour session. Materials provided.

Dublin Street United Church Write for Rights 2025
2025-12-07 12:00 - 13:30 (America/Toronto) | Dublin Street United Church, 66 Suffolk Street West, Guelph, Ontario, N1G 1K6, Canada
Join the community at Dublin St. United Church in Guelph for the 3rd annual Write for Rights event. The event is open to the public and will be held in the church library, accessible from the parking lot entrance on Dublin Street.

YEG Unitarians Write for Rights! 2025
2025-12-07 10:00 - 13:00 (America/Edmonton) | Unitarian Church of Edmonton, 10804 119 Street NW, Edmonton, Alberta, T5H 3P4, Canada
Make a difference! Join us for our 2025 Write for Rights event: browse the 8 human rights cases from around the world that are Amnesty International highlights this year. Writing materials, information & help provided. Email, social media and online petitions also possible. Drop in to learn how small actions add up to real results.

Write for Rights 2025 at the Wall Street United Church, Brockville
2025-12-07 10:00 - 12:00 (America/Toronto) | Wall Street United Church, 5 Wall St, Brockville, Ontario, K6V4G8, Canada
This will be a letter writing and petition signing event held after the Sunday morning service at the Wall Street United Church on December 7th 2025. The focus of the service will be justice and peace. We will also offer a ‘soft opening’ to the event by advertising the link to petitions in the church newsletter for two weeks prior to the event.

Write for Rights at St Margaret’s, Edmonton
2025-12-07 09:00 - 13:00 (America/Toronto) | st margaret’s Anglican church, 12603 Ellerslie Road SW, Edmonton, Alberta, T6W1A3, Canada
Coffee hour and letter writing, some time set aside for the children to write letters at 10:45

Write for Rights - Sikoohkotoki / Lethbridge
2025-12-06 14:00 - 17:00 (America/Edmonton) | Owl Acoustic Lounge, 606 3rd Avenue South, Lethbridge, Alberta, T1J 0H4, Canada
Every year for International Human Rights Day, community members in Sikoohkotoki (Lethbridge) and area come together to write letters on behalf of prisoners of conscience around the world.
Please join us for our 19th Annual Write for Rights at The Owl Acoustic Lounge, 606 3rd Ave S, Lethbridge.
Along with refreshments, a silent auction, door prizes, fun group activities, and opportunities to connect, we will also have incredible local performers to inspire your writing.
Featuring local artists:• Olivia Tailfeathers & Stephanie Brave Rock• Willy Big Bull
If you prefer to write from home, you’re welcome to bring your completed letters to The Owl during the event—we’ll stamp and mail them for you.
This event is FREE, open to the public, and welcoming to all ages.
We look forward to writing with you in solidarity for human rights.

Write for Rights in Toronto
2025-12-06 11:00 - 17:30 (America/Toronto) | Centre for Social nnovation, 192 Spadina Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, M5T 3A4
Are you feeling disheartened about the state of things in the world? Would you like to do something to help make a difference? Come join Amnesty International at Write for Rights and write a letter in support of human rights around the world.
Write for Rights is the world’s largest human rights event, marked each year on International Human Rights Day. We in the GTA will be joining Amnesty supporters in over 170 countries to support 10 individuals or groups in Cambodia, China, Ecuador, Honduras, Kyrgyzstan, Madagascar, Myanmar, Norway, South Africa, Tunisia and more.
They need massive pressure from us to protect them from the most serious violations of their human rights. We’ll be writing to the governments responsible for upholding those rights. And we’ll be sending greetings of solidarity and hope to the individuals and groups themselves. Let’s write together!

On Saturday, December 6, drop into the Spadina location of the Centre for Social Innovation at 192 Spadina Avenue (just north of Queen St. W. on Spadina) any time between 11:00am and 5:30pm. We’ll have pens, paper and cards waiting for you.
Special guest speaker, Michael Lynk, lawyer, professor and former UN Special Rapporteur for human rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territory will be joining us in the afternoon.
There will be activities for children and youth, light refreshments will be served, and limited Amnesty merchandise will be available to purchase.

Accessibility needs or questions? Contact marilynjmckim@gmail.com / 416 699 7100.
Can’t join us on December 6? Head to the Write for Rights webpage any time before the end of January 2026.
We guarantee that participating will be a solid antidote to the dark news from so many areas of our world.

Write for Rights 2025 at the Biblio Wakefield Library
2025-12-06 11:00 - 15:00 (America/Toronto) | Biblio Wakefield Library, 38 Valley Drive/ Ch. de la Vallée de Wakefield, Wakefield, QC, J0X 3G0, Canada
On Saturday, Dec. 6th at the Biblio Wakefield Library we’re hosting our annual Write for Rights event from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm. Case studies and writing materials will be provided. Join us at the table with the candle, and write a letter on behalf of those whose human rights have been wronged. Your words count!

Napanee Writes for Rights 2025
2025-12-06 11:00 - 14:00 (America/Toronto) | Napanee Branch of Lennox & Addington Libraries, 25 River Road, Napanee, Ontario, K7R 3S6, Canada
Letter writing or signing of prepared letters for selected Write for Rights cases for 2025. Some online petitions or letters will be available.

Write for Rights 2025 at the Nelson Public Library, BC
2025-12-06 10:00 - 15:00 (America/Vancouver) | Nelson Public Library, 602 Stanley St, Nelson, British Columbia, V1L 1N4, Canada
Amnesty International Group in Nelson is hosting its 24th annual Write for Rights event at the Nelson Public Library in British Columbia on December 6, from 10 am to 3 pm. Drop in anytime to learn about this year’s urgent human rights cases and write letters of solidarity and advocacy.

Write for Rights-Lunenburg, NS, Canada
2025-12-06 10:00 - 14:00 (America/Toronto) | Lunenburg Public Library, 97 Kaulbach Street, Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, Canada
Last December, approximately 230 paper letters (and uncounted emails) were sent in response to our locally organized event. This December, we will be writing together on Sunday December 6th in Room 103 at the Lunenburg Library, 97 Kaulbach Street. You can drop in at any time between 10 AM and 2 PM. We would be very glad to see you join us there. This annual write-a-thon is sponsored by the South Shore Chapter of the Council of Canadians

Write for Rights/Notes of Hope at the Trinity St Andrew's Church
2025-12-06 10:00 - 14:00 (America/Toronto) | Trinity St. Andrew’s United Church, 56 Prince Edward St., Brighton, Ontario, K0K1H0, Canada
Drop in at the Trinity St. Andrew’s Church to Write a letter during the Ten Thousand Villages Sale. Stationary and postage will be provided, or bring your tablet.
Coffee available.

Victoria Write for Rights 2025 at Christ Church Cathedral
2025-12-06 10:00 - 14:00 (America/Toronto) | Christ Church Cathedral, 911 Quadra Street, Victoria, British Columbia, V8V 3G8, Canada
Come to write letters of advocacy, support and encouragement for the 10 cases that Amnesty International presents for Write for Rights this year. Come for a short time or a long time. Write one letter or many. Everything you need will be provided: background information, paper, pens, and envelopes. Coffee and light refreshments to keep you going. Christ Church Cathedral is located at Quadra Street and Rockland Avenue. Enter the door on Burdett Avenue.

Aurora Write for Rights Drop-in
2025-12-06 10:00 - 12:00 (America/Toronto) | Trinity Anglican Church, 79 Victoria Street, Aurora, Ontario, L4G 1R3, Canada
Join us as we work to free political prisoners and demand justice for victims of oppression. Drop in for a few minutes, or stay for the duration. No prior experience needed, and we provide all the materials and assistance you need.

Riverside United Church Ottawa - Write for Rights
2025-12-06 09:00 - 12:00 (America/Toronto) | Riverside United Church, 3191 Riverside Drive, Ottawa, Ontario, K1V 8N8, Canada
This is an open event—everyone is welcome!! Come and write one letter or stay to defend the nine cases featured. Cases will be available, along with letter-writing tips, lots of help, paper, and envelopes. Please bring your own stamps.

Write for Rights at Thompson Rivers University on Dec 03, 2025
2025-12-03 12:00 - 15:00 (America/Vancouver) | Old Main Building, Thompson Rivers University, 835 University Dr, Kamloops, British Columbia, V2C 0C8, Canada
Join students at Thompson Rivers University (TRU) for Write for Rights and take action for human rights around the world. The TRUSU Equity Committee will guide participants through the eight individuals and communities Amnesty International is working with this year. You’ll have the chance to write letters and sign petitions calling for justice.
Date: December 03, 2025Time: 12:00 – 3:00 p.m.Location: Old Main Building, Student Street
Come and make your voice heard!

Group 65 hosts Write for Rights
2025-12-02 19:00 - 21:00 (America/Toronto) | 35 Lytton Boulevard, Toronto, 35 Lytton Boulevard, Toronto, Ontario, M4R 1L2, Canada
Group 65 in Toronto and Eglinton St.George’s United Church will host a Write for Rights Event on the evening of Tuesday, December 2nd, 2025 at 7:00 pm. All are welcome!

Winnipeg Write for Rights 2025
2025-12-02 19:00 - 21:00 (America/Toronto) | 27 Dundurn Place, 27 Dundurn Place, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3G 1C1, Canada
All are invited to Write for Rights! You are welcome to bring a finger-food dish to share. Steaming, non-alcoholic wassail will be waiting for you!

Write for Rights 2025 at Knox United Church
2025-11-30 12:00 - 14:00 (America/Winnipeg) | Knox United Church, 116 - 5th Ave South, Kenora, Ontario, P9N 2A2, Canada
Join Knox United Church in Kenora on November 30 for a Write for Rights gathering. Take part in this global movement by writing letters that support individuals and communities whose human rights are at risk. Every message helps spark hope and create change.

Barrie Hosts Write for Rights on Nov 29, 2025
2025-11-29 14:00 - 16:00 (America/Toronto) | Barrie Public Library, 60 Worsley Street, Barrie, Ontario, L4M 4Y8, Canada
Open letter and card writing event between 2:00 and 4:00 p.m.
Venue: Main level of the Barrie Public Library at 60 Worsley St, Barrie, ON L4M 1L6.

Webinar: Sociological Perspectives on the Death Penalty
2025-11-29 12:30 - 14:30 (America/Toronto) | Online
Please join us on Saturday, November 29, 9:30 PDT, 10:30 CST, 12:30 EDT,1:30 ADT for the ninth webinar in this ongoing series on the abolition of the death penalty. This series is sponsored by Amnesty International Canada, Carleton University’s Youth & Justice Lab, The Human Rights Research and Education Centre at the University of Ottawa, The Canadian International Council (Saskatchewan Branch), The Mardom Foundation, The Paivand Society and the campaign United Against Executions in Iran.
The death penalty is deeply embedded within sociological and sociolegal structures of power that shape its justification, administration, and endurance. A sociological inquiry into this sanction is essential to understanding the complexity of the state’s use of lethal force and its connection to broader regimes of inequality. Personal narratives and lived experiences reveal that capital punishment disproportionately targets marginalized and financially disadvantaged social, racial, and identity groups, thereby reproducing systemic hierarchies of privilege and exclusion. These dynamics expose how state violence is legitimized and sustained through institutionalized discourses of justice and security. This session situates the death penalty within critical social theories, examining it as a site where class, race, and state authority converge to uphold the state’s hegemonic power.
Register for the Webinar on Zoom Here »
Our Webinar Panelists and Moderator
Solmaz Alizadeh was born and raised in Tehran, Iran. She completed her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Biophysics at the University of Tehran before immigrating to Canada in 2003 and settling in Toronto. She continued her academic journey at the University of Toronto, earning a Master of Science in Pharmacology in 2004. Solmaz is currently a Senior Manager of Market Access at Vertex Pharmaceuticals.
Her father, Mahmoud Alizadeh, was a political prisoner arrested in the early 1980s and executed during the mass killings of the summer of 1988. Solmaz has been an outspoken advocate for recognition of the 1988 massacre and has shared her father’s story and her own experience as a family member of one of the victims at various events and public forums.
Mani Azimzadeh is a member of the Iranian community in Toronto and holds a Master of Education (MEd) in Social Justice Education, with Collaborative Specializations in Sexual Diversity Studies, from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) at the University of Toronto. Having faced systemic discrimination throughout his youth for refusing to conform to the Islamic Republic’s ideological demands, as well as due to his sexual orientation, he became actively engaged in protest movements during his student years and afterward in Iran. Mani left Iran in 2011.
As a member of the queer community, Mani became an active contributor to the opposition during the Woman, Life, Freedom movement through his work with Simorgh, the Iranian Queer Community in Toronto. He also collaborates with a range of political opposition groups committed to democratic transformation in Iran. Mani also designs educational programming and courses focused on social justice, democratic engagement, and critical approaches to education.
He currently serves as a Program Manager in a Toronto-based non-profit organization in the field of social work, where he continues to advance his commitment to social justice within both the Iranian diaspora and the broader Canadian context.
Judy Finlay is an associate professor in the Faculty of Community Services, has been a faculty member in the School of Child and Youth Care since 2007. She is currently the co-chair and principal investigator of the Cross-Over Youth Project, which is designed to learn ways to interrupt the trajectory of youth in the care of the state from entering the youth justice system. Finlay’s current research (in which she is also the principal investigator) includes: Mamow Ki-ken-da-ma-win: Searching Together: Enhancing wellness through a partnership-based approach to child, family and community in First Nations in remote northern Ontario. She is a member of the Child and Family Services Review Board and Custody Review Board with the Social Justice Tribunal of Ontario. Finlay was the longest standing child and youth advocate in Canada and was Ontario’s chief advocate from 1991 to 2007. She has worked for more than three decades in the areas of child welfare and children’s mental health. Finlay has participated in the development of children’s rights agendas, youth capacity building and leadership and community development in Mexico, Jamaica, Japan, Guatemala and Sierra Leone.
Raha Bahreini is an Iranian-Canadian human rights lawyer with an expertise in international human rights law. Since 2014, she has worked as Amnesty International’s researcher on Iran. Before that, she assisted the work of the UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Iran. Bahreini’s work has engaged with a wide range of human rights issues including the death penalty, freedom of expression, association and assembly, torture, women’s rights, discrimination against minorities, gender identity and sexual orientation rights, and transitional justice.
Our moderator Samira Mohyeddin has a Master of Arts in Modern Middle Eastern History and Gender from the University of Toronto and Genocide Studies from the Zoryan Institute. She is the inaugural 2024 / 2025 Journalism Fellow at the University of Toronto’s Women and Gender Studies Institute. Samira is an award-winning journalist and producer. For nearly ten years she was a producer and host at CBC Radio and CBC Podcasts. She resigned in November of 2023 and founded ‘On The Line Media’.
Upcoming webinars in this series on the abolition of the death penalty
Towards the Abolition of the Death Penalty is a virtual panel discussion series that tackles the complex question of the death penalty with a view to its abolition in retentionist states, particularly in the contemporary context of the Middle East, in Iran, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Egypt, Syria, and Iraq. The panel series provides in-depth discussions on the death penalty from diverse legal, philosophical, sociological, psychological, and political perspectives. The speakers address and put in context current instances of the death penalty, exploring the dynamics involved in this criminal sanction. The series aims to create a dialogical platform for everyone interested in engaging with the abolitionist discourse to discuss the possibilities and challenges to put an end to the death penalty. Each session introduces the audience to significant aspects of capital punishment, expounding theoretical and practical particularities of the sanction.
December 10 – Session 10, Non-Violence and Forgiveness (Human Rights Day)
Roya Boroumand, cofounder and executive director of the Abdorrahman Boroumand Center for Human Rights in Iran
Bahar Saba, senior researcher on Iran and Kuwait at Human Rights Watch
Omid Milani, Fellow, Human Rights Research and Education Centre, Artist, University of Ottawa
Note: dates and speakers subject to change
Poster & Artwork Design © Omid Milani

Write for Rights 2025 at Spartacus Books
2025-11-29 11:00 - 13:00 (America/Vancouver) | Spartacus Books, 1983 Commercial Drive, Vancouver, British Columbia, V5N 4A8, Canada
Join members of Amnesty International Group 17 (Vancouver Eastside) as we write letters in support of Write for Rights. We supply the pens and paper, buttons, juice and cookies — you bring your passion for human rights and social justice!

Write for Rights at Vancouver Island University
2025-11-27 14:00 - 16:30 (America/Vancouver) | Malaspina Theater Bldg 310, Vancouver Island University, Nanaimo, British Columbia, V9R 5S5, Canada
Hosted by Students and Profs in Studies in Women and Gender and Social Work with VIUFA’s International Human Rights and Solidarity Committee.
Guest speakers, Dr Amel Aldehaib, Sudanese Humanitarian Leaders and Tara Scurr of Amnesty International.
Light Refreshments will be served!
We welcome community members to join in support of International Human Rights.

Write for Rights 2025 : uOttawa
2025-11-26 10:00 - 16:00, 2025-11-25 10:00 - 16:00 (America/Toronto) | 85 University Private, Ottawa, ON, Canada, 85 University, Ottawa, Ontario, K1N 6N5, Canada
Annual Write for Rights Event 2025. Will be held on uOttawa campus in the UCU Building Basement on Nov. 25 and 26 from 10-4PM. There will be raffles, bake sales, Amnesty Merchandise for sale, as well as events from other collaborating clubs.

Write for Rights at Thompson Rivers University on Nov 25, 2025
2025-11-25 12:00 - 15:00 (America/Vancouver) | Old Main Building, Thompson Rivers University, 835 University Dr, Kamloops, British Columbia, V2C 0C8, Canada
Join students at Thompson Rivers University (TRU) for Write for Rights and take action for human rights around the world. The TRUSU Equity Committee will guide participants through the eight individuals and communities Amnesty International is working with this year. You’ll have the chance to write letters and sign petitions calling for justice.
Date: November 25, 2025Time: 12:00 – 3:00 p.m.Location: Old Main Building, Student Street
Come and make your voice heard!

Newcomers in Niagara Write for Rights 2025
2025-11-20 08:00 - 2025-12-22 17:00 (America/Toronto) | Bridges Niagara, 85 Church Street, St. Catharines, Ontario, L2R 3C7, Canada
We will be hosting a series of letter-writing workshops for the newcomer community in Niagara.

McMaster University Write for Rights
2025-11-19 17:30 - 21:00 (America/Toronto) | MCMASTER UNIVERSITY, LR WILSON HALL, 1280 Main St W, Hamilton, Ontario, L8S 4L8, Canada
We’re back with 📝Write for Rights 2025!📝
Write letters and make a difference of the lives of people all over the world. Drop-in when you can. Every letter counts!
📍 LRW 1056
🗓️ Wednesday November 19, 2025
⏱️5:30PM

Write for Rights at Thompson Rivers University
2025-11-17 12:00 - 15:00 (America/Vancouver) | Old Main Building, Thompson Rivers University, 835 University Dr, Kamloops, British Columbia, V2C 0C8, Canada
Join students at Thompson Rivers University (TRU) for Write for Rights and take action for human rights around the world. The TRUSU Equity Committee will guide participants through the eight individuals and communities Amnesty International is working with this year. You’ll have the chance to write letters and sign petitions calling for justice.
Date: November 17, 2025Time: 12:00 – 3:00 p.m.Location: Old Main Building, Student Street
Come and make your voice heard!
