Amnesty International’s Urgent Action Network has been on of our most effective campaign tools. Read about the successes of different actions taken around the globe.
Yuly Velásquez is a human rights defender and environmentalist in Colombia. She is president of the Federation of Artisanal, Environmental and Tourist Fisherfolk of the Department of Santander (FEDEPESAN), an organization whose members are threatened and attacked for trying to protect the environment from pollution.
At a ceremony in Berlin on June 4, Yuly was presented with a prestigious human rights award from Amnesty Germany. Yuly was given the award for selflessly defending human rights despite the dangers.
Yuly said the award will help raise the profile of her organization’s work and pressure the Colombian authorities to address human rights violations. “We dedicate this award to the fishers who were murdered and dumped into the river, while those who murdered them have gone unpunished,” Yuly said. “We dedicate it to the widows and orphans, to the protectors of rivers, wetlands, and canals.”
A unanimous decision on May 13 by the Council of Europe’s European Committee of Social Rights is an important victory for the Romani people in Italy in their human rights struggle.
The Committee ruled that Italy had breached the European Social Charter with respect to the housing situation of Romani communities. Italy must now ensure adequate, non-segregated and non-discriminatory housing for Romani people.
Romani communities in Italy have long faced segregation, forced evictions, and discrimination. Across Italy, the authorities have placed Romani families in camps, often in appalling living conditions.
The European Committee of Social Rights’ decision was in response to a complaint filed by Amnesty International in March 2019. Amnesty’s complaint drew on more than a decade of research by Amnesty and partners into the housing situation of Romani people in Italy.
“I would like to thank Amnesty International and all those who mobilized and called for my release!” said Burkinabe human rights defender Daouda Diallo after he regained his freedom in March. “These appeals were a light in the solitude of my ordeal and a reminder that I was not alone.”
Daouda’s nightmare began four months earlier when he challenged the legality of the government conscripting him into the military. Daouda was one of several high-profile figures targeted for conscription. While visiting a government office, he was apprehended by security agents and driven to an unknown location. Alerted to his enforced disappearance, Amnesty International quickly issued an Urgent Action appeal calling for his release.
Your support made a difference and now Daouda is reunited with his loved ones. “Today I’m delighted to be back home with my family, my comrades and my colleagues!” he said.
Iraqi Kurdish journalist Guhdar Zebari was freed after more than three years of unjust imprisonment on February 17. His lawyer thanked Amnesty supporters for campaigning for Zebari’s freedom and said that those efforts had a positive impact.
Authorities in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq arrested Zebari in October 2020 along with four other journalists and activists. Following a grossly unfair trial, a court sentenced him to six years in prison on false charges of spying. The trial was tainted by allegations of torture and the use of coerced confessions. Twice, while Zebari was in prison, his sentence was extended on other bogus charges.
While Zebari’s release is welcome, he should never have spent a single day behind bars.
There was good news in Zimbabwe on July 22 when former member of parliament Job Sikhala was finally acquitted by the High Court of charges of “incitement to commit violence”.
Sikhala was arrested with fellow opposition leader Godfrey Sithole and 14 other men in June 2022. Amnesty International issued an Urgent Action appeal following their arrest. Sikhala spent 595 days in pre-trial detention until he was released in January 2024 after receiving a suspended two-year prison sentence. But it took another six months of campaigning before Sikhala’s wrongful conviction was quashed.
Despite the positive outcome in Sikhala’s case, the Zimbabwean authorities are still cracking down on dissent. Since mid-June, more than 160 people have been arrested, including politicians, union leaders, students and journalists. Amnesty is demanding an end to such violations and for all detainees to be released.
Eren Keskin is a prominent human rights lawyer and vice-president of the Turkish Human Rights Association. For decades, she has had to work in a climate of fear and intimidation. As far back as 1995, she was imprisoned for her human rights activities and declared a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International.
On May 2, 2024, Eren won a victory in her long fight for justice when a court in Istanbul acquitted her of charges of “insulting the Turkish nation”. She had been prosecuted for comments she made about the Armenian genocide of 1915.
Through the decades, Amnesty supporters have stood with Eren, responding to Urgent Action appeals when her life and safety were threatened. In 2016, Eren was one of the cases featured in that year’s Write for Rights letter-writing marathon.
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Human rights defenders like Atena Daemi and Bernardo Caal Xol confront powerful governments and corporations to seek justice for their communities. Meanwhile, Amnesty supporters, like Ann, donate, volunteer and write letters to these powerful entities in order to support courageous human rights defenders.
You can also help build your own transformative human rights legacy through a gift in your Will to Amnesty International, once you have provided for your loved ones.
Together, we can keep hope alive.
Sahra Omer joined Amnesty International’s Supporter Services team in June. With over three years of experience in creative fundraising, Sahra has a keen ability to engage diverse audiences. Her expertise in research, media management, and digital marketing makes her a valuable addition to the team.
Before joining Amnesty, Sahra gained extensive experience working in government where she excelled in strategic communication and project management. Sahra’s passion for communications and her commitment to making a positive impact have been the driving forces behind her career. She holds a BA in Global and International Studies and a Graduate Diploma in Interactive Media Management. Beyond her professional life, Sahra enjoys graphic design and calligraphy.
On December 10th, International Human Rights Day, Amnesty supporters in Canada and around the world will be Writing for Rights, sending letters, emails and petitions to take action on critical global cases. Join the world’s largest human rights advocacy event. You are needed more than ever. Join us. It’s easy to take part!
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