You can help protect people from human rights violations
Fifty years ago, we sent our first Urgent Action. That initiative helped free a detained professor who opposed the military dictatorship in Brazil.
Over the past five decades, the Urgent Action Network has become one of our most effective campaign tools. Here’s why:
- More than 500,000 volunteers worldwide are standing by to help those facing imminent human rights violations.
- They respond immediately with letters, emails, faxes, and social media posts.
- These actions pressure authorities and let them know the world is watching.
- We help protect people from torture, wrongful imprisonment, and abuse in prison.
Urgent actions don’t succeed all the time. But when they do, the impact is life-changing.
Professor Rossi was a longtime ambassador for the Urgent Action Network until his death earlier this year. He was the first person helped by the Network, but he wasn’t the last.
- Rehab Abdel Bagi Mohamed Ali was detained at Khartoum airport in 2002. Nearly a month later, she was released thanks to the Urgent Action Network.
- Mamadou Konaté is a migrant worker from Ivory Coast who lived in Canada for more than six years before facing deportation. After an urgent appeal in 2022, a federal court ruled he could stay in Canada until further notice.
- Anwar Ibrahim, a former deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia, was arrested in 1998 after calling for political reform. Several Urgent Actions helped secure his release. Afterward, he told Amnesty: “From my experience in government and in prison, I can tell you that these letters work.”
We don’t know who will need our help next. But we do hope you will join the Urgent Action Network. You can make a difference in the life of someone who needs your help today!
Urgent Action Network Contact
Amnesty International Canada – Urgent Action Office
urgentaction@amnesty.ca
(416) 363-9933 extension #328
Typical Urgent Actions
Amnesty Internationa’s Urgent Action Network works together to protect people worldwide from the following human rights abuses:
- torture
- unlawful arrest
- “disappearance” in detention
- denial of medical care
- lawful and unlawful executions
Amnesty’s Urgent Action Network mobilizes letter writers quickly. You can read about the situation, follow the suggestions of what to write, and use the contact information to send your message to the appropriate authorities.
Latest Urgent Actions
When an individual is in immediate danger of a human rights violation, Amnesty International mobilizes a dedicated group of letter-writers to take action quickly to protect them. Please take action as soon as possible on the cases listed on this page.
Resources for letter writing
Urgent Action Network Success Stories
Read Amnesty Good News stories
Read about successes from our biggest letter-writing event Write for Rights