Loneliness is creeping in.  You’ve pushed beyond the limits of exhaustion.  Your bones ache and tears have dried to your face.

You can’t go on like this. 

Then, the letters arrive.  At first, just a few.  Then, day by day, they grow.  Soon, beautiful messages scrawled on colorful paper and decorative cards fill your world.  These are letters written by people in nearby cities and far away countries.  They are messages of support and solidarity, hope and inspiration, and strength and motivation from people you don’t even know.  They are messages written to both you and those who have imprisoned you.

At that moment, you realize that these aren’t just letters – they are life lines.  You feel free again.

Today, we officially kick-off Write #4Rights, our annual Global Write-a-thon.  This is the time of year we ask you, our supporters, to build upon Amnesty’s now 51-year tradition and incredible history of writing letters to save lives.  We’ve selected 10 powerful cases of groups and individuals who could use your support in the form of a letter.  Please take the pledge to write a letter and possibly, save a life.

Any friend of Amnesty International can tell you what we mean when we talk about “the power of the letter.”  It has driven our work from the very start.

When our founder, Peter Benenson, heard that two students from Portugal had been jailed for drinking a toast to freedom, apathy was not an option.  Instead, he put pen to paper.  He asked readers of The Observer newspaper’s editorial section to write and mail letters to governments on the behalf of prisoners of conscience like these two Portuguese students – at the time, a truly groundbreaking concept.

He certainly didn’t know it then, but that editorial would become the foundation for the greatest human rights movement in history – Amnesty International.

Today, we continue to revolutionize how we write for human rights.  We tweet, we text, we email and we post.  These tools have become essential to building momentum, amplifying our message and strengthening our impact.

Even though our toolkit for effective human rights advocacy has grown, nothing, and I mean NOTHING, compares to the power of the letter.  Year after year, we see the proof.   From the release of an Azerbaijani blogger jailed for posting on Facebook to winning freedom for a journalist sentenced to hard labor for criticizing the Sri Lankan government, these are the results we see when together, we put pen to paper and write for rights!

Won’t you join us?  Take the pledge now to Write #4Rights. 

As the Thanksgiving holiday approaches, we wanted to pause and give thanks to our members and supporters for helping to make freedom and justice possible for countless people this past year. Here are some highlights of the successes and progress you helped to make possible.

Jean-Claude Roger Mbede of Cameroon

Release of prisoners of conscience

Facing calls from around the world, governments released numerous prisoners of conscience in 2012. From a young activist in Azerbaijan who protested the government, to a student in Cameroon who was imprisoned on charges of “homosexuality” to an Egyptian blogger who criticized the army’s abuse of peaceful protest, the power of your voices helped open prison doors for individuals at risk around the world.

A visit from a human rights hero

On her first visit to the U.S. in more than 20 years, Burmese democracy leader, Nobel Peace Prize winner and Amnesty Ambassador of Conscience Daw Aung San Suu Kyi joined Amnesty International USA to inspire the next generation of human rights activists in a town hall meeting with young people at Washington, D.C’s Newseum. We were both grateful and humbled by her presence.

Turning the tide against the death penalty

The diminishing enthusiasm for executions, though not quite enough to pass California’s Prop 34, is reflective of the national trend away from the death penalty. Growing moral qualms about the practice of killing prisoners, combined with frustrations over costs and worries that errors could lead to executing the innocent, are spreading across the country, including Connecticut, where the legislature voted to abolish the death penalty this year.

Momentum for marriage equality

This year, we saw incredible momentum in support of marriage equality for same-sex couples. Voters supported pro-marriage equality ballot measures in Maryland, Maine and Washington state and rejected a discriminatory ballot measure in Minnesota. And, two U.S. federal appeals courts struck down the provision of the federal “Defense of Marriage Act” that defines marriage as between one man and one woman, in a ruling that is a victory for both marriage equality and for human rights.

Thousands rally to free Pussy Riot

When news broke of three young women who were charged with a hate crime after performing a peaceful protest song in a Russian cathedral, thousands rallied for their release. The three young members of feminist punk collective “Pussy Riot” were sentenced to two years in prison, prompting artists, activists and celebrities such as Madonna, Paul McCartney, Pete Townshend, Alex Kapranos, Corinne Bailey Rae and many others to stand up and support them. This outpouring of support was critical to keep the pressure on authorities as they considered the band members’ fate. Now, with one of the members conditionally released and the two others facing horrible conditions in penal colonies, we must continue to keep the pressure the Russian Authorities on until they’re free.

We want to thank you for your involvement with Amnesty International and for your steadfast support for freedom, justice and human rights around the world.

US President Barack Obama gives a thumbs-up after winning the 2012 US presidential election in Chicago on November 7, 2012. Photo: SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images

When President Obama was first elected in 2008, many human rights activists rejoiced. It had been eight long years where the United States tortured, detained hundreds without charge and trial and tried to justify the horrors of Abu Ghraib.  His first campaign for the White House offered the promise of an administration that would recapture the United States’ credibility on human rights issues, bringing detention practices in line with international law, repudiating secrecy and ensuring that human rights weren’t traded away in the name of national security.

More simply, President Obama promised a new dawn of American leadership, one in which human rights would be given more than lip-service.

Unfortunately, the first Obama administration broke many of its promises when human rights were pitted against national security interests. When it comes to countering terrorism, President Obama has hidden behind national security imperatives to shield administration policy in secrecy and pursue programs such as expanded drone use and thwarted accountability.

President Obama’s second term will determine whether the post 9/11 stains on the United States’ human rights record are an anomaly or the new normal.  It was Mitt Romney who said of the challenges of counter-terrorism that ‘we can’t kill our way out of this mess,’ But too many of President Obama’s policies are an attempt to do just that:  kill lists, drone strikes and disposition matrixes will not restore the United States’ credibility or the respect it needs around the world to keep the United States safe.

Unlawful killings and other human rights violations sanctioned by the U.S government undermine the rule of law globally, creating a climate in which other countries can point to a double-standard to justify their own human rights abuses with the refrain, ‘if the U.S. government does that, why shouldn’t we.’

The United States’ power and influence should derive from its commitment to the rule of law and to advancing human rights and dignity.  President Obama should not trade that away at any price.

President Obama has been given a second chance to keep his promises on human rights. Don’t blow it.

Amnesty activists descended on Times Square the week before Arms Trade Treaty talks began in New York. (c) Bob Scott

After years of campaigning and weeks of negotiations, the Obama Administration stunned civil society and the human rights community when it did a last minute about-face and scuttled progress toward a global arms treaty that was to have come to closure last Friday.

On the final day of the July 2012 Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) Conference, at a moment when the 190 assembled delegations thought an agreement was at hand, the US, joined by Russia and China, announced they did not have enough time to resolve problems they saw in the text.

This announcement, followed by intensified lobbying by the National Rifle Association, has delayed progress towards regulating the flow of arms around the world. The National Rifle Association is now crowing about their victory in heading off the treaty.

As the world’s largest arms exporter, the US had a crucial role to play advocating for a strong Arms Trade Treaty that would help protect the lives of the more than 500,000 people killed each year as a result of the conventional weapons that will be addressed by this treaty. On Friday, the US Government showed the world a staggering abdication of leadership when it helped pull the plug on the talks just as they were nearing a historic breakthrough. At a time in world history where it is needed more than ever, the Arms Trade Treaty would require nations to deny arms export licenses where there was an overriding risk that the weapons would be used to facilitate serious crimes against humanity.

Raising eleventh-hour issues with the treaty language and wanting more time to consult with itself, the Administration slowed momentum that was about to lead to a vital treaty being finalized at the United Nations to curb the global flow of arms and help save some of the 500,000 civilian lives lost each year in armed conflict. When the talks began a month ago, many feared that China or Russia might sabotage the talks. Few imagined the United States would be the spoiler. The Administration bears heavy responsibility to support moving the talks forward in the coming months and ensuring they reach a successful conclusion.

This is definitely not the end. Amnesty International will continue to push for the strongest possible agreement that helps saves lives and protects human rights. It is the hard work and support of Amnesty members, supporters and allies that enables us to collect thousands of petition signatures, rally in the streets, and show the world why we need to regulate the global transfer of weapons. Your voices have been heard, and we will together fight for and win the world’s first Arms Trade Treaty.

Amadou Maiga from Mali, who has lost friends in conflict, spoke in front of a mock graveyard across from the United Nations which represents those killed by arms everyday around the world. (Control Arms Coalition/Andrew Kelly)

After 10 years of campaigning and three weeks of final negotiations, yesterday afternoon saw the belated delivery of a draft text for the Arms Trade Treaty. Governments are now in the midst of intense negotiations as they look to reach an agreement by Friday.

The draft includes a requirement that each government assess whether there is a substantial risk that an international arms transfer would be used for serious violations of international human rights law or international humanitarian law, which is the “Golden Rule” we’ve long campaigned for. It would also ban transfers for the purpose of facilitating genocide or crimes against humanity.

In short, a strong Arms Trade Treaty will make it much harder to send arms to places like Syria where they will be used to harm civilians and violate their human rights.

As the world’s largest arms exporter, the U.S. has a crucial role to play with its key partners in the negotiations, both in fixing these problems and in standing firm against other skeptical governments who might still try to weaken the draft. Moreover, the U.S. must not water down the “Golden Rule.”

With only a few days left we need your voice more than ever. Join us in calling on President Obama to ensure that the final text of the treaty addresses these concerns, and in particular, that it does not weaken the Golden Rule and covers all conventional weapons, munitions and equipment – such as small caliber artillery, drones, some armored and riot control vehicles, tear gas, and military aircraft and helicopters – that are commonly used for war crimes and serious human rights violations.

A strong Arms Trade Treaty will make it much harder to send arms to where they will be used to harm civilians and violate their human rights. We believe the treaty can be a major step forward in preventing many atrocities.

Together we have come this far. Now we need to make sure President Obama pushes a strong Arms Trade Treaty across the finish line. Will you help us?

Right now, weapons have weaker trade regulations than bananas.

Many governments and most U.S. allies agree with human rights groups that the Arms Trade Treaty should not permit weapons exports where there is a substantial risk of serious human rights violations or war crimes, like those being committed in Syria.  However some influential states, including the United States, Russia and China, are trying to promote weaker treaty rules.

The United States should seek better company.

On Thursday, July 12, U.S. negotiators asserted that even a substantial risk of mass atrocities should not necessarily prevent states from proceeding with arms exports. Just hours later, the news broke about yet another atrocity in Syria—reports describe the Syrian army’s attack on the village of Tremseh with helicopter gunships and tanks.

The unfortunate timing of the Syrian tragedy and the U.S. delegation’s back tracking at the United Nations highlight the deadly consequences of the absence of any clear international constraints on the flow of conventional weapons.

A strong treaty with human rights at its core — which has the support of most NATO countries, Canada, Japan, Australia and other close U.S. allies – would also curb exports of weapons that escalate drug wars, sex trafficking, and sexual violence.

One person dies every minute in armed conflict; 1,500 people every single day.  In more than 60 percent of the human rights abuses documented by Amnesty International, weapons were involved, from mass rapes and executions to disappearances and the recruitment of child soldiers.

These are the real weapons of mass destruction, killing person by person and village by village.

Amnesty was shocked to learn that there are more stringent rules governing  the global trade on bananas and bottled water than there are on the export of AK-47s.

A strong Arms Trade Treaty has the potential to begin to bring some control over a world awash in weapons that fuel armed conflicts and human rights abuses.

As these negotiations reach their conclusion this month, the United States should stand with its allies, not align itself with Russia, China, and other unscrupulous arms suppliers.  Without U.S. leadership to promote a strong Arms Trade Treaty, irresponsible countries will continue to send weapons to Syria, Sudan, and other crisis spots, exploiting loopholes carved out by the United States against its own long-term interests.

President Obama must not weaken this vital global effort.

The Administration has acknowledged that the Arms Trade Treaty would implement global standards that are similar to those that the United States has already adopted in its own approach to arms transfers.  The State Department, according to its website,

“vets its assistance to foreign security forces, as well as certain Department of Defense training programs, to ensure that recipients have not committed gross human rights abuses.  When the vetting process uncovers credible evidence … [of] a gross violation of human rights, U.S. assistance is withheld.”

So why is the U.S delegation at the arms talks advancing a global standard weaker than existing U.S. practice?

According to its statement on Thursday, the U.S. government now prefers a treaty that only requires countries to take “into account” a range of considerations – including human rights concerns, national security, and regional stability – before deciding to ship weapons to countries where the risk they will be used to commit serious violations of human rights is high. Especially troubling is the United States’ assertion that “we want to ensure that states are asking the right questions and striving to strike the right balance when making decisions about the export of conventional arms.”

This fence-straddling approach won’t stop the flow of guns and bullets, tanks and gunships into the hands of dictators, armed militias and others.

After more than ten years of work to place the treaty on the U.N. agenda, we need a clear international standard against arms transfers that fuel abuses.  The absence of such constraints has allowed weapons to pour into Syria, making possible 16 months of government-sponsored bloodshed that has claimed more than 14,000 lives.  Those who have exported weapons to Syria are willing accomplices to the conflict.

It’s time for the United States to help end this onslaught and come out in favor of an Arms Trade Treaty that is strong on human rights.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton shakes hands with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the "Friends of the Syrian People" conference in Istanbul, April 1, 2012. Yasin Bulbul/AFP/Getty Images

This weekend, the roughly 80 nations that make up the “Friends of the Syrian People” conference met in Istanbul, Turkey, to decide next steps in dealing with the ongoing conflict and human rights crisis in Syria. Bloomberg and other media reports indicate that the group of nations has formally adopted a US government proposal to “form an accountability group to track human rights violations and atrocities.”

According to Bloomberg, the US government will provide $1.25 million to fund the effort:

The group would train and mentor Syrian investigators and lawyers, establish a secure database to store the information, and establish a prosecutor’s unit to collect and analyze evidence that could be used against regime officials in Syrian or international courts, the State Department official said.

Such an effort is a welcome step in the pursuit of accountability for the Syrian government and justice for the Syrian people. The initiative should help ensure that the crimes against humanity and other human rights violations perpetrated by the Syrian government are carefully and credibly documented so that victims of torture and other violations have a greater chance of obtaining justice, be it in Syria or in an international forum. Russian and Chinese vetoes of UN Security Council action on Syria mean that Bashar Al-Assad and those that abet his crimes will not go to the International Criminal Court (ICC) anytime soon. With ICC referral out of reach for now, the efforts of “Friends of Syria” to lay the groundwork for future accountability are particularly important.

It goes without saying that the effort should be conducted in an impartial and independent manner. That means that the accountability group should also document reports of human rights abuses committed by members of armed opposition groups.

If successful, this plan could create an important precedent and model for the international community to foster accountability.