Amnesty International and Cossette "Write for Rights"

Feb. 15, 2021

Each year, Amnesty International uses the power of words to help free people who are unjustly imprisoned by inviting millions of people to write letters demanding action. Over the last 20 years, 127 of the 169 individuals targeted by Amnesty’s campaigns were set free—that’s a 75% success rate.

This year, Write for Rights is shining a light on the plights of prisoners of conscience whose most fundamental rights were violated—from the right to protest and live in safety to the right to a fair trial and freedom of the press. The campaign tells the real-life stories of Melike Balkan, Özgür Gür, the El Hiblu 3, Khaled Drareni, and Nassima al-Sada.

Given the health and lockdown measures in effect, Amnesty International’s write-a-thon mainly took place online, and participants were given additional time so they could send their letters electronically and ensure the initiative was a success.

The campaign drew its creative inspiration from the desire to take a warm, cheery and hopeful approach after a difficult year.

The concept is based on the universal symbol of a pencil and was applied to several visuals as well as three radio spots echoing specific cases targeted by this year’s write-a-thon. Each piece serves as a reminder that even the smallest gesture can have a huge impact—it can change lives.

This vision was made possible by the valuable collaboration between Cossette and Owen Gent, a world-renowned illustrator based in the UK whose aesthetic is similar to painting. His drawings are luminous, vibrant and emotionally charged.