Amnesty's global write-a-thon starts today

Each year, in the days surrounding Human Rights Day -- December 10 -- Amnesty International holds a global write-a-thon, in which activists send "a tidal wave of letters and postcards on behalf of courageous individuals around the world who are being imprisoned or persecuted for their beliefs."

The 2009 write-a-thon begins today, December 5, and continues through December 13.

This year, letters will go out on behalf of:

• Aung San Suu Kyi, a Nobel Laureate from Burma who has been imprisoned for 14 of the last 20 years;

• Mohammed Mohammed Hassan Odaini, a Guantanamo Bay detainee who remains jailed despite being cleared for release over 2 years ago;

• Rita Mahato, a health worker from Nepal who has received death threats for seeking to protect women from violence;

and more.

Get involved:

>> Pledge to participate in this year's write-a-thon.

>> Download case sheets and sample letters for all 10 cases for this year's write-a-thon.

>> Read success stories from previous write-a-thons. Our letters really do make a difference.