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Monthly Mailing for Amnesty UK Local Groups

Hi friend,

Welcome to your October 2026 Local Group Mailing. 🎃

In this month's edition of the Local Group Mailing you will be able to read about:

Office Led Campaigns
Actions Across Amnesty
- Country Coordinator
- Thematic Networks
Fundraising update
Community Organising team
Learning at Amnesty UK
What you have been up to
- Upcoming Events
Upcoming Dates

If you do wish to share any updates, for our November mailing please send your entries and stories to Pip by the Friday 20 November at the latest.

❗ Please note that Decembers Newsletter will be shorter due to the Holiday Period starting.
If you do wish to share any updates, for the December mailing please send your entries and stories to Pip by the Monday the 7 December at the latest.

Please do get in touch with any questions or queries.

Wishing you all a lovely October!

The Local Activism Team!

Office Led Campaigns

Write for Rights 2026

Write for Rights 2026!

This year, our Write for Right campaign shares the stories of ten people, groups and communities from around the world whose lives have been profoundly affected by authoritarian practices.
Their experiences are different, but together they reveal a troubling global pattern, and remind us of something just as powerful: when people come together to take action, change is possible. The campaign features people from around the world as well and two cases from here in the UK.

Now is the time to start ordering resources to support your activities in November and December – we’ve produced an activist guide that will guide you through the campaign and cases, an activist booklet, that will support you in planning activities and meetings, and a set of posters to promote the campaign and your events.

Each of these can be ordered separately and will be posted out to you.

If you need any further support you can email activism@amnesty.org.uk or SCT@amnesty.org.uk

If you haven't already, please consider joining the Community Platform to get further support and advice.

Write for Rights 2026 order form!

Individuals at Risk

Individuals at Risk - Campaign Updates

Urgent Action:

Jailed land rights activist Cấn Thị Thêu has been ill since January 2025. Amid allegations of torture and inhumane conditions, her family is gravely concerned for her health – but you can help Thêu get the treatment she needs. Thêu should be celebrated for her activism, not left to rot away behind bars for speaking out.

Treat 63-year-old prisoner of conscience Cấn Thị Thêu

Release disappeared Kazakh writer Zhengis Reskhan

Urgent Action:

Prominent Kazakh writer Zhengis Reskhan has been detained in Xinjiang, China, since March 2026. His family has received no official information about his whereabouts or legal status. Contact the Chinese ambassador today and demand that China urgently release Zhengis Reskhan.
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Urgent Action:

Trump's ICE are setting up a new child and family detention centre at one of the most polluted sites in the USA. We must force this toxic facility to close.
Write to the Louisiana airpark owner today to demand that this toxic new facility be shut down without delay.

Urgent Action: Close ICE's toxic new child detention centre

Take Action - See all Urgent Actions

Protect the Protest

The Fight to be Heard - Amnesty International UK’s new film on protest – is now live.

We are pleased to announce The Fight to be Heard is now live on the Amnesty International UK website and YouTube - please watch and share widely!

Over the past six years, we have witnessed one of the most aggressive crackdowns on protest in UK history. The Fight to be Heard is a new 25-minute documentary from Amnesty International UK that looks at the growing pressures faced by protesters in the UK today – and asks why we continue to do it, despite the risks. At a time when it’s never been more vital for us to come together, this film is a rallying cry to make sure we continue to have our voices heard.

This is a critical moment to activate our communities and educate people on why protest matters – and the current threats to our right to protest. Putting on a screening of this film for friends, family, your local AIUK or community groups or other networks is a great way of driving awareness and engaging people on this issue.

We’ve built a toolkit to help you host a great screening event. Simply log on / register to our community platform and you’ll get a step-by-step guide to putting on your own screening event, including venues, promotional graphics and press release templates. Do let us know if you are putting on a screening as we may be able to provide speakers (depending on location / date) and further support.

And if you are putting on a screening, please let us know! You can confirm this through the community platform or by emailing activism@amnesty.org.uk.

If you’d like more information or support for your screening, please email activism@amnesty.org.uk.

For more information on the state of protest in the UK, you can also read our new briefing here: Amnesty UK’s new briefing on protest – It’s the Guarantee of Our Rights

Everyday Rights!

Millions across the UK are struggling to afford food, skipping meals or relying on food banks, with charities left to pick up the pieces. But it doesn't have to be this way.

That's why the Everyday Rights Campaign is campaigning for a new Right to Food Act, so that everyone in the UK can access affordable, nutritious food and no one is forced to go hungry.

What actions can you take to help make a difference?

1. Sign and share our petition
Sign and share our petition to call on the new Prime Minister to introduce a Right to Food Bill and make governments accountable for ensuring everyone can afford and access food. Prime Minister: Protect the right to food in UK law

2. Tell your MP
Nobody should worry about putting food on the table. Write for Rights: Nobody should worry about putting food on the table

3. Stay connected with the Everyday Rights campaign
Want to stay up to date with our campaign and find more ways to get involved? Sign up to Amnesty International UK’s new Community Platform and select the Everyday Rights campaign to connect with others, access resources and hear about opportunities to take action.

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Everyday Rights October Campaign Updates

New figures highlight the need for a Right to Food Bill

This work has never been more timely. The latest Trussell report reveals that 17.6 million people in the UK are experiencing food insecurity, an increase of 3.5 million since 2024. This includes 4.6 million children.

Our own polling in September found that 75% of people in the UK have worried about the cost of food in the past year or know someone who has, while 82% support a Right to Food in law. Food insecurity is a growing problem affecting people and communities across the country.

The scale of the challenge is also reflected in the growth of food banks. When Andy Burnham last sat around the Cabinet table in 2010, there were around 35 food banks in the UK. Today, there are more than 2,700.

These figures underline why we need lasting change. A Right to Food bill could help ensure everyone can access adequate, nutritious and affordable food, with dignity and choice.

Join the movement to end food insecurity in the United Kingdom. Check out the Everyday Rights Community Platform page for in-depth information about everything the Everyday Rights campaign is up to!

Click here to access the full report!

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Everyday Rights team attends the Right to Food UK Commission Report Launch

Everyday Rights team attends the Right to Food UK Commission Report Launch

On 20 October, members of the Everyday Rights team attended Parliament for the launch of the Right to Food UK Commission’s report, which sets out a roadmap towards ending hunger and food insecurity in the UK by 2035. We were joined by MPs, people with lived experience of food insecurity, academics and civil society leaders, all working towards a UK where no one goes hungry.

It was an inspiring evening highlighting the urgent need for change and the importance of working together to make the Right to Food a reality.

Click here to learn more and to access the full report.

Taking the Right to Food Receipt to Parliament

Outside Parliament we were joined by MP Ian Byrne and people with lived experience of food insecurity to bring attention to the urgent need for a Right to Food law with our Right to Food Receipt stunt, highlighting what everyone should be able to expect from our food system:

affordable
nutritious food
the dignity of choice.

Check out the photo of the receipt below!

Crisis Campaigns

Sudan: 'Everybody is terrorised.' Unlawful killings, detention, starvation and torture in El Fasher one year after RSF capture

On 23 October Amnesty published an extended press release highlighting new testimony showing surveillance, torture, and killings rife in El Fasher one year on from RSF capture. The press release includes new testimony and analysis by the Evidence Lab and can be found here:
Sudan: 'Everybody is terrorised.' Unlawful killings, detention, starvation and torture in El Fasher one year after RSF capture

Amnesty also responded to the UK has sanctioning 15 RSF and SAF commanders suspected of atrocities and pledging £5 million for survivors of sexual violence, on the first anniversary of El Fasher’s fall to the RSF. You can access the article here: Sudan: ‘Without a ceasefire, it will not end’ - UK must stop arming UAE

Capturing Political Engagement and Intelligence across AIUK

Central to our Make Human Rights a Vote Winner strategy is for all MPs and local leaders to know that their constituents care about human rights and that they want political representatives who prioritise them.

So that we can develop this work as effectively as possible we need to build a picture of how much contact Amnesty UK is having with parliamentarians – particularly MPs, and also capture as much learning and knowledge as possible about them. We have developed a new feedback form to record this. Please can you share any contact you’ve had with your elected representatives – particularly MPs – so that we can build a clear understanding of the scale of political engagement across the movement and provide feedback on progress.

Thank you to everyone who has already shared an update, including the regional networks who have shared updates across multiple constituencies.
We’ll share a summary with everyone once, more response come in!

Please share your political engagement feedback here.

Feedback form

Resources

IOPT - Netanyahu is still a wanted man

Last year the International Criminal Court put out an arrest warrant for Benjamin Netanyahu – Israel’s Prime Minister who has presided over a genocide in Gaza. Remind your community of this fact and demand his arrest by putting up these wanted posters in public spaces around your community.

You can order your poster by contacting the Activism Team.

EVERYDAY RIGHTS - RESOURCES

A selection of badges and Stickers can now be ordered.

ESCR Stickers - Poverty = Political Choice 15 PER SHEET
ESCR Stickers - I (heart) Everyday Rights 15 PER SHEET
ESCR Badges - Poverty = Political Choice SINGLES
ESCR Badges - I (heart) Everyday Rights SINGLES

Place your order here!

Action Across Amnesty

Country Coordinators

Country Coordinators continue to lead a huge amount of Amnesty’s case campaigning work and are always looking for more support with their campaigning. You can see the details of those campaigns in the monthly activist mailing below.

If you and your group are interested in working on IAR cases from a particular country or region the CCs brilliantly placed to support this.

You can find all of their contact information here and you can reach out to them directly to get involved in campaigning on the cases they are prioritising or on any other case you might be interested in.

You can also contact the Activism team directly to request access to a casefile to work on with your group: activism@amnesty.org.uk

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❗ Please note that over the coming couple of months we will be migrating the Country Coordinator Updates to the Community Platform.
From January 2027 please visit Latest Country Coordinators topics - Amnesty Community to access Urgent Actions, News and much more.
We look forward to you joining us!!

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Human Rights in the UK - Newsletter

This newsletter is primarily for Amnesty members and is written in my capacity as Amnesty UK Country Coordinator for human rights in the UK. It aims to give a brief overview of recent events and issues, and to feed into the Snapshot- a regular paper written for members of the Collective for Human Rights in the UK, an open group for anyone with a deeper interest. It takes a deeper look at some of the issues.

Human Rights in the UK Newsletter

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South Asia

South East Asia October Newsletter

New Garment Workers Activist Led Campaign.

Approval has been given for a new Garment Workers campaign led by Ophelia Chidgey and Jerry Allen. This campaign will build upon and amplify existing Amnesty International research on garment workers in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and India. It will build on the previous campaign. It will focus particularly on eight UK-based brands and retailers identified: ASOS, Boohoo Group, Marks & Spencer, Morrisons, Next, Primark, Sainsbury’s and Tesco.

The overall goal is to translate Amnesty International’s research into measurable changes in the policies and practices of UK-based fashion brands, contributing to greater respect for garment workers’ freedom of association and collective bargaining rights.

For brands that have already engaged with us, the campaign will seek to move them from engagement to concrete, time-bound commitments and implementation. For brands that have not meaningfully engaged, the initial objective will be to secure a substantive response to Amnesty’s findings, obtain relevant information, establish dialogue and seek concrete commitments. Where companies repeatedly fail to engage or make meaningful progress, proportionate public campaigning may be considered.

More details and plans will be available soon. Contact for details: Ophelia Chidgey or Jerry Allen.

Refugees in Bangladesh - Email Action

Photos by Salim Khan

Please take action on the deteriorating situation of the 1.2 million refugees in Bangladesh. Please send an email to your MP to highlight the UK’s shared global responsibility and to maintain aid funding.

Bangladesh has more forcibly displaced people than any other country since the huge influx of Rohingya in 2017. After 9 years, the Bangladeshi government treat this as a short-term crisis. They restrict refugees’ rights to education, legal protection, and freedom of movement. Severe international funding shortfalls have intensified these vulnerabilities. The refugees face escalating violence within the camps, insufficient access to food and clean water, inadequate protection against floods and landslides, and a rise in exploitation. Escaping by the sea is dangerous. Further details are outlined in a recent Amnesty International UK blog.

This campaigning is asking that the UK Government to:

Reaffirm and scale up dedicated humanitarian aid to these refugees.
Press the Bangladesh government to halt forced returns of Rohingya refugees.
Use diplomatic to advocate for expanding access to rights within the refugee camps.

Please send the email to your MP.

For more information, please contact Jerry Allen Jerry Allen, and visit our Amnesty Community Platform!

Letter to MP

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Mexico - Urgent Action

This is the Second UA 55/26 regarding Alberto Amaro, a journalist who has received several threats, most recently in September 2026 against his life and that of his family. Since 2019, he has been attacked, threatened and arrested by police officers and intimidated by members of organized crime groups. Although he is under protection from the Mexican government’s Protection Mechanism for Human Rights Defenders and Journalists, the Board sought to reduce his security measures earlier this year, when Amaro issued an injunction against the Mechanism as the proposed security measure reductions are inadequate. Several journalists have been attacked or killed while under state protection, demonstrating the Mechanism's intervention is insufficient, poorly implemented, or not properly monitored. We call on the Protection Mechanism for Human Rights Defenders and Journalists to guarantee Alberto Amaro’s safety through appropriate and effective measures.

Urgent Action

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Russia - Write for Rights

Daria Egereva, an indigenous rights defender in Russia and representative of the Selkup people, has been charged with participation in the activities of an organization designated as terrorist by the Russian authorities (Article 205.5, Part 2 of the Criminal Code), which carries a possible sentence of 10 to 20 years in prison.
Egereva is a prominent human rights defender and climate activist who has long been engaged in international advocacy for Indigenous Peoples. She serves as Co-Chair of the International Indigenous Peoples’ Forum on Climate Change (IIPFCC) and is widely recognized for her leadership in advancing Indigenous rights globally.
Daria Egereva’s work has been entirely peaceful and focused on human rights. She has worked on the protection of traditional land use, as well as the rights of Indigenous Peoples to land, language, and culture. She has also been involved in expert and educational initiatives. Her work has been grounded in dialogue, international cooperation and sustainable development.

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China

Uyghur Solidarity Month 2027: Get involved next summer!

We are recruiting local groups across the UK to stand with us in our unique and powerful campaign, Uyghur Solidarity Month in August 2027! We are hoping to build 30 partnerships, creating teams between activists and Uyghur people. Every day in August, we will platform one partnership via newsletter and Instagram - each partnership (you and your Uyghur contributor(s)) will decide on an Uyghur word, the creative activism, and political action. We would connect these teams together, and offer support in terms of planning, executing, and promoting the final artwork, which will be prepared and shared in advance of the August campaign.

In 2026, the contributions from our local groups were shared via our own USM newsletter (~250 people), to our Instagram account with approx. 120k views in August alone, official Amnesty International communication to 20k Chinese-language supporters, on blogs that saw several thousand search results from mainland China, appeared in published news media in five languages, exhibited in a SOAS University National Library exhibition, and in several cases artefacts are finding new permanent homes internationally (Paris, London, Belgium).
Our efforts in amplifying your efforts will extend from partnership and conception, through the creative stages, and all through long-term dissemination.

Interested in learning more about this campaign? Please join us
Email Emily Upson to learn more at any time.

📅 Tuesday 10 November 2026
🕑 6:30pm - 7:30pm
📍 Online - TEAMS

ONLINE INFORMATION WEBINAR: 10 November 2026, 6pm-7:30pm

Join the Webinar

Thematic Networks

UN - Network

As part of the UN Network’s Veto Campaign and following our Embassy Crawl on the 5 September, which included a rally in front of the French Embassy, Janet Phillips (campaign lead) and Katia Chornik met with the French Ambassador, Hélène Duchêne, and Sophie Lecoutre, Strategic & Security Affairs Political Counsellor, on 30 September to discuss efforts to stop the Security Council veto being used against resolutions aimed at stopping/preventing mass atrocities.

The meeting included discussion of renewed momentum for the French–Mexican veto initiative, particularly with the UK’s recent endorsement.

Further details, please contact amnestyunnetwork@gmail.com.

Want to know more about the UN Network? Please visit the Amnesty Community Platform

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Anti Death Penalty Project

Watch the recording

Thank you to everyone who's attended the Anti-Death Penalty Project webinar on 5 October, which described our new campaign highlighting the use of the death penalty as a tool of repression and intimidation. Please click on the above button to watch the recording if you weren't able to attend the webinar.

A huge thank you to our speakers, Emily, Lara and Richard, who are AIUK’s Country Coordinators for China, Iran and Saudi Arabia. We appreciate their consist explanations of the key issues for their countries.

If you would like to hear more about their work in the future, or join their newsletters, please contact them here:

Emily
Lara
Richard

Keep in touch with the ADPP

We would like to have you with us as we develop this campaign, please sign up to receive our monthly newsletter. Sign up here.

If you’d like to ask other questions or request a speaker to talk about this issue, please email here.

We have our own page on Amnesty UK’s new Community Platform, so this is a good place to check in on our work.

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Join our Thematic Networks

Our networks are activist led, bringing together experience and expertise from across the Amnesty movement to campaign for human rights change in their areas of focus.

Join Our Networks:

Join the Urgent Action Network

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❗ Please note that over the coming couple of months we will be migrating the Thematic Network Updates to the Community Platform.
From January 2027 please visit Latest Networks topics - Amnesty Community to access Campaign Actions, News and much more.
We look forward to you joining us!!

Fundraising Update

Individual Giving

Freedom Raffle - Christmas 2026

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Help free Egyptian human rights defender Marwa Arafa

What if you opened your post and found a cheque for £10,000? What would you do first? What would it change for you?
Stand up for what you believe in this Christmas! Enter the Amnesty Freedom Raffle and get the chance to win £10,000 or one of 85 other cash prizes. Tickets are now only £1, so there’s never been a better time to enter the Amnesty Freedom Raffle.
Raffles help fund our vital human rights work. When you play the Freedom Raffle this Christmas, it’s a win for human rights. Don’t miss out! Win for Freedom this Christmas. Enter Today.

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Marwa Arafa is a mother, translator and human rights defender who advocates for children. Today, she is also a prisoner of conscience.
Marwa’s alleged ‘crime’ was helping the families of people detained for political reasons, and she’s been charged with “joining a terrorist group and financing a terrorist group and terrorists”. And her rights have been repeatedly violated. She’s been denied access to a lawyer and adequate medical care. And she’s been held in pre-trial detention for six years despite the legal limit in Egypt being 18 months.

Marwa’s next court appearance is 17 October 2026. This is our moment. It is vital that we act now to free her.

Please donate today to help fund the fight for her release.

Help free Egyptian human rights defender Marwa Arafa

Help fund the Fight!

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Local Group Fundraising Update

This month’s local group fundraising updates focuses on two groups who have recently held the latest edition of events they have now been holding for many years. We love seeing regular events like this, that not only raise vital funds to support the work of Amnesty International UK but also ensure the group has profile in their community and keep human rights on the agenda.

October Fundraising Report

Community Organising

Silencing Dissent

New report launch – Silencing Dissent: UK Universities’ Response to Palestine Solidarity on Campus

Amnesty International UK’s new report, Silencing Dissent: UK Universities’ Response to Palestine Solidarity on Campus, examines how universities across the UK have responded to Palestine solidarity activism over the past three years, including restrictions on campus events and the disproportionate impact on racialised students and staff.
The findings raise urgent questions about freedom of expression, the right to protest, and the role universities play in protecting these fundamental rights.

But documenting the evidence is only the beginning. Now, we need to turn these findings into action.

Through our student-led Defend Dissent campaign, we're bringing people together to challenge restrictions on campus activism and push universities to do better. We're calling on universities to adopt and implement our Defend Dissent Charter, taking practical steps to protect freedom of expression and ensure students can organise without fear of censorship or reprisal.

You don't have to be a student to be part of this movement. Whether you're an alumnus, a member of your local community, university staff, or simply someone who believes in the right to protest, there are ways you can help.

Access the full report here!

Explore the report and campaign

Read the report: Silencing Dissent
Find out more about Defend Dissent: Discover the campaign
Explore and share the Defend Dissent Charter: Read the Charter
Read more about restrictions on Palestine solidarity activism: Explore the European Legal Support Centre's Index of Repression.

Turn the findings into action

Call on universities to do better

Universities have a responsibility to protect freedom of expression and the right to protest. You can write to your university's Vice-Chancellor to share the report, raise its findings and urge them to adopt and implement the Defend Dissent Charter.
We've created a template letter for alumni, students and local community members to help you get started.

Spread the word

Share the report and Charter with your friends, networks, local community groups and anyone who cares about freedom of expression. The more people who know what's happening on our campuses, the harder it is for universities to ignore these concerns.

Help build pressure for change

If you have connections to a university, whether as an alumnus, a local resident, or a member of its wider community, you can help bring these issues to the attention of university leaders and encourage others to take action too.

Join us in defending dissent!
In solidarity,
The Student Action Network (STAN)

Amnesty Teacher Programme

Are you, or do you know, a teacher interested in teaching about human rights, developing rights respecting classrooms and empowering children and young people to take action?

If so, please join us on this year’s online Amnesty International teacher training course.
This course will explore topics including:

An introduction to human rights education
Practical ways to diversify curriculums
Activities to explore LGBTQ+ rights using dialogue and discussion
How to explore refugee rights using picture books, stories and art
How to take a human rights approach to build belonging and challenge misogyny and sexism in schools
How to build skills to empower children to take action for human rights

More information and apply here.

Apply here!

Local Group Audit 2026

The 2026 Local Group Audit is now open, and we'd really like to hear from your group.
It runs until 30 November.

The audit helps us in two ways. First, it shapes how the Local Activism team plans for 2027: the training, resources and support we offer, and where we focus our time. Second, it shows us what's working and where there are challenges in groups across the UK, so we can share and reflect on the insights as a movement. Many groups are successfully recruiting new members, have built strong relationships with your MP, with local councillors and with other community organisations, and those relationships are a big part of Amnesty's power.
When we know where they are and how they were built, we can help other groups do the same.
You can fill in the survey here: Local Group Audit 2026 It takes around 10 minutes. If you can, do it together at a meeting, or check in with other members first, so your answers reflect the whole group. If you've already done our Group Health Survey earlier this year, you can skip the first section.
We are also sharing a PDF version of the survey questions for reference.
If you are having difficulties in accessing the link or completing the surveys, please feel free to contact me directly Philippa Griesbach. I am happy to have a separate chat with you.
Thank you for all your hard work this year.🙏
Best wishes,
Pip Griesbach

School Speaker Programme

As some of you may be aware, we have re-launched the School Speaker programme, which is when Amnesty trains up confident activists to go into schools and sixth form colleges to give talks and run workshops.

Firstly, if you were once a school speaker before, we would love to hear from you and keep you updated on the new programme.
Secondly, if you think you would make a good school speaker please reach out so we can invite you to our new training program (the next cohort will be trained up at the start of next year).
And also if you are a local group activist, we would love to know if you have a connection or relationship with a school in your local area where we could send a school speaker to help encourage a youth group to be established.

Since September we’ve been into 10 schools across the country and spoken to around 1000 students and we want to keep this momentum going.

Interested in finding out more and how to become School Speaker?
Please get in touch with Aydin Dikerdem Community Organiser – Youth Movement Building.

Amnesty Shop - Christmas Range

New Amnesty Shop Christmas Range out now!

This year, we are pleased to be able to offer you 10% off everything at the Amnesty Shop, as well as FREE P&P, on orders over £75. We know that activists do amazing work for Amnesty. Buying and sending out cards and gifts from the Amnesty Shop is another way in which you can get involved and help spread our message. As always, we really appreciate your on-going support.

Many groups also buy cards and gifts at the discounted rate, to sell at stalls or Write for Rights events. All the money you make goes straight to your group fundraising efforts. Christmas cards are always very popular, so make sure to stock up on those for your stalls!

Visit the Amnesty Shop

To order online please visit Amnesty Shop and set yourself up with an account and log-on.
Enter the code 10AMNGRP into the Gift & Promo Codes box on the Payment Options stage of the checkout to receive your 10% off and FREE P&P (minimum spend: £75). Our catalogue is being printed a little later this year, please email SCT from October to a request a copy.

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Stock up on Amnesty gifts!

Amnesty Trade Catalogue

Planning a Christmas stall, Write for Rights event or other fundraising activity?

Amnesty Shop is piloting a new trade offer, giving Local Groups the opportunity to buy selected products in larger quantities at preferential prices (starting at 20% off for orders of £250 and over).

This new offer is an additional option to explore for larger orders.

Interested in finding out more? Get in touch at merchandise@amnesty.org.uk to discuss products, pricing and availability.

Amplify 2027 🎉✨ - Safe the Date 📅

We are pleased to share that the dates and venue are set for Amnesty UK's biggest event of the year – Amplify and our AGM. Please save the date:

📅 Friday 9th July - Sunday 11th July 2027
📍 Glasgow Caledonian University
🎫 Donations are welcome!
How to join: 💻 Online or 🧑🏾‍🤝‍🧑🏼In person

Tickets will be available in February, along with information about financial support to attend the event and the first programme announcements – so keep your eyes peeled!

Amplify in Scotland
We are so excited to be heading to Glasgow for this year’s Amplify. After a successful event in Sussex in 2026 and Coventry in 2025, we wanted to shine a spotlight on all the brilliant work in Scotland and the North of England.

Don’t forget – Amplify is a hybrid event!
If Glasgow is too far for you to travel, we will have an engaging online version of the event. This will allow participation in both the AGM and other activities accessible to people across our movement.

We also aim to make some of the programme available after the event on the Amnesty Community Platform – make sure you are registered in advance so you don’t miss out!

Digital Transformation

This document outlines Amnesty UK’s Digital Transformation Programme, which is improving systems, tools, and online spaces to better support activism, campaigning, and collaboration. It explains key developments such as replacing the CRM, launching a new website, creating a Knowledge Hub, and introducing the Amnesty Community platform

It also clarifies how the website and Community platform serve different roles, why content like blogs and events has moved, how resources are divided between staff and activists, and how the platform ensures safety and accessibility. Finally, it highlights ongoing improvements, plans, and practical updates such as website changes and search functionality.

Digital Transformation Update

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Updated Policy Frameworks

Activist Led Campaigns and Third party/Partnership working/Due diligence

Firstly, a huge thank you to the activists who have led work on re-working and updating our Activist Led Campaigns (ALC) framework and third-party working frameworks. The updates ensure they’re aligned to our new strategies and that they’re giving activists the freedom they need to campaign effectively, powerfully – and as safely as possible.

We’ve tightened timelines, clarified areas of confusion or inconsistency, modernised processes and added a bit of nuance to both types of campaigning and to types of partnership working. We’ve removed processes that were redundant and tried to enhance and smooth any that are genuinely necessary.

Both frameworks are live on the Community Platform. Please do take a look, have a read and familiarise yourself with them, and let us know if you have any questions. The ALC framework pages now link to some of the current campaigns being run across the movement – with the rest to follow shortly. Do have a look at these too and get involved!

To find out more please visit our Community Platform page for the Third Party Guidance!

Activist led Campaigns

Working with 3rd Parties

General Communications

Activist Essential Training - Reminder

If you are a Local Group Chair, Lead Activist or a Community Platform Moderator and for compliance reasons you have to complete three essential trainings.

GDPR
Safeguarding
IDEA (IDEA is optional to complete for CP moderators).

Please contact Charlotte Vigueur at [insert email address] so you can be added on the e-learning platform Moodle if you are either a Lead Activist or a Community Platform Moderator.

We've created an explainer video on how to get on Moodle, please watch in here for clearer instructions: Clipchamp

Policy: Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in AIUK Activist

The purpose of this policy is to be clear how Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools can be used by Amnesty International UK (AIUK) in the course of its work in ways that mean the tools are selected and used appropriately, securely, and ethically. It also establishes oversight and monitoring measures to support legal compliance and effective policy management.

This policy applies to anyone employed by AIUK as well as paid contractors, volunteers under instruction from AIUK, members of both AIUK Boards and any Board sub-committees, consultants or suppliers when using Artificial Intelligence tools for AIUK organisational purposes.
Thank you!

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Your Local Group mailing - YLG

Requesting a Your LG Mailing to invite members and supporters in your region.

To request the mailing please email Activism team activism@amnesty.org.uk

Advising them the Post codes you wish to send the mailing to
When you are looking to send out the mailing (date). Please note that we normally require a notice of 7-10 workdays
Provide the Blurb and any links and images you wish to share

Important note on timeline of requesting Your LG Mailings:
If you are looking to advertise an event with Your LG Mailing, we recommend for the mailing to be sent about 1 week prior to the event. As we require a notice period of 7-10 workdays to schedule a mailing, we kindly ask for Your LG Mailings to be requested ideally 3 weeks prior to the event.

Bank Account Set Up for Amnesty Local Group

Please note that it has come to our attention that, over the past month, several banks and building societies have started charging interest on bank accounts held by Amnesty Local Groups. This unfortunately now also includes previously recommended NatWest and Co-Operative Bank

We are very sorry if your local group has been affected by this issue. Although we do not currently have specific guidance on which banks or building societies align with Amnesty's values and ethical finance policies, we would like to share the following link Compare Free Business Bank Accounts UK | BusinessComparison

Please be advised that we are actively looking into finding a long-term solutions to the issue.

Thank you Pip

Learning at Amnesty UK

This month the Human Right's Education team is highlighting one new course and two trainings opportunities!

🖼️ Social Media Skills: How to Create Engaging Content Designs on Canva, 6pm, Monday 2 November

Social Media Skills: Canva - Amnesty International UK
This training will cover the basics of using Canva, including how to navigate the platform and create engaging designs. It will also show you how to access and use our approved templates, helping you create content that is both visually effective and consistent with Amnesty UK’s brand guidelines.

This session expects that you already have a basic understanding of how to use social media!

How to Create Engaging Content Designs on Canva

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Political Organising Training Programme

New sessions of our Political Organising Training are available! Through a series of practical online workshops, you will learn how to build meaningful connections in your community, hold persuasive and non-polarising conversations, grow a team of committed local leaders, and develop a strategy that makes human rights count before, during and after elections.

Sign up for the Free Training

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✊🏽 Amnesty UK & Politics 101, 11am, Thursday 12 November

Amnesty UK & Politics 101
A practical introduction to advocacy in today’s polarised and hostile environment, who shapes political decisions in practice, and how human rights can become politically relevant and persuasive.
Learn how local action connects to national impact, how to move beyond awareness-raising to real leverage,
and the role Amnesty activists play in making human rights politically consequential — including during elections.

AIUK & Politics 101

🗣️Storytelling 103, 6pm, Tuesday 17 November

Story Telling 103
Use world-renowned organiser Marshall Ganz’s Public Narrative framework to craft a compelling Story of Self that explains why you care and why others should join you in fighting for human rights. Through practice, explore how your personal experience connects to shared values and motivates collective action. The session supports Amnesty’s strategy to root human rights in lived experience, making them feel human, relevant, and unavoidable in public debate.

Story Telling 103

What you have been up to

Ely Amnesty Group

On 27 September, Anoosheh Ashoori gave the Ely group’s annual lecture in Ely Cathedral. Approximately 60 people attended, lingering afterwards to look at the exhibition on ‘Surviving Evin’, and raising over £300.

🙏

It was a very powerful and moving event and Ely Amnesty were delighted to be presented with a beautiful gift - pictured - which includes a pressed Morning Glory flower grown in Evin prison.

The lecture was lice streamed and you can access the recording here.

Want to find out more? Come and visit us on the Community Platform!

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Mid-Warwickshire Amnesty Group

Voices Against Injustice is a podcast series exploring human rights and injustice around the world through conversations with activists, campaigners and experts.

In the first two episodes, Fiona and Steph, both members of Amnesty International’s Mid-Warwickshire group, explore the issue of illegal demolitions in Palestine and India.

In Episode One, they speak with two long-standing activists, Astrid and Naeem, about their experiences of campaigning for human rights, what motivates them to take action, and what keeps them going in the face of injustice.

In Episode Two, they are joined by Peter Frankental from Amnesty International UK, author of the report 'JCB Off Track'. The report examines the role of JCB machines in demolitions in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and raises questions about the company’s responsibility for human rights violations associated with their use.

Through personal experiences, expert insight and open conversation, Voices Against Injustice aims to explore not only the injustices themselves, but also the people who speak out against them — and why their voices matter.

Episode One
Episode Two

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Kent Network

Say No to Palantir in our NHS - International Day of Action - 1st October 2026.

Our No to Palantir in Kent Group protested outside three hospitals on this day and these formed part of national protests across 40 different locations in the UK.

The day would not have been possible were it not for the collaboration between the Amnesty Kent Network, Palestine Solidarity Campaign, No to Palantir in Kent and Medway Women for Palestine - I apologise if I have missed anyone of this list.

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Maidstone Hospital - part of The Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust

The Police had dutifully been notified of our three protests and were on hand at all locations on the day. This also meant that the Maidstone hospital managers had been informed and had sent around an all staff email advising our protest. The great thing about this is that it elevated the Palantir discussion, and they know now we are going to continue working on the Campaign.

Our first protest took place for an hour at the main exit to the hospital and then we moved to the entrance for a further hour. Many information flyers were handed out alongside several good conversations with NHS staff and visitors.

A big thank you to the No to Palantir in Kent team that travelled all the way from Margate - I hope we can support a future protest in Thanet.

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Tunbridge Wells Hospital at Pembury - part of The Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust

We then moved to Tunbridge Wells and were joined by several other people including the Tunbridge Wells Amnesty Team and a Green Councillor. We protested outside the main entrance / exit to the hospital and again handed out many flyers and engaged in some good conversations with people.

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Medway Maritime Hospital

A big thank you to Sultana and her team for planning a great protest out the Medway Hospital.

🙏

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London - Palantir HQ

Thank you to the people that attended this protest outside Palantir HQ in London.

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Sheffield Amnesty Group

Say No to Palantir in our NHS - Day of Action in Sheffield went well!

The Group supported a stall outside the town hall - over 100 signatures on the petition, and many, many leaflets given out.

***

Below you can find a couple of images from the protest outside the Royal Hallamshire

This was run in conjunction with Medact, global justice Sheffield and Sheffield Save our NHS - a coalition in the making!

Want to find out more? Come and visit us on the Community Platform!

🙏

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Mid Gloucestershire Amnesty Group

On Wednesday the 30 September the Amnesty Mid Glos Group held their annual fundraising quiz at the local Amnesty supporting pub in Stroud.

The landlady gave a short speech in support of Amnesty. The also had a raffle and raised £290 for Amnesty. Always a fun night and Amnesty leaflets were distributed widely.

🙏

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Manchester Amnesty Group

Manchester Amnesty has had a very busy past month. Alongside our weekly vigil for the People of Palestine, we have contributed to the campaign to get Palantir out of the NHS, participating in the 1 October Day of Action, and helping to get a "No Palantir" motion passed by Manchester City Council.

We joined with activists from other organisations to protest about the continued detention and ill-treatment of Dr Hussam Abu Safiya and other Palestinian health workers.

Manchester member Tom Milnes co-organised a workshop at the Together Alliance Manchester Summit on the 17 October, where Ilyas Nagdee, AIUK's Racial Justice Director, was one of the speakers.

Finally, for some light relief, we had a stall at the Fair Trade Eco-Fest at Manchester Cathedral on the 3 October.

Come and visit us on the Community Platform!

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Ipswich Amnesty Group

Amnesty Ipswich held two fundraising events in September - a ukulele band concert with popular songs to sing along to and a quiz night.

The Group raised £456 and £209 respectively!

🙏

Come and visit us on the Community Platform!

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Exeter Amnesty Group

On 18 October, 9 members and supporters of Exeter Amnesty walked 7.5 miles to raise money for group funds.

Unlike last year, we had the most amazing weather. It was a lovely opportunity to talk about a whole range of issues and we enjoyed a bring-and-share meal afterwards.

🥾 🥾 🥾

Come and visit us on the Community Platform!

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Watford Amnesty Group

On Sunday 18 October, the Watford Group partnered up with Watford Friends of Palestine to support Amnesty's national No Palantir in our NHS campaign. They also have joined a coalition of groups to petition Herts County Council to stop all contracts with Palantir.

Please so sign the petition if you live, work or study in Hertfordshire.

Bolton Amnesty Group

Members of the Bolton Amnesty Group Amnesty undertook a sponsored walk on Saturday 19 September.
Five intrepid walkers from the group braved wind, rain and sun on a 9-mile route over the Lancashire hills around Ramsbottom and Helmshore. Thanks to generous sponsors we raised nearly £500 for the work of Amnesty.

Come and visit us on the Community Platform!

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Croydon Amnesty Group

Members of Croydon Amnesty joined the Croydon Unity March against fascism and racism on 3rd October.

The marched from Croydon University Hospital to North End where there were speeches. There was a good turnout, and we were clapped, cheered and honked on route.

✊🏽

Come and visit us on the Community Platform!

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A Petition a Week

A petition about human rights in the UK and beyond, into your inbox every week. Together we can make a difference.

If you would like to sign up, either individually or as group, go to apetitionaweek.substack.com/subscribe and feel free to get in touch with me at apetitionaweek@outlook.com.

Thank you!

Please see here full list of Petitions

Upcoming Events

Wells Amnesty Group

Wells Amnesty Group will be organising several events in the run up to Christmas and into the new year.

There will be a coffee morning around the corner from Wells Market Square on Saturday 7 November from 10.30am-12pm. It is being hosted by the group's treasurer, Audrey Standhaft and drop ins are welcome! Please contact the secretary at wellsamnestygroup@gmail.com for the address. There is limited parking nearby.

In December, the group will be bringing Amnesty International’s global Write For Rights campaign to Wells. Write For Rights is an annual event that encourages people to send messages of hope to prisoners of conscience across the world and to petition governmental decisionmakers to implement the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1948. Write For Rights stalls will be held in the cloister of Wells Cathedral on Tuesday 1st December from 11am-2pm, and in Penniless Porch on Saturday 5th December from 10am-3pm. Greetings cards to prisoners of conscience will be available for people to sign.

To start 2027 off on a positive note, a fund-raising quiz night is planned for January. Please stay tuned for further details.
Anyone interested in joining Wells Amnesty Group can email the secretary at wellsamnestygroup@gmail.com.

You are most welcome to attend the next group meeting which is scheduled for Friday 30th October at 2:30pm – 3.30pm.

📅 Saturday 7 November 2026
🕑 10:30am - 12:00pm
📍 Wells Market Square
🎫 Donations are welcome!

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Upcoming Dates

See more on the Amnesty Events page. Post your events on the website via this link.

7 November 10:30am-12:00pm In-Person Event hosted by the Wells Amnesty Group "Coffee Morning": Contact the Wells Group

10 November 6:30pm - 7:30pm - Online Event hosted by CC for China: Webinar: "USM Information Seminar" - Join the Webinar here

For updates and event hosted by Local Group, Thematic Networks, and Country Coordinators, please do explore our Community Platform!

We also invite you to join our upcoming Political Training Session. Register for one, some or all of our training Modules

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