Some good news (Amnesty International)

Your activism helped free Iranian human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh. Thank you. Dear Tracy, A year ago, Nasrin Sotoudeh was languishing in prison - jailed by the Iranian government on trumped up charges of "spreading propaganda against the system." The human rights lawyer was serving a six-year sentence. She couldn't visit with her husband or two young children. In protest, she staged a 49-day hunger strike. Today, she is free thanks in part to your support of Amnesty International. After years of campaigning on her behalf, Amnesty celebrated Nasrin's release in late September. We often write to you about people like Nasrin who have been unjustly imprisoned. As the holidays approach - a time when we reflect on the year that has passed -- we also remember the victories we helped secure. You helped free Nasrin and other prisoners of conscience, like Shi Tao of China and Cuban journalist Calixto Ramón Martínez Arias. You helped pressure the US to sign a historic treaty to keep conventional weapons out of the hands of human rights abusers. You helped mobilize a global movement to save Beatriz - a 22-year old woman in El Salvador who was being denied lifesaving medical treatment by her government. These are just a few of the victories you helped make possible. I hope they inspire you as much as they inspire me. Thank you for your partnership and your ongoing commitment to human rights. Sincerely, Steven W. Hawkins Executive Director Amnesty International USA