Top 10 words of 2008‏

	Thank you for being there when the world needed you most. Check out our top 10 wins below and watch our year-in-review video Top 10 Words of 2008

			You made the difference.
			Watch out year-in-review video Top 10 Words of 2008

We’re all so busy these days just trying to keep up with life.

But, you’ve made the time for Amnesty and human rights this year - and that really means a lot. I hope you’ll stop what you’re doing and sit for two minutes to reflect on your accomplishments.

Here are just a few wins you can take credit for:

1. 1.5 million letters: online and hand written letters delivered to governments worldwide and Congress here at home.

2. 116 people protected from persecution and danger: from China to Turkey to Myanmar (Burma) to the United States, your letters worked! And helped free innocent human rights activists and political prisoners.

3. Death penalty executions averted: 18 stays or commutations worldwide (8 in the U.S., 2 in Texas). And tens of thousands of letters and numerous vigils for Troy Davis mean he’s still alive today, fighting for justice in the state of Georgia.

4. 500+ groups or individuals met face to face with lawmakers: Amnesty International supporters met with their Members of Congress on Darfur, Guantánamo and violence against women.

5. Guantánamo Bay replica cell tours the U.S.: Amnesty brought a two-ton, bright orange replica of a Guantánamo Bay cell to 11 cities, including both national political conventions. More than 12,000 people toured the cell, and 10-15 million either read about it in their local or national newspaper or saw the cell on TV.

6. President-elect promises to close Guantánamo: since it opened, Amnesty has been on the frontlines pushing for its closure. This past year’s heightened campaigning helped support President-elect Obama’s decision to close Guantánamo.

7. Local groups make a big impact: Group #133 mobilized its annual "Get on the Bus" event. More than 1,200 activists traveled to Manhattan for a day of demonstrations at the U.N. missions of Sudan, Sri Lanka, Libya, Myanmar and India.

8. Pretty Bird Woman House: secures a shelter house in March 2008. We wrote letters to the town of McLaughlin, SD urging their assistance in opening the shelter. This follows the original hard-hitting research Amnesty conducted last year on violence against Native American and Alaska Native women.

9. Universal Declaration of Human Rights: for its 60th anniversary, Amnesty releases several videos online, including an exclusive music video track available on iTunes. Total viewership worldwide reached over 500,000.

10. Progress made on legislation: your in-person visits, together with all your letters, petitions and online actions meant that our Government Relations team had the backup and grassroots support needed to secure some important legislative victories:

• Growing number of Republicans and Democrats co-sponsored the International Violence Against Women Act
• Millions of dollars set aside for peacekeeping and humanitarian aid in Darfur.
• Habeas corpus gains affirmed by the U.S. Supreme Court survived proposed rollbacks in Congress.
• Senate passed a resolution calling on the United Nations to stop the flow of weapons into Darfur by expanding the current arms embargo to all of Sudan.
• Progress made to include funding to stop violence against Native American and Alaska Native women in the 2009 appropriations bill
• Funding package to Mexico included important human rights safeguards

I could go on. But you see my point. We’ve made hard-earned progress this year – and we can do even more in the year ahead. And that’s all because of the countless people, just like you, taking time to write a letter, or send an action to a friend, or respond to an appeal with a generous donation.

You’ve made the difference. So thank you.

I look forward to 2009 with hope and renewed optimism as to what we can achieve together.

Sincerely,

Larry Cox
Executive Director
Amnesty International USA