amnesty@ucb: Cal Students for Human Rights: Letter Writing Guide

Even if you're a new member, you may have already guessed that letter writing is one of the most important things that Amnesty does. And there's a simple reason why: letter writing works. It's helped Amnesty to free over 40,000 prisoners of conscience (people who are imprisoned for their beliefs). We also combine letter writing with other components of advocacy, such as lobbying (meeting with our elected representatives to talk to them about human rights issues), and I'll tell you more about lobbying in a future post. For now, here's everything you need to know to write an effective letter about human rights:

Be polite and respectful. Don't use offensive language--it can backfire! Even when you are writing to governments that have poor human rights records, be sure to demonstrate that you are approaching the matter from a reasonable, well-informed perspective, and assume that your reader is also reasonable and willing to listen to and consider your appeal with an open mind. It's human nature: people are more accommodating if you are polite rather than accusatory.
Be clear and concise. Your letters are probably going to be read by workers in a government office who have little time to devote to each individual letter. Repeat key words, such as the name of the prisoner of conscience you are writing on behalf of. Keep your letters under a page (in some cases, a short paragraph is enough).
Use proper letter writing etiquette. Use proper openings, such as "Dear Senator B," or "Your Excellency," (the letter writing template Amnesty provides will tell you which one to use). Use proper closings, such as "Respectfully," or "Sincerely,". Conclude the letter with a sentence thanking the recipient for their time, such as "I thank you for your time and look forward to your prompt action on this important issue."
Know who you are writing to. Has the person you are writing to already made commitments to human rights? Thank them for their previous statements, then introduce what you are asking them to do now. Have they supported a human rights issue similar to the one you are working on now? Suggest that, by supporting your issue, they can further their work to support human rights.
Know what you are asking for and be constructive rather than merely pointing out a problem. Often, we write letters to our elected representatives in the United States; they may not actually be able to stop a human rights violation occurring in another country, but they can do things like speaking out against human rights violations and exerting other forms of diplomatic pressure. They can also vote for and co-sponsor resolutions in the House and Senate relating to a particular human rights issue. When you are writing letters to them, you want to be specific about what you are asking from them. Rather than just saying, "Dear Senator X, I am concerned about the situation in Country Y.", try saying something like, "Dear Senator X, I am concerned about the situation in Country Y, where Amnesty International has stated that mass atrocities are occurring. I believe it is our obligation to respond to these serious violations of human rights and call on you to co-sponsor Senate Bill Z, which is an important step in working to stop the violence in this region."
Think about why the person you are writing to should pay attention to you. If you are writing a letter to your senator or representative, mention that you are their constituent (ie, that you live in their district), and include your address at the bottom of the letter. (If you're from out of state, you can still write to California senators or representatives, but you should also write to your senators and representatives from back home if you can, because letters from constituents are more effective.) If you are writing a letter to a foreign government, you don't have the same leverage over them because you aren't their constituent, but you can still call on them to take a particular action by referring to international human rights treaties they have signed. For example, say that Country A is accused of practicing torture, but they ratified the Convention Against Torture. You could write something like, "I call on you to ensure that Country A does not practice torture and upholds the Convention Against Torture, which your country has ratified."