FAQ: Sending letters during Covid -19

Due to the Covid-19 crisis, sending appeal letters can be challenging. Postal services can be affected, going out can be dangerous or anxiety inducing. We encourage our supporters to use electronic means of communications wherever they can, following the government’s advice to stay home.

We are answering your frequently asked questions below for more clarity.

Why is there no email/postal address? 
We aim to provide you with the most reliable ways of communication. If we haven’t included an email/postal address, this means that there is no reliable email/postal address to reach the target. 

I don’t use emails and there is only an email address, what can I do? 
In that case you can send a letter to the embassy of the target country. We always include the embassy address for each target at the bottom of the UA. 

I don’t use social media. What can I do? 
Social media is a very effective to reach our targets. Twitter is the most effective way to reach decision makers. You can find out how to set up a twitter account here.
If you don’t want to set up a social media account, you can send a letter/email to the country’s embassy.

My email bounced back, what do I do? Why? 
Some inboxes get blocked by governments when they start receiving a high number of appeals, or inboxes simply get full. If your email bounces back, please let us know and try a different way to reach the target (email embassy, post, social media). 

My letter was returned, why? What can I do?
If your letter was returned, this means that the target country’s postal services are not working. Please let us know so we can alert our country teams. 

Can I send my letter to the AIUK office?
Unfortunately, we cannot send appeal letters on behalf of our supporters. 
Due to the Covid-19 crisis, all AIUK staff members are working from home until further notice, so we won’t be able to check the mail you send us. 

I’ve received a reply. What do I do? 
Please send us a copy so we can share with our country teams. Replies from governments are very important to track case developments. 

Before sending your letter, please check the international incident bulletin from Royal Mail.

If you have more questions, please get in touch iar@amnesty.org.uk