In December 2011, Amnesty International shone a light on 14 individuals cases and achieved our biggest Letter Writing Marathon ever!

Together we generated over 1 million actions with events taking place in more than 80 countries. This is a fantastic achievement, really building on the successes of last year's event, which saw action in 51 countries and generated 636,139 appeals.

Hundreds of thousands of people took part, writing letters, signing petitions, sending SMS messages and taking action in many other different ways. Our supporters also called on their friends, families and communities to take action, drawing their attention to the 14 cases in a multitude of creative ways including street art and light projections. Even the Niagara Falls in Canada was illuminated in yellow for the occasion.

The best news, however, has been what's happened since the marathon for Jabbar Savalan and for Inés Fernández Ortega and Valentina Rosendo Cantú.

Jabbar Savalan, an Azerbaijani student who was sentenced to two and a half years for a Facebook post, has been released. He was freed after less than 11 months in prison when he received a presidential pardon on 26 December. Jabbar's lawyer, Anar Gasmiov, said that the pardon was "Amnesty's victory" and thanked all Amnesty supporters who wrote appeals to the President.

Jabbar says: "It feels good to be with my friends again. I feel good now that I can spend time with them and my family.  Amnesty International is a symbol of human rights and freedom, not just in Azerbaijan, but everywhere in the world. I am grateful for all the hard work done by your organization and other organizations which fight for freedom in Azerbaijan"

We have also had an update on another case. The Mexican government has formally taken responsibility for the rape and abuse of Valentina Rosendo Cantú, through a Public Act of Acknowledgement that took place on 15 December. This was one of the steps demanded by the Inter-American Count of Human Rights.

Valentina says: "The road to follow is still very long, however, we will like to take the opportunity to truly thank you for all your support; without your letters, your action and your solidarity, we would have not achieved this moment. To each one of you, Nomaá (Thank you in Me'phaa)".

Here are just a few of the exciting events that took place:

In Canada, Niagara Falls was illuminated yellow on 10 December. Friends and supporters of Amnesty International gathered in front of the Falls carrying lanterns featuring images of individuals at risk.

In Croatia, people at a human rights film festival watched videos about the individuals featured in the Letter Writing Marathon, and then took action on their behalf.

In Vienna, Austria, images of the individuals at risk were projected in Michael's Square.

In Accra, Ghana, a large portrait of one of the people featured in the Letter Writing Marathon was projected at Kwame Nkrumah Circle, a central spot in the city.

In two cafes in Puerto Rico there were "case menus" on the tables, and the waiters encouraged customers to write letters while waiting for their coffee.

In Spain there were 24-hour letter writing marathons organised by local groups in over 50 cities and towns across the country.

You can take action below on behalf of people at risk around the world.