AND SOSwritten and sung by Piero Pelùto win the 24th Amnesty International Italy Award in the Big section, recognition for the best song on human rights published in the previous year by a leading artist of Italian music. The award is promoted by Amnesty International Italy together with the association Voices for Freedom.
An award that rewards a song born, in the artist's intentions, as an appeal on human rights and ongoing conflicts, and which Pelù had chosen to spread in an unconventional way.
“SOS”, the song given away outside the platforms
The song was written, recorded and made available for free in a few hours in October 2025 by the same Piero Pelùon their site. A choice that the artist explained like this:
“I decided to make it downloadable for free on my site because I didn't want to use platforms involved in weapons and propaganda of dictators.”
On the meaning of the piece, Pelù said: “I wrote SOS last October, a song that came from my heart and which talks about the genocides taking place in every part of the world (and in particular the Palestinian one) and the fundamental role of NGO rescuers in places of war (in particular Doctors Without Borders and the Global Sumud Flotilla for their role in generating media attention on Gaza).”
Reasons for the award
Illustrating the reasons for the recognition was Riccardo Nouryspokesperson for Amnesty International Italywhich defined the song “poetic and powerful, raw and evocative at the same time”underlining how it rises from it “the need for a future, for that right to happiness which is and will be the only condition thanks to which you can keep hate out.”
In thanking Amnesty, Piero Pelù made an appeal: “The sociopolitical period we are experiencing is so complex and dangerous that only with the joint commitment of each of us in our respective fields will we be able to aspire to be a planet still suitable for women and men who grow and practice the absolute value of peace.”
The other candidates and the presentation of the award
Together with Pelù they competed for the prize Rag dolls (with “Without permission”), i Baustelle (“Green Song, Toxic Love”), Diodate (“I don't believe it anymore”), Geneva (“Female”), Ibla (“Ritual”), Fiorella Mannoia (“Heroes”), Murubutu (“Lowercase”), La Nina (“Daughter of a storm”) e Willie Peyote (“Thanks but no thanks”).
A group across ages and genders, united by texts that range from the environmental crisis to the female condition, up to solidarity, migration and resistance.
The award is linked to the 29th edition of the festival “Voices for Freedom – A song for Amnesty“, scheduled in Rovigo from 24 to 26 July. Due to the coincidence with Litfiba's summer tour, however, the award will not be awarded during the festival as per tradition, but on 16 July at Rock in Roma, during the band's concert.
