Amnesty International

Amnesty International (commonly known as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization with the stated purpose of promoting all the human rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international standards. In particular, Amnesty International campaigns to free all prisoners of conscience; to ensure fair and prompt trials for political prisoners; to abolish the death penalty, torture, and other treatment of prisoners it regards as cruel; to end political killings and forced disappearances; and to oppose all human rights abuses, whether by governments or by other groups.

History

Amnesty International was founded in 1961 by a British lawyer named Peter Benenson. Benenson was reading his newspaper and was shocked and angered to come across the story of two Portuguese students sentenced to seven years in prison – for the crime of raising their glasses in a toast to freedom. Benenson wrote to David Astor, editor of The Observer newspaper, who, on May 28, published Benenson's article entitled The Forgotten Prisoners http://www.amnesty.fi/history/the_forgotten_prisoners.htm that asked readers to write letters showing support for the students. The response was so overwhelming that within a year groups of letter writers had formed in more than a dozen countries, writing to defend victims of injustice wherever they might be. By mid-1962, Amnesty had groups working or forming in West Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Ireland, Canada, Ceylon, Greece, Australia, the United States, New Zealand, Ghana, Israel, Mexico, Argentina, Jamaica, Malaya, Congo (Brazzaville), Ethiopia, Nigeria, Burma, and India. Later in that year, a member of one of these groups, Diana Redhouse, designed Amnesty's Candle and Barbed-Wire logo.

Related Topics:
1961 - British - Lawyer - Peter Benenson - Portuguese - Freedom - David Astor - The Observer - May 28 - 1962 - West Germany - Belgium - Switzerland - Netherlands - Norway - Sweden - Ireland - Canada - Ceylon - Greece - Australia - United States - New Zealand - Ghana - Israel - Mexico - Argentina - Jamaica - Malaya - Congo (Brazzaville) - Ethiopia - Nigeria - Burma - India

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In its early years, Amnesty focused only on articles 18 and 19 of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights – those dealing with political prisoners. Over time, however, the organization has expanded its mission to work to prevent and end grave abuses of the rights to physical and mental integrity, freedom of conscience and expression, and freedom from discrimination, within the context of its work to promote all human rights. Amnesty's current major global campaign is "Stop Violence against Women". In 2000 alone, AI worked on behalf of 3,685 named individuals – and in over a third of those cases, an improvement in the prisoner's condition occurred. Today, there are upwards of 7,500 AI groups with around a million members operating in 162 countries and territories. Since AI was founded, it has worked to defend more than 44,600 prisoners in hundreds of countries.

Related Topics:
United Nations - Declaration of Human Rights - 2000

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In 1977 Amnesty won the Nobel Peace Prize for its work defending human rights around the world.

Related Topics:
1977 - Nobel Peace Prize

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~