"We believe human rights abuses anywhere are the concern of people everywhere." (Amnesty International Website) Amnesty International is an organization that works to stop human rights abuses and free political prisoners. It's a worldwide organization that has millions of members who want to make the world a more tolerant place.
Amnesty International was started in 1961. It has members in over 150 countries and territories around the world. They have offices in 80 countries. Most of its members are volunteers. Volunteer groups adopt prisoners in foreign countries. Amnesty International won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1977. It also won the United Nations Human Rights prize for its support of human rights.
Amnesty International works to do many things. Here are some of the things they do:
- ask for justice for people whose rights have been violated
- work for fair and speedy trials for political prisoners
- work to stop executions and torture
- work to free people that are in prison "for their beliefs, color, ethnic origin, sex, religion, or language, provided they have neither used nor advocated violence." (Amnesty International Website)
- campaign so all people may receive the human rights listed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
- put pressure on government officials to release political prisoners
- protect the rights of refugees
- bring about an end to violence against women
- bring an end to the death penalty
Here are some of the ways they try to accomplish their goals:
- create letter writing campaigns
- create e-mail petitions
- send people to observe political trials
- send people to investigate human rights abuses
- hold large demonstrations
If you find out about a human rights abuse you can contact Amnesty International! You can also join or donate money to the organization.
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