How long has amnesty international been around

To begin with, Amnesty International was a British organization, but in an international secretariat was established. Ten years after its foundation the organization comprised more than voluntary groups in 28 countries and the figures are steadily rising. In February this year there were groups in 33 countries.

In the statutes adopted by the organization in these three tasks are named as the most important ones for Amnesty International. Power, Jonathan. Amnesty International. The Human Rights Story. New York: McGraw Hill, Well-illustrated journalistic account. When the organization launched its first global campaign against torture in the s, many armed forces around the world used it, often against political prisoners. The group's campaigns contributed to an awareness that helped push for the creation of United Nations resolutions against the use of torture, which have now been signed by more than countries.

Amnesty International bases its campaigns on evidence gathered by its activists. In war zones, where civilians are most vulnerable to armies and militias, documentation of human rights abuse is required to hold war criminals accountable.

The organization kept a public record alleging to show Russian, Syrian and the US-led coalition war crimes during Syria's war. Amnesty International seeks to stop the flow of weapons to war zones, where they can potentially be used against civilians.

Although an international treaty imposes rules designed to regulate the international arms trade, buying and selling weapons is still on the rise. Some of the largest arms exporters, like Russia and the US, have not ratified the treaty, and many others fail to comply with it. Governments and religious figures have slammed the group's advocacy for rights such as access to abortion. In this picture, Argentine activists place dozens of bouquets of parsley and other herbs used to induce abortions at the doors of the National Congress in Buenos Aires.

Since the s, Amnesty International has grown into a broad global network of activists who, in addition to participating in global solidarity campaigns, work to tackle local human rights abuses. With millions of members and supporters around the world, the organization has helped spare thousands of prisoners from death and detention. Little did Peter Benenson know at the time that an article he wrote in would come to shape Amnesty International's code, encapsulated in the words above.

Perusing the morning papers, he had come across an article about two Portuguese students who were jailed after raising their glasses in a toast to freedom in a restaurant. At the time, Portugal was ruled by the dictator Antonio de Oliveira Salazar. Outraged by their detention, Benenson in his piece called for their release and urged readers to write letters to the Portuguese government.

But Benenson didn't stop there. His article also listed other human rights violations around the world. He used the term "prisoners of conscience" to highlight the plight of "any person who is physically restrained by imprisonment or otherwise from expressing … any opinion which he honestly holds and does not advocate or condone personal violence.

His campaign, Appeal for Amnesty , was effectively the precursor to what would become Amnesty International. The organization's initial focus of work — forgotten prisoners — gradually expanded as part of its development "from mandate — to mission. A campaign by Peter Benenson to highlight the plight of forgotten prisoners led to the creation of Amnesty International. New issues emerged in the s, including extrajudicial killings, political killings and forced disappearances.

Toward the end of the decade, it turned its attention to the growing number of refugees around the world. In the s, Amnesty International honed in on armed conflicts, uncovering atrocities in East Timor, Rwanda, and the former Yugoslavia. As of the s, there was a shift in its focus towards naming and shaming economic and social injustices that stemmed from the growing effects of globalization. The impact of its work in its first 30 years was very different to that it has and could have today, says Dr.

And therefore, during these first 30, 40, maybe even 50 years of its work, it didn't matter so much whether Amnesty International, with its actions, would actually cause a direct response from governments. Of course, the world has changed dramatically since those times, not least due to globalization and the era of information technology.

We have other means of finding out what is happening on the ground. Role: A worldwide organization for the protection of the rights of prisoners of conscience Prize motivation: "for worldwide respect for human rights. Amnesty International is a worldwide human rights organization run by its members. It is independent of all governments and all financial players.

It is also independent of political convictions and religious faiths. Amnesty International uncovers the facts about violations and breaches of human rights.