| About Amnesty International |
| What is Amnesty International? Amnesty International is a worldwide voluntary activist movement working for human rights. It is independent of any government, political persuasion or religious creed. It does not support or oppose any government or political system, nor does it support or oppose the views of the victims whose rights it seeks to protect. It is concerned solely with the impartial protection of human rights. Amnesty International mobilizes volunteer activists-people who give freely of their time and energy in solidarity with the victims of human right violations. There are more than 1,000,000 Amnesty International members and subscribers in over 140 countries and territories. Amnesty International members come from many different backgrounds, with widely different political and religious beliefs, united by a determination to work for a world where everyone enjoys human rights. What does Amnesty International do? Amnesty International works independently and impartially to promote respect for all the human rights set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Amnesty International believes that human rights are interdependent and indivisible - all human rights should be enjoyed by all people at all times, and no one set of rights can be enjoyed at the expense of other rights. Amnesty International works towards: We are building a world in which every person enjoys the rights included in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international human rights standards. Towards this end: AI's mission is to take action to stop grave abuses of the rights to physical and mental integrity, freedom of conscience and expression, and freedom from discrimination. We campaign, for example, to free prisoners of conscience, ensure fair trials for political prisoners, protect refugees, abolish the death penalty, end political killings, "disappearances" and torture, and bring to justice those responsible for human rights violations. Amnesty International seeks to expose human rights abuses accurately and quickly. We independently and impartially research and publicize the facts of individual cases and patterns of human rights abuses. Our members, supporters and staff then mobilize persistent public pressure on governments, armed political groups, companies and others to prevent and stop these violations. Amnesty International promotes public awareness and understanding of the full range of human rights, and we work with a global community of organizations to ensure broad support and respect for all human rights. How is Amnesty International run? Amnesty International is governed by its members. We are independent of all governments, political persuasions and religious creeds. We are funded by our members and donors, and no funds are sought or accepted from governments. |