Amnesty International

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Amnesty International
Ownership type	Non-Profit, NGO
Founded	July 1961, by Peter Benenson in the UK
Headquarters	, Global, General secretariat in London

Amnesty International is a worldwide movement of people who campaign for internationally recognized human rights for all. We have more than 2.2 million members and subscribers in more than 150 countries and regions and we coordinate this support to act for justice on a wide range of issues.

The following list of sections should serve as a loose guideline for developing the body of your article. The works cited in references 2-5 are all fake; their purpose is to serve as a formatting model for your own citations.

History

The Beginning

In 1963 Amnesty International was comprised of 350 groups and Amnesty International's headquarters was established in London. Peter Benenson was named the president in 1964. In August of that same year the United Nations gave Amnesty International consultative status.

Amnesty International issued its first reports in 1965– on prison conditions in Portugal, South Africa and Romania – and sponsored a resolution at the United Nations to suspend and finally abolish the death penalty for peacetime political offences.

By 1966 Eric Baker took over running the organization and in 1967 there were 550 groups and 18 countires working to help 2,000 prisoners in 63 countries-293 released.

The first Prisoner of Conscience Week was observed in November of 1968. In January of 1969, UNESCO granted Amnesty International consultative status as the organization reached another milestone –2,000 prisoners of conscience released. The International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination was adopted

The 1970s

Amnesty International celebrated their 10th anniversary in 1971-700 prisoners were released. Launching its first worldwide campaign for the abolition of torture in 1972.The new regime in Chile agreed to admit a three-person Amnesty International mission for an on-the-spot probe into allegations of massive violations of human rights. The United Nations unanimously approved the Amnesty International-inspired resolution formally denouncing torture.

Amnesty International’s Sean McBride, Chair of the International Executive Committee, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of his lifelong work for human rights in 1974.

1975

The United Nations unanimously adopted a Declaration Against Torture.

There were now 1,592 groups in 33 countries and more than 70,000 members in 65 countries.

1976

The first Secret Policeman's Ball fundraising event in London featured John Cleese and Monty Python, Peter Cook and other Beyond the Fringe comedians, Not the Nine o’Clock News, Fawlty Towers and The Goodies. The series continued in later years starring comedians and musicians such as Peter Gabriel, Duran Duran, Mark Knopfler, Bob Geldolf, Eric Clapton and Phil Collins paved the way for benefits such as Live Aid.

The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights entered into force. Together they are known as the International Bill of Rights.

Awarded the Nobel Peace Prise in 1977 for "having contributed to securing the ground for freedom, for justice, and thereby also for peace in the world" and in 1978 won the United Nations Human Rights prize for "outstanding contributions in the field of human rights".

1979

List published of 2,665 cases of people known to have "disappeared" in Argentina after the military coup by Jorge Rafael Videla.

The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) was adopted by the UN General Assembly.

Founding

In 1961, British Lawyer Peter Benenson launched a worldwide acmpaign, 'Appeal for Amnesty 1961' with the publication of the article, 'The Forgotten Prisoners', in the Observer. Benenson wrote the article, because he was moved by the improsnment of two Portuguese students, who had raised their wine glasses in a toast to freedom. His article was reprinted across the world which began the genesis of Amnesty International.

The first international meeting had delegates from Belgium, the UK, France, Germany, Ireland, Switzerland and the US. They decided to establish "a permanent international movement in defence of freedom of opinion and religion".

A small office and library, staffed by volunteers, opened in Peter Benenson’s chambers, in Mitre Court, London. The ’Threes Network‘ was established through which each Amnesty International group adopted three prisoners from contrasting geographical and political areas, emphasizing the impartiality of the group's work.

On Human Rights Day, 10 December, the first Amnesty candle was lit in the church of St-Martin-in-the-Fields, London.

The first research trip was taken in January of 1962. This trip to Ghana, was followed by Czechoslovakia in February (on behalf of a prisoner of conscience, Archbishop Josef Beran), and then to Portugal and East Germany.

The Prisoner of Conscience Fund was established to provide relief to prisoners and their families.

AI’s first annual report was published; it contained details of 210 prisoners who had been adopted by 70 groups in seven countries; in addition, 1,200 cases were documented in the Prisoners of Conscience Library.

At a conference in Belgium, a decision was made to set up a permanent organization that will be known as Amnesty International.

Current objectives and activities

This section should discuss the group's current initiatives and tactics for influencing political outcomes (which may or may not be very different from its original goals and modus operandi).

Organizational structure

This section should describe the group's organizational structure, including its principal leadership positions and their current incumbents.

Achievements

This section should recount the group's major achievements, including but not limited to legislative and/or legal victories.

Public perception and controversies

In developing this final section, be especially careful about maintaining a neutral stance and tone. Your aim should be to document the public's perception of your group and/or any controversies in which it is or has been embroiled without weighing in with your own opinion about them.