Established in 1960 in London, Amnesty International is an independent worldwide movement working for the international protection of human rights. There are more than one million members in about 160 countries in the world’s largest voluntary organization. Amnesty has three aims: the immediate release of all prisoners of conscience (non-violent people detained because of their beliefs, color, sex, ethnicity, language or creed), fair and prompt trials for all political prisoners, and the prevention of torture and executions (including the death penalty). It achieves these goals by writing letters and applying pressure on governments and authorities who are behaving unjustly. It concentrates on individual victims—not just adults, but teenagers and even babies as well. That’s where Amnesty gets the slogan, “People helping people.”
