Definition of Amnesty International

In the 1960s, British lawyer Peter Benenson founded an NGO with the intention of combating injustices related to the human rights. This body is known as Amnesty International (Amnesty International in English).

It is currently present throughout the world and has more than seven million members. In 1977 she was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace.

To carry out its work fully independently, Amnesty International does not accept grants from any government and its financing is based mainly on the voluntary contributions of its partners.

Historical origins and evolution

The founder of this entity initially dedicated himself to denouncing the situation suffered by the prisoners of conscience, that is, those people who were in prison for their ideas and not for having committed a crime. His first action was a letter of complaint in the British press explaining the situation of some political prisoners in Portugal. His campaign in favor of these prisoners of conscience had a strong media impact and for this reason he decided to found Amnesty International.

With the passage of time, this NGO has incorporated other denunciation actions, especially against the death penalty, torture, forced disappearances, repression. politics or the defenseless situation of the population civil in armed conflicts. In short, this body carries out an activism critical against any abuse of power that opposes the dignity human rights and the fundamental rights recognized in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948.

Every year Amnesty International presents a report on the situation of human rights in the world

The 2016/17 report analyzes the human rights situation in almost every nation on the planet. Among the many complaints filed, we can highlight the following:

- The murder of the indigenous activist Berta Cáceres in Honduras.

- The death in Ethiopia of hundreds of protesters peacefully protesting against the forced eviction from their lands.

- The harsh repression in Turkey against political dissidents and against journalists who denounced the repression.

- Crimes promoted by paramilitary groups in the Philippines in order to combat drug trafficking.

- Harassment of journalists and lawyers in various African countries.

Photo: Fotolia - Archivist