Amnesty International

Amnesty International's vision is a world in which every person enjoys all the human rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and international human rights conventions and standards.

Amnesty International works after six-year strategic plan adopted at the international meeting, and all departments, employees and active therefore obliged to follow.

Spirit of Amnesty
Amnesty International is founded on the belief that ordinary people can make a difference in the world - if we use our voices and together put pressure on those in power to respect human rights.

The story of Amnesty started in 1961, when the British lawyer Peter Benenson wrote the article 'The Forgotten Prisoners' in the newspaper The Observer. In the article, he invited readers to join an international campaign to rid the thousands of people who were imprisoned worldwide because of their political opinions or religious beliefs.

The campaign, which Benenson called Appeal for Amnesty 1961 got an overwhelming response - thousands of readers sent appeal letters to the responsible governments, and the article was translated and published in newspapers around the world.

Over the following months, reached at a basis for an international movement for the liberation of the so-called prisoners of conscience. In July the same year held the first international meeting with delegates from Belgium, Britain, France, Germany, Ireland, Switzerland and the United States. At a conference in Belgium the following year it was decided to make the organization permanently, and Amnesty International was officially founded.

The Danish section was established in 1964. Today the organization has more than 3 million. members and supporters in 150 countries worldwide.

Amnesty is a voice that is listened to. The organization has consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council, in UNESCO, the Council of Europe, the Organization of American States and the Organisation of African Unity. Many of the more recent international conventions take directly from the recommendations, Amnesty International has given. In 1977 Amnesty International received the Nobel Peace Prize and the 1991 Olof Palme price.

Will you be with?
See how you can help make a difference - whether you have 5 minutes or an entire weekend, are young or old, a longstanding member of Amnesty or just curious: www.amnesty.dk/aktivisme

Video from Amnesty