AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL: HOW IT WORKS AND WHY
Amnesty International is a 40-year old international organization, non-political, and dedicated to eliminating human rights violations wherever and whenever they occur. It subsists on memberships and donations only from private individuals. It does not accept donations from political entities or governments. Headquartered in London, it is governed by an International Secretariat, currently headed by secretary-General, Pierre Sane. More than a million members, subscribers and regular donors live in more than 160 countries, with nationally organized sections in 56 countries. Headquarters employs about 320 staff members. But, decisions about where to spend funds (some 16 million British pounds this past year) is in the hands of a nine-0member International Executive Committee.
Among AI's major concerns are "prisoners of conscience" human rights violations in terms of refugee treatment, the attempt to overturn the death penalty in those countries (including the U.S.) where it still occurs, women's rights, and general political and police brutality worldwide.
The international organization known as Amnesty International is now some forty years old, officially. The basis for this is one of its founders, Peter Benenson, a British lawyer who is said to be the "founder" of the organization in 1961. The fact is that he was one of the movers and shakers that developed the idea for an international non-political organization devoted to the issue of human rights. "In May 1961, Beneson published an article 'The Forgotten Prisoners', in the London Observer, According to the myth, thousands of people responded, and Benenson set up Amnesty" (Rabben 1). The facts are that Benenson and his friends "were responding or reacting to earlier successes and failures by recreating old structures or inventing new ones" (Rabben 1).
Every organization seems to have some mythical tales about...