Welcome to the Virtual Tour of Amnesty International

Juanita: Hello Bob, I’m Juanita, and I have a question. You’ve told us that Amnesty International grants pardons to these forgotten people, these prisoners of conscience. A conscience is what tells you the difference between right and wrong. Yet I’m not clear on what a prisoner of conscience is. Could you possibly clear things up for me?

Tour Guide: Sure thing, Juanita! A prisoner of conscience is anyone who has been imprisoned because of their opinions and beliefs, because they stood up for their rights. For example, Jamal Benomar was arrested and incarcerated in 1976 for his participation in an organization that protested the repressive government in Morocco. He was released in 1983 after Amnesty International wrote thousands of letters and sent delegates pressuring to have him released.

Carrie: Hi Bob, my name’s Carrie. Amnesty International has prisoners of conscience freed, correct? How could writing letters and sending diplomats have someone released in a country where the government is oppressive?

Tour Guide: To answer your first question, when Amnesty International sends letters to help free people, an enormous amount of pressure is placed upon the government or regime that holds the prisoner captive. When it is realized that an organization knows about and cares for the well being of a prisoner, the government is forced to respond. As is often the case, when a prisoner of conscience is held, the human rights of he or she are violated. Who here knows where you can find human rights and what those human rights are?

Timothy: Human rights can be found in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a document created in 1948 by the General Assembly, which is apart of the United Nations. This document states that every human being has the right to live freely without oppression, equality, and the pursuit of happiness, among many others.

Tour Guide:  That's correct. Also included in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is that every human being has the right not to be tortured. To torture someone can be to physically torture or to mentally torture. For example, the prisoners that the Nazis kept in concentration camps were often tortured by slave-drivers with weapons such as whips and butts of guns, to the extent that they could live any longer. Mental torture is exemplified by the case of a child who was forced to hear her parents being tortured in the cell next to hers.

Carrie: To stop such deeds, Amnesty International must be powerful indeed. Does Amnesty International have strength in numbers, or does the government fund it? How does this organization run?

Tour Guide: Amnesty International is not a government-run or government funded organization. It was established in 1961 after a newspaper article, "The Forgotten Prisoners", written by Peter Benenson, inspired many to take action against the oppressed, forgotten detainees. Now, millions of people all over the world are apart of this organization, writing letters and contributing money to lend a hand to other people around the world.

Within Amnesty International is the International Executive Committee, wherein nine members govern the entire organization in a democratic manner. The members are chosen and re-elected every two years.

Juanita: What has been Amnesty International's total impact upon the world? In addition, how many prisoners of conscience are there, and will all of them be freed by Amnesty International? What if there was no Amnesty International?

Tour Guide: Amnesty International has impacted not only the world in general, but the individual lives of the thousands of people it has freed from political imprisonment. It is the glimmer of hope that remains for all prisoners of conscience, the message telling them that somebody cares. Unfortunately, the number of total prisoners of conscience is unknown. People are abducted, imprisoned, and often just 'disappear' from their hometowns. Amnesty International does all it can to stop this. If there was no Amnesty International, then human rights would most likely be abused on a regular basis, as there would be nobody advocating them so strongly. Amnesty International does not only have prisoners freed, but it also raises awareness for the prisoners of conscience.

Juanita: Bob? If you don't mind me asking another question, does Amnesty International have a connection to peace? If it does, in what way?

Tour Guide: Peace is not only the absence of war or death. It is also recognizing the basic human rights of all people and granting them these rights. The goal of Amnesty International is to ensure that the rights of all, especially prisoners of conscience, are upheld. Every letter sent to free prisoners of conscience helps promote peace around the world. Another aspect of Amnesty International that I forgot to mention is that it strives to abolish the death penalty. The death penalty, for those who are not aware of what it is, is death as a punishment for a crime. Some argue that the death penalty infringes on the human right of life, while others argue that it is not, or it is necessary. AI maintains the view that it is an infringement, and contributes tremendous effort to help abolish it. Through its work and effort, everyday, Amnesty International is making the world a more aware, more peaceful place.

If there aren't anymore questions, then this will be the end of the tour today. I hope you've enjoyed this as much as I have.

Visit the Amnesty International Website  to learn more about Amnesty International, and even to join it, or help write letters. Remember, you can make a difference!

Read the Success Stories of freed prisoners of conscience, and find out the effect of Amnesty International on the lives of those it helps.

Return to main Organizations page

Illustrated by Mary