Amnesty International USA
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| Type | Non-Governmental Organisation |
|---|---|
| Industry | human rights |
| Founded | 1966, United States |
| Headquarters | Washington DC, United States |
| Key people | Larry Cox Rick Halperin |
| Products | Lobbying, research, consultancy. |
| Revenue | ? Million USD income (2005) |
| Employees | ? (nationally) |
| Website | www.amnestyusa.org/ |
Amnesty International USA (AI USA) is one of many country sections that make up Amnesty International worldwide.
Amnesty International is an organization of more than 2.2 million supporters, activists and volunteers in over 150 countries, with complete independence from government, corporate or national interests. Amnesty International works to protect human rights worldwide. Its vision is one of a world in which every person - regardless of race, religion, gender, or ethnicity - enjoys all of the human rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international human rights standards.
Since its foundation in 1966[1], the United States section, made up of over 350,000 members, of the nonpartisan organization has worked to free prisoners of conscience, oppose torture, and fight other human rights violations around the world. It seeks to promote human rights in the United States through lobbying and education, and describes itself as working for full human rights for everyone.
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[edit] Campaigns
Amnesty International USA campaigns strongly against torture and prisoner abuse, particularly by United States military forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. The organization has opposed restrictions of human rights as part of the 'War on Terror', and does not believe that any torture or inhuman treatment is justified by the campaign against terrorism.
The organization is currently active in campaigns to stop violence against women as part of an international campaign to see full human rights for everyone.
AIUSA strongly opposes the use of the death penalty in the United States, in accordance with the policy of the international organization; Amnesty calls for its worldwide abolition, particularly in the USA, China, Iran and Vietnam — four countries that make up the overwhelming majority of executions. AIUSA board member William F. Buckley resigned in January 1978 in protest over the organization's adoption of this stance on this issue.[2]
The Darfur conflict in Sudan is one of Amnesty International's top priorities, as a result of the large scale human rights abuses occurring there. Amnesty has called for the introduction of a United Nations peacekeeping force to prevent conflict and stop further unnecessary suffering.
[edit] Organizational structure
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From 1994 to 2005, the Executive Director of the organization was William F. Schulz. In January 2006, the Board of Directors hired Larry Cox as Executive Director.[3] The Board of Directors was chaired by Jeff Bachman in 2008.
As of 21 December 2009, Amnesty International had appointed Salil Shetty as its next Secretary General. Shetty, an Indian national, had been the Director of the UN's Millennium Campaign for the previous six years and the Chief Executive of international anti-poverty NGO ActionAid before then.
AIUSA as a whole is divided into five geographical sections, namely the Southern, Mid-Atlantic, Northeast, Midwestern and Western regions. Each region has its own office and a small number of paid staff who act as the backbone for the majority of grassroots efforts. Coordinating with these field organizers are volunteer leaders selected by AIUSA to manage specific portions of its many campaigns, including Area Coordinators (ACs) and Student Area Coordinators (SACs) who manage local and student groups respectively. This small regional leadership core is responsible for ensuring the effectiveness of the thousands of grassroots Amnesty International members, informing them of changes in policy and overseeing their human rights campaigning to ensure that it is in accordance with official AIUSA policy.
[edit] Support
Amnesty International is the USA's largest human rights group by membership, with over 350,000 members.[citation needed]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ "Biographical Note". Archive: Amnesty International of the USA, Inc. 1966-2003. Columbia University Libraries Archival Collections (Center for Human Rights Documentation and Research). http://www.columbia.edu/cu/lweb/archival/collections/ldpd_6093730/index.html. Retrieved 2008-04-11.
- ^ Montgomery, Bruce P. (Spring 1995). "Archiving Human Rights: The Records of Amnesty International USA". Archivaria: the Journal of the Association of Canadian Archivists (39). http://journals.sfu.ca/archivar/index.php/archivaria/article/view/12073/13055
- ^ Strom, Stephanie (January 25, 2006). "New Leader for Amnesty International USA". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/25/national/25brfs.html. Retrieved 2011-04-05.
