Amnesty International gives its members and supporters a way of protesting effectively about human rights abuses, essentially through fighting lies by telling the truth : Amnesty’s researchers find evidence of human rights abuses with which to lobby governments and MPs and to raise media and public awareness by compiling detailed and thorough reports based on hard facts. We campaign on behalf of i
ndividuals at risk (of torture and persecution) we campaign with communities suffering human rights abuses (such as the Roma in parts of Europe) and we spotlight global issues such as the death penalty, the arms trade, corporate abuses and protecting women’s rights. Amnesty campaigns by organising demonstrations, through promoting knowledge and understanding via educational activities and by writing thousands of letters on behalf of individuals facing human rights violations. The Newcastle Upon Tyne Amnesty group, which meets monthly and has been active for some years now, seeks to promote awareness of human rights abuses by carrying out a number of activities locally : we have an “adopted” prisoner of conscience (a man who has been imprisoned in Egypt since the late 1990s) on whose behalf we lobby, we hold regular stalls at The Monument and at events, we have arranged film shows, we hold an annual human rights lecture (the Aisha DuhuIo Memorial lecture), we have arranged seminars/conferences (on Burma and Iran) and we have taken part in demonstrations. In carrying out these activities we work closely with other progressive organisations such as local trade unions and other campaigning organisations. The Newcastle group welcomes new members and getting involved with the group and supporting it’s campaigning activities is an excellent way of supporting Amnesty’s work and of raising awareness of human rights abuses. Also, Amnesty, both at the national and at local group level, needs funds to carry out it’s work : you can support this by joining Amnesty nationally ( for details go to Amnesty’s website www.amnesty.org.uk ), by taking out a monthly standing order to Amnesty International or to the local group and by helping with the local group’s fund-raising activities. If you are a member of a trade union, then get your union branch to affiliate to Amnesty nationally and to support the local group.
