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Who is Amnesty International?
Amnesty International is an organisation formed of over three million people around the world who believe in a world in which every person enjoys all of the human rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international human rights instruments.
We're passionate about our beliefs and not afraid to take an unpopular stance in order to safeguard human rights. Working in over 150 countries, we research and expose human rights abuses, as well as educating people and inspiring them to take action on human rights-related issues.
We've been challenging views and campaigning on human rights since we were founded fifty years ago (read an overview of how we came to be).
Now, Amnesty in the UK is only one part of a global movement, working on a wide range of human rights issues - from protecting free speech to lobbying governments on the arms trade.
Find out a bit more about who we are and how we work
Want to get involved with Amnesty?
Great! Together we can achieve extraordinary results: getting prisoners of conscience released, death sentences commuted and torturers brought to justice.
Take action
Free speech remains a luxury rather than a right for many around the world.
At the moment in Azerbaijan, for example, we know at least 16 protesters are behind bars purely for peacefully speaking out against government authorities. 29 year-old Tural Abbasli (pictured left) is serving two and a half years for criticising Azerbaijan's government. As he was arrested, he was witnessed being beaten by police. We consider him to be a prisoner of conscience.
- Take five minutes to email Azerbaijani authorities and call for their immediate release
Join us
Amnesty is a membership organisation, and we've proved countless times that together we are powerful. Joining Amnesty costs as little as £2 a month. And the more voices we have, the louder we can shout, and defy those who aren't partial to free speech.
The Secret Policeman's Ball
The Secret Policeman's ball is a night of comedy and music put on by Amnesty International, with the aim of raising awareness of issues of free speech and raising funds for our ongoing work to protect human rights around the world.
As long as it's not undermining someone else's rights, everyone should be able to say what they want without fear of persecution. That's what the Secret Policeman's Ball celebrates.
Freedom of expression has been at the heart of our work since we started out 50 years ago, and we've found the Secret Policeman ball gigs to be a great way of introducing issues around free speech and censorship to people who might not be familiar with what we do. And it's worked well in the past! Many people who are now members of Amnesty first came to hear about us by watching a Secret Policeman's Ball.
The Secret Policeman's Ball is a night for artists to use comedy, music and entertainment to 
communicate the serious matter of human rights infringement.
The Ball is back for 2012!
For the first time ever, this year's Ball traveled to the United States. The gig took place on Sunday 4 March 2012 at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, USA.
For gossip and behind-the-scenes clips, find the Secret Policeman on Facebook.
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