It's your turn to do something amazing
Celebrate 50 years. Join Amnesty50 years of Amnesty International
'Yet if these feelings of disgust all over the world could be united into common action, something effective could be done.' Peter Benenson
28 May 2011 marked the 50th anniversary of Amnesty International. From one man's realisation in 1961 that people are stronger when they act together we have grown into a global movement of over three million supporters.
We will be marking this amazing journey with a year of action and celebration. We hope you will join us.
Our birthday campaigns
As we celebrate our 50th year, we will be working together to achieve real human rights change across key campaign areas.
Abolish the death penalty
When Amnesty began in 1961, only nine countries had abolished the death penalty for all crimes and few considered it a human rights issue. Fifty years on, the momentum for worldwide abolition is unstoppable. The time is ripe to move forward towards a death-penalty free world. More on the death penalty
Defend women's and girls' rights in Nicaragua
Women have gained greater equality in the past 50 years, but women and girls still face discrimination, violence and denial of their right to decide freely when to have children. In Nicaragua, abortion has recently been criminalised in all circumstances, even for survivors of rape and incest. Women's reproductive rights are human rights, and we must defend them. More on women's human rights
Clean up the Niger Delta
We are confronting threats to human rights from many sources, such as the oil companies operating in the Niger Delta. Widespread pollution has ruined crops, killed fish and contaminated food and drinking water. The oil industry must clean up its act, and the government must hold it to account. More on corporate abuse
Demand justice for the Congolese people
Amnesty
International campaigns against widespread impunity for genocide,
crimes against humanity, war crimes and other violations. Opportunities
to end the injustice have increased markedly under the new system of
international justice. However, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo,
millions of victims are being ignored. In our 50th year, join us in
demanding justice.
Protect freedom of expression
The
jailing of two students for toasting freedom in 1961 led to the birth
of Amnesty International. Today, although people have more ways to
express their ideas, intimidation, violence and imprisonment are still
used to silence human rights defenders and critics of the powerful. Let
us speak out against repression so that everyone can be heard.
