In Burma, for example, the popular comedian, Zarganar, spent 11 years in prison just for making jokes about his government.
Watch Zarganar on stage at the Ball

Not that you have to be a comedian to be silenced. In Azerbaijan, journalists have been intimidated, imprisoned and even murdered just for writing the truth.

And in countries from Syria to Sudan and Russia to Iran, thousands of ordinary people are being persecuted at this very moment – simply for daring to speak their minds.

Amnesty International has been defending free speech for 50 years, and we need people like you to keep up the good work.

It will cost just £2 a month to make your voice count. The more voices we have, the louder we can shout, the more noise we can make.

Together we can achieve extraordinary results; getting prisoners of conscience released, death sentences commuted and torturers brought to justice.