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Questions about what Amnesty does What are human rights? What does Amnesty International do? Is Amnesty International effective? How does Amnesty International work? How does Amnesty gather and verify its information? What is Amnesty International’s current campaign focus? Is Amnesty International “political”? Is Amnesty interfering in the affairs of states? Is the work of protecting human rights changing? What countries have the worst human rights records?  “Your efforts helped free me from physical and mental torture. You are the friends and protectors of all kind-hearted and innocent people around the world.” Kunlun Zhang, artist and Falun Gong practitioner, thanking Amnesty on his release from a Chinese labour camp. Meet other human rights defenders >>  
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What Amnesty International does
Human rights mean that every person deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. Every person deserves to be safe and secure. Every person deserves to have the means to satisfy their basic needs - such as decent food, shelter and water.
Human rights are “indivisible.” They cannot be divided up. To live in dignity, human beings are entitled to freedom, security and a decent standard of living - that is, each and every person is entitled to the full range of civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights. The basic ideas of human rights – such as respect for human life and human dignity – can be found in most religions, philosophies and systems of belief. The development of human rights has its roots in the struggles for freedom and equality everywhere in the world.
To protect their basic rights, people have demanded that governments establish international human rights standards and include these rights in the laws of their own country.
Today, international human rights standards are described in many important statements of principle, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Other international agreements, such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, make these principles the law. International human rights standards and laws describe what governments must do for the people in their territory - and what they must not do to them. A government or opposition group commits a human rights violation when they act against these standards or fail to ensure that they are met. Governments are obligated to base their own laws on international human rights law and be responsible for protecting human rights. Amnesty International’s demands of governments and opposition groups are based on these same international human rights standards and laws.
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Human rights mean that everyone has the right to live in safety, dignity, equality and freedom. There are international standards and laws that protect human rights. The demands Amnesty International makes of governments and opposition groups are based on these standards and laws.
