History - 1961: Political Crises and resurgent activism
Amnesty International began at an historical crossroads.
The early 1960s were times of deeply entrenched, strongly partisan and frightening "Cold War" hostilities. They were also times of resurgent struggles for human freedom.
Participants in the civil rights movement were challenging institutionalized racism across the U.S. The peoples of Africa were struggling to free themselves from colonial domination. People living under authoritarian regimes in Portugal, Spain and the Soviet Union were fighting to assert their right to voice dissent.
At the same time, East Germany sealed off East Berlin and built the Berlin Wall. The brutal system of "apartheid" dominated life in South Africa. The Cuban missile crisis brought nuclear war to the world's doorstep. India and China fought along their border. China had taken over Tibet. And the U.S. began moving more and more of its military into South Vietnam.
Amidst these tensions and partisan conflicts, many civilians became pawns and targets of government violence.
Amnesty International insisted that people and their basic rights must come first, regardless of their beliefs or nationality. It seemed a preposterous demand to make - and to believe in. Amnesty was called one of the "larger lunacies" of the time, a movement that would quickly drop out of sight.
Today we live amidst new partisan debates and conflicts shaped by the "war against terrorism." Many governments portray respect for human rights as an obstacle to security. They pick and choose between rights, imprison human rights defenders, ignore abuses by their own officials and their allies, increase the supply of weapons to repressive governments, and build new barriers to people seeking refuge from armed conflicts.
Amnesty International has had to insist again on its "lunatic" claim that genuine human security and dignity can only be based on full respect for universal human rights standards and international law. And we don't plan to drop out of sight until this vision is a reality.