History - Stopping Mass human rights violations
Since the 1970s, we have seen a sharp increase in large scale or mass human rights violations against civilians in every region of the world.
These violations often take place amidst armed civil conflicts or systematic attacks by government forces against their own people. Examples include Guatemala in the 1970s and 1980s, Cambodia in 1975-1979, and Burundi, Kosovo, East Timor and Sierra Leone and neighbouring countries in the 1990s.
Media reports on these crises often suggest they are "local" conflicts driven by unstoppable "regional" interests. The truth is otherwise.
Time and again, Amnesty International has called attention to situations where there is a great likelihood that mass human rights violations will take place - and we have urgently called for international action.
Sometimes our voice is heard, as when Amnesty issued its first ever Urgent Action on behalf of an entire people - the East Timorese - who were under attack by Indonesia militias following a vote for independence. Amnesty immediately mobilized its members to take action, and sent monitors directly to East Timor.
In the view of one political analyst with the U.N. mission in East Timor, "Amnesty's intervention saved lives. It was an important force in bringing about the incredible pressure on the government of Indonesia, which led to the fastest ever deployment of an international force and a quick end to the Indonesian military occupation."
Too often, though, the international community has chosen to refuse to take the actions necessary to prevent catastrophe.
But that's not all. Governments join in - or accept - the international trade in arms that fuel mass civil conflicts. They support allied governments that routinely abuse human rights.
They allow systems of discrimination that breed hatred and increase the likelihood of mass violence. And they turn their backs on widening social crises that result from great movements of people doing their utmost to find refuge from abuse.
In response, Amnesty International has moved its work in new directions.
We now place much greater emphasis on stopping "impunity"
- a situation where human rights violations continue because violators are not brought to justice. The creation of the International Criminal Court is a major step in challenging impunity.
As well, Amnesty now addresses abuses by all combatants, not just governments. Amnesty also places a high priority on opposing the trade in weapons used to abuse human rights. And we are making increasing use of electronic media, such as the web and email, to more quickly mobilize the public to help prevent human rights crises.