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Local FAQs
Why is there an Amnesty International chapter on campus? The purpose of the AIUA chapter is dual-fold: To educate the community about the importance of human rights and increase awareness, and to provide Amnesty International with grassroots volunteers to work on Urgent Actions and Special Focuses. What do I do with Urgent Actions and appeals? You can download and sign the Urgent Actions and then either turn it into the AIUA office in ARKU 665 (recommended) or mail it yourself. You may also send faxes or telegrams. When you check with the Colorado office about the status of Urgent Actions, be sure to note the case number and the name of the victim. |
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General FAQs
Who finances Amnesty International's work? Amnesty International's independence - financial and political - is vital to our effectiveness as a human rights watchdog. To be free to criticise any government's human rights record without fear or favour, Amnesty International does not accept donations from governments or political organisations. Our work is financed by membership fees, donations and our own fundraising initiatives. How does Amnesty International know it has the facts right? Teams of researchers from our International Secretariat in London gather information on-site as well as from newspaper articles, government bulletins, radio transcripts, legal documents and medical reports. Our representatives are sent to observe political trials, to monitor the treatment of prisoners and to talk personally with victims and their families. Details are cross-checked and great care is taken to avoid presenting unconfirmed allegations as fact. One gauge of our success is that governments whose behaviour we criticise very rarely offer a detailed rebuttal of our information. What right do we have to interfere in the internal affairs of countries? With the establishment of the United Nations after World War II came worldwide acceptance that national sovereignty could not be used as an excuse for human rights violations. International agreements and treaties make clear that, where human rights are concerned, individual governments are accountable to the world community. The cornerstone of the modern international human rights system is the duty on all governments to work to protect human rights, wherever they are under attack.Some governments hide behind arguments of sovereignty and interference.Amnesty International continues to hold them accountable. Aren't human rights a luxury, especially in less developed countries? Under international law, the human rights on which Amnesty International campaigns are universal and indivisible. They apply to all people in every circumstance. Governments in every geographical region, representing societies at all stages of development and people of many different cultures, have formally agreed that certain basic human rights - such as the right to life, shelter and freedom from torture - apply universally. We are not asking countries to do anything to which they are not already committed. Why does Amnesty International take up cases of people who have broken their country's law? National laws themselves often violate international human rights standards. When examining each case, Amnesty International uses a single, universal standard: internationally recognised human rights. If a state is violating those rights, Amnesty International comes to the defence of the victims. Why does Amnesty International oppose the death penalty in all cases? The death penalty violates the right to life and security of the person, as proclaimed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It is irreversible and will, inevitably, claim innocent victims. The death penalty is brutalising to everyone involved. It is an act of violence, and violence tends to provoke violence. In practice, it is no stronger a deterrent than other punishments and often has unintended effects such as increased acquittal rates from juries unwilling to commit people to death. It also diverts attention from real solutions for the victims of violent crime and their families. Amnesty International does not condone the violent crimes for which individuals are convicted, but we insist that no state is ever justified in killing its own citizens. |
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