Amnesty International South Africa - About Amnesty International

AISA is a structure of Amnesty International (AI). The first AI groups in South Africa were set up in 1990 in Pietermaritzburg and Port Elizabeth and in 1991 in Durban . Currently. There are currently groups in seven of the nine provinces namely: Western Cape , Eastern Cape , Kwazulu Natal , Gauteng , North West Province , Mpumalanga Province and Limpopo Province.

Each group has voluntary Coordinators who are responsible for issues ranging from refugees, women, health and youths.

About Amnesty International

Amnesty International (AI) is a worldwide movement of people who campaign for internationally recognized human rights. AI's vision is of a world in which every person enjoys all of the human rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international human rights standards.

In pursuit of this vision, AI's mission is to undertake research and action focused on preventing and ending grave abuses of the rights to physical and mental integrity, freedom of conscience and expression, and freedom from discrimination, within the context of its work to promote all human rights.

AI is independent of any government, political ideology, economic interest or religion. It does not support or oppose any government or political system, nor does it support or oppose the views of the victims whose rights it seeks to protect. It is concerned solely with the impartial protection of human rights.

AI has a varied network of members and supporters around the world. At the latest count, there were more than 1.5 million members, supporters and subscribers in over 150 countries and territories in every region of the world. Although they come from many different backgrounds and have widely different political and religious beliefs, they are united by a determination to work for a world where everyone enjoys human rights. AI is a democratic, self-governing movement. Major policy decisions are taken by an International Council made up of representatives from all national sections.

AI's national sections and local volunteer groups are primarily responsible for funding the movement. No funds are sought or accepted from governments for AI's work investigating and campaigning against human rights violations.

AI History

Amnesty International is the largest human rights organization in the world. It forms a global community of human rights defenders with the principles of international solidarity, effective action for the individual victim, global coverage, the universality and indivisibility of human rights, impartiality and independence, and democracy and mutual respect.

The organization is independent of any government, political persuasion or religious creed. It does not support or oppose any government or political system, nor does it support or oppose the views of those whose rights it seeks to protect. It is concerned solely with the impartial protection of human rights. Amnesty International's vision is of a world in which every person enjoys all the human rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international human rights standards.

Amnesty International undertakes research and action focused on preventing and ending grave abuses of the rights to physical and mental integrity, freedom of conscience and expression, and freedom from discrimination. In this context, it:

seeks the release of prisoners of conscience: these are people detained for their political, religious or other conscientiously held beliefs or because of their ethnic origin, sex, colour, language, national or social origin, economic status, birth or other status - who have not used or advocated violence;
works for fair and prompt trials for all political prisoners;
opposes without reservation the death penalty, torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment;
campaigns for an end to political killings and "disappearances";
calls on governments to refrain from unlawful killings in armed conflict;
calls on armed political groups to end abuses such as the detention of prisoners of conscience, hostage-taking, torture and unlawful killings;
opposes abuses by non-state actors where the state has failed to fulfill its obligations to provide effective protection;
campaigns for perpetrators of human rights abuses to be brought to justice;
seeks to assist asylum-seekers who are at risk of being returned to a country where they might suffer serious abuses of their human rights;
opposes certain grave abuses of economic, social and cultural rights

Amnesty International, South Africa (AISA)

About Amnesty International

AI History