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lip service to human rights, limiting them to those elements that are unquestion- ing in their obedience to the central authority and to the existing political system. By doing so, they corruptly downgrade human rights into privileges.
General campaigns notwithstanding, adoption of individual prisoners of con- science is still the heart of AI's work. Al groups everywhere continued their efforts to obtain the ultimate release of individuals or, as a new technique, seek- ing freedom for groups of prisoners. They also provided moral support and material relief both for the prisoner and his family. More than £100,000 (US $240,000), donated by a generous public for this purpose, has been distrib- uted as a relief money throughout the world. Many AI groups had the
satisfaction of seeing their prisoners released. But such success has not always meant the end of their efforts: it is often difficult for released prisoners to be re-integrated into their society, and they continue to depend upon their adoption group for support.
There has also been a determined effort by Amnesty International to find in- creased support and attract new members in Asia and Latin America through the appointment of a field secretary in each of these regions. Development is one of the key words in Al's vocabulary. This means development not only of AI groups, sections and members in areas of the third world where, in the past, AI membership has been small or non-existant, but, equally important, development of an awareness everywhere that human rights are as important to the life of a nation as economic well-being-that they are not "luxuries" only the rich can afford, but the basic entitlement of all people. It is all the more regrettable, therefore that some governments have, during the year, harassed and detained persons working on behalf of Amnesty International.
One basic human right of all people, wherever they may live in the world, is protection against brutal treatment by those in power. Al's Campaign for the Abolition of Torture, now in its third year, has undoubtedly created greater public awareness of a problem that was insufficiently recognized before. The unanimous passage by the United Nations General Assembly on 6 November 1974 of a resolution that called for specific action against torture by the UN and its agencies represents one of the major successes of the campaign to date. But it is only one of a long series of measures that will be needed before torture is effect- ively outlawed throughout the world.
In today's world of atrocities people too easily become accustomed to con- tinuing reports of cruel and inhuman treatment to human beings of whom they know little. Having created awareness we must now make sure that every respon- sible citizen and organization assumes personal responsibility to fight and abolish torture once and for ever. Our campaign must be unrelenting, pushing, convincing. It must be a true campaign, from which nobody can exclude himself.
The growth of Amnesty International's work and the need for more such work has confronted the International Executive Committee with ever-increasing tasks of its own. New IEC methods were necessary to cope with these problems. In accordance with decisions taken in Askov, Denmark, in September 1974 by the International Council, members of the IEC assumed special functions and respon- sibilities for certain areas of Al's work: for example the Campaign for the Abolition of Torture, relief, development, external affairs, administration,