INTRODUCTION / AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL – A WORLDWIDE CAMPAIGN
Amnesty International's campaigns are based on the facts gathered, docu- mented and analysed at the International Secretariat in London. The Secretariat's main task is to ensure that Amnesty International members in over 150 countries receive accurate and timely information for effective human rights action. Research teams covering all regions of the world establish networks of contacts, and monitor media reports and government statements. The International Secretariat also communicates with the government authorities in countries where human rights violations have taken place. It submits information to the United Nations and other intergovernmental organizations, and maintains contact with non-governmental organizations such as international trade unions and human rights organizations. Missions are organized to send Amnesty International representatives to various countries to discuss concerns with government officials, collect information about human rights violations or legal procedures, or to observe political trials.
The International Secretariat provides information about cases and campaigns to members, groups, sections and the international news media. It publishes reports on current human rights abuses in individual countries and on pervasive patterns of human rights violations. These reports routinely appear in Arabic, English, French and Spanish, as well as other languages when possible, such as Chinese, Farsi, German, Japanese, Portuguese and Russian. A summary of cur- rent human rights news and prisoner of conscience cases for worldwide letter writing appears in the monthly Amnesty International Newsletter, which is also produced in Arabic, English, French, Spanish and, from 1991, Russian.
The bulk of Amnesty International's work is carried out by volunteer activists, working on the basis of information provided by the International Secretariat. The membership itself sets the organization's policies through Amnesty International's governing body - the International Council - which is made up of section delegates and meets every two years. The Council elects an International Executive Committee to carry out its decisions and supervise the International Secretariat. All the movement's funds are raised by the members, and impart- iality is protected by accepting no contributions from governments and by following strict guidelines on financial donations.
Abolition of the Death Penalty
Amnesty International is unconditionally opposed to the death penalty and works for its worldwide abolition. The organization regularly monitors death sentences and executions around the world and appeals for clemency whenever it learns of an imminent execution.
The trend towards worldwide abolition of the death penalty continued in 1990 with seven countries abolishing the punishment for all crimes and one abolishing it for ordinary offences. By the end of the year nearly half of all coun- tries in the world had abolished the death penalty in law or practice. Forty-four countries had abolished the death penalty for all offences and 17 for all but exception- al offences, such as wartime crimes. A further 25 countries, while retaining the penalty in law, had not carried out any executions for at least 10 years.
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AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL REPORT 1991