Amnesty International was established in 1961 and is a worldwide, independent organization. They stand for basic, general human rights, and use donations and members dues to prevent serious human rights violations. To remain financially independent they do not accept monetary support from any governments. This NGOs strength lies in the support of more than three million members, in over 150 countries. One of their focuses is to prevent torture and capital punishment. When it is possible to identify those who are responsible, Amnesty International lobbies for their punishment, or imprisonment. Amnesty International calls for the release of non-violent political prisoners, who have been imprisoned unfairly due to their heritage, race, language, religion, or other convictions. Amnesty International is a force for morality. Their efforts were further validated when they won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1977. For over 40 years Amnesty International has been committed to protecting human rights. In 1979 Amnesty International in Austria helped release an Austrian woman who had been unjustly imprisoned in Buenos Aires, Argentina. As a result they were awarded the Bruno Kreisky Prize in 1979.
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*Committee for Human Rights, International Trade Union, Austria