Amnesty International

Annual Review

March 2005 – April 2006

Outrage and hope

Outraged by human rights abuses, and inspired by hope for a better world, Amnesty International works to improve human rights through public pressure and international solidarity. While some in power try to exacerbate divisions for their own ends, our members, supporters and allies around the globe remain united and committed to campaigning for the realization of all human rights for all people.

Amnesty International 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 necessarily support the views of those whose rights it seeks to protect. To ensure its independence, it does not seek or accept money from governments or political parties for its work in documenting and campaigning against human rights abuses. Its funding depends on the contributions of its worldwide membership and fundraising activities. All the money donated to Amnesty International goes towards helping end human rights abuses, wherever they occur.

Amnesty International'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, Amnesty International’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.

The campaigning year 2005/6

Amnesty International is unique among human rights organizations in the way that it channels the passion and indignation of ordinary people around the world into action. Its 2.2 million members and supporters, working alongside international and local partners, convert Amnesty International’s research into a force for change.

Amnesty International’s members and supporters exert influence on governments, armed political groups, companies and intergovernmental bodies. Activists take up human rights issues not only through letters, emails and petitions but by mobilizing public pressure through street protests, vigils and direct lobbying. Thousands of Amnesty International members respond to Urgent Action appeals on behalf of individuals at immediate risk. Publicity through the news media and online takes Amnesty International’s message swiftly and in a range of languages to millions more.

In 2005/6, Amnesty International campaigns aimed to stop violence against women, control the arms trade, and eradicate torture in the “"war on terror”". Campaigners also called for greater respect for economic, social and cultural rights, abolition of the death penalty and protection of refugees and migrants. They took action in defence of human rights defenders and to uphold justice and the rule of law.

The individual at the core

Amnesty International’s campaigning remained firmly rooted in the power of individuals working in support of other individuals. Whether global or local, aimed at governments or multilateral institutions, focusing on one person in danger or a system-wide problem, all campaigns are generated and fired by the individual at their centre in need of protection or support.

Campaigning can change the lives of individuals – of victims and survivors of human rights abuses, of human rights activists and defenders, and even of the abusers.

*In December, Amnesty International launched its Make Some Noise campaign, a mix of music, celebration and action in support of Amnesty International’s work. Thanks to an extraordinary gift from Yoko Ono – the recording rights to “"Imagine”" and John Lennon’s entire solo songbook – Amnesty International was able to harness the power of music to inspire a new generation to stand up for human rights. Classic tracks about injustice, poverty and war, as relevant today as when they were first written, were recorded in new interpretations by international music artists for downloading exclusively for one year at www.amnesty.org/noise. In 2005/6, Make Some Noise campaigned for tighter controls on the weapons trade.

*Amnesty International sections and members in 35 countries celebrated International Human Rights Day on 10 December by sending over 80,000 letters in a Global Letter-Writing Marathon, an annual event started by AI Poland in 2001. Once a year, Amnesty International supporters get together to write letters, e-mails and faxes to governments on behalf of individuals at risk of human rights violations. Some people join the marathon for just a few minutes. Others keep going for the full 24 hours.

Torture and the ‘war on terror’

As the international ban on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment was flouted and challenged by the US and other governments, Amnesty International contested the arguments of those who sought to justify brutal and long-outlawed methods of interrogation in the “"war on terror”". Respect for human rights is the route to security, not an obstacle to it.

*Amnesty International’s report, Cruel. Inhuman. Degrades us all – Stop torture and ill-treatment in the “"war on terror”"(AI Index: ACT 40/010/2005) challenged states that claimed no longer to be bound by previously agreed human rights standards in the face of terrorist threats.

*A gathering of former “"war on terror”" detainees was held in November by Amnesty International and Reprieve. The accounts of former detainees and their families confirmed reports that detainees were being held illegally, secretly flown across borders, and tortured and ill-treated at US detention facilities around the world.

*Amnesty International responded to the erosion of human rights, the rule of law and the role of the judiciary by the United Kingdom (UK) government by issuing United Kingdom: Human rights are not a game(AI Index: EUR 45/043/2005).

Violence against women

In 2005/6, Amnesty International’s Stop Violence against Women campaign highlighted the marginalization, prejudice and danger faced by women human rights defenders in the front line.

*A conference organized by Amnesty International in Bahrain was the first aimed at combating violence and discrimination against women in Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Migrant domestic workers in particular are unable to access the protection of the law from violence at the hands of employers. Among those attending the conference were survivors of discrimination and violence, women human rights defenders, lawyers, academics, journalists, religious scholars and officials.

*In Turkey, Amnesty International members from Turkey and the Netherlands worked with municipalities and architects in creating tulip gardens to raise public awareness about violence against women. Women’s groups in Turkey use tulips to represent women who have died or suffered from family and community violence. Legal discrimination against women, including the reduction or eradication of sentences of rapists if they married their victims, was removed in a new penal code.

Stop violence against women: campaigning highlights

*Amnesty International highlighted the impact on Palestinian women of the unprecedented levels of poverty, unemployment and health problems in the Occupied Territories caused by decades of Israeli military occupation, compounded by constraints imposed in a traditional patriarchal society. Amnesty International called on the Israeli government to end human rights violations in the Occupied Territories, and on the Palestinian Authority to take action to prevent, investigate and punish violence against women.

*Domestic violence ravages the lives of countless Russian women, and the government’s response is inadequate. Amnesty International members and supporters called on the Russian government to publish statistics on the incidence of violence against women in the home and the prosecution of perpetrators; to provide special training for police, judges and other professionals; to work with women’s groups to counter common perceptions that domestic violence is a private matter; and to set up shelters and crisis centres to protect victims.

*Amnesty International called on the Japanese government to accept full responsibility for crimes committed against girls and women condemned to sexual slavery – so-called “"comfort women”" – in countries occupied by Japan before and during the Second World War. For over 60 years, the now elderly survivors out of an estimated 200,000 victims have been denied justice and adequate reparation from the Japanese government, which only belatedly acknowledged responsibility for the crimes.

*In collaboration with the Control Arms campaign, Amnesty International’s campaign to Stop Violence against Women launched a report, The Impact of Guns on Women’s Lives(AI Index: ACT 30/001/2005), in New York and Johannesburg. The report showed the ways in which women are subjected to violence because of the growing availability of small arms, in times of peace as well as war.

Control Arms

Amnesty International called for tougher arms controls, better implementation of existing gun control laws and action to break the cycles of violence that threaten to brutalize succeeding generations.

* Over half a million supporters signed up and posted their photos online in the Million Faces petition, launched by Amnesty International and its partner organizations in the Control Arms Campaign, Oxfam and the International Action Network on Small Arms. The action was part of Amnesty International’s campaign for an international Arms Trade Treaty to stop governments transferring arms if they are likely to be used in human rights abuses or war crimes. The number of governments pledging support for the Treaty grew five-fold to 50.

*In Haiti, a huge quantity of arms and small weapons are in the hands of former rebels and former soldiers, criminal gangs, security guards and civilians, exacerbating recurring political violence. Amnesty International urged the international community to ensure adequate funding for the protection of human rights, and in particular for disarmament.

*Amnesty International called on the UN Security Council to strengthen the UN embargo on arms exports to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and ensure monitoring of airports in eastern DRC. Amnesty International called on the governments of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Czech Republic, Israel, Russia, Serbia and Montenegro, South Africa, the UK and the USA to investigate reports of arms being illegally transferred to the governments of the DRC, Rwanda and Uganda for onward distribution to armed groups in eastern DRC.

The right to live in dignity

Amnesty International is increasingly documenting how human rights violations drive and deepen poverty. People living in poverty have the least access to power to shape the policies of poverty and are frequently denied effective remedies for violations of their rights. Amnesty International is working to hold governments, big business and other powerful actors to account for violations of people’s economic, social and cultural rights.

*In Human rights for human dignity – A primer on economic, social and cultural rights (AI Index: POL 34/009/2005), Amnesty International highlighted the obligations of governments not only within their own countries but also worldwide to take immediate actions to address hunger, homelessness and preventable disease.

*Amnesty International urged states to ensure that the poorest people could enjoy physical security and their civil and political freedoms, a necessary precondition for the exercise of economic, social and cultural rights. In Claiming rights and resources – Injustice, oil and violence in Nigeria (AI Index: AFR 44/020/2005), Amnesty International launched appeals to the government and oil companies aimed at ending killings and attacks on communities.

*In Brazil, millions of people living in the poorest communities are caught between powerful criminal gangs, a corrupt and confrontational police force, and vigilante “"death squads”". In 2005, Amnesty International campaigning highlighted aggressive police operations in which the inhabitants of favelas (shanty towns), branded as criminals, are killed with impunity. In one terrifying attack in March, police officers shot at random at residents of a district of Rio de Janeiro, killing 29 people in a matter of hours. Amnesty International called for the government to implement human rights-based policing and ensure the effective protection of all Brazilians.

The right to housing

*In Europe, together with other national and international human rights groups, Amnesty International denounced patterns of forced evictions against Roma, and denial of their right to adequate housing in Bulgaria, Greece, and Serbia and Montenegro (Kosovo). From July, Amnesty International campaigned for the relocation of around 530 Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian internally displaced people in Kosovo, including 138 young children, who were living in camps contaminated by lead from a disused smelting site and at serious risk to their health.

*More than 200, mostly African, non-governmental organizations joined a call for the international community, including the UN and African Union, to stand up for human rights in Zimbabwe. In December the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights adopted – for the first time – a resolution condemning the human rights situation in Zimbabwe, including the mass forced evictions of hundreds of thousands of people.

Abolition of the death penalty

The campaign against the death penalty gained strength in the course of 2005/6.

*In a long overdue victory for campaigners against the death penalty, the execution of child offenders in the USA was declared unconstitutional by the US Supreme Court in March. The landmark decision by the Court, by five votes to four, followed years of campaigning by Amnesty International and other human rights groups to stop the execution of offenders under 18 at the time of the crime. Amnesty International joined 16 other Nobel Peace laureates in supplementing the legal appeals before the court. The brief was cited in the majority opinion. Following the decision, more than 70 child offenders under sentence of death had their sentences commuted.

*Progress towards abolition in a number of countries in Europe and Central Asia followed intensified campaigning by Amnesty International in recent years. The last provisions for the death penalty were removed from the Constitution in Moldova, and similar constitutional amendments were proposed in Kyrgyzstan.

*Amnesty International members in more than 40 countries participated in the third World Day Against the Death Penalty in October, which focused on Africa and which saw demonstrations, petitions, concerts and televised debates to campaign against capital punishment around the world.

Human rights defenders

Amnesty International works to protect the right to promote and defend human rights, and takes action to ensure human rights defenders are able to carry out their work unimpeded.

*Amnesty International called on the Chinese authorities to stop the detention and harassment of the Tiananmen Mothers, a group of 130 human rights defenders – mainly women – seeking redress for the killing of their children and other relatives during the suppression of peaceful protests around Tiananmen Square in June 1989. They have distributed humanitarian aid to victims’ families and helped to set up a fund to educate the children of those killed or injured during the crackdown.

*Amnesty International called on the Serbian authorities to stop the campaign of harassment of human rights defenders by individual political leaders and members of the security forces. Activists, journalists and lawyers were assaulted, burgled and threatened with prosecution, especially around the 10th anniversary in July of the massacre at Srebrenica during the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

*In Zimbabwe, human rights organizations work in a climate of fear and with the ever-present threat of closure. Amnesty International joined human rights groups in countries including Botswana, Namibia, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa and Zambia in publicizing the condemnation by the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights of human rights violations in Zimbabwe. An awareness-raising tour of Europe by the women’s activist group Women of Zimbabwe Arise was hosted by Amnesty International sections in October.

Refugees and migrants

Action to defend the rights of refugees, asylum-seekers, internally displaced people and migrants played a large part in the campaigning activities of Amnesty International sections and members around the world. Amnesty International opposed the return of people to countries where they faced persecution, the death penalty, torture or other ill-treatment, and campaigned for states to respect the rights of displaced people and migrants.

*Amnesty International members highlighted the cases of four men detained in Kyrgyzstan and at risk of forcible return to Uzbekistan. They were among more than 500 people who fled Uzbekistan after the security forces fired on thousands of mainly peaceful demonstrators during protests in Andizhan in May.

*Greece was the target of appeals for investigations into overcrowded and insanitary conditions for detained refugees and migrants, where children were held with adults and where some women were allegedly sexually abused.

*On World Refugee Day on 20 June, Amnesty International drew attention to the plight of asylum-seekers and refugees, in particular in arbitrary detention in Australia and a number of European counties, including Italy, Spain and the UK.

*Amnesty International marked International Migrants Day on 18 December with appeals to states to ratify or implement the 2003 Migrant Workers Convention, which only 34 states had ratified.

Justice and the rule of law

Threats to justice and the rule of law remained central to many areas of Amnesty International campaigning across a range of countries.

*In Colombia, Amnesty International called for an effective legal framework for the demobilization of illegal armed groups that respected the right of victims to truth, justice and reparation. Killings and “"disappearances”" by army-backed paramilitaries continued, despite their engagement in a demobilization process and a ceasefire declaration in 2002.

*Amnesty International addressed a range of longstanding abuses by French police – fatal shootings, deaths in custody and torture and ill-treatment – and in the criminal justice system, most of them against foreign nationals or people of foreign origin.

*Amnesty International appeals continued for an end to the killings in the internal conflict in Nepal in which more than 12,000 people had died. An escalation in the fighting in 2005 resulted in hundreds more deaths of civilians and widespread detentions, rape and other torture by both government and insurgent forces.

*Accountability for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur, Sudan, remained a major focus of Amnesty International campaigning in 2005 as government forces, government-aligned militias and armed political groups targeted civilians. Amnesty International called for action by the international community to end the rape and abduction of women and girls, and attacks on human rights defenders.

Amnesty International: transparency and accountability

Amnesty International is a democratic, self governing movement answering directly to its worldwide membership. Amnesty International’s policy decisions are taken by elected bodies with major decisions taken by an International Council made up of representatives from all the countries where Amnesty International members are organized into groups and national sections. They elect an International Executive Committee of volunteers which carries out their decisions and appoints the movement’s Secretary General, who is also head of the International Secretariat, the professional heart of Amnesty International.

During 2005-6 Amnesty International was involved in the drafting of the International Non Governmental Organisations’ Accountability Charter. The Charter sets out core values and operating principles for international NGOs. These include principles for good governance and management; fundraising and multi-stakeholder engagement. It also makes specific reference to respect for human rights independence, responsible advocacy, effective programmes, non-discrimination, transparency and ethical fundraising.

Treasurer’s statement

Accounts 2005-06

A message from our treasurer

On behalf of the International Executive Committee I would like to thank our donors for their ongoing support and trust. Our work defending human rights is primarily supported by donations from individuals, and we also receive vital funds and in-kind support from trusts, foundations and corporations. While we do not accept donations from governmental bodies for our campaigning work, we do accept restricted funds for human rights education projects.

I would like to thank the institutions that supported the International Secretariat directly during the year 1 April 2005 to 31 March 2006, including The Sigrid Rausing Trust, Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation Telethon Fund, the Netherlands National Postcode Lottery, and the European Commission.

The international budget comprises the costs of International Secretariat's global human rights work in addition to governance support and administration costs associated with running an international organization. The international budget is compiled biennially and reviewed regularly by the International Executive Committee. The accounts listed in this document relate to the international budget and are a simplified version of the full financial statements which can be obtained online at www.amnesty.orgunder the section “"About Amnesty International”". The full financial statements are independently audited.

A level of reserves is generated to meet unexpected shortfalls in income and adverse changes in exchange rates. At the end of the year reserves equalled approximately one month’s expenditure, which the organization considers to be an exceptionally low level. The fall in reserves is due to the application of FRS 17 – Accounting for Retirement benefits. The current plan and budget include specific provision for the building of reserves.

In the movement’s strategic plan to 2010 we have set ourselves ambitious growth targets to double our global income and significantly grow our supporter base. This will ensure that we continue to be effective as we face new and emerging challenges in defending and promoting human rights. To help achieve these targets the International Secretariat and our partner sections are working on a number of targeted growth strategies. These include investing in regions with growth potential, exploring new global funding ventures and assisting sections and structures in building sustainable fundraising programmes.

Claire Paponneau, Treasurer, International Executive Committee

The accounts shown are for the operations of the International Secretariat. The operations of the International Secretariat are based in 10 offices across five continents (Beirut, Dakar, Geneva, Hong Kong, Kampala, London, Moscow, New York, Paris and San José) with a staff and management team of 442. Individual national sections can be contacted to obtain a copy of their accounts – for contact details visit www.amnesty.org or consult local directories.

Report and Accounts

Amnesty International (International Secretariat)

Financial Summary 2005/06

(Comprising Amnesty International Limited and Amnesty International Charity Limited)

These summarized financial statements contain information from both the Statement of Financial Activities and Balance Sheet for the year ended 31 March 2006, but are not the full statutory report and accounts. The full financial statements received an unqualified audit report and copies may be obtained from the Company Secretary on +44 (0)20 7413 5500 or by email on amnestyis@amnesty.org.

Financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2006

Introduction

Amnesty International is an unincorporated worldwide movement which has as its objective the securing throughout the world of the observance of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The movement consists of 51 Sections throughout the world and an International Secretariat in London. The work of the International Secretariat is undertaken by two United Kingdom companies: Amnesty International Charity Limited (“" Amnesty InternationalCL”") and Amnesty International Limited (“" Amnesty InternationalL”"), (together the “"Organization”").

The accompanying financial statements relate to the International Secretariat and have been prepared in order to show the combined position for the year ended 31 March 2006.

These combined financial statements do not represent the statutory financial statements of Amnesty International Limited and Amnesty International Charity Limited - separate financial statements are prepared for each Company.

These summarized financial statements comprise both the Statement of Financial Activities and the Balance Sheet for the year ended 31 March 2006. The full financial statements were approved by the Directors on 10 October 2006. They received an unqualified audit report and copies may be obtained from the offices of Amnesty International (International Secretariat) in London.

Combined Balance Sheet

as at 31 March 2006

2006

£’0002005

£’000

Restated
Fixed assets
Tangible assets				18,731				13,580
Current assets
Stocks				25				18
Debtors: amounts falling due after one year				445				529
Debtors: amounts falling due within one year				2,184				2,133
Short-term investments				3,748				3,440
Cash at bank and in hand				1,893				1,899
		i108		8,295				8,019
Creditors: amounts falling due within one year				(6,376)				(5,440)
Net current assets				1,919				2,579
Total assets less current liabilities				20,650				16,159
Creditors: amounts falling due after more than one year				(8,067)				(5,076)
Provisions for liabilities and charges
Defined benefit pension scheme liability				(9,272)				(6,915)
Net assets				3,311				4,168
Funds:
Unrestricted funds				2,586				4,431
Restricted funds				725				(263)
Width5670									Total funds			3,311		4,168

Combined Statement of Financial Activities

for the year ended 31 March 2006

		Unrestricted Funds 2006 £’000	Restricted Funds 2006 £’000	Total Funds 2006 £’000	Total Funds 2005 £’000 Restated
Incoming resources
Voluntary income		29,019	3,093	32,112	27,607
Activities for generating funds		234	-	234	271
Investment income		182	6	188	182
Total incoming resources		29,435	3,099	32,534	28,060
Resources expended
Cost of generating funds – cost of sales		313	-	313	328
Costs of activities in furtherance of the Group’s objectives		27,340	2,111	29,451	28,302
Governance costs		1,217	-	1,217	974
Taxation		2	-	2	-

lwWidth1444
Total resources expended

28,8722,11130,98329,604
Net incoming/(outgoing) resources before other recognized gains and losses		563	988	1,551	(1,544)
Currency translation differences		25	-	25	(3)
Actuarial losses		(2,433)	-	(2,433)	(272)
Net movement in funds		(1,845)	988	(857)	(1,819)
Fund balances brought forward at 1 April		11,572	(263)	11,309	11,073
Prior period adjustment - pensions		(7,165)	-	(7,165)	(5,109)
Prior period adjustment – HK fixed assets		24	-	24	23
Restated fund balances brought forward at 1 April		4,431	(263)	4,168	5,987
Fund balances carried forward at 31 March		2,586	725	3,311	4,168

There is no difference between the results for the year stated above and their historical cost equivalents.

The Organization has no recognized gains and losses other than the gains and losses above, and therefore no separate statement of total recognized gains and losses has been presented.

How you can help

Amnesty International’s unique strength is in its supporters, who make up a global movement of over 2.2 million people united by a desire to protect and promote human rights. There are many ways that you can support Amnesty International’s work – step by step, day by day, action by action, together we can make a difference in people’s lives.

Give

Amnesty International does not accept money from governments for its work campaigning against human rights violations, so every individual donation – no matter how small – is vital to our work. A regular gift is the best way to ensure that we can continue our current work and commit to doing even more.

Make a donation online at www.amnesty.org/donate

Act

Amnesty International is a movement of people working to protect human rights. By writing a letter to a prisoner of conscience or a government, sending a postcard, signing an online petition, making a donation or attending an organized demonstration, you can defend human rights.

To take active part in our global campaigns visit www.amnesty.org

Join

As a member, you will join a worldwide community who are already a powerful force for change. You will be able to actively take part in helping to prepare, organize and promote our global campaigns to stop human rights abuses. As a member of a democratic human rights movement, you will also have the opportunity to have a say in the way we work.

Join online at www.amnesty.org

AI Index: ORG 10/006/2007

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