annual review

2003-04

Amnesty International

Change

working to protect human rights worldwide

Amnesty International has more than 1.8 million members, supporters and subscribers in over 150 countries around the world. It is organized into national sections in 53 countries and composed of more than 780 local, youth, specialist and professional groups in over 100 countries and territories.

our vision

Amnesty International’s vision is of a world in which every person enjoys the human rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other human rights standards.

our mission

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 human rights.

[photo caption]

Family members show Irene Khan (far right) where four young men were shot, apparently in a police ambush in Borel, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. © AI

Many images stand out as we look back on the last 12 months - the crumpled wreckage of trains in Madrid; rubble in Iraq; arms in Africa, illegally trafficked and landing in the hands of children at war; prisoners of war blindfolded and shackled in unlawful detention; desperate people on the move, streaming across borders in search of safety and refuge. It was a year in which the language of human rights was hijacked and used to justify abuse, armed groups wreaked havoc, powerful states chose to bypass international institutions, and the use of torture became the subject of debate. Against the backdrop of a world so riven, what hope can we hold on to? In the face of such gross abuses, how can we make the language of human rights meaningful?

Optimism comes to us from a different set of images - the unprecedented millions who took to the streets in Spain in a stirring demonstration of resilience in the face of national trauma; a small group of women in Mexico fighting for their equality, and a President forced to stand beside them; cries of "Allahu Akbar" ("God is great") as Amina Lawal’s death sentence for adultery was overturned in court in Nigeria; empowered individuals and communities in Russia standing up and speaking out for their rights. Each of these stories, and the many more you will read within these pages, offers up its own symbol of hope. Across the world, men and women, working singly and in groups, are effecting change. Similarly, Amnesty International, together with its partners in the struggle to defend human rights, is changing the world in which it works. If our ability to make a difference in the lives of people and communities is the true measure of our success, then this has been a year to celebrate.

From inspiring stories of progress made at local and national levels, Amnesty International is compelled to continue driving change at the global level, making an impact on policy, legislation and international decision-making. This year saw the flawed, but not failed, peace processes in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Sudan and elsewhere continue to move forward. In the fight to abolish the death penalty, two more countries ratified the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and other countries moved towards ratification. The Convention on Rights of Migrant Workers came into force and further advancements were made towards a treaty con-cerned with ending "disappearances". Five more countries ratified the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, and many countries continued to resist pressure from the USA to undermine the Court. Key legal bodies in the United Kingdom (UK) and the USA fought back against the violations occurring in UK detention centres and the US detention centre in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. From the introduction of legislation to end impunity in Argentina to legislative reform in Turkey to strengthen human rights, from the opening up of Myanmar (formerly Burma) to Amnesty International after years of refusal to Morocco where laws were changed to improve the rights of women, positive steps for human rights occurred in countries all over the world. All of these successes can be traced back to individual people working tirelessly together for change.

The challenge now is to build on these achievements, despite the many failures that figured so prominently in the global agenda. The call comes to us, poignantly, from 73-year-old Riad al-Turk, a former prisoner of conscience in Syria who has spent most of his adult life in prison and was held in solitary confinement for nearly 18 years. In September 2003, he visited Amnesty International’s offices in London, and told staff members, "Humanity is in need of Amnesty International more than at any point in the past because human rights violations are not just limited to authoritarian regimes." The more governments and institutions fail, the more it falls to civil society to step into the void and make the difference. If a handful of mothers can do it in Mexico, we all can.

Irene Khan, Amnesty International’s Secretary General

Peace

Worldwide, more than half a million children under 18 have been recruited into armed forces in over 85 countries. At any one time, more than 300,000 of these children are actively fighting as soldiers.

In the DRC, thousands of children from the age of seven have served as soldiers over the last seven years in armed groups supported by the governments of the DRC, Rwanda and Uganda. In visits across the DRC, Amnesty International researchers interviewed scores of serving and demobilized child soldiers, documenting their harrowing experiences.

Twelve-year-old Christian, who was shot in the arm during combat and is maimed as a result, told Amnesty International delegates, "The gun I had… was so heavy that I had to kneel down to fire it." It is a physical burden too great for any child to bear. And yet, when the children speak of war, it is often the psychological and emotional scars that are most haunting.

Gaston was recruited from his school classroom at the age of 10. He described to Amnesty International delegates how young soldiers were forced to overcome their fear of killing: "They brought someone to me one night when I was on duty guarding an entrance. It was a child, whose face they’d covered, and they told me he was a rebel, an enemy, and that I had to kill him. That’s exactly what I did. On the spot. With my knife. That night, after doing that, I couldn’t sleep."

Girl soldiers face additional dangers. Natalia, who is 16 years old and was recruited when she was 12, recalled, "I was frequently raped and beaten by the other soldiers… When I was just 14, I had a baby. I don’t even know who the father is. I managed to escape, but today I have nowhere to go and no food to give to the baby, and I am afraid to go home, because I was a soldier."

The words of the child soldiers who have shared their stories, together with the voices of the tens of thousands of people who have spoken out with them, make a powerful noise. Amnesty International has put this noise to governments and the international community, forcing them to recognize the sheer human tragedy of the DRC’s recent past. In response to the weight of national and international pressures, most military leaders in the DRC have publicly denied recruiting child soldiers. But in the course of 2003, the rate of child recruitment gathered pace in some areas of the country.

We will not be satisfied by empty promises and will not stop speaking out until the country’s political and military leaders demonstrate a genuine commitment to ending child soldiering in the DRC. As Kalami, who was recruited at age nine, told Amnesty International:

"Today, I am afraid. I don’t know how to read, I don’t know where my family is. I have no future. The worst is during the day when I think about my future. My life is lost. I have nothing to live for. At night, I can no longer sleep - I keep thinking of those horrible things I have seen and done as a soldier."

[Quote]

‘Please do your best to tell the world what is happening to us, the child ren. So that other children don’t have to pass through this violence.’

- a 15-year-old girl who escaped from the armed group, the Lor d’s Resistance Army in Uganda

[photo caption]

Child soldier of the Union of Congolese Patriots armed group in Bunia, DRC. © Sven Torfinn/Panos Pictures

[end caption]

Justice

In April 2003, for the first time in two decades, Amnesty International delegates set foot in Iraq.

"No one is safe." "We need security, not food." The people who met Amnesty International’s delegates in Basra in April and May 2003 were concerned above all about insecurity and violence. They were living in a city ravaged by looting and lawlessness; a city where looting continued, even though anything of any worth had already been stolen; a city where women and girls were too frightened to go out alone.

Disorder, fear and insecurity were prevalent in many parts of Iraq; in Basra, not even the hospitals were safe. When the delegates visited the Education Hospital, there were no guards apparent and no military presence. A gunshot victim admitted as a patient testified that he had been attacked and shot again while in the hospital. Throughout the city, government buildings had been looted and burned, and yet, whenever the delegates returned to a building after a day or two, more of it had disappeared - the roof, doors, gates, windows, even the bricks.

While living with the fear and insecurity of the present, many Iraqis were still plagued by the sorrow and anguish of the past. When Amnesty International delegates visited a deserted prison in Basra, they found dozens of people trying to dig up the ground with rudimentary tools in the forlorn hope that someone they loved was hidden in an underground prison cell. Grief-stricken and desperate, people remembered hearing voices from underground, and told the delegates stories of those who had "disappeared". In one family alone, seven brothers had "disappeared", one had been executed, and two sisters had been tortured.

Across the country, the desire for documentation of the past was overwhelming. At a military post in the centre of Umm Qasr, Amnesty International delegates gathered questionnaires from people searching for missing relatives presumed to be prisoners of war. They interviewed former political prisoners, and recorded harrowing testimonies of past human rights violations, including torture, "disappearances" and executions. They documented the locations of mass graves and called on the USA and the UK to protect the Iraqi people and to ensure that important evidence such as mass graves and documentation was preserved.

Since the official end of the war, however, the security situation has deteriorated considerably, prompting many international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) as well as the UN to withdraw most or all of their international staff from Iraq. The violence and lawlessness must stop.

As the important work of rebuilding Iraqi civil society begins, Amnesty International will continue to call for security, justice and accountability in Iraq at every instance. "We want justice," one Iraqi told Amnesty International, "but we cannot be patient for justice forever." The people of Iraq want international standards of human rights law, both in principle and in practice - and they deserve nothing less.

[Quote]

‘We just want to know the truth and bring to justice those who caused us so much suffering.’

[photo caption]

Relatives of Iraqi prisoners of war await processing outside a prisoner of war camp near Umm Qasr, from which less significant prisoners are being released.

© Yola Monakhov/Panos Pictures

Equality

In a barren wasteland near an assembly plant in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, a small cross commemorates the place where the body of Lilia Alejandra García was found in February 2001. Two days earlier, the police emergency services had received two calls from residents living nearby reporting that a young woman, apparently naked, was being beaten and raped by two men in a car. By the time police finally arrived at the scene, more than an hour after the first call, the car was gone.

Lilia Alejandra’s mother, Norma Andrade, had reported her 17-year-old daughter missing only days before the body was discovered, covered in a blanket, with signs of physical and sexual violence. "When we found her, my daughter’s body told of everything that had been done to her," she told Amnesty International.

No investigation was launched into the possible connections between the emergency call and the abduction and murder of Lilia Alejandra, or into the failure of the emergency services to respond in time to the calls.

In a former cotton field nearby, eight more crosses mark the place where the bodies of eight women, believed to be between the ages of 15 and 21, were found in November 2001. Although the authorities promptly announced the names of the probable victims, the various analyses and tests carried out by experts in the months that followed generated uncertainty over the identities of at least seven of the women. The families of these women continue to wait, in a suspended state of grief and confusion. In desperation, one mother admitted, "I can’t take any more. Whether it is my daughter or not, I want that body."

For Evangelina Arce, the waiting and wondering may never end. Her daughter, Silvia Arce, was reported missing in March 1998, and in the five years since the initial enquiries, there is no indication that further official steps have been taken. "We don’t deserve this treatment or the pain we are suffering every day. All I’m asking is that they find my daughter, and for justice to be done," Evangelina told Amnesty International delegates.

In the last 10 years, approximately 370 women have been murdered in the Mexican cities of Ciudad Juárez and Chihuahua. At least 137 were sexually assaulted prior to death. Seventy-five unidentified bodies remain with the authorities. After more than a decade of sexual violence, discrimination, abductions and deaths, the women of the cities of Ciudad Juárez and Chihuahua have taken matters into their own hands, denouncing the state’s negligence and fighting for justice themselves.

In solidarity with the women of Ciudad Juárez, Amnesty International launched the report, Intolerable Killings: 10 years of abductions and murder of women in Ciudad Juárez and Chihuahua, during a visit to Mexico by the Secretary General, Irene Khan. During this visit, President Vicente Fox publicly committed himself to ensuring that his government played an active and concrete role in putting a stop to the murders and abductions in Ciudad Juárez and Chihuahua, and reiterated this pledge in meetings with the mothers of victims.

[Quote]

‘When evaluating what this government has achieved in terms of hu man rights, the crucial benchmark the i nternational community and Mexican ci vil society will use will be whether it has be en able to turn words into action.’

- Amnesty International’s Secretary General Irene Khan, quoted i n Proceso, 16 August 2003

[photo caption]

Crosses mark a spot where murdered women were dumped on the poor outskirts of Ciudad Juárez, Mexico.

© REUTERS/Daniel Aguilar

Refuge

1

A UK government policy outlining a "New Vision" for refugee protection was revealed in the press in February 2003. Based on the notion that countries like the UK could provide protection to those in need, this vision proposed a more managed international response to refugee movements. Such an initiative would surely be welcomed by organizations fighting for the protection of refugees… Why then did Amnesty International become the leading opponent of this proposal?

The drafters promoted the policy paper as "pro-refugee" but "anti-asylum". In reality, it envisaged a future where asylum-seekers arriving on UK shores would be forced to return to designated areas of origin or transit controlled by international organizations, with a minimum level of protection. In Amnesty International’s view, the proposal raised serious concerns about detention, discrimination and the legality of population transfers, and was contrary to international law.

This "extra-territorial" processing of asylum claims, now also promoted in some form by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the European Union (EU), had been tried before with chilling consequences. The Australian government introduced their own version - the so-called "Pacific Solution" - in 2001 in connection with the dramatic stand-off surrounding the arrival in Australian waters of more than 400 asylum-seekers who had been rescued at sea by the Norwegian freighter Tampa.

This radical initiative saw more than a thousand mainly Afghan and Iraqi asylum-seekers arbitrarily detained in countries they had no connection to at the behest of the Australian authorities. These asylum-seekers received no legal assistance whatsoever during the processing of their asylum claims, and after more than two years, many victims of the "Pacific Solution" remain in detention in the Republic of Nauru.

The discussions surrounding the UK, the EU and the UNHCR proposals came to a head in June 2003 at meetings of the UN in Geneva and at a EU summit in Thessaloniki, Greece, where asylum was high on the agenda. As one of the most trusted voices on refugee rights, Amnesty International was faced with tough choices. After discussions within the movement and with external experts, we published a hard-hitting report highlighting the human rights concerns inherent in all three proposals.

Amnesty International staff and activists then took action across Europe. In Thessaloniki, Amnesty International successfully influenced key governments attending the EU summit to block the proposals. In Geneva, we urged the UNHCR and states to evaluate the human rights impact of Australia’s Pacific Solution before embarking on any new radical path of multilateral "cooperation" that could undermine the principle of international solidarity in global refugee protection.

Amnesty International’s contributions brought a crucial human rights perspective to the national, regional and global debates on these issues, and played a decisive part in at least temporarily postponing the proposals stemming from the "New Vision". If this process had proceeded unchecked, irreparable damage could have been done to refugee protection not only in the UK and in Europe, but worldwide. While our independent and non-political stance has been criticized by some, our resolute adherence to our principles was widely praised.

[Quote]

‘Your concerns caught my attention to such an extent that I shared them with the European Council in Thessaloniki. Some of our partners discussed the possibility of establishing transit centres at the borders of the European Union, where asylum-seekers would be directed while waiting for their cases to be examined. It became clear that such a project would encounter obstacles of a practical, legal and moral nature... I therefore opposed it. No pilot project will begin on the establishment of such centres.’

Letter from French President Jacques Chirac to Amnesty International France, 11 July 2003

[photo caption]

Asylum-seekers who crossed illegally through the Channel Tunnel aboard a freight train are detained in a holding cell in Folkestone, UK. The risk of arbitrary detention of asylum-seekers in countries to which they have no connection was one of the main reasons Amnesty International reacted strongly to the UK proposal.

© Trygve Sorvaag/Panos Pictures

Life

For Manuel Chocano work is "a daily struggle", and each day that passes is marked by joys and losses with heavy consequences. Manuel is a human rights defender in Guatemala who fights injustice with both his work and his life. "Human rights defenders work to uphold the most basic human rights, things that you and I take for granted: the opportunity to leave your house and go where you want to go, to speak when you want to speak and remain silent when you want to remain silent, to write what you want to write; the right to freedom from discrimination."

Manuel works to empower the poor and marginalized, people who live in small villages dotted throughout the countryside, far from centres of power and government in the capital. By bringing the language and culture of human rights to people in rural areas, Manuel teaches them how to take action when their rights have been violated. In cases of discrimination, corruption and "disappearances", he acts as an intermediary between the people and the government, giving a voice to those who are seldom listened to. People feel protected knowing that a human rights defender like Manuel is working on their case. But for him, this protection is only relative. "Some days," he confesses, "I am overcome with a feeling of powerlessness. But when we ‘win’ a case, when we get a positive result, then the satisfaction is enormous, and it is a break, a relief from the suffering. And although we win perhaps only one case in 10, this one case makes it all worthwhile, and for the possibility of one more case, I must keep fighting."

Personally, Manuel has received threats on his life, been followed, and been harassed in his own home. His family lives in fear. And yet he describes his work as "life-affirming" - despite everything, he feels fortunate. "At least I have a certain amount of visibility," he explains. "I am in touch with journalists and international organizations, and I know that if I was forced to leave the country, friends and colleagues would come to my aid."

Despite his humility, it is obvious after speaking with Manuel that the difference his "daily struggle" makes is significant; that a day in the life of a human rights defender is, in itself, something worth fighting for. In 2003, Amnesty International provided support to human rights defenders like Manuel all over the globe - from bringing international attention and pressure to bear on local cases and providing support for human rights defenders whose lives are in danger, to maintaining an internship program so that exiled human rights defenders can continue their work even when far from home. When asked about the role Amnesty International plays in his work, Manuel is magnanimous: "Amnesty International’s influence with the government is incredible. Each time that Amnesty takes on a case, each time that they release an Urgent Action, that case becomes 10 times more powerful."

[Quote]

‘What motivates me to go on, despite all the injustice I see, is a compulsion to work for a better world in the future... It is difficult for my father to understand what I do. He asks me, "Is it worth it, to die for this?" And I answer, "Yes, I would die for this cause."’

- Manuel Chocano, human rights defender

[photo caption]

Releasing doves at a demonstration demanding the participation of the civil sector in the peace process, Guatemala City, Guatemala.

© Paul Smith/Panos Pictures

Action

over 2,000,000 letters, faxes and emails were sent by the members of our Urgent Action network on behalf of people in 74 countries or territories

75,000 members of the Urgent Action network acted on 426 new appeals, and positive developments occurred in 179 of these cases

137 visits to 69 countries and territories to conduct research, meet victims of human rights violations, observe trials and contact local human rights activists

6 high-level missions to meet government officials and leaders in Afghanistan; Brazil; Iraq; Jordan; Mexico; and a regional mission to Rwanda, Uganda and the DRC

50 medical actions and updates taken on behalf of prisoners or other detainees, health professionals at risk, those in institutions being denied adequate care, and in cases of the death penalty

over 100 web actions, many of them in Arabic, French, Russian and Spanish as well as in English

over 60,000 signatures gathered in online petitions

over 150 major reports launched, on issues ranging from the arms trade to discrimination and justice in the Russian Federation

more than 80,000 people have added their faces to the Million Faces Petition on the Control Arms website, including celebrities and members of parliament from around the world

[footnote]

We cannot reflect the enormous amount of work undertaken by Amnesty International or the incredible variety of initiatives taken in Amnesty International’s name at local, national and regional levels. The above represents an overview, but more information is available in the Amnesty International Report 2004, from Amnesty International sections and on our website www.amnesty.org

[photo caption]

The international launch of the "Control Arms" campaign took place in Trafalgar Square, London, UK, on Thursday 9 October, with national launches in around 50 countries worldwide. The Control Arms Campaign is a collaborative campaign by Amnesty International with Oxfam International and the International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA) which has over 500 affiliates. A life-sized graveyard was installed in the Square. Hundreds of gravestones representing the half a million people who die each year from armed violence - one every minute - were laid out across the Square.

© AI

Impact

The work of Amnesty International and its many partners has impact on the lives of individuals and communities all over the world. Here are some examples of what has been achieved through a vast variety of actions, ranging from high-profile media campaigns and high-level lobbying to sending letters, petitions and appeals. Amnesty International has not worked on any of these cases in isolation, but as part of the wider community of people committed to protecting and preserving human rights everywhere, including international and local organizations, individual activists and human rights defenders.

Bolivia - New president Carlos Mesa Gisbert committed himself to bringing to justice in criminal courts those responsible for the deaths that occurred in recent demonstrations.

Brazil - Following national and international condemnation, the Rio de Janeiro and the federal authorities admitted that torture is practiced on a widespread basis in the country.

Burundi - Alexandre Nzeyimana, who was 12 years old at the time of his arrest in August 2002, was unconditionally released.

China - China formally abolished "Custody and Repatriation", a system which had allowed for the arbitrary detention and abuse of millions of migrant workers, vagrants, homeless children and others in urban areas.

[Box]

Protocol No. 13 to the European Convention on Human Rights, concerning the abolition of the death penalty in all circumstances, entered into force.

Colombia - Disciplinary investigations found former Admiral Rodrigo Quiñónez guilty of dereliction of duty in failing to take action to prevent the 2001 Chengue massacre.

> Relief work undertaken by Amnesty International ensured that hundreds of individuals and families under threat from armed actors were given temporary shelter and provided with emergency financial assistance.

Cuba - Five prisoners of conscience, the focus of various Amnesty International campaigns, were released.

DRC - Human rights defenders Prince Kumwamba Nzapu and Gregorie Mulamba Tshisakamba, accused of "inciting rebellion" by issuing a press release, were acquitted and unconditionally released. Later that month, eight individuals detained on related charges were also released.

Ecuador - The authorities agreed that police officers charged with human rights violations would be tried in ordinary courts, rather than police courts.

Gabon - Five prisoners of conscience were released after three months in detention.

Gambia - A Focal Point on human rights defenders was finally established by the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights.

Guatemala - The Estado Mayor Presidencial, Presidential High Command, an intelligence structure implicated in many high-profile human rights violation cases and allegedly linked to clandestine armed groups, was formally abolished.

Indonesia - The National Commission on Human Rights initiated investigations into two major cases of human rights violations in Papua Province.

> Following Urgent Actions and open letters to the authorities, the executions of six people did not take place.

Iran - Following national and international pressure, the Head of the Judiciary indefinitely suspended the execution of Afsaneh Norouzi.

Iraq - Amnesty International made sure that those with power heard the concerns of Iraqi people.

Jamaica - The Jamaican Crime Management Unit, which had been implicated in numerous extrajudicial executions, was disbanded and six of its members were charged with the murder of seven young men (known as the Braeton 7) killed in Braeton, Jamaica.

More than 27,500 letters were written and almost 9,000 signatures collected during the letter-writing marathon organized by the Amnesty International Poland on Human Rights Day, with participation from 45 countries around the world.

Kazakstan - The President signed a moratorium on executions, and this year, will review all outstanding death sentences and introduce legislation to abolish the death penalty.

Liberia - UN Security Council Resolution 1509 established the UN Mission in Liberia, laying a sound foundation for human rights protection in Liberia.

Malaysia - Five prisoners of conscience were freed.

Maldives - Jennifer Latheef, a prisoner of conscience who featured in an Amnesty International report, was released.

Mauritania - The authorities adopted a law that punishes slavery with specific penalties in the case of violations.

> Three prisoners of conscience were granted pardon and released after more than two years’ imprisonment.

Mexico - President Vicente Fox declared that he would ensure the commutation of the death sentence imposed by a military tribunal on Heron Varela Flores.

> The authorities expressed their willingness to end the constitutional provision for the death penalty.

Nepal - Amnesty International issued Urgent Actions on behalf of 114 individuals, covering 105 suspected "disappearances" and five cases of torture. To date, 29 of these people have been released.

Amnesty International’s Media and Audio Visual Program was selected as the Press Office of the Year by the Foreign Press Association in London, UK.

Russian Federation - An official investigation was launched into a racist attack which took place in two villages in Krasnodar Territory.

> Amnesty International’s campaigning helped to re-open the investigation into allegations of torture and ill-treatment of two boys in Nizhnyi Novgorod.

> 300 pieces of works were entered in the Russia media competition, organized jointly by the Union of Russian Journalists and Amnesty International. It covered five topics central to the campaign on the Russian Federation - administration of justice, violence against women, racism and xenophobia, children’s rights and the role of NGOs in civil society.

> Amnesty International members campaigned for the unconditional release of prisoner of conscience Grigory Pasko. In January 2003 he walked free from a prison colony in the Russian Far East after serving two thirds of his sentence.

> Six young skinheads were convicted under a hate crime law of the murder of a Bangladeshi student and related assaults, which were highlighted in an Amnesty International report.

> Colonel Yurii Budanov, charged with kidnapping and killing a Chechen girl, was found guilty, on appeal, of all charge. He was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment in a high-security prison and has been stripped of his military rank and all awards.

> Amnesty International Switzerland launched a 100-day bus tour, which covered more than 10,000 kilometres and crossed the boundaries of 14 European countries, raising awareness of human rights abuses in the Russian Federation. 16,000 signatures were collected for a petition delivered to the Administration of President Vladimir Putin.

Control Arms campaign The governments of 10 countries have publicly committed themselves to supporting the International Control Arms campaign.

Saudi Arabia - William Sampson and Alexander Mitchell, who was under a death sentence, were released from prison following the clemency of King Fahd bin ‘Abul ‘Aziz Al Saud.

Serbia and Montenegro /Albania/Macedonia - As a result of persistent campaigning against widespread impunity for police officers, the authorities are now investigating cases of torture and ill-treatment of detainees and have instigated disciplinary or criminal proceedings against the perpetrators in a significant number of cases.

Sierra Leone - The Special Court for Sierra Leone indicted 13 people for crimes against humanity, war crimes and other serious abuses of international humanitarian law during Sierra Leone’s internal armed conflict.

Solomon Islands - 4,000 illegal guns destroyed. 400 people arrested for human rights abuses.

Tajikistan - Amnesty International delivered a 2,122-signature petition against the death penalty signed by 16 members of the European Parliament to the Tajik Embassy. Shortly after, the President of Tajikistan introduced the abolition of the death penalty for women and for men under the age of 18.

Togo - Three journalists, two of whom had been tortured during pre-trial detention, were freed.

Tunisia - Mohammed ben Hedi Naouar was released without charge from detention in Tunis.

Turkey - Human rights defender Sevim Yetkiner was released after one month’s imprisonment. She attributes her swift release to Amnesty International’s campaigning.

Turkmenistan - Prisoner of conscience Farid Tukhbatullin was released.

USA - Outgoing Illinois Governor George Ryan pardoned four death row prisoners and commuted the death sentences of all 167 others.

> Outgoing Kentucky Governor Paul Patton commuted the death sentence of Kevin Stanford because he was only 17 at the time of the crime.

> Ohio Governor Bob Taft commuted one death sentence and granted two further indefinite stays of execution.

> Three foreign nationals held at Guantánamo Bay in Cuba were exempted from the death penalty.

[photo caption]

Celebrating the opening of the first safe house in Kenya to shelter girls threatened with female genital mutilation. Throughout the world, women are claiming the right to live free from fear of violence and bringing hope to new generations of girls. © Paula Allen

Trust in numbers

Amnesty International does not accept money from governments for its work investigating and campaigning against human rights violations - the donations that fund this work come from the organization's many individual supporters around the world, who give primarily to the movement’s national sections.

The International Secretariat of Amnesty International is also dependent on the generous support of various trusts, foundations and charitable givers. In particular, the International Secretariat would like to thank the institutions that supported it during 2003, including the Community Fund UK, the Oak Foundation, the Dutch ZipCode Lottery (through the Dutch World Wide Fund), the NRK (Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation) Telethon Fund, and The Sigrid Rausing Trust. With their support, the International Secretariat has been able to carry out projects to promote and protect human rights across more than 37 countries around the world.

The international budgeted expenditure for the financial year April 2003 - March 2004, as agreed by Amnesty International’s governing body, the International Executive Committee, was £25,375,000.

BUGETED INCOME 2003-04 (£’000)

contributions from sections 23,860

grants 2,090

interest 143

other 100

total income 26,193

BUDGETED EXPENDITURE

international fundraising 347

africa 2,642

americas 2,140

asia 2,528

europe 1,875

middle east 1,842

research and action 11,027

international campaigns 1,198

media & communications 3,452

membership support 1,561

democratic leadership 1,059

organizational support & administration 5,443

finance and accountability 1,288

total expenditure 25,375

surplus 818*

* Amnesty International’s Secretariat regularly reviews its policy regarding the maintanence of cash reserves and currently maintains a reserves level equal to 5 months’ expenditure. For the financial year 2003-04, the organization is budgeting a reserves transfer of £818,000 unrestricted funds.

[Graphs]

research and action expenditure by region 2003-04

africa 24%

americas 19.4%

asia 22.9%

europe 17%

middle east 16.7%

overall expenditure 2003-04

international

fundraising 1.4%

research & action 42.6%

international campaigning 4.7%

media & communication 13.6%

membership support 6.2%

democratic leadership 4.2%

organizational support 25%

finance & accountability 2.4%

how you can help

Amnesty International’s unique strength is in its supporters, who make up a global movement of over 1.8 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 or corporations 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 an organization of activists. Simply by writing a letter to a prisoner of conscience or a government, sending a postcard, signing an online petition or attending an organized demonstration, you can defend human rights. Take part in one of our online actions at www.amnesty.org

join

As a member, you’ll join a worldwide movement - your work will make a real difference to the victims of human rights violations. Our members are also important to our decision-making structures, so you’ll have a say in the way we work. Join online at www.amnesty.org

volunteer

Volunteers are at the heart of Amnesty International - without volunteers, our work simply would not be possible. If you have a few days or hours a week, or a few months in which you would like to use your skills and experience to help us, contact the Amnesty International section in your country or the International Secretariat, Peter Benenson House, 1 Easton Street, London WC1X 0DW, United Kingdom, for more information

You can also give, take part in local actions, become a member or volunteer by contacting the Amnesty International section in your country. Please see reverse for details.

Amnesty International Sections

Algeria Amnesty International, BP 377, Alger, RP 16004

e-mail: amnestyalgeria@hotmail.com

Argentina Amnistía Internacional, Av. Rivadavia 2206 - P4A, C1032ACO Ciudad de Buenos Aires

e-mail: info@amnesty.org.ar http://www.amnesty.org.ar

Australia Amnesty International, Locked Bag 23, Broadway, New South Wales 2008

e-mail: adminaia@amnesty.org.au http://www.amnesty.org.au

Austria Amnesty International, Moeringgasse 10, A-1150 Vienna

e-mail: info@amnesty.at http://www.amnesty.at

Belgium Amnesty International (Flemish-speaking), Kerkstraat 156,

2060 Antwerpen

e-mail: directie@aivl.be http://www.aivl.be

Belgium Amnesty International (francophone), rue Berckmans 9, 1060 Bruxelles

e-mail: aibf@aibf.be http://www.aibf.be

Benin Amnesty International, 01 BP 3536, Cotonou

e-mail:aibenin@leland.bj

Bermuda Amnesty International, PO Box HM 2136, Hamilton HM JX

e-mail: aibda@ibl.bm

Canada Amnesty International (English-speaking), 312 Laurier Avenue East, Ottawa, Ontario, K1N 1H9

e-mail: info@amnesty.ca http://www.amnesty.ca

Canada Amnistie Internationale (francophone), 6250 boulevard Monk, Montréal, Québec, H4E 3H7

e-mail: info@amnistie.qc.ca http://www.amnistie.qc.ca

Chile Amnistía Internacional, Oficina Nacional, Huelén 188 A, 750-0617 Providencia, Santiago

e-mail: info@amnistia.cl http://www.amnistia.cl

Côte d’Ivoire Amnesty International, 04 BP 895, Abidjan 04

e-mail: amnestycotedivoire@aviso.ci

Denmark Amnesty International, Gammeltorv 8, 5, 1457 Copenhagen K.

e-mail: amnesty@amnesty.dk http://www.amnesty.dk

Ecuador Amnistía Internacional, Av. 10 de Agosto N 14-43 y Checa Edificio UCICA, Piso 8, Ofic. #807, CP 17-15-240-C, Quito

e-mail: admin-ec@amnesty.org http://www.amnistia.org.ec

Faroe Islands Amnesty International, PO Box 1075, FR-110 Tórshavn

e-mail: amnesty@amnesty.fo http://www.amnesty.fo

Finland Amnesty International, Ruoholahdenkatu 24, D 00180 Helsinki

e-mail: amnesty@amnesty.fi http://www.amnesty.fi

France Amnesty International, 76 Bd de La Villette, 75940 Paris, Cédex 19

e-mail: info@amnesty.asso.fr http://www.amnesty.asso.fr

Germany Amnesty International, Heerstrasse 178, 53111 Bonn

e-mail: info@amnesty.de http://www.amnesty.de

Ghana Amnesty International, Private Mail Bag, Kokomlemle, Accra - North

e-mail: amnesty@ighmail.com

Greece Amnesty International, Sina 30, 106 72 Athens

e-mail: info@amnesty.gr http://www.amnesty.gr

Guyana Amnesty International, PO Box 101679, Georgetown

Hong Kong Amnesty International, Unit B3, Best-O-Best Commercial Centre, 32-36 Ferry Street, Kowloon

e-mail: admin-hk@amnesty.org http://www.amnesty.org.hk

Iceland Amnesty International, PO Box 618, 121 Reykjavík

e-mail: amnesty@rhi.hi.is http://www.amnesty.is

Ireland Amnesty International, Sean MacBride House, 48 Fleet Street, Dublin 2

e-mail: info@amnesty.iol.ie http://www.amnesty.ie

Israel Amnesty International, PO Box 14179, Tel Aviv 61141

e-mail: amnesty@netvision.net.il http://www.amnesty.org.il

Italy Amnesty International, Via Giovanni Battista De Rossi 10,

00161 Roma

e-mail: info@amnesty.it http://www.amnesty.it

Japan Amnesty International, 2-7-7F Kanda-Tsukasa-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, 101-0048

e-mail: info@amnesty.or.jp http://www.amnesty.or.jp

Korea (Republic of) Amnesty International, Gwanghwamun P.O.Box 2045, Chongno-gu, Seoul, 110-620

e-mail: amnesty@amnesty.or.kr http://www.amnesty.or.kr

Luxembourg Amnesty International, Boîte Postale 1914, 1019 Luxembourg

e-mail: amnesty@pt.lu http://www.amnesty.lu

Mauritius Amnesty International, BP 69, Rose-Hill

e-mail: amnestymtius@intnet.mu

Mexico Amnistía Internacional, Zacatecas 230, Oficina 605, Colonia Roma Sur, Delegación Cuahutemoc, CP 06700, Mexico DF

e-mail: comitedirectivo@amnistia.org.mx http://www.amnistia.org.mx

Morocco Amnesty International, Place d’Angleterre, Rue Souissra, Immeuble No. 11, Appt No. 1, Rabat - L’Océan

e-mail: admin-ma@amnesty.org

Nepal Amnesty International, PO Box 135, Balaju, Kathmandu

e-mail: amnesty@ccsl.com.np http://www.amnestynepal.org

Netherlands Amnesty International, PO Box 1968, 1000 BZ Amsterdam

e-mail: amnesty@amnesty.nl http://www.amnesty.nl

New Zealand Amnesty International, PO Box 5300, Wellesley Street, Auckland

e-mail: campaign@amnesty.org.nz http://www.amnesty.org.nz

Norway Amnesty International, PO Box 702, Sentrum, 0106 Oslo

e-mail: info@amnesty.no http://www.amnesty.no

Peru Amnistía Internacional, Enrique Palacios 735-A, Miraflores, Lima

e-mail: admin-pe@amnesty.org http://amnistia.org.pe

Philippines Amnesty International, 17-B Kasing Kasing Street, Corner K-8th, Kamias, Quezon City

e-mail: amnestypilipinas@meridiantelekoms.net

Poland Amnesty International, ul. Jaókowa Dolina 4, 80-252 Gdañsk

e-mail: amnesty@amnesty.org.pl http://www.amnesty.org.pl

Portugal Amnistia Internacional, Rua Fialho de Almeida 13-1, PT-1070-128 Lisboa

e-mail: aiportugal@amnistia-internacional.pt

http://www.amnistia-internacional.pt

Puerto Rico Amnistía Internacional, Calle El Roble 54-Altos, Oficina 11, Río Piedras, 00925

e-mail: amnistiapr@amnestypr.org

Senegal Amnesty International, BP 269 Dakar Colobane

e-mail: aisenegal@sentoo.sn

Sierra Leone Amnesty International, PMB 1021, 16 Pademba Road, Freetown

e-mail: aislf@sierratel.sl

Slovenia Amnesty International, Beethovnova 7, 1000 Ljubljana

e-mail: amnesty.slo@guest.arnes.si

http://www.amnesty.si

Spain Amnistía Internacional, Apdo 50318, 28080 Madrid

e-mail: amnistia.internacional@a-i.es http://www.es. amnesty.org

Sweden Amnesty International, PO Box 4719, S-11692 Stockholm

e-mail: info@amnesty.se http://www.amnesty.se

Switzerland Amnesty International, PO Box 3001, Bern

e-mail: info@amnesty.ch http://www.amnesty.ch

Taiwan Amnesty International, No. 89, 7th floor #1, Chung Cheng Two Road, Kaohsiung

e-mail: aitaiwan@seed.net.tw http://www.aitaiwan.org.tw

Tanzania Amnesty International, Luther House 3rd Floor, PO Box 4331, Dar es Salaam

e-mail: aitanz@simbanet.net

Togo Amnesty International, BP 20013, Lomé. e-mail: aitogo@cafe.tg

Tunisia Amnesty International, 67 rue Oum Kalthoum, 3ème étage, Escalier B, 1000 Tunis

e-mail: admin-tn@amnesty.org

United Kingdom Amnesty International, 99-119 Rosebery Avenue, London EC1R 4RE

e-mail: info@amnesty.org.uk http://www.amnesty.org.uk

0 United States of America Amnesty International, 322 8th Ave, New York, NY 10001

e-mail: admin-us@aiusa.org http://www.amnestyusa.org

Uruguay Amnistía Internacional, Colonia 871, apto. 5, CP 11100, Montevideo

e-mail: amnistia@chasque.apc.org

http://www.amnistiauruguay.org.uy

Venezuela Amnistía Internacional, Apartado Postal 5110, Carmelitas, Caracas 1010A

e-mail: admin-ve @amnesty.org http://www.amnistia.int.ve

Cover image: © Markus Matzel/Still Images

AI Index: ORG 10/004/2004. © Copyright Amnesty International Publications 2003. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording and/or otherwise without the prior permission of the publishers.

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