About Amnesty International USA

Since 1961, Amnesty International USA has fought to protect human rights as the world’s largest grassroots human rights organization.

We work to protect people wherever justice, freedom, truth, and dignity are denied.

Our movement

Amnesty International is a global movement of millions of people demanding human rights for all people – no matter who they are or where they are. 

We are the world’s oldest and largest grassroots human rights organization. Since 1961, ordinary people across the world have chosen to take extraordinary action in defense of human rights for all. Read more about our history. 

Our vision

All people have  human rights. But those rights are abused or denied every single day. We are witnessing a rollback of human rights globally. World leaders are pushing hate, attempting to erase rights protections, commiting  crimes against humanity, and enacting policies that drive and deepen inequality. 

When that happens, Amnesty International finds the facts, exposes what’s happening, and rallies people together to force governments and others to respect everyone’s human rights. Our 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 instruments. In pursuit of this vision, our mission is to undertake research and action focused on preventing and ending grave abuses of these rights.

How we work

We begin with a focus on the individual – both the case that illustrates a larger pattern of abuses as well as the individual member who takes action for human rights. Our researchers identify the root causes and consequences of the human rights violations. This research is used to inform the public and key decision-makers and to engage grassroots supporters. The mobilization of Amnesty activists, along with direct advocacy and public education work, enables us to win changes in laws, policies, culture, and on the individual cases themselves.