Amnesty International (AI):
Amnesty International is a global movement of more than 7 million supporters, members, and activists in more than 150 countries and territories that campaign to end grave abuses of human rights. AI is a non-partisan organization founded in UK in 1961 to promote human rights worldwide. AI works on behalf of those whose fundamental human rights have been denied, harassed or incarcerated for the non-violent expression of their beliefs.AI promotes include (but not limited to) judicial due process, abolition of torture and abolition of the death penalty. AI mission is for every person to enjoy all the rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/index.shtml
AI is independent of any government, political ideology, economic interest, or religion and are funded mainly by our membership and public donations.
AI is independent of any government, political ideology, economic interest, or religion and are funded mainly by our membership and public donations.
The International Secretariat of AI (www.amnesty.org) is responsible for the majority of the Organization’s research and leads our campaign. The Headquarter is located at: 1 Easton Street, London, WC1X0DW, UK Tel. +44-20-741-35500
Amnesty International - USA (AI-USA):
The Headquarter of U.S. section of Amnesty International (www.amnestyusa.org) is located in New York City, New York at: 311 W. 43rd St., 7th Floor, New York, NY, 10036 (212-633-4160).
The AI-USA has an office in Washington DC at: 600 Pennsylvania Ave., SE, 5th Floor, Washington DC 20003 (202-509-8149)
The 2022-2023 Executive Team of AI-USA are listed at:
The Executive Committee makes decisions as necessary, on behalf of the full Board, in between Board meetings.
- Paul O’Brien has been the Executive Director at Amnesty International USA, based in Washington, DC since April 2021: pobrien@aiusa.org
- Adotei Akwei is AIUSA’s Interim Chief Membership Collaboration Officer for Amnesty International USA and he is located in DC office.
- Marcy Bourne is AIUSA’s Chief Development Officer and she currently resides in Wake Forest, NC.
- Julie Hong is AIUSA’s Chief IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Accessibility), People and Culture Officer. She is currently based in Washington DC office.
- Ira Lefton is the Chief Legal and Policy Officer at Amnesty International USA. He currently lives in NY City and Philadelphia, ilefton@aiusa.org.
- Anand Mishra is Amnesty International USA’s Interim Chief Impact Officer and he is based in Washington DC office.
- Jean-Claude is Amnesty International USA Chief Finance and Administration Officer. He is a Haitian-American and grow up in Brooklyn, NY. He currently resides in Fort Lauderdale, FL with his family.
- Rachel Ward is AIUSA’s Interim Chief Movement Building Officer leading research, campaigns and organizing teams. She is a lawyer and a member of the Law Society of England and Wales.
The 2022-2023 Board of Directors and Officers of AI-USA are listed at :
The AI-USA elected Board of Directors develops a clear vision for the organization through policies that set goals and priorities. The Board provides stewardship for the organization; establishes appropriate and constructive working relationships with staff; and ensures the financial health of the organization through fiscal oversight and fundraising. To contact the Board please send an email to: aiboard@aiusa.org
- ALEXANDRA DURBAK, Chair
- Penelope Halkiadaki, Vice Chair
- Matthew Kennis, Treasurer
- DIEDRE STIEGLITZ, Secretary
- Vibha Venkatesha, Member AT Large
- David Yu, Deputy Treasurer
- Christopher T. Foley, Deputy Secretary
- RASHA ABDEL LATIF, Member At Large
- Ali Arab, Member At Large
- Aaron Fellmeth, Member At Large
- Marcel Kitissou, Member At Large
- Phyllis Pautrat, Member At Large
- Leonard Torrealba, Member At Large
- Robyn Linde, Member At Large
- Rick Halperin, Member At Large
AI-USA Support & Member Services
Phone: 1-800-AMNESTY (1-800-266-3789); Mon - Fri (9 AM - 5 PM) EST
Email: aimember@aiusa.org
For questions, contact:
Midwest Area Coordinator Steering Committee: Susan Mitchell: susanfmitchell@hotmail.com
Jennifer Estrand, Community Program Manager: jestrada@aiusa.org
Megan Jirón, Grassroots Leadership & Engagement Coordinator: mjiron@aiusa.org
Patrick Gregoire, Community Program Specialist: pgregoire@aiusa.org
Aashka Merchant, Governance Officer: amerchant@aiusa.org
AI-USA National & Regional Offices
Amnesty International USA Headquarters
311 W 43rd Street, 7th Floor, New York, NY 10036
Phone: (212) 807-8400
Washington National Office & Mid-Atlantic Regional Office, Phone: (202) 544-0200
600 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE, 5th Floor, Washington, DC 20003
Northeast Regional Office, 89 South Street, Suite LL01, Boston, MA 02111
Western Regional Office, 1624 Franklin Street,
Suite 418, Oakland, CA 94612
DEFINITION OF A FEW TERMINOLOGY TERMS USED BY AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
Adopted from A
beginner's guide to human rights jargon, By Ben Beaumont, London 31 July 2015, 07:32 UTC
Baffled by
technical human rights terms and precise legal definitions?
You’re not
alone. Here’s a quick glossary of some of the most troublesome words and
phrases.
Commute
Commute
means to replace a punishment, usually a death sentence, with a less severe
one. For example, Amnesty called for the USA to commute to time served the
35-year jail sentence of whistleblower Chelsea Manning, who had been arrested after leaking
classified government material.
Crimes
against humanity
When certain
acts – including murder, torture and slavery – form part of a widespread attack
on a civilian population by a state or organization. Unlike war crimes, they
can take place at times of peace as well as during conflict. The Rwandan genocide
of 1994 is one example of a crime against humanity.
Extrajudicial
executions
Unlawful
killings ordered by a government, or committed with its knowledge and support.
They can be carried out by the military, police, or by civilians working with
government forces. For example, Hamas forces in Gaza committed serious human rights
abuses, including extrajudicial executions, torture and abductions, during the 2014 Gaza/Israel conflict.
Freedom
of expression
The right to seek, receive and share information and
ideas, without fear or interference.
It is closely linked with freedom of association (the right to meet with anyone
you choose, for example, to form and join clubs, societies or trade unions) and
the right to take part in a peaceful assembly, such as a demonstration or
public meeting.
Immunity
(from prosecution)
Allows an
accused person to avoid prosecution for a crime because of their job or office.
Amnesty International is opposed to immunity. For example, Amnesty has called
for the rejection of immunity in the Central African Republic so that people who committed crimes
during conflict there are brought to justice.
Impunity
Impunity
is when people who have committed crimes avoid punishment. For example, there
is a ‘culture of impunity’ among police in the Philippines, who are able to torture people without
fear of being punished. Amnesty calls for these people to be tried and
sentenced fairly, according to the law.
Prisoner
of conscience
A prisoner of conscience is someone who is imprisoned because of who they are
(sexual orientation, ethnic, national or social origin, language, birth,
colour, sex or economic status) or their religious, political or other beliefs,
and who hasn’t used or advocated violence. For example, Dr Mohammed al-Roken is a current prisoner of conscience
in the United Arab Emirates,
jailed for 10 years following a deeply unfair trial.
War
crimes
War crimes
are serious crimes committed during armed conflicts, which could include
murdering prisoners of war, killing hostages, torture and destroying towns and
villages. A recent example is in the Ukraine, where there is overwhelming evidence of ongoing
war crimes, including
torture and summary killings of prisoners.
A version of
this feature appeared in the July-September 2015 issue of Wire, Amnesty's global
magazine.
Amnesty International - USA, Group #139, Madison, Wisconsin*:
We are a chapter of Amnesty International in USA (AI-USA), a non-partisan Human Rights organization working for human rights. This chapter was chartered in 1978 and is managed by volunteers. We have about 80 members and no annual membership is required to join us. But we gladly accept donation for our local expenses such as printing and shipment of our petitions to various location as specified by AI-USA.
Group 139 communicates human rights action, events, and news from Amnesty International and other human rights organizations using:
Group Website: http://ai-madison139.blogspot.com
Group Facebook: Amnesty International Madison, WI Group 139
Group Twitter: Madison Amnesty #139
We do not raise or advocate donation to any of the organizations in our postings.
To join Group 139, please contact Group Coordinator:
Azam Niroomand-Rad, PhD using her e-mail: azamnrad@gmail.com
Or call her at: (608)-698-6749.
To learn more about Group #139, please click on the following links.
Thank you for your interest in AI Group #139!
*Amnesty
International Group 139 is a tax-exempt organization registered
in the U.S.A., with registered office at 350 South Hamilton Street, Unit 501, Madison, WI 53703
