Amnesty International USA

[A] WHEREAS British attorney Peter Benenson wrote a 1961 article on the “Forgotten Prisoner” in the London Observer newspaper launching an “Appeal for Amnesty” that sought among other things, to work impartially for the release of those imprisoned for their opinions, and thereby created Amnesty International;

[B] WHEREAS Amnesty International defined the terms “Prisoner of Conscience” and “POC” for the world as anyone imprisoned because of their race, religion, color, language, sexual orientation, or belief, so long as they have not used or advocated violence, and won the 1977 Nobel Peace Prize primarily for working to free POCs, and our Secretary General opened the Dakar (2003) International Council Meeting by declaring that “Human Rights violations are not committed against the other side, but against a mother, a sister, a brother, a son. If we lose sight of individual, we perpetuate the climate of anonymity in which violations flourish. That is why, at its very essence, Amnesty International is about Individuals;”

[C] WHEREAS, although many governments (such as Myanmar, China, Tanzania, Cuba, and Turkey) continue to imprison and threaten prisoners of conscience, Amnesty International has in recent years de-emphasized its focus on POCs, failed to mention POCs in the first International Strategic Operational Plan from 2004-2006, stopped commemorating POC week, failed to recognize the importance of prisoners of conscience in its first operational plan, and produced only 11 action files in 2004 (down from 451 in 1996); and

[D] WHEREAS the AI International Executive Committee (IEC) failed to respond to AIUSA’s proposal (in 2003 AGM Decision 13) calling for “the establishment of a day of remembrance of the victims of political violence including political prisoners, prisoners of conscience and all other victims that we, and humanity as a whole, have failed to rescue because they were executed, massacred, murdered, or kidnapped and killed;”

[E] THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that Amnesty International designate an “International Day of the Prisoner of Conscience” to remind AI’s members of our proud, continuing work on POCs and to spur them to continue that work on that day and throughout the year;

[F] BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the AIUSA Board of Directors shall, by July 31, 2006, write to the International Secretariat and the International Executive Committee (copying the Boards of Directors of all sections/structures) calling on AI to create such a day and to request that the United Nations recognize that day on its calendar;

[G] BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that, if AI has not taken these actions by January 1, 2007, the AIUSA Board of Directors shall submit a resolution to the 2007 International Council Meeting calling for such a day.