The Urgent Action Network


International Documents


Universal Declaration of Human Rights

  • Article 3: Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.
  • Article 5: No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
  • Article 7: All are equal before the law and are entitled without discrimination to equal protection of the law. All are entitled to equal protection against any discrimination in violation of this Declaration and against any incitement to such discrimination.
  • Article 9: No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.
  • Article 10: Everyone is entitled in full equality to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal, in the determination of his rights and obligations and of any criminal charges against him/her.

Amnesty International seeks observance of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners. It may prove effective for UA participants to become familiar with these documents and refer to them in some appeals. In cases of torture, refer to the United Nations Declaration on the Protections of all Persons from Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1975.