AI is a human rights movement that campaigns to free all prisoners of conscience, to ensure fair and prompt trials for political prisoners, to abolish death penalty and any form of torture. The History of Amnesty International AI was founded by British lawyer Peter Benenson in 1961. He became angry after reading a newspaper report about two Portuguese students. They had been sentenced to seven years imprisonment for raising their glasses in a toast to "freedom" in a public restaurant in Portugal. Benenson began to think of ways to persuade the Portuguese government - and other oppressive governments - to release such victims of injustice. To draw public attention to the faith of political prisoners, Benenson and several other activists organized a one-year campaign. They called it "Appeal for Amnesty, 1961". The campaign was launched in a newspaper article printed internationally on 28 May, 1961 under the title "the Forgotten Prisoners". AI is independent of any government, political persuasion or religious creed. AI is financed by subscriptions and donations from its worldwide membership and has formal relations with the UN, UNESCO, OAU, OAS and the Council of Europe. AI was awarded the Peace Nobel Prize in 1977. Amnesty International in Macau Amnesty International - Macau was created 1987 by members of different nationalities. Its members are organized in two local groups.
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