Amnesty International was founded in 1961 after a British lawyer, Peter Benenson, read about two Portugese students sentenced to seven years in prison after raising their glasses in a toast to freedom. On May 28, he wrote an article for The Observer newspaper entitled 'The Forgotten Prisoners' which was an appeal for amnesty for men and women throughout the world who were held in jail for their political or religious views. The appeal was also printed in other papers across the world, and Amnesty International was born.
Today Amnesty International has more than a million members worldwide. In the UK there are over 165,000 members as well as some 70 student groups, 400 youth groups (mainly in schools) and 300 local groups.
Amnesty International has worked to help around 47,000 victims of human rights abuses, and its work goes on.