Amnesty International UK (AUIK) is part of a worldwide movement working to promote respect for human rights, as set out in 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Amnesty in the UK is headquartered in London but also has offices in Edinburgh and Belfast. A membership organisation, Amnesty International UK has around 170 employees across its three locations and 207,000 supporters and members.

Amnesty was founded in England in 1961 by barrister Peter Benenson. It now has an estimated seven million members, supporters and activists in more than 150 countries. In the UK, Amnesty is actually two legal entities - Amnesty International United Kingdom Section, a limited company which undertakes campaigning work in the UK, and Amnesty International UK Section Charitable Trust, a registered charity which funds some of the projects undertaken in the UK and globally. These two organisations form Amnesty International UK, one of 68 national entities in the Amnesty International movement.

Amnesty’s mission is to undertake research and action aimed at exposing, preventing and ending grave abuses of human rights. It concentrates on ending abuses of the rights to physical and mental integrity, freedom of conscience and expression and freedom from discrimination.

Supporters are integral to Amnesty’s work in standing up for people whose rights are abused. This work involves helping to release prisoners, change discriminatory laws, compensate victims of abuse and provide moral support. Two main methods are used. Supporters receive Urgent Action appeals from around the world. This could be to stop an imminent execution or protect prisoners from torture. In 2015, the 10,000 supporters in AUIK’s Urgent Action Network took action in 629 cases, by for example, sending a letter, email or text.

In 2015, UK supporters also took action in 96 long-term cases. Human Rights issues here included enforced disappearance, torture and restrictions on freedom of expression.

Amnesty also promotes awareness of human rights through means such as public events, fundraising activities and multimedia outreach. In 2015, AUIK demanded protection from torture for people in state custody, opposed proposed repeal of the Human Rights Act in Britain and pressured the UK government to meet its responsibilities to Syrian refugees.

Amnesty in the UK has around 170 employees and has received a number of commendations for its treatment of staff. The organisation has received an outstanding 1 star status from the Best Companies accreditation scheme for high levels of workplace engagement. In 2011, AUIK was a finalist in the Best Employer Category in the Third Sector Excellence Awards. And AUIK was voted by students the most popular graduate employer in the charity and not for profit sector in a 2014 Guardian newspaper survey.