“It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness" - Amnesty International
Welcome to AISA!
The fire of the candle is life. The barbed wire surrounds the lit candle. It is the symbolic
representation of the millions of vulnerable lives whose human rights are being threatened EVERY DAY.
Our aim is to free the candle and to let it burn freely without the fear of it being damaged.
In this day and age, where dark shadows are casted on the efforts to improve universal human rights, it is crucial to stand our ground to keep the candle free and lit.
“Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see”
- Mark Twain
So who are we?
AISA is one of Amnesty International’s
student groups and connects Dutch as well as international students through their shared passion for human rights. As the daughter organization of Amnesty International, we work by the same values of justice, fairness, truth, and freedom.
The dream to change the world on a personal level, one individual at a time, and to bring attention to human rights violations taking place right under our eyes is what motivates us.
And what is
Amnesty International?
Amnesty International was initially founded in 1961 by lawyer Peter Benenson to raise awareness regarding political prisoners in Europe. Since then, it has become the largest non-governmental organization in the world. Activists draw attention to Amnesty International campaigns for respecting international standards and law. It is one of the most effective NGOs at setting the international agenda to promote Human Rights and set new norms for international and national actors to follow.
Some of our greatest achievements include:
- Campaigning to end torture in 1972.
→ 12 years later, the UN convention against torture was adopted.
- Campaigning to abolish the death penalty in 1980.
→ In 2019, 104 countries have completely abolished it.
- Campaigning for rights of prisoners of conscience.
→ In 2002, the International Criminal Court was founded.