Amnesty InternaAmnesty International Campaigning Manualtional Campaigning Manual

8/11/2019 Amnesty InternaAmnesty International Campaigning Manualtional Campaigning Manual

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CAMPAIGNING

MANUAL

amnesty international

Amnesty International Publications


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Amnesty International

Amnesty International is a worldwide campaigning movement that works to promote all the

human rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international

standards. In particular, Amnesty International campaigns to free all prisoners of conscience;

ensure fair and prompt trials for political prisoners; abolish the death penalty, torture and

other cruel treatment of prisoners; end political killings and "disappearances"; and oppose

human rights abuses by opposition groups.

Amnesty International has around a million members and supporters in 162 countries and

territories. Activities range from public demonstrations to letter-writing, from human rights

education to fundraising concerts, from individual appeals on a particular case to global

campaigns on a particular issue.

There are around 8,000 Amnesty International groups, including local groups, youth or

student groups, and professional groups in 80 countries. Many of these work on long-term

assignments concerning more than 7,000 prisoners of conscience and other victims of human

rights violations. Around 80,000 people are linked to Amnesty International's Urgent Action

network, which mobilizes appeals on behalf of individuals whose lives or well being are

feared to be in immediate danger.

Amnesty International is impartial and independent of any government, political persuasion or

religious creed. Amnesty International is financed largely by subscriptions and donations from

its worldwide membership.


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CAMPAIGNING

MANUAL

amnesty international

Amnesty International Publications


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First published 1997

by Amnesty International Publications

1 Easton Street, London WC1X 8DJ, United Kingdom

Copyright Amnesty International Publications 1997

ISBN: 0 86210 271 5

AI Index: ACT 10/ 02/97

Original language: English

Printed by: Blackmore Ltd, Dorset, United Kingdom

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced,

stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted,

in any form or by any means,

electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording and/ or

otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.


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1

CONTENTS

Preface / 1

Glossary / 3

Introduction / 5

SECTIO N O N ECA M PA IG N IN G IN A C H A N G IN G W O RLD

Ch a p te r 1 Str a te gic Ca m p a i gn in g / 1 1

What is strategic planning? / 12

Making choices / 14

Principles of good campaigning / 15

Principles in practice / 16

Tools for building strategies / 24

Possible objectives for campaigns / 26

Ch a pte r 2 Ca m p a ig nin g in th e M o der n W o rld / 2 9

Relations between Countries / 31

Military, Security and Police Links and Transfers / 39

Information Technology/ 51

Ch a pte r 3 O rg a niz in g fo r A ctio n / 5 7

International action planning / 58Campaigning on a national level / 59

Theme campaigning / 66

Campaigning and organizational health / 68

Chapter 4 Responding to Crises / 7 3

Criteria for launching a crisis response / 74

A beginning for long-term work / 74

Aims of crisis response / 75AI policy and crisis response / 75

Section objectives / 76


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Mobilizing for action / 76

Mobilizing a large-scale reaction / 81

Campaigning techniques / 81

Chapter 5 Fundraising and Campa igning / 8 5What is integrated fundraising and

campaigning? / 86

Why integrate? / 87

The basics of fundraising / 87

Techniques for attracting support / 88

Techniques for consolidating support / 92

A sustainable strategy / 94

How integrated is your fundraising and

campaigning? / 95

Help for fundraising / 96

Chapter 6 Internat ional Human Rights Standa rds

an d O rg an iza tio ns / 97

International human rights law / 98

Global and regional human rights standards / 98

Standards on specific subjects / 99

The importance of intergovernmental organizations / 105

The importance of international human rights

standards / 106

Strengthening the international human rights

framework / 107

Using the international human rights framework / 107

SECTIO N TW OHO W W E ACHIEVE O UR GO ALS

Ch a p te r 7 Ca m p a i gn in g Te ch niq ue s / 1 1 1

Letter-writing and petitions / 113

Speaking tours / 121

Public events and protests / 129

Contacts with embassies / 135

Celebrity support / 143

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Ch a p te r 8 Pr ep a r in g Ca m p a i gn M a te ria ls / 1 4 7

Choosing the materials / 148

Content / 148

Writing and editing / 149

Design / 149Printing / 150

Leaflets / 152

Outreach/ Briefing papers / 152

Reports / 153

Posters / 154

Placards / 154

Banners / 155

Newsletters / 155

Photo exhibitions / 155

Postcards / 156

Stickers / 156

Videos and audio tapes / 157

Materials from the IS / 158

Internet campaigning / 158

Cha p te r 9 M e dia a n d Pu blicity W o rk / 1 5 9

The role of the media / 160

Constructing a media strategy / 160

Working with the media / 163

Winning coverage / 165

Trouble-shooting / 175

Media servicing from the IS / 178

Coordinating the media work of others / 179

Monitoring and evaluation / 180

Cha pter 1 0 O u trea ch / 1 8 1

Activating Society / 181

The Business Community / 189

Military and Law Enforcement Officers / 201

The International Legal Network / 207

Trade Unions / 213

Youth Activists / 217

Religious Groups / 223

The Medical Sector / 229

Contents


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Working on Womens Human Rights / 235

Working on Childrens Human Rights / 241

Cooperation with the Human Rights Movement / 247

Ch ap ter 11 Ho m e Go vernm ent Lo b b y in g / 25 3Why approaching home governments is important / 254

Developing a strategy / 254

Campaigning methods / 258

Holding governments to account / 260

Practicalities of lobbying / 261

Bilateral action on human rights by governments / 265

Chapter 1 2 Huma n Rights Educat ion / 2 6 7

AI and human rights education / 268

A closer look at human rights education / 268

Integrating human rights education in campaigning / 270

Ch a p te r 1 3 Eva lu a tio n / 2 7 1

The importance of evaluation / 272

Why do you want to evaluate? / 272

What do you want to evaluate? / 272

Timing / 273Resources / 274

What information is required? / 274

Assessment / 275

Presenting the the results / 276

Appendix 1 Useful Quotations / 277

Appendix 2 Useful Addresses / 297

Appendix 3 Useful publications / 303Appendix 4 Mobilizing the IS for Action during Crises / 307

Ind ex / 3 0 9

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1

PREFACE

A bout this m a nua lFor more th an 35 years Amnesty Intern ation al (AI)

members have been campaigning to protect an d promo te

human rights. This manua l aims to pa ss on the experience

of these campaign ers in a n a ccessible for mat . We hope it will

become a well-thumbed reference book for all those

campaigning for huma n rights.

Although the man ual stresses that all par ts of AI's work,

such as fundra ising, campaigning a nd organ ization, shouldbe integrated, th e book ha s been d ivided up into self-

contained sections. This will, we hope, make it easier to use

and ena ble activists to pho tocopy or refer to par ticular

sections as the need arises.

This manual has been written primarily for AI

campa igners. Ho wever, it should prove useful for a ll those

involved in th e movement an d perhaps for some people in

other campa igning organ izations. It is an externa l

document which can b e given to people outside AI.

The bo ok has been designed to be relevant for th ose in

small as well as large AI Sections, an d for newcomers tocampa igning as well as veterans. Crucially, it is not a

blueprint for action. Rath er, it is a guide. Some techniques

may apply to par ticular campa igns or Sections, some ma y

not. H owever, man y of the guid ing prin ciples such a s the

need to prepare a strategy in ad vance an d evaluate any

act ion -- are un iversally applicable.

TheAmnesty International Campaigning Manualis theproduct o f a special project at th e Intern ational Secretariat

(IS) ca rried o ut by Patrick Earle. Special tha nks go to h im

for preparing, organ izing an d writing th e manua l. Than ks

also go to th e authors of the U S SectionsCampaigningManual for Groups, to the Dutch and U K Sections fo rproviding materials, and to the Australian, Po lish, South

Korean and many other AI structures that offered ad vice or

examples of their work. The Campaign and C risis Respon se

Pro gram at th e IS had o verall respon sibility for th e project.

For more informa tion

AI's campa igning is constantly developing and evolving. I ts

diversity and flexibility help make it effect ive. Therefore this

man ual can n ever be definitive. To find o ut about an ycurrent policy or to obtain a dvice about campa igning

method s or particular a ctions, consult th e appropriate bod y

of AI.


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If there is an AI Section or coor dina ting structure in your count r y,

contact th e Section office or the a ppropriate coordinator. If they cann ot

an swer your q uestion, th ey will for ward it to the IS in Lon do n.

If there is no o ne to con tact in your countr y, contact th e IS directly

at:

Amn esty Intern ation al,

Cam paignin g and Cr isis Respon se Progra m,Interna tional Secretariat,

1 Easton Street,

Lon don WC1X 8DJ,

Un ited Kingdo m

Tel: 171 413 5500

Fax: 171 956 1157

e-mail: amnestyis@amn esty.org

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1

G LO SSA RY

g A question (to answer to help devise strategy or to

pose to others)

N A point being highlighted

M A sub-point being highlighted

f A warning, or a particularly important point

j Item on a checklist of things you can do

c A tip

AGM Annual General Meeting

AI Amnesty International

AICS (ES) Amnesty International Canadian Section

(English-speaking)

AINZ Amnesty International New Zealand

AIUK Amnesty International United Kingdom

AIUSA Amnesty International of the USA

ANAT Audio News Access Tape

ANR Audio News Release

APC Association for Progressive Communications

APEC Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation

ARABAI Amnesty International Arabic Publishing

co-group An AI Sections coordination group

CCR Campaigns and Crisis Response program

CRC Committee on the Rights of the Child

ECOSOC Economic and Social Council

EDAI Editorial Amnista Internacional

EFAI Editions francophones d'Amnesty International

EJE Extrajudicial execution

EU European Union

FGM Female genital mutilation

FWG Fundraising Working Group

HRA Human rights awarenessHRE Human rights education

IBA International Bar Association

ICCPR International Covenant on Civil and Political

Rights

ICESCR International Covenant on Economic, Social and

Cultural Rights

ICJ International Commission of Jurists

ICM International Council Meeting

ICRC International Committee of the Red Cross

IEC International Executive Committee

IFRG International Fund-Raising GroupIGO Intergovernmental organization

ILC International Labour Conference

ILO International Labour Organisation


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IMET International Military Education and Training

IS International Secretariat

IWGC International Working Group for Children

LIOP Legal and International Organizations Program

MEC Military, economic and cultural (relations)

MSP Military, security and police (transfers)

NAT News Access TapeNATO North Atlantic Treaty Organization

NGE Non-governmental entity

NGO Non-governmental organization

OAS Organization of American States

OAU Organization of African Unity

ODA Overseas Development Assistance

OSCE Organization for Security and Co-operation in

Europe

Q&A Questions and answers

RAN Regional Action Network

RMP Research and Mandate Program

SWOT Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and ThreatsSYSTEC Systematic Evaluation of Techniques

UA Urgent Action

UDHR Universal Declaration of Human Rights

UK United Kingdom

UN United Nations

UNDP UN Development Programme

UNESCO UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural

Organization

UNHCR UN High Commissioner for Refugees

UNICEF UN Children's Fund

USA United States of AmericaVNR Video News Release



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1

IN TRO DUCTIO N

Amnesty International(AI) bega n a s a campaign in

1961. The n ewspap er ar ticle in the British Observernewspaper tha t started what h as become a

worldwide mo vement was never inten ded as simply a piece

of journa lism or research. It was mean t to mo ve people to

action -- to a chieve cha nge. Since th en, a chieving ch an ge

thro ugh campaign ing action h as been AI's mission .

To bu ild on AI's success, the movemen t must ad apt t o

the ch ang ing environm ent in which it operates. The

appa rent cert ainties of the Co ld War world h ave gon e. The

framework of intern ational relations continues to ch ange.The processes of protest an d social d evelopment within

societies ha ve also been ch an ging.

Un derground protest mo vements have emerged to

enga ge openly with new forms of governmen t. Journa lists

used to testing th e boun daries of official tolerance are

experimenting with exploiting th e power of public opinion

to push for ch an ge. Mass protests an d ind ustrial action

ha ve been supplemented by lobb ying, legal action a nd

marketing. P ublic actions have ceased to be a useful

techn ique in some societies, but are becom ing centr al in

oth ers. New techn ology is opening up n ew possibilities totho se who can access it an d r ealize its potent ial. Clearly, AI

must understan d and develop th e new ways we can mo bilize

our comm unities, oth er organ izations and governmen ts.

"What you do may seemterribly insignificant, but it is

terribly important that youdo it anyway."

Mahatma Gandhi

AI


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An integrated a pproach

Over the years, as AI has grown, it ha s

been possible to lose sight of its mission

to campa ign to stop and prevent

specific violations of h uman rights, and

promote ob servance of all human

rights.Boa rd members can become

absorbed b y the d etails an d difficulties

of en suring smooth adm inistration.

Researchers may see results simply

in terms of the q uality of informa tion

gathered.

Fundra isers can see the figures

next to the d ollar sign as the sole mark

of success.

Media of ficers can measure results

in column inches, and lobbyists canjudge their effectiveness in th e wordin g

of governmen t statem ents.

All these act ivities are impor tant ,

but they are parts of the g reater whole

of AI's campaign ing mission.

Campa igners have an importan t role to

play in keeping in fo cus this simple

goal, of making a difference to human

rights.

Research allows AI to b e clear

about what needs to be changed a ndthe best ways of ach ieving that chan ge.

Reliable research is one of th e pillars of

the credibility und erpinn ing AI's

effectiveness.

Fundra ising provides us with the

resources to campa ign. It offers many

people the ch an ce to ma ke a po sitive

and concrete contribution to our work.

It allows campa igners to reach a

broad er audience. Ind ependent

fund ing a lso un derlines AI'sindependen ce, anoth er source of its

credibility.

Administration enables us to

organ ize and develop our campaigning

resources most efficient ly. Building

organ izational structures can help to

increase our ca mpaigning capacity and

effectiveness.

Lobbying can persuade

governmen ts to agree to h uman rights

stand ards and to abide by them.Media work is on e way of sha ming

the guilty and alerting a nd mobilizing

the concerned.

A long-term campa ign

AI's mission is lon g term . We havealready been campaigning fo r more

than 35 years. It is likely tha t we will still

be cam paign ing in 35 years' time.

Campa igning is more th an a series of

campa igns or action s. It is also a process

of building a movement capable of

respond ing to th e challenges ahea d.

As camp aigner s we need to look at

how we can contribute to building an d

sustaining the fundra ising,

campaigning an d organizationalstructures in th e long ter m -- while no t

losing th e sense of urgency about

stopping th e violations in th e here a nd

no w. Tha t is why all these areas are

covered to some exten t in th is

campaigning man ual. AI's

campa igning m ission to a chieve real

cha ng e in peop le's lives is wha t gives all

these act ivities their sense and purpose.

On e of the challenges for campaigners

is to remind o thers in AI of th eseobjectives, an d to help build a

campaigning culture in every part o f

the m ovement.


Cardinal Beran, one of the first prisoners of

conscience adopted by AI, expresses hisappreciation for AIs work by lighting the AIcandle at a ceremony in Rome in 1967

PRESSASSOCIATION


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Respond ing to chang e

AI need s a cam paign ing culture to help

it respon d effectively to ch an ging

circumstan ces. A chang ing world

dema nd s tha t we be creative.

AI was born in a world do minated

an d d ivided by superpower rivalr y, an dby man y na tiona l strugg les for

indepen den ce. Memories of world war

an d gen ocide were fresh. A newly

established Un ited Nations (U N)

carried the ho pes of man y for a n ew

world based on justice, peace an d

respect for huma n rights.

All of the human righ ts violations

that AI has been combating for d ecades

con tinue to blight peo ple's lives around

the planet. In some societies the pr isongates have been opened a nd th e

prison ers of con science freed . At least

11 form er prison ers of conscience ha ve

gone on to become head s of state or

governmen t. In ot her societies,

ho wever, n ew form s of repression ha ve

emerged , including extrajudicial

executions and " disappearan ces" .

AI must respon d to this changing

world b y developing new ways of

inspiring people to act in d efence ofhuma n rights and thinking o f new ways

to approach governmen ts, our

communities and other o rgan izations.

Interna tiona l solida rityThe principle of intern ation al

solidarity at th e hea rt o f AI ma kes it

diff eren t from loca lly-focused

campaigning organ izations. The focus

on effecting huma n rights chan ge in

oth er countries mean s our star tingpoint m ust be developing an

understanding of how internation al

act ion -- from AI's mem bership a nd our

society -- is best able to con tribu te to

end ing specific hum an r ights violations

in tho se coun tries.

Tod ay there are m ore links

between mo re count ries tha n ever

before. Som e of t hese result directly

from the enormo us growth and

chan ges in world trad e, others from th ebreaking do wn of Co ld War ba rriers.

Some are attributable to the rapid

development of communications

technology and the establishmen t of

globa l media empires, others to shifting

military alliances and relationships.

Seeking to take ad van tag e of these

growing con nections and inter-

relationships is one of the challenges

increasingly at the heart of AI's work.

Respond ing to huma n rightscrisesA major new cha llenge has been th e

breakdown in some countries of the

estab lished power structures to wh ich

AI h as trad itiona lly appea led. This

breakdown has often been

accom pan ied by a sha rp rise in killings

and " disappearan ces" . New techno logy

and global media networks can q uickly

make these crises do mina te public andpolitica l consciousness the world o ver.

But th is attention can be selective. Other

crises, with all their hu man trag edies,

can remain forgotten or be ignored.

AI has developed a nd is still

developing new techniq ues for

respon ding q uickly an d effectively to

these crises an d th e selectivity of th e

internationa l response.

The interna tiona l huma n rightsframeworkPart o f th is respon se involves a re-

examination of the internationa l

frameworks an d mechan isms for

dea ling with m ass violations of hu man

rights. Much of AI's campaign ing

focuses on h olding go vernmen ts

accountable to the standa rds they ha ve

themselves agreed to through the U N

and regiona l intergovernm ental

bodies. This framework ofinternational law and human rights

stand ards is of funda mental

importa nce to AI's campa igning . AI,

along with other orga nizations and

individuals, ha s also made impo rtan t

contributions to con structing th is

framework.

H uman rights reporting

mecha nisms ha ve opened up valuab le

new avenues for holding governmen ts

to account a nd for mobilizing a ction. Amajor cha lleng e for AI is to pro tect an d

build o n th ese gains, to make human

rights protection a nd prom otion more

Introduction 7


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central to the program s of the U N,

regional bod ies and individual

governments.

A broad er movementOn e of th e significant chan ges that AI

has contributed to and ben efited from

over the p ast 35 years is the growth inthe h uman rights movement. There are

more n on-governmen tal orga nizations

(NG Os) working to stop the violations

that form AI's man date th an ever

before. There a re also mo re

orga nization s working on associated

civil, political, eco no mic, social an d

cultural rights. In creasingly,

campaigning strategies need to look at

how AI can best contribute to and

engage with domestic human rightsmovements.

As AI fa ces the ch allenges of th e

21st cent ur y, it do es so a s one pa rt o f a

large and d ynam ic movement tha t has

succeeded in placing an d keeping the

struggle for hum an rights at centre

stage. It h as done so not in an abstract

sense but by camp aign ing directly an d

often successfully on behalf of

coun tless thousand s of individuals

subjected to repression ar oun d theworld.

Tools of ca m pa igningMore than any other campaigning

techn ique, letter-writing ha s come to be

iden tified with AI. Yet it is no t, nor h as it

ever been, the on ly campa igning

method that AI ha s organ ized. AI ha s

built up a to ol-box o f techn iques to

comb at h uman rights abuses -- an d h as

happily borro wed "too ls" from otherswhen n ecessar y. Learn ing to use the

right tools for the job at h and is part of

learn ing the trad e of campa igning -- as

is developing new to ols for new

problems.

Cam pa igning p rinciplesSeveral g enera l principles of

campaigning have been identified as a

result of the work of AI an d o thers over

the years. One o f these is the n eed tofocus energies and resources for

maximum effect. Ano ther is the n eed to

clearly ident ify what ch an ges we want ,

and to be clear on h ow we can help

make these changes. This mean s trying

to und erstand why and how we can be

effective in cha ngin g circumstances.

Part of this demands reflection on

what ha s worked and why -- an d what

has not worked a nd why. Such an

assessmen t is par tly a pro cess of fo rmalevaluation an d pa rtly a pro cess of

on going reflection, ind ividually an d

collectively as campa igners an d as an

organiza tion . A 1989 study of AI's

campa igning pro vided stron g evidence

tha t developing a clear strateg y

increased th e cha nces of success.

There are without do ubt tensions

inherent to AI's campaign ing. We

consciously seek to mobilize an ger a nd

outrage a t terrible violations of h umanrights and to tra nsform that an ger into

effect ive pressure -- also known as

po lite and courteo us appeals! We

want to demon strate the depth of anger

and strength of our comm itment to

protest un til the violation s cease.

Sometimes, this dema nd s an gr y words,

public dem onstrations and direct

confron tation. Sometimes, it means

pursuit of dialogue an d q uiet words

behind closed d oors. Often, bothapproaches are needed.

As cam paigners in AI our

commitment m ust be to all these things

but t o n on e of them exclusively.

Ever ything we do must be governed b y

what we believe will most ben efit the

victims an d po tentia l victims of h uman

rights abuses, rath er tha n by a

blinkered com mitment to a pa rticular

tech niq ue. We will get the b est sense of

this from reflecting on the successesand failures of our campaigning a nd

the campaigning o f others.

We ho pe that t his manual will help

huma n rights campaigners in th eir

work, so th at a ll our effo rts to end

hum an rights abuses the world over will

ha ve an even grea ter impact.



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CAMPAIGNINGIN A CHANGING

WORLD

section one

N Strategic Campaigning

N Campaigning in theModern World

N Organizing for Action

N Responding to Crises

N Fundraising and

Campaigning

N International Human

Rights Standards

and Organizations


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1

CHAPTER 1STRATEGICCAMPAIGNING

As one of the largest and most ambitious humanrights organizations in the world, AI faces difficultdecisions every day. Making the right choices atthe right time in order to be effective is the skill ofstrategic campaigning. This chapter looks at someof the key principles that guide our decisions.

Contents

What is strategic campaigning? / 1 2

Evaluation / 1 4

Making choices / 1 4

Principles of good campaigning / 1 5

Principles in practice / 1 6

Focus / 1 6

Clarity / 1 7

Credibility / 1 9

Relevance / 2 0

Timing / 2 1

Commitment / 2 2

Tools for building strategies / 2 4

Strategic campaigning cycle / 2 4

Building a country strategy / 2 4

The need for specific country strategies / 2 6

Possible objectives for campaigns / 2 6

Narrowing down a broad

humanitarian mandate into a

limited set of issues and

priorities is highly challenging.

Relief and development non-

governmental organizations

operate in complex local,

national and international

arenas, and juggle with many

competing priorities. The

strategic planning process can

help to eliminate unnecessary

conflict and to unify

stakeholders around a shared

vision and a

common purpose.

The Oxfam Handbook, 1995


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W ha t is stra tegic

campaigning?

Strategic campa igning is cho osing a

specific course of action , on the b asis of

available info rma tion an d resources,

which will be most effective in achievingiden tified ob jectives.

Campa igning is an o rganized

course of a ction to achieve chan ge.

Letter-writing, lobbying, demo nstrations,

vigils an d publicity are just some o f the

method s of campaigning we frequen tly

use. But it is no t possible for an y

campaigner, or AI a s an o rganization, to

do ever ythin g well an d a t on ce. We are

therefo re constant ly faced with choices

about what we will do, h ow we will do itand when.

Making th e right cho ices at the

right time is the heart and art of

strategic campaigning. None o f us

makes the righ t cho ices all the time, but

there a re some core principles of

effective campaigning that can h elp to

guide o ur decision s.

Strategic planning is the pro cess of

agreeing where you are n ow (A),

deciding where you would like to get to(B) , and how you can b est get there (see

diagram below).

Many strategic plan ning pro cesses,

form s an d too ls ha ve been developed to

facilitate an d encourage strategic

thinking an d planning. O ne of the best

known and most common ly used is

SWOT. This is a p rocess for looking a t

the existing a nd potential Strengths,

Weaknesses, Oppo rtun ities an d

Threats in a n o rgan ization o r of anissue. It can help to define th e existing

situation a nd the problems that n eed to

be add ressed so th at o bjectives and

strateg y can b e agreed ( see box

opposite).

Strategic plans sho uld be helpful

tools rather than set formulas to be

rigidly followed. P erfectly constructed

strategic plans can be prepared an d

implemented but they can still be the

wrong plans!Thin king strategically is no t a

specialized or d ifficult pro cess. Each of

us can imagine a range o f everyday

situation s where we h ave to ma ke

cho ices abo ut wha t we will do from

ho w we travel to work to ho w we

appro ach competitive sports.

The objective of all AIs campaigning

is to pro tect peoples human rights.

Simply asking yourself or o thers a few

q uestions before taking a par ticularcourse of action can help ensure your

plans are taking you in th e right

direction.

1 2 Amnesty International Campaigning Manual

You are at A. You need to get to B. You haveto choose the best way of getting there.Public opinion, help fromthe legalcommunity and international action are alloptions. BEATE KUBI TZ


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gQUESTIONSg Can you explain how yourcampaign will contribute tochanging a human rights situation?

g Can you say why you are takingthis course of action rather thananother?

g If it is successful, can you saywhat will be different at the end ofyour campaign from the beginning?

Members and board m embers

sho uld be a sking t hese questions, as

might journ alists. You n eed to ha ve the

answers.

Explicit strateg ies an d plans are

particularly important for AI, as it is a

membership o rganization.

Account ab ility is essent ial. The

memb ership m ust a lso b e kept

informed as this enables them tocho ose how their skills, crea tivity an d

knowledge can best be used to make the

strateg y succeed.

Strategic Campaigning 1 3

SW O T (Strengths, W ea knesses, O ppo rtunities a nd Threa ts)

STREN G TH S are positive factors of the AI Section that might be of particularimportance in different campaigns or actions. They might include financial andmaterial resources, good access to home government, a good public image, anefficient organizational structure, contacts (for example, in the media or otherorganizations), supporters, specialist knowledge or the existence of many groups.

When planning your work, consider how your Sections strengths might be usefulin the context of a particular campaign. For example, if one of the internationalobjectives of a campaign includes getting action from the Roman Catholic Churchhierarchy and you have a strong religious outreach program with that church, thenthis might be one of the most effective areas of work for the Section.

W EAKN ESSES are factors that inhibit the Sections ability to act generally or onparticular issues. Weaknesses might include a lack of experienced members, limited(or no) funds, lack of facilities, poor organizational capacity or poor public image.

It is very important to identify your weaknesses so that you can either take steps toovercome them or avoid activities that you will be unable to cope with.

O PPORTUN ITIES are factors about your society which might affect yourcampaigning. They might include an interested and sympathetic media, close linksbetween your society and the target country, a meeting of an aid consortium, a visitto your country by the head of state of that country, other organizations that might beable to put effective pressure on the targets of your campaigning, such as tradeunions, womens groups, professional groups or ethnic groups, and important datesin the calendar.

When planning your work on a campaign or action, consider how you mighttake advantage of these opportunities.

THREATS are factors in your society that may have a negative impact on your abilityto contribute to a campaign or action. They will usually be out of your control,

although as campaigners we may, in the longer term, hope to change at least someof the factors that represent a threat.

Threats might include a political or economic crisis, a hostile government, anintolerance of campaigning or voluntary organizations, business or other sectorssaying that human rights are against the national interest, a poor image arising fromfactors beyond the groups control, human rights violations, security issues, localrestrictions on AIs work, etc.

Threats also need to be analysed carefully when planning involvement in aparticular campaign or action.

Note: Strengths and Weaknesses are mostly internal questions and relate to AI,Opportunities and Threats are external and relate to the campaigning environment.


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EvaluationThere is no guaran teed way of ensuring

tha t every stra tegic plan is indeed

strategic, or is the righ t plan. However,

there are ways to help ma ke sure we

learn from our experiences and th ose

of o thers an d use these lesson s to

improve our future work.

Foremost of these is formal

monitoring and evaluation, which is

dea lt with separately in Chapter 13.

Evalua tion can simply involve reflect ingon past campaign s. Alterna tively, you

can look at the campaigning of others

and d iscuss with them the causes of

their successes an d fa ilures.

M a king choicesHaving chosen to campa ign, and to

coordinate campaigning, campaigners

are immedia tely faced with cho ices.

Which members of the targetgovernment should we be appealing to

and about what? Should we post 50

letters or complete five petitions for th e

same effort? Who should we approach

in our go vernment? Should we focus

our campaign on the death penalty or

on torture?

AI is perhaps luckier than many

organ izations in that its overall

objectives (its mand ate) are clear and

specific. Neverth eless, campa igncoordinato rs in every Section are

continuously faced with strategic

choices about direction and priority.

Ch oices are a lways mad e withincertain pa rameters, as they are in

everyday life. Some of these are clear

for AIs campaigners:

N AIs mandate and po licies,

including working on a ll the manda te

issues and balance;

N internationa l campaigning

prior ities established by the movement

and specific requests from the IS an d

reflected in the interna tional

campaigning calendar.The o ther pa rameters are largely

set by your pa rticular campa igning

environment an d resources, which can

be determined by answering th e

following q uestions:

gQUESTIONSg Do you have a membership tomobilize?

g How much money can youbudget for a campaign?

g How is AI seen in your society?

g Is your government hostile oropen to AI?

g Is your government open totaking up human rights concerns

with other governments?

g Does your media influencegovernment policy?


No one starts a campaign...without first being clear intheir mind WHAT they intendto achieve by the campaignand HOW they intend toconduct it. This governingprinciple will set [the

campaigns] course,prescribe the scale of meansand effort which is required,and makes its influence feltthroughout down to thesmallest operational detail.Carl von Clauswitz, a renowned military

strategist

The child may be able to go up the steeppath, but the grandmother will need to takethe longer way round. Choices must bemade on the basis of your situation.

BEATE KUBITZ


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These principles of go od

campaigning are interrelated and need

to b e integra ted. Why they are

important, a nd some examples of how

they have been a pplied in practice, are

deta iled below.

Principles in pra ctice

FocusSpecific objectives:

You sho uld be a ble to stat e an y ob jective

in a simple senten ce. If you can no t,

then you ma y be tr ying to a chieve a

num ber o f d ifferent objectives. These

need to be stated separately in order to:

N see whether the objectives are

conflicting or complementar y;N allow decisions to be mad e abo ut

priorities;

N measure whether you ha ve

ach ieved your ob jective.

U sually there a re man y problems

tha t need to be solved, so you need to

work out which is the mo st urgent , and

whether there is a natural o r logical

seq uence to solving th em.

While t he ob jective o f AIs

campa igning is always to pro tectpeoples human rights, we need to be

specific abo ut what cha nges are

necessar y for th is to happen .

Fulfilling AIs mand ate is a lo ng-

term objective. Over the period of a

part icular ca mpaign , say six or 12

mon ths, or during a strategy period of

two to five years, it migh t be unrea listic

to expect th at AI will stop to rture in a

part icular co untr y. So the o bjective of

end ing tor ture may not be specificenough to know what action will be

most effective for AI an d o thers to ta ke.

In such a case AIs researchers and

campa igners need to identify (a t least

intern ally) th e specific steps or chan ges

most likely to con tribute to en ding

tort ure. The same ap plies to th e other

violations in AIs mand ate. The

chan ges, for exam ple, could be:

N legislation to pro hibit torture;

N training of prison and police officials;N immedia te suspension an d

prosecution of officials believed

respon sible for tort ure;

N independent and immediate

access to deta inees;

N an independ ent inquiry into

allegations of torture.

The steps to be ta ken could, fo r

example, be:

N building public awaren ess;

N letter-writing to th e governmentor p rison officials;

N lobbying the h ome government to

make representa tions.


A group of AI campaign coordinatorsoutside the International Secretariat AI


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Then check that th e relationship

between th ese are clear.

These shor ter-term objectives

become the focus of campaigning a nd

allow progress to be mea sured on the

road to a bolition of torture or the

end ing of other violations.

Focus energy and resources:

Being focused when d eciding

campa igning objectives and strateg ies is

important because it:

N helps to make sure that resources

of time and m oney are directed to

where th ey are mo st likely to ha ve an

impact;

N keeps people mo tivated by

increasing the cha nces of success and

therefo re builds capacity to ta ke onmore work in th e longer term.

Why alloca te resources of time or

mon ey to campa igns that ha ve

unrea listic objectives when they could

be allocated to something tha t could

have an impact? Campaigns appearing

to h ave unrealistic or una chievable

objectives find it mor e difficult to

attra ct support. There is a cred ibility

gap.

Trying to do too m uch at o ne timecan spread an d exha ust the resources

which n eed to be focused for maximum

effect.

Research and analysis:

The issues AI co nf ron ts may be simple

but the context in which th ey take place

is always a co mplex mix of eco no mic,

social, political and cultural factor s.

The m ore kno wledge AI h as on these

fact ors the m ore likely it will be able tomake its impact o n th em positive an d

effective.

AI campaigning is about chan ging

beha viour. It is abo ut persuading police

to respect the rights of deta inees or

encouraging m embers of the public to

sign a petition .

To ch an ge beh aviour it is useful to

find out why people or organ izations

are beha ving as they are, or what m ay

mot ivate th em to a ct. Sometimes it ispossible only to make an info rmed

guess, but even th is can help to sho w

ho w our actions can a ffect beha viour.

Infor mation a nd ana lysis are the

start ing poin t of all campa igns. They

allow us to d efine the pro blem we are

tr ying to solve or th e oppo rtun ities we

are tr ying to take advanta ge of. The

an alysis of a vailable info rma tion will

affect every part of a cam paign, from

deciding o bjectives to deter mining andimplementing strategy. While much of

this research , particularly on th e target

coun tr y, is prima rily the responsibility

of the IS, research an d an alysis by

Section s involved in th e campa ign are

just as important, particularly in

informing nation al strategies.

There is a stand ard type of

information and ana lysis that a re

importa nt to AIs campa igning , which

the following questions might helpascertain.

gQUESTIONSg Who is responsible for thehuman rights violations?

g Why are the violationshappening and which factors couldAI influence?

g Are there particular momentsor times when we may have moreinfluence?

g How could our membership,society and government influencethose responsible for the violations?

g How can we persuade them toexert this influence?

ClarityOb jectives and strateg y need to be clear.

This is part icularly importa nt in a

membership o rganization, where

ind ividua l initiative is necessar y an d

encouraged.

Cla rity enab les all involved to

bring their skills, knowledge a nd

creativity to b ear. On ce they know what

is to be achieved an d h ow, they can

make rational d ecisions about h ow theyand those they can mobilize can

con tribut e most effect ively. It also

minimizes the po ssibility tha t memb ers


Know the adversary andknow yourself; in a hundred[campaigns] you will never

be in peril. When you areignorant of the adversary butknow yourself, your chances

of winning or losing areequal. If ignorant both of

your adversary and ofyourself you are certain inevery [campaign] to be in

peril.Sun Tzu, around 500 BC

There is one key rule in anysort of communication...

start from where youraudience is, not from where

you are.Sue Ward, Getting the Message Across,Journeyman Press, 1992


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Shock to g enera te interest

The UK Section of AI has for a number of years run a very successful series offundraising and membership recruitment advertisements in national newspapersand magazines. Their advertisements broke many advertising conventions byrelying heavily on a long text. They use shock to attract the readers interest. Theythen tell a compelling story to keep that interest while they explain a terrible human

rights situation. Finally, they offer the reader an opportunity to do something aboutit. Their target audience has been people with a tertiary education, interest in worldaffairs and disposable income. They have gained many donations and newmembers.

fShock advertisementshave worked well in

Ireland and the UK,but not in othercountries.

fLook for important

dates andanniversaries whichmight be helpful to a

campaign. Alsowatch out for dates

to avoid as offencecan easily be causedby planning actionfor a time that is

sensitive in aparticular culture orcountry.


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will take action that is counter-

prod uctive to the strategy.

All action needs to be clearlyrelated to these objectives.This enablesall suggestions for actions to be

measured aga inst strategy and

objective, and allows resources to be

used most effectively.Communications must be clear,

internally and externally. People haveto know what you are saying a nd what

you are asking fo r. This may mean

messages need to be expressed in

differen t ways to differen t aud iences.

Governments and n on-

governmental organ izations (NG Os)

may know wha t th e ind ivisibility and

universality of huma n rights mean.

U pwards of 98 per cent of a broaderpublic radio and television a udiences

will not. I f you say people sho uld

never ha ve to ch oose between freed om

from fear of hunger and freedom from

fear o f torture, you express the same

concept in a way more people can

relate to .

Commun ications must be clearly

related to purpose. A deta iled report

may be the best way to influence

government, but no t the best way ofpersuad ing memb ers of the pub lic to

take action.

Credibility

The messenger can be as importan t as

the message.The word s of Carole

Richard son (see marg in) d escribe how

the campa ign to release her gained

momen tum after leading members of

Br itish society expressed d oubts aboutthe safety of her con viction.

Campa igning organ izations need

to be listened to if they are to stand any

chance o f success. They need to b e

listened to by those from whom th ey are

asking for help an d by those they need

to con vince to take some action to stop

a h uman rights violation. In many

societies, to be listened to ta kes more

than being righ t or just.

AIs credib ility mean s that itsinforma tion is generally believed. It is

widely referred to by journa lists,

academics, policy ad visers, other

campaigning o rganizations, diplomats

and government departments. Oth er

individuals or organizations could be

making the same claims and calling for

the same action , but th ey will often find

it hard er to be b elieved or to h ave an

impact.

Since organ izationa l credibility isimportant to the success of AIs

campaigning goa ls, it follows tha t


Reinforcing AIs credibility: a queue ofpeople wait to present testimony to an AI

delegation visiting Guatemala. JEAN-MARIE SIMON

I think that is what hurts

most. Until... people like thatsaid they had doubts aboutour convictions no one reallywanted to know. Yet nothing

is different now to what itwas 10 or 12 years ago...All that has changed is the

people telling it... Unfair isnta strong enough word for

what I feel about it all, but Icant think of another one.

Carole Richardson, writing from prison, was

wrongly convicted in the UK after an unfair

trial in 1974. She was freed in 1986.


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camp aigner s sho uld both use this

credibility an d be ca reful to protect it. It

is much ea sier for an organ ization to

lose credibility tha n to gain it!

AIs motivation and information

must be trusted and reliable. Its

orga nization al credibility rests on the

following:N the commitment o f its

membership to campa ign;

N the issues it cam paign s on a re

enshrined in intern ationally agreed

standards;

N its infor ma tion is trusted,

its recommenda tions are reasonable

and clearly related to th e problems

identified;

N the co nsistency of its camp aign ing

record that it campaigns on coun triesan d ind ividuals wha tever their po litical

ideologies and a llegiances;

N perceptions of relevan ce and

effectiveness;

N attention to forgotten, hidden

and often un popular situations;

N its focus on the need t o stop

violations rather than winn ing

agreem ent on their causes, which could

easily become an a ttack on ideo logies

or systems of g overn ment;N it can po int to evidence tha t AI

works, such a s ind ividua ls released o r

treated better;

N people relate to the issue of un fair

treatment.

RelevanceAIs campaign ing ha s to con nect with

the people it wan ts to involve. Some o f

AIs camp aignin g is directly or

indirectly related to o ur own societiessuch as:

N campa igning on refugee issues,

ar ms transfers, the d eath pena lty, own

governmen t foreign policy;

N campa igning o n th emes or issues,

including women s rights.

The main focus of AIs

campa igning is intern ation al solidarity.

People take action about huma n rights

violations in a coun tr y they may neverhave heard o f for ma ny reasons.

Sometimes they feel it is their

respon sibility or d uty. More o ften they

respond because you made them

interested. In terest might not be

eno ugh o n its own, but it is genera lly an

important starting point.

Perceiving someth ing a s relevan t is

a m ajor motivating factor in persona l

an d o rganizational beh aviour. AI seeks

to ta ke ad van tage o f it routinely inoutrea ch work (see Cha pter 10). We

seek to involve tra de union ists in AI

campaigns by demonstrating th at some

of th e individuals we are working for are

trad e unionists.

The price of liberty is etern al

vigilan ce is an often used q uote. It

suggests tha t we all sha re an interest in

protecting our righ ts even when ours

are not b eing violated or threatened.

The a rgument th at we are a lldiminished by allowing acts of injustice

to go o n aro und us is ano ther way of

appealing for people to see the

relevan ce of taking a ction. Wha tever its

truth , it will appea l to some but n ot to

others.

Many other campaigning

orga nization s can rely on a clear sense

of relevan ce an d sometimes self-

interest when a sking people to ta ke

action . This applies to en vironm enta lcampaigners, for example, who are

trying to stop a to xic dump in their


Car na tions a nd Colombia : cha llenging assump tions

Researching information on Colombia in preparation for the international campaignin 1988, the Australian Section discovered that Colombia was a major exporter ofcarnations. This surprised many, partly because Colombias image wasoverwhelmingly of drugs and drug-related violence.

One aim of the campaign was to change these perceptions and highlight the

human rights violations in Colombia. Carnations proved a positive and attractiveway of challenging these images. For example, a local AI group in Townsville, a smalltown in Queensland, was filmed during a publicity action in which they usedcarnations. They were then interviewed on a major regional television network.


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comm unity. AI campaign ers often ha ve

to work hard er and mo re creatively to

make issues seem relevan t to th e people

from whom support is wanted .

People define relevance in man y

differen t ways. Ho wever, mo st

campa igners asking o thers to take

action are likely at some time to be

asked Why should I? The an swerneeds to satisfy their needs which

might be quite different from the

campaigners motivation.

In short, interest, concern, a nger

an d shock can all make people feel

emotio na lly an d intellectually involved

in an issue.

Campa igning also ha s to offer a

solution relevan t to the problem. Some

people will take action no matter h ow

ho peless the ca use seems. Man y others,ho wever, will want to kno w tha t:

M the solutions AI a re suggesting are

practical an d rea listic;

M their support or a ction will be

effective.

AI communications need to stress

both. If members and supporters do

no t see AI o ffering relevan t solutions to

problems, they may well take their

support to other organizations or simplystop believing they can do anything . Let

the memb ership kno w of ever y success

to which th ey have contributed.

TimingThe same action will have different

effects at different times.As acrob ats,

acto rs an d com edian s say, timing is

everything!

AIs campa igning , what ever its

extent, is only one factor in the

dynamics of ch an ge. The success or

failure of campa igning is sha ped by itscontext an d th e interplay of a wide

ran ge of facto rs. Timing is on e of the

most important factors.

N U rgen t Actions (U As) were

developed by AI in response to

chan ging patterns of human rights

violations and the increa singly

apparent n eed for action to be ta ken

ver y quickly if it was to b e effective.

N Issuing a m ajor human rights

report on a countr y prior to a meetingof an a id consortium on tha t countr y is

more likely to build p ressure th an

releasing th e report a fter the m eeting.

N A med ia conferen ce or media

release issued on a q uiet news day is

more likely to get co verage th an on e

that competes with o ther ma jor n ews

stories.

N Action in the lead-up to discussion

of legislatio n is more likely to h ave an

impact than a fter the law has been passed.N It is usually best not to o rganize

major membership activity during a

ho liday season.


M a king it easy to sa y yes: a non-AI ca mpa ign

Tim Anderson was convicted in 1991 of charges arising from the bombing of the1978 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Sydney, Australia. Heimmediately lodged an appeal and applied for bail pending the appeal. Thecampaign group protesting his innocence decided to seek support from prominentAustralians for the bail application. The stated objective was to get bail, although the

secondary objective was to gain widespread support and favourable mediacoverage.A short statement expressing concern over aspects of the conviction and calling

for his release on bail was drafted. It included a pledge to provide $A 1,000 insurety to support bail, which was intended to demonstrate the commitment of thosesigning the statement. Over 30 leading Australians signed. The bail application wasrefused, but the judge remarked on the extent of community concern over the safetyof the conviction and this received substantial media coverage. (The conviction wasquashed in the appeal court six months later.)

Had the statement asked people to state a belief in Tim Andersons innocence,rather than concern over the conviction, many fewer people would have signed it.

The strategy would have failed. Its success lay in making the statement easy tosupport.


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N Many UN d iscussions of h uman

rights happen on a fixed timetable.

Ind ividual Sections need t o lobby

governmen ts mon ths before such

meeting s occur.

N A news release issued immedia tely

after an event ha s the greatest chan ce of

winn ing an d influencing coverage. Anews release a few d ays or a week later is

mor e likely to be ign ored .

CommitmentAIs campa ign will no t stop until the

violations end. This commitmen t is

important because:

N people suffering a nd at risk of

hum an rights violations ha ve placed

trust and h ope in AI an d AI ha s a

responsibility toward s them;N governments must be den ied the

hope that they can simply ignore the

campaign unt il AI gives up and goes away.

Try different strategies and

techniques to discover the most

effective.A comm itment to creativity is

importa nt fo r several reasons:

N it helps to ma ke campa igning

interesting, to yourself and oth ers

an d helps to mo tivate people tobecome in volved;

N it can get your campaigning

noticed;

N it makes it mo re difficult for

governmen ts to come up with ef fective

coun ter-strategies and tactics.

Think of who you are trying to

influence.

N H ave they become familiar with

and a dept at hand ling the lettersgener ated by AI members?

N Will a d ifferent ap proach, or

perhaps an approach to a different part of

government or society, help to rega in the

impact th at th e first wave of letters had?

cTIPS

c Keep it simple

Simple plan s are usually easier toorga nize and t herefo re more likely to

ha ppen. Simple ideas are easier to

explain an d mo re likely to be

understood an d acted on by others.

Less can go wro ng with simple ideas.

c Make it easy

The ea sier it is for someo ne to do

somet hing , the m ore likely they are to

do it.

If you send an appeal asking for ado na tion, h ow easy is it for someo ne to

respon d? Ha ve you ma de it clear who

the payment should be made to ? Have

you provided an en velope for them t o

return th eir donation in? Is the postage

pre-paid?

If you a sk an org anization or

individual to send a letter on behalf of a

prison er, have you pr ovided all the

information they need, such as the

add ress, background inform ation,points for letters?

If you are a sking a trade un ion or

other a ssociation to pass a m otion o f

support , should you pro vide th em with

a m od el resolution tha t is likely to n eed

minimum mod ification?

c Do not ask people for what they

cannot deliver

Whether in lobbying, o utreach o r oth er

campaigning, it is important to find outwhat the person you are approaching is

able to do . Journa lists, for example,

may not be able to guarantee that a

stor y will make it to print o r to a ir as this

decision is taken by an editor.

G overn ment officials may not be senior

eno ugh t o take the n ecessar y decisions.

Making un realistic deman ds of

people may lead to frustration on both

sides, and can make AI look

unprofessional an d b adly inform ed.Representa tives of governmen ts

must be clear abo ut wha t AI is asking

for: the immediate release of a prison er

of con science, abolition of th e death

penalty, etc.

c Success breeds success

Ever yone is mo tivated by ach ieving

what they set out to d o. Successes create

new opportunities and lead to n ew

cha llenges. They also crea temomen tum and attra ct support.

Defining success and failure is

part ly in your ha nd s. If your cam paign



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aims to end to rture in six mon ths,

people will be d isappo inted if it fails,

even if your campa igning ha s secured

access to d etention centres by the

Intern ational Com mittee of the Red

Cross (IC RC) a major safegua rd

against torture.

If, however, you had stated accessto detention centres as an aim and th en

ach ieved it, peo ple will be motivated to

continue campaigning because they

can see tha t they have helped to achieve

chang e. The first and perh aps most

difficult step ha s been won a nd you will

probably be able to build o n this

success. The r esults of th e cam paign

were the same but one is seen a s a

failure, the oth er as a success.

Sometimes it is useful to state yourobjectives as the th ings you h ope t o

ach ieve if ever ything you can con trol

goes to plan and circumstances are

favourable. B ut it is also u seful to state

rea listic aims tha t you th ink you will be

able to ach ieve if some th ings do no t go

to plan or extern al circumstan ces are

not favourable.

Measuring the effect o f AIs work is

no t a lways easy or possible. P rocesses of

chang e in any society are complex, andit can be very hard to judge AIs precise

impact o n a situation . Yet it is no rma lly

possible to build in to o ur strategies

some indicat ors of success (for

example, the number of governments

or NG Os support ing access to deta inees

by the IC RC), even if the impact of this

on th e pattern o f torture is a ma tter of

infor med guesswork for some t ime.To ch eck how specific and

mea surable your strateg y is, ask yourself

what you hope and what you expect will

be different a fter the cam paign . Write

do wn the an swers.

c Set the agenda

Campaigning on the death penalty

provides a go od example of how

differen t sides of the debat e try to

defin e the issue in d ifferen t ways. Tho sein favour o f executions want th e death

pena lty defined as a law and ord er issue

an d seek to play on fea rs of crime or

violence to mob ilize public opinion

an d put pressure on po liticians and

governmen ts. Abolitionists try to

ensure the dea th pen alty is defined as a

human rights issue an d seek to keep the

debate focused o n the cruelty of the

punishmen t and the unfairn ess of the

justice pro cess. Abolition ists will oftenhave to explain th at th ere is no

evidence th at th e death pena lty is a

deter rent to crime. This mean s

acknowledging and trying to counter

the fact th at th e death penalty is seen by

man y as a law and o rder q uestion.

O ther examples of th is principle

can be seen in the responses of

governmen ts to AIs campaign ing.

G overnmen ts often seek to divert AIs

campaigning by trying to redefine theissue, for example by presentin g AIs

report on to rture as an infringement o f

na tion al sovereign ty. They may also

atta ck AIs credibility, motivation an d

infor ma tion, or d eflect the discussion

into a deba te about which rights are

more important than o thers.

N Quotations

Estab lish a file of useful quo tation s.

Include statemen ts tha t you see in themedia or obtain th rough campaigning

from politician s, huma n rights activists,

business lead ers, etc. These quot es can


Maris-Stella Mabitje, a former politicaldetainee in South Africa, meets AI members

who successfully campaigned on her behalf ANDERS KALLERSAND


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be useful, for exam ple by sho wing the

deg ree of support for AI or th e issues AI

is campa igning o n. A collection of

q uotes is included in Append ix I.

Too ls for build ing

strategies

Stra tegic ca mp a igning cycleAIs globa l strateg ies to imp rove huma n

rights in pa rticular count ries an d in

relation to particular themes need to be

explicit to ena ble na tiona l strateg ies to

contribute to them. Nationa l

camp aignin g strateg ies also need to b e

explicit to ena ble AI group s an d ot her

memb ership structures to campa ignstrategically.

N Decide what the problem is (issue).

This is distilled from an a na lysis of the

huma n rights violations of con cern to

AI, the do mestic political environm ent

in which th ey occur, the forces

(including individua ls) that are directly

or indirectly responsible for th e

violations, an d th ose inside or ou tside

the countr y who may influence them.Oth er factors worth con sidering a re

infor mat ion on the effectiveness of past

campaigning, whether current

perceptions a re adversely affecting

dom estic or internation al action o n the

problems, and whether the

governmen t or security forces have

developed strateg ies to evad e

accountability.

N Agree on the specific change in thepresent situation that AI needs to work

for in the short and long term (aims).

This could be the repeal of pa rticular

legislation, the release of specific

prisoners, an acknowledgement that

violations ha ve occurred a nd an

explicit commitment to end them,

ratification of internationa l human

rights instrument s, etc.

N Decide the best way to achieve theseaims based on your earlier analysis.

This could be:

M memb ership action, such a s letter-

writing to th e target governm ent by

members;

M outrea ch, such as letters or

statements by law societ ies an d lawyers

to the go vernmen t and judges in the

target countr y;

M lobbying/intergovernmental

organization ( IG O) work, such as raisingthe issue at th e UN Co mmission o n

Hum an Rights and a sking memb er

governmen ts to pass a resolution;

M media work, such as publicity abo ut

military supplies an d train ing tha t are

cont ributing to human righ ts violations.

N Decide the best way to get the

action you need (action forms).

This could be a m ajor camp aign

involving m ost of th e membership(countr y campaign) , a very quick

worldwide respon se (ra pid response or

U A), lob bying of key governmen ts,

long-term work by a few groups, a

publicity splash, etc.

N Evaluate the analysis of violations,

the context and any changes, as well as

the existing strategy and actions, and

adjust to them as required.

Loo k at AIs position in your society an dthe links between your society and the

target coun try cultural, economic,

institutional, political an d/or militar y

links (see Cha pter 2). Then look at th e

oppo rtun ities an y of these links may

offer for influencing the human rights

situation in the target coun try, an d

develop strateg ies for exploiting t hese

opportunities.

Building a countr y stra tegyAnswering the following q uestions may

help you develop a co unt r y strat egy:

gQUESTIONSg What is the human rightssituation in the target country? Aretorture and ill-treatment ofprisoners, or disappearanceswidespread?

g What specific changes do wewant to see? Do we want action toimprove the treatment of prisoners,



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to begin investigations into cases ofdisappearance, etc?

g Who in the target country isdirectly responsible for the humanrights situation that we are trying tochange? Are they prison officials,opposition groups, etc?

g Who in these countries isindirectly responsible for humanrights abuses? Are they politicians,prison authorities, etc?

g Who in the target country couldinfluence those responsible? Arethey health professionals, themedia, religious organizations,trade unions, etc?

g Who in your country couldpersuade the influential people inthe target country to act? Are they

doctors, journalists, politicians,religious groups, etc?

g How can you persuade the



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people or organizations in yourcountry to put pressure on thosewith influence in the target country?What campaigning techniquescould you most effectively employ:lobbying public events, petitions,media work, writing letters, etc?

The ne ed for specific countr ystrategies

Ever y coun tr y strat egy is differen t. For

example, AI con demn s the death

pena lty in th e U SA as much as it does in

Ch ina. It is equ ally comm itted to

achieving a bolition in bo th countries.

In bo th coun tries governmen t

legislation allows the state t o kill

citizens. In bo th co untries achievingabo lition po ses a ma jor cha llenge for

AI. Will the same strategy work in bo th

countries?

A campaign for abolition of the

death penalty that d oes not recogn ize

the differences between Chinese and

U S society will be unlikely to succeed in

either coun tr y. The b oxes on th is page

sho w just some of t he differences.

These need to be reflected in differen t

internation al cam paigning strategies.For examp le, it may ma ke sense to

try and ch ange public opinion in the

U SA on t he dea th pen alty as local

politician s would then n ot win votes by

promising to put more people to d eath

tha n t heir po litical rivals.

It may no t make sense to target

public opinion in Ch ina beca use it is

not clear h ow public opinion a ffects

governmen t policy on crime, nor

whether public opinion is in favour or

opposed to the d eath penalty.

Possib le ob jectives forcampaignsThis section looks at some possible

campa igning objectives for AI and

whether they are long or short term,

specific or gen eral.

N The release of all prisoners of

conscience in a country

This is a fin al ob jective in rela tion to a

countr y with an AI man date concern .At certa in times, such as when a

governmen t ha s chan ged, it may be a

sho rt-term an d final o bjective.

N The release of specific prisoners

of conscience

As a sho rt o r mo re specific objective on

the way to a chieving th e release of all

prisoners of con science, AI may decide

to concen trate on pa rticular ind ividuals

or g roups of ind ividua ls. This is a t acticthat worked in relation to In don esia in

the 1970s, an d was used to high light th e

cases of peo ple such as And rei Sakharo v

in the former Soviet Un ion and b y the

anti-apartheidmovement in SouthAfrica in relation t o Nelson Mand ela.


CHINA

N Central government decrees punishments for different crimes

N Public opinion is not thought to have a major influence on the death penalty

N Trials are often summary and unfair

N Thousands of people are executed annuallyN Many crimes are subject to the death penalty

N No known organizations campaign against the death penalty

N Race is not known to be a factor in verdicts and sentencing

USA

N Elected state government decides punishment options

N Public opinion is thought to have a major influence on the death penalty

N Trials are long and costly

N Executions are increasing but still less than 100 annually

N Few crimes are subject to the death penalty

N AI and many other groups campaign against the death penalty

N Race is believed to be a factor in verdicts and sentencing


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N The reduction of sentences for

certain prisoners

This is rarely a stated external objective of

AI, but may be an interna l (or expected

rather than h oped for) o bjective.

N Improvement in prison conditions

This can be a final o bjective forprison ers, or an objective on the way to

the final ob jective: the release of a

prison er of con science.

N Change in legislation that would

affect AIs concerns

This can be a final o bjective, but is mor e

likely to ha ve been ident ified as a step

that can be ta ken towards achieving the

final objective of end ing a pa rticular

practice. It could therefore be th e focusof a particular campaign.

N Increase awareness of abuses

This sho uld n ever be a fin al objective. It

may have been identified as an importan t

step towards the final objective of end ing

abuses. As expressed, it is not specific and

is very ha rd to measure. Its relationship to

action tha t would provide evidence of

moving toward s end ing violations is

therefore difficult to establish.

N Elicit a response from or dialogue

with government authorities about AIs

concerns

This is not a final objective, although it may

be the objective of a specific camp aign .The sort of response or d ialogue wan ted

and why a response is important would

need to be explained in th e strateg y.

N Increase the debate within

government circles about human rights

violations

This can be an important campaign

ob jective, pa rticula rly when AI b elieves

tha t th ere is contr oversy and oppo sition

to th e violations within go vernm entcircles. It would n eed to ha ve some form

of measurement, such as comm ents by

min isters or jour na lists, or a p olicy

chan ge. It is not a final ob jective.

N A target government to start

investigations into human rights violations

This may be ident ified as an importa nt

objective as evidence o f a comm itment


To w elcome o r condemn? Case O neGovernment A announces a moratorium on the death penalty. Should AI welcomethe decision as a positive step towards abolition or condemn it as a lost opportunityfor abolition? AI has taken both positions at different times in the past. What factorsdo you think may have led to these different responses? What might be theadvantages and risks of responding in either way to such an announcement?

N If AI welcomes the moratorium it risks being accused of retreating from itsposition of calling for complete abolition. A moratorium may not be the best decisionthe government could have made in the circumstances and strong criticism maymake it go a bit further and announce abolition.

N If AI condemns the moratorium it may be excluded from further debate with

the government, and be seen as negative and unrealistic in refusing to acknowledgea step forward. The moratorium may have been the best decision in thecircumstances and defining it as a negative step may mean missing the opportunityof using the momentum of the decision.

To w elcome or condem n? Case Tw o

AI hears reports of government soldiers being involved in a massacre and calls onGovernment B to launch an independent inquiry. Government B announces anindependent inquiry but does not provide details of its composition or terms ofreference. Should AI welcome the inquiry or condemn it? AI has taken both

positions in the past. What factors do you think may have led to these differentresponses? What might the advantages and risks be of responding in either way tosuch an announcement?

N How AI reacts will open up or shut down further campaigning opportunities.


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to en d impunity and the violations

themselves. It is easy to m easure and

open s up further oppo rtun ities for

campaigning.

N Independent access to detainees at

risk of torture

This can b e an important ca mpaignob jective. If respected , access is on e of

the major safeguards aga inst to rture

an d ill-treatm ent. It can be an

important step towards ending torture.

It is also m easurable an d specific.

N Abolition of the death penalty

This is a final objective, a lthou gh it can

also be a sho rt-term on e. Several new

governmen ts in recent years ha ve mad e

abolition o f the death pena lty one oftheir first acts. It is ver y mea surable. A

camp aign objective ma y be to establish

a mo ratorium on executions.

N Reduction in the number of

offences carrying the death penalty

Some AI campaign ing strategies have

taken an incremental approach to

abolition o f the death pena lty on th e

basis tha t focusing effo rts on tota l

abo lition would be unr ealistic andineffective. Abolition rema ins the lon g-

term objective. Abolition in p ractice

ma y be th e mid-term objective, with

restriction o f the death penalty to

agg ravated murd er the sho rt-term

objective.

N Increase awareness of AIs goals

This sho uld o nly be an ob jective if its

relationship to some o ther a ction is

clear if a ca se can be ma de th at it is anecessar y step. Aware ness is

no toriously difficult to measure and for

th is to be a specific objective it would

be necessar y to mea sure awaren ess

before and after the campaign, and to

specify amon g whom aware ness was to

be ra ised.

N Statement from home government

on human rights situation in target

countryThis is a specific objective th at ma y be

an impo rtan t way of bringing pressure

to bea r.

N Increase AIs membership

This can be a valid int ernal o bjective of

AIs campa igning, part icularly if a lack

of members ha s been iden tified as a

weakness. Specify ho w man y new

members are to be gained over what

period.

N Enhance AIs impartial image

AIs image in th e comm unity may have

been id entified a s a weakness tha t is

ad versely affecting the impact o f its

campaigning. In this case, enha ncing

AIs image is a necessar y step to

ach ieving oth er objectives.

N Increase participation in AIs

activities of a particular section of the

communityThis may be a n importa nt objective in

relation to either a specific country

campaign o r to AIs campaigning more

generally.



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1

M O DERN W O RLDRELATIO N S BETW EENCO UN TRIES

The world has become a smaller place. States aremore closely linked than ever before, throughtrade, international relations and modern

communication systems. Finding those links andmaking the best use of them is an important partof AIs work in the modern world. This sectionlooks at:

N Relations between countries / 3 2

N Information about relations between countries / 3 2

N Links with the government in the target country / 3 3

N Links with society in the target country / 3 4

N Using the links / 3 7

Intergovernmental organizations, such asthe United Nations, are good starting points

for gathering information about yourtarget country and researching links

between your own country and the targetcountry

UN

Unfortunately due to copyright

reasons we are unable to show

this image. Please contact your

nearest Amnesty International

office to obtain a hardcopy of

this publication.


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Rela tions betw een

countries

AI must take account o f the

internation al political environmen t in

which we cam paign . U sually, we have

some ba sic understand ing about thebroad nature of th e relations (or lack of

relations) between our o wn countr y

and the countr y in which the human

rights violations we wish to ad dress are

taking place.* Even when we do no t

con sciously discuss such relat ions, they

influence our plan ned actions.

In tr ying to d evelop a more

strategic approach to campaigning,

discussion a bout the relat ions between

coun tries is often helpful. Sometimes itis useful to ha ve th e discussion on the

basis of existing knowledge. Somet imes

it is worth fin ding o ut the d etails in a

specific area . The impo rtan t th ing is to

develop o ur capacity to use the

information to m ake our campaigning

mor e effective.

There ar e a number of area s where

Sections can cho ose to develop

specialist appro aches:

N Military relations

In this area we have specific policies and

action strateg ies on military, security

an d police (MSP) tran sfers (see next

section) . Some AI Sections have also

developed specialist g roups of military

or for mer militar y people, police or

form er police who are AI memb ers an d

are willing to use their pro fessiona l

skills or status in AI work. The

developmen t o f th is specialist capacitywas prioritized by the 1995

Intern ational Coun cil Meeting (ICM),

AIs supreme policy-making bod y which

is he ld bien nia lly.

N Economic relations

In this area some Sections have

developed specialist gro ups, involving

AI memb ers with a b ackgroun d in the

business world, to m ake approa ches to

compa nies an d business people abo uthow they can con tribute to huma n

rights (see Chapter 10). The fur ther

development of work on company

appro aches was prioritized by th e 1995

ICM. There h ave also been movement-

wide policy discussions about h ow we

can most effectively work for hum an

rights in the con text of the econo mic

relations between governmen ts. Many

governmen ts have policies which link

huma n rights and economic relationswith other coun tries.

N Cultural relations

In th is area t he developmen t of AIs

work has been mo re sporadic. It h as

included outreach to religious

comm unities by many Sections. There

have also been a number of

campa igning initiatives which h ave

been linked to internation al sporting

events, such as the Olympic Ga mes.

Inform a tion a boutrela tions betw eencountriesIn o rder th at Sections can best ana lyse

which links provide th e best strategic

oppo rtun ities, individua l coun tr y

strateg ies provided by the I S sho uld:

N state wh ich sectors of thegovernmen t/society are most

respon sible for huma n righ ts violations

an d which are most likely to be in a

position to influence the huma n rights

situation;

N state which intern ation al links

ha ve the most potential for influencing

a h uman rights situation in a particular

country.


Sri Lanka and Turkey have both promotedthemselves as tourist destinations. In bothcases AI Sections have used this popularimage and contrasted it with the grimreali

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