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| Guide to Amnesty International Lingo |
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The following is a list of terms commonly used by members of Amnesty International or in reference to Amnesty. Area Coordinator (AC) An experienced volunteer who assists with group and membership activity in a specific part of the country, usually part of a state. Action File An action file is a long-term task assigned to an AI (Amnesty International) local group. It generally focuses upon a particular individual or group of individuals whose human rights have been violated. Adoption In casework, prisoners are 'adopted' as prisoners of conscience (POC's) if AI has determined that they have been imprisoned for their beliefs, sex, race, ethnic origin, language, or religion, provided they have neither used nor advocated violence. Amnesty International United States of America (AIUSA) The US section of Amnesty International. Annual General Meeting (AGM) The annual national conference of AIUSA, held in June. Amnesty Action The bimonthly newsletter of AIUSA: it is mailed to all members in the U.S.A. Board of Directors The 24-person volunteer Board that oversees the staff of AIUSA and represent the volunteer membership. Board members are elected by AIUSA members. Campus Group A group based in a university, college, high school, or middle school. Case Sheet The group receives a case sheet outlining the key facts that AI knows about the prisoner and his or her situation. Co-adopting Group A group in another section assigned the same case as one's own group. Co-Group Country Coordination Group. Country coordination groups consist of AI volunteers who are knowledgeable in a region or a country. They help manage and enhance the country specific work of the section or act as a liaison in casework between groups. The co-group provides groups with newsletters, updates, suggestions for action, and advice. Freedom Writers Network Each month, members of the Freedom Writers Network receive a bulletin containing the cases of three individuals whose rights have been violated. All cases appear in the form of sample letters, which can either be used as a guide or copied directly onto personal stationary. Government Program Officer (GPO) A GPO is a staff member in the Washington, DC office of AIUSA. Each of four GPOs is responsible for covering an area of the world and acts as a resource for Members of Congress and other officials of the U.S.A, as well as for co-groups. Group Coordinator The local or campus group leader and Amnesty International's primary contact in the group. Health Professionals Network (HPN) Health professionals who work on behalf of imprisoned colleagues and prisoners with serious health problems. International Council Meeting (ICM) The biennial assembly of representatives of AI worldwide. At this meeting, AI representatives make fundamental decisions about the AI mandate, organization, and policy. International Secretariat (IS) AI's central office in London, England. Legislative Coordinator (LC) A volunteer responsible for AI relations with a particular Member of Congress. Legal Support Network (LSN) Lawyers who work on behalf of imprisoned colleagues and offer assistance and advice to AI groups. Local Groups Community-based groups of volunteers who meet regularly to represent AI locally and work on prisoner cases and AI's mandate in general. Mandate The overarching goals of Amnesty International: freedom for prisoners of conscience, fair and prompt trials for all political prisoners, and an end to torture, the death penalty, extrajudicial execution and "disappearances". Media Coordinator A volunteer responsible for maintaining contact with local media. Monthly Mailing The Monthly Mailing is a newsletter that the national office sends to all local groups to advise and update them on their volunteer work. It is mailed to the Group Coordinator. Campus groups receive different mailings. Prisoner of Conscience (POC) A person imprisoned for his or her belief (s), gender, sexual orientation, race, ethnic origin, language, or religion, provided he or she has neither used nor advocated violence. Political Prisoner In AI's usage, any prisoner whose case has a significant political element: whether the motivation of the prisoner's acts, the acts in themselves, or the motivation of the authorities. The category of political prisoners includes people who resort to criminal violence for a political motive. AI asks that they be given fair and prompt trial. AI does not use the term political prisoner to convey any special status for these detainees or to indicate that AI takes a position on their political goals. Regional Action Network (RAN) RAN is a coordinated effort by many groups worldwide to accelerated attention on violations of human rights in a particular area. Regional Office AIUSA is divided into five regions: The South, The Northeast, the Mid-Atlantic, the Midwest, and the West, with regional offices in Atlanta, Boston, Washington DC, Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. Urgent Action Network (UAN) A network of AI members and others who are regularly called upon to send airmail letters and telegrams to assist individuals in immediate danger of torture or execution or prisoners whose legal concerns or medical problems demand swift action. Work-on-own-country Rule (WooC) The principle that helps establish an objective distance between the AI activist and the human rights concern: An exile, immigrant, refugee, or current citizen of a country must not solicit, assess, or act upon information about cases in their own country. |
Copyright 1997 Amnesty International Kent State University
