By Keandre Williams-Chambers

Staff Writer

Amnesty International is looking for CSUSM students to join the North County chapter. Amnesty International provides a great opportunity for criminology or political science students as well as students involved human rights and doing good. Amnesty International is an international organization with strong goals to fight injustice and promote human rights all across the world.

They tackle various issues like helping those who are political prisoners in other countries, travelling to areas in which there is great inequality on various levels and the issue of the death penalty and alternatives to it. They also address other issues that affect the overall state of the world, both on the front lines and behind the scenes. North County’s chapter, Amnesty International Group 471, is also working towards the same goal.

“[Amnesty International] is a non-partisan organization … and tries to get governments to enforce a universal declaration of human rights,” Steve Wiener, Amnesty International Group 471 member, said.

Formed about 25 years ago, the North County chapter has grown to around 20 members that has bi-weekly meetings, twice a month. Wiener has noticed that the majority of student involvement is on the high-school level, with few, if any, college students involved. It is uncertain as to whether this is due to a lack of student motivation or knowledge of the existence of Amnesty International.

“Intrinsically, it’s very rewarding. [Students] are welcome to show up for a meeting. We also do educational events, everything from film screenings to seminars with famous speakers talking about a human rights issues in North County. I’d encourage sociology and history and criminology and definitely political science majors to join,” Wiener said.

The actions of each chapter of Amnesty International varies, but the central mission remains the same.

“Every chapter is assigned, from the international headquarters in London or the international headquarters in D.C., a human rights prisoner, always in an external country, never on behalf of someone in the same country. Amnesty International doesn’t work on behalf of felons,” Wiener said.

For more information on Amnesty International, visit www.amnestyusa.org on the international level or www.amnesty471.org for local information.