Crucial elements to full human rights protection at home include an independent watchdog and the inclusion of all parts of the European Convention on Human Rights, including its Protocols. In 1948, the world's governments promised 'a world in which human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief and freedom from fear and want'. But 50 years later, for some people in some countries, standing up for any one of these freedoms can be dangerous - even deadly. Trade unionists fighting for a pay rise of a few pence a day face imprisonment. Peasant farmers trying to hold on to their plots of land face death threats and arrest.
Women speaking out against corrupt authorities face torture.
Environmentalists campaigning to save forests are harassed. Lawyers representing the poor against the powerful are targets for arrest and assassination. Throughout the year, Amnesty will feature cases of individuals who have been harassed, jailed, tortured or killed for their work in defence of human rights. In Nigeria, Dr Beko Ransome-Kuti was jailed for 15 years because he worked on behalf of prisoners convicted in secret treason trials in 1995. His health is reported to be very poor.