State Violence, Torture, and Political Prisoners

State Violence, Torture, and Political Prisoners discusses the activities of Amnesty International during the period of Brazils dictatorship (19641985). During the dictatorship, Amnesty assisted political prisoners who were submitted to torture and helped to publicise charges of torture against agents of the military regimes repressive apparatus. Through a specific examination of Amnestys work with Brazilian political prisoners, this book explores how Amnesty adapted its organisational principles such as non-violence and the focus on individual cases during this time. In 1967 Amnesty experienced a severe internal crisis which prompted the organisation to make structural changes. These changes enabled it to expand its activities beyond Europe to Latin America, including Brazil. This book examines one of Amnesty Internationals first major campaigns against torture and the impact this had on the organisations development of a new agenda. Bringing a critical and historical perspective on Amnestys work, the book contributes to the debate on the role of human rights organisations in addressing human rights abuses worldwide. It makes a significant contribution to international research on state crime, human rights, and torture.