Forty years ago, two Portuguese students who had raised their wine glasses in a toast to freedom were jailed. Forty years ago, a candle ensnared in barbed wire would have been treated as just another decorative ornament. Forty years ago, this situation changed with the publication of an article, The Forgotten Prisoners, in the British newspaper The Observer. Written by a British lawyer, Peter Benenson, the article aroused international concern over the issue of human rights violations. Consequently, the concept of Amnesty International was brought to life. This year, Amnesty International won The Revolution Awards 2001 for 'best use of e-mail' with its 'stop torture' Web site ( http://www.stoptorture.org ). Today, Amnesty International has more than one million members and supporters in 162 countries and territories. This year, we hope you will join us in our campaign to promote and protect all the human rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. You can participate in the Amnesty International 40th Anniversary Walk. This fun-filled, fund-raising walk was organised by students and other Amnesty International members in Hong Kong. The A I Walk 2001, as it is called, will take place on November 11. Starting at 10 am in Wan Chai Gap Park, participants will have the chance to learn more about Amnesty International and the people that it aims to help. For more information on Amnesty International, call 2300-1250 or send an e-mail to admin-hk@amnesty.org . Cynthia is the chairperson of the West Island School Amnesty International Group
