The Freedom to Explore

The freedom to learn, to change, and enjoy life. The freedom to seek adventure and try new things. The freedom to break down barriers. The freedom to have privacy, access to green spaces and time to switch off. 
The freedom to be treated with respect at school. The freedom to read, to learn, to make art. The freedom to work and earn money. The freedom to educate yourself, to understand yourself, to change your mind.

Whether you use this freedom to become a chess grandmaster or change your pronouns— you have the right to be happy, to live and not just survive.

Success stories

At Amnesty International UK, we work to protect people’s Freedom to Explore whenever it comes under threat. Egyptian photojournalist Mahmoud Abou Zeid, known as Shawkan, was 25 when he was arrested and sentenced to five years in prison on 14 August 2013 - simply for doing his job. He was covering a sit-in protest when Egypt’s security forces burst in, killing between 800 and 1,000 peaceful protesters. This came to be known as the Rabaa Massacre.

Our supporters campaigned for years to help free Shawkan, with more than 30,000 signing a petition for his release. This dedication paid off, and he was finally released on 4 March 2019. Read more here.

What you can do

Use your Freedom to Explore. You can expand your knowledge of human rights - including learning how to defend and claim your own rights and the rights of others -  through our online course “Defending Dignity: The Universal Declaration of Human Rights” (UDHR). This course is completely free and you can learn at your own pace. Find out more.

Still want to learn more? Read more about the campaigns and issues we work on here.