In January 2013, New Zealand was named the freest country on earth. But despite living in a country as fortunate as ours, Amnesty International is a charity understood and supported by only a small few.

The problem with a cause like Amnesty International in a place like New Zealand is that it feels distant from people’s lives. Very few people have been directly touched by Amnesty’s work. We wanted to make Amnesty International feel as real, and as close to home as other charities do for New Zealanders. Trial by Timeline did just that. It took information contained within people’s Facebook timelines and showed them the crimes they had committed in countries where basic human rights are not afforded.

Trial by Timeline sentenced Kiwis to imprisonment, hanging, flogging and more for taking part in activities we take for granted – going to a mixed gender party, or drinking alcohol, to name a few. In doing this, we showed New Zealanders how fortunate they are to be born in a country where freedom is valued. And in the process, reached a global community of over 15 million people – or over three times the total population of New Zealand.