The Permanent Peoples' Tribunal is an international human rights organization founded in Bologna, Italy, on June 24, 1979, at the initiative of Senator Lelio Basso. It was formed at the final session of the Russell Tribunal as a vehicle to condemn the brutality of Latin American dictatorships. The court is composed of a president, four vice-presidents, a secretary general and 66 international members. Since its establishment, the Tribunal has held 46 sessions dealing with numerous cases of human rights violations in many countries. History and functions The Permanent Peoples' Tribunal (PPT) began in Bologna in 1979 as a direct continuation of the experience of the Russell Tribunal II with Latin American dictatorships (1974–1976). It was promoted by Lelio Basso to denounce the crimes committed by the military regimes of the region. It soon became a permanent forum of complaint for communities experiencing the absence and impotence of international law. The PPT is a grass-root initiative to create an independent tool for researching and promoting the process of liberation and justice for marginalized and oppressed groups. Just as the Russell Tribunal, the existence of the Permanent People's Tribunal is due to the failures of a competent international court to effectively prosecute crimes against humanity. The International Criminal Court, founded in 1998, with much larger resources, should have addressed some of the functions carried out by the PPT, but it has often proven either too slow or simply unwilling to perform its functions. The PPT therefore is a means to push judicial courts based on intergovernmental treaties, such as the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice, to do more and reinforce their impartiality. In terms of competences, the PPT goes beyond the recognition of individual criminal responsibility in order to assess also the responsibility of states, of business corporations and of international organizations. Its aim is to record violations faithfully and push for reparations. The work of the TPP is based on the principles expressed in the Universal Declaration of the Rights of Peoples proclaimed in Algiers in 1976 and the main international instruments protecting human rights. The historical and geographical context of the Declaration, known as the Charter of Algiers, clearly links the general principles of the Declaration for the liberation struggles—which Resolution 1514 (XV) of the United Nations of 14 December 1960 had already put under the protection of international law—with the understanding that the right to