Posted on 02/26/2005 9:16:36 AM PST by nypokerface
The founder of human rights organisation Amnesty International Peter Benenson has died aged 83. He died on Friday at the John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, after a long illness.
The British lawyer set up the group in 1961, after reading an article about the imprisonment of two students in Portugal who drank a toast to liberty.
"Peter Benenson's life was a courageous testament to his visionary commitment to fight injustice around the world," said Amnesty's Irene Khan.
'People power'
"He brought light into the darkness of prisons, the horror of torture chambers and tragedy or death camps around the world.
"This was a man whose conscience shone in a cruel and terrifying world, who believed in the power of the ordinary people to bring about extraordinary change and, by creating Amnesty International, he gave each of us the opportunity to make a difference.
"In 1961 his vision gave birth to human rights activism. In 2005 his legacy is a world-wide movement for human rights which will never die."
A public memorial service in tribute to Peter Benenson will be held by Amnesty International at a date yet to be announced.
The impetus for the movement began after Mr Berenson read how two students in a Portuguese cafe had been imprisoned after raising their glasses "to liberty".
Frontpage news
A front page appeal in the Observer newspaper for the "forgotten prisoners" followed, as did the term "prisoner of conscience" and Amnesty International was born.
In its first few years its founder provided much of its funding and was involved in all aspects the organisation.
"At that time we were still putting our toes in the water and learning as we went on," he later said.
"We tried every technique of publicity and we were very grateful to the widespread help of journalists and television crews throughout the world who not only sent us information about the names of prisoners but also, whenever they could, gave space to stories about prisoners.
"It's the publicity function of Amnesty that I think has made its name so widely known, not only to readers in the world, but to governments - and that's what matters."
Today, Amnesty International is in its 44th year and is the world's largest independent human rights organisation. It has more than 1.8m members world-wide.
These guys ended up being cowardly posers. Does anyone know of a courageous stand they took?
These guys ended up being cowardly posers. Does anyone know of a courageous stand they took?
Sorry that should read "it's like Laura says"
"Good Riddance"
Absolutely, too bad that communist front organization didn't die with him!
List of artists working with Amnesty International
Safai
Audioslave
Badly Drawn Boy
Antonio Banderas
Fernando Botero
Ed Byrne
Gabriel Byrne
Tracy Chapman
John Cleese
Paulo Coelho
Coldplay
Benicio del Toro
Roddy Doyle
Foo Fighters
Peter Gabriel
Juan Genovés
David Gray
Boris Grebenshikov
Václav Havel
Seamus Heaney
David Hockney
Abdullah Ibrahim
Inti Illimani
Glenda Jackson
Bianca Jagger
Jasper Johns
Angelina Jolie
Louis le Brocquy
Annie Lennox
Wynton Marsalis
Paul McCartney
Steve McCurry
Moby
Alanis Morissette
No Doubt
Youssou N’Dour
Claes Oldenburg
Yoko Ono
Outkast
Lourdes Portillo
Radiohead
Vanessa Redgrave
REM
Ed Ruscha
José Saramago
Peter Sís
Mira Sorvino
Bruce Springsteen
Sting
Meryl Streep
Emma Thompson
U2
Coosje van Bruggen
Is this a public or private hospital?
Just curious.
it's a public hospital
that's the most repellent thing I've seen today, and I've looked democratic underground.
Shame on you.
you're welcome
Get lost, smarmy little troll.
If you knew anything of Amnesty International, you too would be saying "good riddance". If ever an organization defined searching under the streetlight, that's the one.
Next instance of language like that, you're gone.
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