Cleopatra
26th February 2005, 12:28 PM
The name of Peter Benenson is familiar to very few people. His vision though for a world without tortures and abuse of human rights, described in two words with the logo " Amnesty International" is widely known.
The British lawyer who thought " Enough!" when he read about two portuguese students that they were imprisoned just because they toasted on liberty had a long story behind him of going against the mainstream.
He was only a highschool student when he managed to get his school support for the victims of the spanish civil war and he even "adopted" one of the babies. He was only 16 years old.
Then he turned his attention to the Jews that were fleeing to Britain in order to escape Hitler's Germany.
He was involved in the Cyprus issue, stood by the greek lawyers who tried to save the convicted by the british young cypriots, sent observers in Hungary and in South Africa and all these before the foundation of AI.
In 1980 he founded the Association of Christians Against Torture and he personally supervized and organized the help that was sent in Romania the day after the fall of Caucescu.
Benenson is the reason why I became a lawyer since I was a member of AI since I was in high school and I was paying my subscription from my pocket money. I had the honor to meet him twice and to Benenson belongs the second portait I have in my office in order to see it every day ( the first belongs to my grandfather of course). Benenson is one of the reasons I am proud I became a lawyer and I am proud about my colleagues and my profession.
Amnesty International is an honest organization of passionate people that has managed to stay away from political conflicts. I know that AI action is not pleasant to many goverments but I also know that many of our members have been assassinated while they tried to save political prisoners and while they were trying to bring to the general public's attention the violation of human rights.
I keep saying that the easiest thing on the planet is to find yourself in prison and when found in that position you would want somebody from the outside world to check on you and care about your existence. I wish we could provide for more people but as Benenson has explained while lightening the candle for AI 25 th anniversary :
"The candle burns not for us, but for all those whom we failed to rescue from prisons, who were shot on the way to prison, who were tortured, who were kidnapped, who ‘disappeared’. That’s what the candle is for."
The British lawyer who thought " Enough!" when he read about two portuguese students that they were imprisoned just because they toasted on liberty had a long story behind him of going against the mainstream.
He was only a highschool student when he managed to get his school support for the victims of the spanish civil war and he even "adopted" one of the babies. He was only 16 years old.
Then he turned his attention to the Jews that were fleeing to Britain in order to escape Hitler's Germany.
He was involved in the Cyprus issue, stood by the greek lawyers who tried to save the convicted by the british young cypriots, sent observers in Hungary and in South Africa and all these before the foundation of AI.
In 1980 he founded the Association of Christians Against Torture and he personally supervized and organized the help that was sent in Romania the day after the fall of Caucescu.
Benenson is the reason why I became a lawyer since I was a member of AI since I was in high school and I was paying my subscription from my pocket money. I had the honor to meet him twice and to Benenson belongs the second portait I have in my office in order to see it every day ( the first belongs to my grandfather of course). Benenson is one of the reasons I am proud I became a lawyer and I am proud about my colleagues and my profession.
Amnesty International is an honest organization of passionate people that has managed to stay away from political conflicts. I know that AI action is not pleasant to many goverments but I also know that many of our members have been assassinated while they tried to save political prisoners and while they were trying to bring to the general public's attention the violation of human rights.
I keep saying that the easiest thing on the planet is to find yourself in prison and when found in that position you would want somebody from the outside world to check on you and care about your existence. I wish we could provide for more people but as Benenson has explained while lightening the candle for AI 25 th anniversary :
"The candle burns not for us, but for all those whom we failed to rescue from prisons, who were shot on the way to prison, who were tortured, who were kidnapped, who ‘disappeared’. That’s what the candle is for."