The founder of Amnesty International, Peter Benenson, has died at the age of 84. Amnesty has become one of the world's most important human rights organizations, created in the wake of an article Benenson wrote in the London-based Observer newspaper in 1961.
Benenson, an Eton-educated London lawyer, penned the opinion piece after being outraged by the arrest and imprisonment of two students who had drunk a toast to liberty in a Lisbon cafe.
PHOTO: AFP
"Open your newspaper any day of the week and you will find a report from somewhere in the world of someone being imprisoned, tortured or executed because his opinions or religion are unacceptable to his government. The newspaper reader feels a sickening sense of impotence. Yet if these feelings of disgust all over the world could be united into common action, something effective could be done."
These sentiments struck a chord with the British public, and a few years later Amnesty International was created. From South Africa and Chile to China and Iraq, Amnesty has since helped highlight the abuse of prisoners. The organization coined the term "prisoners of conscience" while its logo, a candle surrounded by barbed wire, became a symbol of hope and freedom. In 1977 the organization won the Nobel Peace Prize for "its tireless fight for justice round the world," as the award committee put it.
"When I first lit the Amnesty candle, I had in mind the old Chinese proverb: Better light a candle than curse the darkness," Benenson explained.
Born in July 1921, the grandson of a Russian Jewish banker, Benenson revealed a flair for controversy at an early age. When 16 he launched his first campaign, to get school support during the Spanish Civil War for a relief committee which was helping Republican war orphans.
Irene Khan, secretary-general of Amnesty, said Benenson's vision gave birth to human rights activism.
"His life was a courageous testament to his visionary commitment to fight injustice around the world. He brought light into the darkness of prisons, the horror of torture chambers and tragedy of death camps," Khan said.
Benenson's family said he had been ill for some time and he died on Friday evening.
John Jackson, director of Burma Campaign, said: "Peter showed us that something as simple as a letter can save lives, and that's a strategy we still use. He demonstrated the power of the pen. It shows that the world is watching."
A humanoid robot that won a half-marathon race for robots in Beijing on Sunday ran faster than the human world record in a show of China’s technological leaps. The winner from Honor, a Chinese smartphone maker, completed the 21km race in 50 minutes and 26 seconds, said a WeChat post by the Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area, also known as Beijing E-Town, where the race began. That was faster than the human world record holder, Ugandan Jacob Kiplimo, who finished the same distance in about 57 minutes in March at the Lisbon road race. The performance by the robot marked a significant step forward
Four contenders are squaring up to succeed Antonio Guterres as secretary-general of the UN, which faces unprecedented global instability, wars and its own crushing budget crisis. Chile’s Michelle Bachelet, Argentina’s Rafael Grossi, Costa Rica’s Rebeca Grynspan and Senegal’s Macky Sall are each to face grillings by 193 member states and non-governmental organizations for three hours today and tomorrow. It is only the second time the UN has held a public question-and-answer, a format created in 2016 to boost transparency. Ultimately the five permanent members of the UN’s top body, the Security Council, hold the power, wielding vetoes over who leads the
South Korea’s air force yesterday apologized for a 2021 midair collision involving two fighter jets, a day after auditors said the pilots were taking selfies and filming during the flight and held them responsible for the accident. “We sincerely apologize to the public for the concern caused by the accident that occurred in 2021,” an air force spokesman told a news conference, adding that one of the pilots involved had been suspended from flying duties, received severe disciplinary action and has since left the military. The apology followed a report released on Wednesday by the South Korean Board of Audit and Inspection,
An earthquake registering a preliminary magnitude of 7.7 off northern Japan on Monday prompted a short-lived tsunami alert and the advisory of a higher risk of a possible mega-quake for coastal areas there. The Cabinet Office and the Japan Meteorological Agency said there was a 1% chance for a mega-quake, compared to a 0.1% chance during normal times, in the next week or so following the powerful quake near the Chishima and Japan trenches. Officials said the advisory was not a quake prediction but urged residents in 182 towns along the northeastern coasts to raise their preparedness while continuing their daily lives. Prime
RSS