PETER BENENSONPeter Benenson, who died on 25 February, 2005, aged 83, dedicated half a century to campaigning tirelessly on behalf of prisoners all over the world.The international human rights campaign group he founded, Amnesty International, now has 1.8 million members and supporters - but his organization began with the mere writing of letters.He was considered foolish by some, but his mission to mobilise middle England worked.Amnesty International is now the world’s biggest human rights organisation raising global consciousness of human rights issues.Peter James Henry Solomon Benenson was born in London on 1 July, 1921. He received private tuition from WH Auden and later attended Eton College and Oxford University.The Second World War interrupted his degree and he began work as a code-breaker at Bletchley Park. In 1946, he became a barrister. He spent the 1950s observing the trials of trade unionists and Basque nationalists in Spain under Franco’s regime.In 1957, these experiences inspired him to help form JUSTICE, an organisation promoting law reform and human rights.The turning point in Mr Benenson’s career came in 1961. He was horrified by a report of two Portuguese students, imprisoned for seven years for raising a toast to freedom under the Salazar autocracy.He submitted an article to The Observer newspaper called ‘The Forgotten Prisoners’, in which he asked readers to write letters of support to the students. He set up Amnesty International in Luxembourg with six other people in order to coordinate the campaign.The appeal was a massive success. After six months, Amnesty had received thousands of letters and within a year, letter-writers had formed groups in nearly fifteen countries.In 1964 he resigned as General Secretary of AI due to ill-health, and instead took up the advisory role of president of the executive. But in 1966, he made unfounded allegations of improper conduct against members of the executive and subsequent left the organisation.He was later reconciled with the organisation. Mr Benenson died in Oxford on 25 February, 2005, at the age of 83.In 1961, Peter Benenson could not have been more right when he announced: “We have today lit such a candle as shall never be put out.”Amnesty International has taken on 47,000 cases and won 45,000 - proof that the pen is indeed mightier than the sword. He refused all the honours that were offered to himBut perhaps his biggest achievement was remaining impartial and apolitical. His motto was Voltaire's: “I detest what you say, but I am prepared to die for your right to say it.”Irene Khan, Secretary General of Amnesty at the time of his death said: “Peter Benenson’s life was a courageous testament to his visionary commitment to fight injustice around the world.”
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