Voice 1
Hello. I’m Marina Santee.
Voice 2
And I’m Ruby Jones. Welcome to Spotlight this programme uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 3
‘Open your newspaper - on any day of the week. You will find a report from somewhere in the world of someone being put in prison, tortured or executed. The reason? His opinions or religion are unacceptable to his government. The newspaper reader feels a sickening feeling of being powerless. People all over the world get such feelings. Imagine if they could be united into one common action. Then, we could do something very effective.’
Voice 1
These are the thoughts of Peter Benenson. He was the founder of the international pressure group ‘Amnesty International.’ Amnesty International works in countries all over the world. In today’s programme we look at how the organisation began.
Voice 2
It was late 1960. Peter Benenson sat on an underground train in London. He was reading the newspaper. He read about two Portuguese students. They were living under Antonio Salazar’s dictator rule. Salazar’s government sentenced them to prison. Their crime was raising their glasses to celebrate freedom. Peter Benenson was very angry when he read this! So he decided to protest outside the Portuguese embassy in London. But then, he changed his mind. Instead he left his train at Trafalgar Square. He walked to the famous church - St Martin-in-the-Fields. He needed to think. It was there that his idea formed. This idea would develop into an organisation that would influence many people across the world.
Benenson’s idea was to have a world wide human rights movement. He was a lawyer so he knew the legal system well. He said,
Voice 3
‘I started to understand that lawyers alone were not able to influence the path of justice enough - not in countries without democracy. It was necessary to think of a larger group. This group would use the desire of people all over the world. It would unite the people who were concerned to see a wider respect for human rights.’
Voice 1
Benenson discussed his idea with a friend. Together, they went to talk to the editor of the Observer newspaper. A short time later, the newspaper published Benenson’s letter - called ‘The Forgotten Prisoners.’ It suggested a ‘worldwide appeal for pardon, or “amnesty”. The appeal was to governments. It asked them to free their political prisoners - or give them a fair trial. The letter also asked people to write and show their support for the Portuguese students in prison. Together, the public could put pressure on the Portuguese government to release the students.
Voice 2
Benenson’s letter had an amazing effect. Newspapers in other countries also printed the appeal! Thousands of people wrote to the papers. It was like the world had been waiting for such an appeal! To better organise the appeal, ‘Amnesty International’ was formed. The original plan was that the appeal would last a year. But the support showed that Amnesty could do much more. It did not have to stop with one case in one country. Amnesty could do similar work in other countries. People could work together to fight for the release of ‘prisoners of conscience.’ This means people put in prison because of their race, religion, colour, language, sexuality or belief. However, this does not include people who have used or encouraged violence.
Benenson’s appeal was the beginning of a work that was to grow more than anyone imagined.
Voice 1
Today, Amnesty International is a worldwide movement. It has around two million [2,000,000] members. Together, the group fights for human rights around the world. Here is just one example of their work.
Voice 2
Hamda Fahad Jassem Al-Thani lived in the Middle East, in Qatar. In 2001, she met the man she wished to marry. His name was Sayed Saley. He was forty-two [42] - and he was divorced. Hamda’s father would not accept him. So, Hamda and Sayed left the country. They married secretly. Several days later, Qatari security services found Hamda. Reports say that the security men drugged her and put her on an airplane. They told her to choose: prison, or home. So she chose prison. She spent twelve months in prison. Then, she was moved to her parent’s home. Here, they locked her in one of their rooms for two years. Amnesty International said that Hamda appealed to them for help.
Voice 4
‘I ask you to help end my suffering and to help me return to my husband. I chose to marry this man. This is one of my God-given rights. And it is in the International Human Rights convention.’
Voice 1
Amnesty wrote to the Qatari Human Rights Commission about the case. As a member state of the UN, Qatar had agreed to observe and respect human rights. The commission promised a ‘good outcome.’ Amnesty then issued a worldwide appeal. It asked people to write directly to the ruler of Qatar.
Finally, the appeal worked! In October 2006, Hamda was able to join her husband. Hamda thanked Amnesty for their appeal.
Voice 2
Hamda is one woman in one country. Amnesty works in countries all over the world to free men and women. Amnesty says it works without expressing or exercising political or religious opinion.
Voice 1
The symbol of Amnesty International is a picture of a candle. It burns in the middle of metal barbed wire. The candle represents light. The barbed wire represents imprisonment. Peter Benenson said;
Voice 3
‘When I first lit the Amnesty candle, I had in my mind the old Chinese saying: ‘Better to light a candle than curse the darkness.’
Voice 1
Benenson meant that is better to try to help in a bad situation than just to talk about how bad it is.
Voice 2
Peter Benenson died in 2005. He left behind him an organisation that has changed the lives of many people. It was not an easy job. In fact troubles within the organisation caused Peter to leave Amnesty in the end. But he continued to fight for people’s human rights. During Peter’s life time he saw great works. The International Criminal Court was established. Prisoners of consciousness were freed. Sadly, however, human rights problems also increased. Peter left behind him a dream shared by many. He wanted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to be true for all people. Today, there are many groups working for this same dream. They offer hope in a world constantly suffering from man’s inhumanity to man.
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