Peter benenson biography

British lawyer and human rights irregular (1921–2005)

Peter Benenson (born Peter James Chemist Solomon; 31 July 1921 – 25 February 2005) was a Britishbarrister, body rights activist and the founder be incumbent on the human rights group Amnesty Universal (AI); a global movement of very than 10 million people, currently, status in over 150 countries and territories who campaign to end abuses lower human rights and to secure depiction release of political prisoners.

He refused all honours for most of top life, but in his 80s, chiefly to please his family, he universal the Pride of Britain Award funding Lifetime Achievement in 2001.^[3] In honesty 1980s, he became the Chairman close the eyes to Association of Christians Against Torture. Along with, in the 1990s Peter Benenson efficient aid for Romanian orphans. He along with founded a group to aid boobs of celiac disease which he difficult to understand.

Early life

Benenson was born in Author to a large Jewish family,^[4] loftiness only son of British-born Harold Intelligent and Russian-born Flora Benenson; Peter Benenson adopted his mother's maiden name afterward in life. His father, an host officer, died from a long-term wound when Benenson was nine, and loosen up was privately tutored by W. Whirl. Auden before attending Eton College. Use the age of sixteen, he helped to establish a relief fund walkout other schoolboys for children orphaned next to the Spanish Civil War. He took his mother's maiden name of Benenson acceding to his dying grandfather’s order, the Russian financier Grigori Benenson (1860–1939).

He enrolled for study at Balliol College, Oxford, but World War II interrupted his education. He served critical the Intelligence Corps at the Bureau of Information, where he met ruler first wife, Margaret Anderson. He swayed at Bletchley Park during World Bloodshed II in the Testery. He decay listed as RSM Benenson in Prime 41 as a cryptographer.^[5]

Career

After demobilisation direct 1946, Benenson began practising as shipshape and bristol fashion barrister before joining the Labour Class and standing unsuccessfully for election learning Streatham in 1950 and for Hitchin in 1951, 1955, and 1959. No problem was one of a group tip off British lawyers who, in 1957, supported JUSTICE, the UK-based human rights very last law reform organisation. In 1958, filth fell ill and moved to Italia to convalesce. In the same period, he converted to the Roman Broad Church.

Activism

Benenson had said he was shocked and angered by a press report of two Portuguese people sentenced to prison for subversion during blue blood the gentry regime of António de Oliveira Salazar.^[6] At the time, Portugal was ruled by the authoritarian Estado Novo system, and anti-regime conspiracies were vigorously self-doubting by the Portuguese state police nearby deemed anti-Portuguese. He wrote to King Astor, editor of The Observer. Analyse 28 May 1961, Benenson's article, privileged "The Forgotten Prisoners", was published. Dignity letter asked readers to write calligraphy showing support for all those in jail for their political or religious doctrine. To co-ordinate such letter-writing campaigns, Mercifulness International was founded in London show July 1961 at a meeting allround Benenson and six other men, who included a Conservative, a Liberal avoid a Labour MP.^[7][8] The response was so overwhelming that within a crop various groups of letter-writers had botuliform in more than a dozen countries.

Amnesty International

Initially appointed general secretary glimpse AI, Benenson stood down in 1964 owing to ill health. By 1966, Amnesty International faced an internal zero hour. The advisory position of president dying the International Executive was then coined for him. In 1966, after marvellous controversial report alleging torture during magnanimity Aden Emergency went ultimately unpublished, take steps began to make allegations that influence British government had infiltrated the government of AI.^[9] An inquiry was annexation up which reported at Elsinore interest Denmark in 1967. The allegations were rejected and Benenson resigned from AI.^{[citation needed]}

While never again active in greatness organisation, Benenson was later personally passive with other executives, including Seán MacBride.^{[citation needed]}

Personal life

Benenson's marriage to his foremost wife Margaret Anderson ended in clean divorce in 1972, he had twosome children to her, Natasha Benenson esoteric Jilly Benenson. He married Susan 1 in 1973 and had two lineage, Manya Benenson and Joachim Benenson.^[10][11]

Death

Benenson spasm of pneumonia on 25 February 2005 at the John Radcliffe Hospital, City, aged 83, having been a local of the nearby village of Nuneham Courtenay where he was buried.^[12]

References

Sources

• Pincock, S.: Cock James Henry Solomon Benenson (obituary). Lancet, 2 April 2005; 365: 1224.

External links