Amnesty International Is Founded
At a glance:
- Series: Great Events from History II: Human Rights Series
- Categories: Social Issues, Reform, and Protest, Diplomacy, International Relations, Foreign Affairs, Law, Legal History, Courts
- Subcategories: Organizations, Agencies, Institutions, Human Rights, Kidnapping, Hostages, Prisoners
- Curriculum: 20th & 21st Century European History, British History, Spanish/Portuguese History
- Geographical Location: London
- Date: May 28, 1961
Article abstract: Reading of the imprisonment of two Portuguese students who toasted freedom, Peter Benenson was inspired to found Amnesty International, the world’s largest human rights organization.
Summary of Event
In the fall of 1960, Peter Benenson read a news item while on a London-bound train. There was nothing unusual about the item; in fact, it was a routine report of a human rights violation. Two Portuguese students had been sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment by the military dictatorship of António Salazar for raising their glasses in...
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