Aministia Internacional

Foto de Alfredo Cunha

O fundador da Amnistia Internacional, Peter Benenson, morreu ontem à noite, aos 83 anos.

Numa entrevista, Peter Beneson contou a história que deu origem à criação da Aministia Internacional: "I was spurred into that by reading an article about how two Portuguese students had been arrested and sentenced to imprisonment for drinking a toast to liberty in a Lisbon restaurant. That so enraged me at the time that I walked up the steps of St Martins-In-The-Fields church, out of the underground, and went in to see what could really be done effectively to mobilize world opinion.
I became aware that lawyers themselves were not able sufficiently to influence the course of justice in undemocratic countries. It was necessary to think of a larger group which harnessed the enthusiasm of people all over the world who were anxious to see a wider respect for human rights.
"Once the concentration camps and the hell-holes of the world were in darkness. Now they are lit by the light of the Amnesty candle; the candle in barbed wire. When I first lit the Amnesty candle, I had in mind the old Chinese proverb: 'Better light a candle than curse the darkness.'"

Foi este episódio passado em Portugal em 1961, que determinou a fundação da Aministia Internacional. Porém, foi em 1960 que começou a sentir a necessidade de criar uma organização deste tipo, o ano da comemoração do Ano Mundial do Refugiado, a primeira iniciativa no género.
A morte do fundador da Amnistia Internacional, Peter Benenson, significou o desaparecimento de um símbolo e um homem que se diferenciou na luta pelos direitos humanos e pela preocupação com o indivíduo.