Peter Benenson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Peter Benenson
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| Born |
Peter James Henry Solomon
31 July 1921 London, England
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| Died | 25 February 2005 (aged 83) Oxford, England
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| Resting place | Nuneham Courtenay graveyard |
| Known for | Founding the global human rights organisation Amnesty International |
| Spouse(s) | Margaret Anderson (?–1972; divorced; 2 children) Susan Booth (1973–2005; his death; 2 children) |
| Parent(s) | Flora Benenson Harold Solomon |
Peter Benenson (born Peter James Henry Solomon; 31 July 1921 – 25 February 2005) was a British lawyer and human rights activist. He is best known for starting Amnesty International (AI). This is a huge global group with over 10 million people in more than 150 countries. They work to stop human rights abuses and help release people who are unfairly imprisoned for their beliefs.
Peter Benenson didn't want awards for most of his life. But when he was in his 80s, he accepted the Pride of Britain Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2001. He also led a group called Association of Christians Against Torture in the 1980s. In the 1990s, he helped Romanian orphans. He also started a group to help people with celiac disease, which he had himself.
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Early Life and Education
Peter Benenson was born in London, England. His family was Jewish. His father, Harold Solomon, was an army officer who died when Peter was nine. Peter later took his mother's family name, Benenson.
When he was 16, he helped create a fund for children who lost their parents in the Spanish Civil War. He went to Eton College and then to Balliol College, Oxford. However, World War II stopped his studies. During the war, he worked in the Intelligence Corps and at Bletchley Park. This was a secret place where codes were broken.
Becoming a Lawyer and Activist
After the war in 1946, Peter Benenson became a barrister, which is a type of lawyer. He also joined the Labour Party and tried to become a Member of Parliament several times, but he didn't win.
In 1957, he helped start JUSTICE. This is a UK group that works for human rights and law reform. In 1958, he became ill and moved to Italy to get better. That same year, he joined the Roman Catholic Church.
Starting Amnesty International
Peter Benenson was very upset by a newspaper story he read. It was about two people in Portugal who were sent to prison for speaking out against the government. At that time, Portugal was ruled by a strict government that punished people who disagreed with it.
On 28 May 1961, Benenson wrote an article called "The Forgotten Prisoners" for The Observer newspaper. In his article, he asked people to write letters to support those imprisoned for their political or religious beliefs. The idea was to show that people around the world cared about them.
The response was huge! To help organize these letter-writing efforts, Amnesty International was officially started in London in July 1961. Peter Benenson and six other men, including politicians from different parties, were part of this first meeting. Within a year, groups of letter-writers had formed in many countries.
His Role in Amnesty International
Peter Benenson was the first general secretary of Amnesty International. But in 1964, he stepped down because of health problems. Later, in 1966, there were some disagreements within Amnesty International. Peter Benenson made claims that the British government had secretly influenced the group. An investigation was held, and his claims were not supported. Because of this, he resigned from Amnesty International in 1967.
Even though he was no longer active in the organization, Peter Benenson later made up with other leaders of Amnesty International.
Family Life and Death
Peter Benenson's first marriage to Margaret Anderson ended in divorce in 1972. In 1973, he married Susan Booth. They had two children together and stayed married until he passed away in 2005.
Peter Benenson died from pneumonia on 25 February 2005, at the age of 83. He passed away in Oxford, England, and was buried in the nearby village of Nuneham Courtenay.
