The Human Rights Movement Owes "a Debt of Gratitude" to Nelson Mandela
Contact: Carol Gregory, [email protected], 202-675-8759, @AIUSAmedia
(WASHINGTON, D.C.) – Responding to the sad news of Nelson Mandela's death, Amnesty International paid tribute today to one of the world's most visionary leaders in the fight to protect and promote human rights.
"Nelson Mandela became the hope, heart, and voice for oppressed people around the world," said Steven W. Hawkins, executive director, Amnesty International USA. "His courage in the face of injustice transformed our society, pushed us to be present in the fight for equal rights, and inspired us to take all injustice personally."
"Nelson Mandela was a political prisoner who sacrificed his own freedom for the freedom of an entire nation and people. Our greatest honor to his legacy is to raise our voices to expose injustice, demand freedom for those imprisoned for who they are or what they believe, and value the rights of all people regardless of where they live in the world."
In November 2006, Amnesty International declared Nelson Mandela an 'Ambassador of Conscience' in recognition of his work over many years of speaking out against human rights abuses not just in South Africa, but around the world.
Please visit www.amnestyusa.org to read Amnesty International’s full tribute to Nelson Mandela.
Amnesty International is a Nobel Peace Prize-winning grassroots activist organization with more than 3 million members in more than 150 countries campaigning for human rights worldwide. The organization investigates and exposes abuses, educates and mobilizes the public, and works to protect people wherever justice, freedom, truth and dignity are denied.