1961 The Birth of Amnesty International

55 years ago, on May 28, 1961, the British newspaper The Observer published an article by London lawyer Peter Benenson "The Forgotten Prisoners". He protested that the Salazar regime sentenced two Portuguese students to 7 years in prison for raising a toast to freedom in a Lisbon cafe. This marked the beginning of the Appeal for Amnesty campaign, which called for the release of prisoners of conscience around the world. From this campaign, in July 1961, the international human rights organization Amnesty International, led by Benenson, emerged.