Amnesty at 50 (28/12/10)

Before Christmas I listened to the radio 4 programme Amnesty at 50 presented by John Tusa. He gave a background talk on Amnesty and also asked some 'critical questions'. I made some notes and they are below. One thing I did not agree was Amnesty moving away from it's original goal and trying to tackle the world's problems portrayed in a negative light. It's been 50 years and personally I think it shows great growth and adaptation of Amnesty's cause with the times. If you apply that logic then the same could be said of Oxfam which was the Oxford Famine group for famine relief set up in 1942. Oxfam takes on much more than that now, has this detract from the original goal...well yes but in a poisitive way, not negative. The same is true of Amnesty, however I will leave you to make up your own minds.

Amnesty in action - act of faith.
Founder Peter Benison has a persuasive personality, charisma, intellectual, manic depressive maybe.
High degree of optimism.
The idea caught on. In 60s lots of dictatorships and totalitarianism. PB was far from alone for confronting this.
A global revolution of freedom started by 6x4 index card.
Started by intelligent research and Amnesty still abides by these principles. 
The letters worked.
Perceived to be most successful when results were perceived to be vague.
Measuring impact very hard for human rights organisations. 
A kind of church with scalar practices.
B7 1970s 2000 prisoners released and tens of thousands of members. 
The secret policeman ball became an industry real success and gave Amnesty a real profile, made Amnesty a brand.
Amnesty became a big fish rather than a gathering of like minded people.
Amnesty would not take money from large American organisations to retain integrity.
True to itself and origins.
Human rights is a hard business.
By 2001 persuing full spectrum of human rights.
Amnesty can say it is a democratic organisation.
Mission creep from campaigning for prisoners of conscience to prisoners of poverty.
Whole ethos of Amnesty was to not go with the latest fashion.
Beacon of hope for those suffering on their own.
As long as Amnesty retains that.
Branding problem they must resolve themselves.
Worrried because they moved. 
Proposition not clear anymore. 
Even dictators were moved by the letters, it was a lever to get prisoners out.
Prisoners of poverty are half the world.
Run into public trouble over war on terror.
A petition with 2000 supporters of Gita Sagel was sent to Kate Athen.
Challenge human rights abuses regardless of religion and ideology.
Work with Mozam has been about Guantanemo bay and human rights abuses that have taken place there.
Don't have positions in terms of armed conflict.
Amnesty a tremendous defender of state abuse.
Is Amnesty trying to do too much?