Peter Benenson

Peter Benenson founded Amnesty International to coordinate “The Forgotten Prisoners” letter writing campaign. The human rights group now has over 7 million members worldwide. The stated objective of the organization is “to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated.” Amnesty International won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1977 for its “campaign against torture” and went on to win the United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights the following year. In 2001, Benenson was awarded the Pride of Britain Award for Lifetime Achievement.