Archive photo of Amnesty booklet titled 'The Forgotten Prisoners', with blue and black illustration of a man behind bars — 'The Forgotten Prisoners' by Peter Benenson, 1961. From the British Library archive.

A Life in Human Rights – the story of Amnesty International

Exploring the archive of Amnesty founder Peter Benenson.

Monday 21 September 19.00

About A Life in Human Rights – the story of Amnesty International

Peter Benenson founded a human rights movement that would spread around the world: Amnesty International. Following his death, Peter’s daughter Natasha bequeathed his archive to the British Library, including photos, documents, letters and even a carbon copy of the original idea for AI. This evening’s event is a special celebration of Peter and his life’s work, inviting you to discover an extraordinary life, alongside revealing how archives are created and made accessible to the whole world.

British Library curator Jonathan Pledge is joined in conversation by cataloguer George Brierley, historian Tom Buchanan, Amnesty International's Jaanki Patel and Peter Benenson’s daughter, Natasha Benenson.

Read George Brierley's blog post, Peter Benenson – defender of the forgotten prisoners.

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George Brierley
George Brierley is an archivist and cataloguer at the British Library.
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He joined the Library after completing an MA in Archives and Records Management at University College London in 2014, initially working in the Sound and Vision Archive. Since joining the Western Archives and Manuscripts Cataloguing Team in 2023, he has worked on the preservation and cataloguing of the Peter Benenson Archive and the ongoing cataloguing of the Heathcote Williams Archive.
Tom Buchanan
Tom Buchanan is Professor of Modern British and European History at the University of Oxford, and a Fellow of Kellogg College.
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He is Director of Studies in History and Politics at the university's Department for Continuing Education. He is the author of Amnesty International and Human Rights Activism in Postwar Britain, 1945–1977 (Cambridge University Press, 2020), as well as four books and numerous articles on British involvement in the Spanish Civil War.
Jaanki Patel
Jaanki Patel is the Global Children and Youth Campaigns and Community Coordinator at Amnesty International's International Secretariat.
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She is at the forefront of strengthening the participation of children and young people in Amnesty's work, while advancing digital rights, health and well-being. Jaanki has led a number of high-profile advocacy engagements, including child and youth advocacy missions at the UN Summit of the Future, the UN General Assembly and COP27. Prior to joining Amnesty International, she campaigned for trauma-informed approaches to be embedded within criminal justice services in the UK and advocated for the global legal prohibition of corporal punishment of children.
Jonathan Pledge
Jonathan Pledge is the Lead Curator of Contemporary Archives and Manuscripts (Politics, Science & Society) at the British Library.
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He specializes in securing, preserving, and managing modern political and born-digital collections. Jonathan he oversees the landmark Amnesty International archives, including the personal papers of founder Peter Benenson housed at the Library.

Venue and bar opening times

This is an in-person only event in the British Library Knowledge Centre. 

The Knowledge Centre and bar open from 18.00.

Please arrive no later than 15 minutes before the start time of this event.  If you have specific access requirements please email customer@bl.uk

Concessions

There are a range of concessions available. These include discounts for British Library Members, Young Persons (16–25s), and visitors on Universal/Pension Credit and free entry for carers.

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