The Legal Framework of White Oppression
Amnesty International

In 1995 Amnesty International decided at a meeting of its International Council -- its highest decision making body -- that it would exclude from prisoner of conscience status not only people who have used or advocated violence, but also people who are imprisoned "for having advocated national, racial, or religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence." Note that this includes so-called "Holocaust deniers," or revisionists as they call themselves.

Fact: AI was asked to declare Dr. Friedrich Töben, the head of Australia's Adelaide Institute jailed in Germany for asking questions, a "prisoner of conscience" (its term), but declined.

Writes one commentator, "The organization's hypocrisy is highlighted by the case of Nelson Mandela, who during his sabotage trial in South Africa in 1964, admitted that he believed in violence to achieve his political objectives and for that purpose had been a leader of a campaign of sabotage. Mandela was a hot subject of debate at Amnesty's meeting in September 1964 because, while the overwhelming sentiment was to continue to support him, one of the rules pertaining to the prisoner of conscience category was that those who used or advocated violence were not eligible. Thus the meeting decided against adopting Mandela thus, but it also voted for supporting him anyway. A mere label was withheld, not the support. T–ben needed the support more than the label.

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