Three words changed the life of Graham Allen: “Prisoners of Conscience.” As a young lad, he read about people who had been imprisoned for holding political or religious views not tolerated by their own government in the London Observer. The article had a profound impact on him.
“I still recall how, as a teenager in 1961, I read the article by Peter Benenson, the founder of Amnesty International, in which he launched a worldwide appeal for the release of ‘Prisoners of Conscience’ wherever they had been imprisoned, referencing in particular the two students in Salazar’s Portugal,” he says.
For nearly 60 years, Graham has been a prominent member of Amnesty International, which is a non-governmental organization focused on human rights. While volunteering with Amnesty, he has become involved in several different causes that he is passionate about, including the campaign to end the death penalty and the Campaign Against Torture.
“Incredible progress is being made towards universal abolition,” he says. “I expect to see the last execution in my own lifetime. Campaigning against the use of torture is much tougher as it goes on in so many countries and it will be a long struggle to persuade governments to abandon this convenient method of frightening people.”
Graham is also a member of Amnesty’s “Urgent Action Network.”
“We get an emailed worksheet telling us all about a prisoner in serious jeopardy and then we aim to bombard the responsible government officials and rulers with pleas for release. Amazingly, this does work, and Amnesty publishes its success with photos of the smiling releases and their loved ones.”
As for the current climate with COVID-19 and a global outcry against systemic racism, Graham emphasizes there are ways the public can help.
“Like everyone, I’m feeling quite overwhelmed by the pandemic and the George Floyd protests,” he says. “It’s important to campaign for the release of non-violent prisoners to minimize the risk of infection and [reserve] PPE for doctors and nurses.”
Many people are asking during these unprecedented times how they can help. How they can make a difference. Graham suggests, “getting involved with Amnesty is simple. Go to the Amnesty International website and look under ‘Get Involved.’ The Secretary-General once pointed out to me the flexibility of a member’s participation: “You can write one letter a week or turn it into a full-time job.”
According to Graham, there are lots of vehicles for involvement, including the Urgent Action Network.
“When I first came here, I joined a group in North Vancouver and incredibly our assigned ‘Prisoner of Conscience’ in Peru was released within a couple of months.”
Amnesty receives no government funds. Volunteers are needed to help organize meetings, protest marches, conduct research projects in furthering Amnesty’s campaigns and, finally, endless letter-writing.
“Every week I send very polite requests to some of the most brutish leaders on the planet,” says Graham.
During these chaotic times, like many of us, Graham has been bombarded with requests to donate to charities.
“Even Amnesty has asked if I could move my annual donation given in August to an earlier date this year.”
When it comes to charities trying to stay afloat during a global pandemic, Graham has some insight.
“For human rights’ groups, when it comes to the pandemic, I think the challenge is to maintain previous levels of contribution in the face of personal income challenges,” he says. “The big challenge for these groups, at this time, is to respond to the Black Lives Matter protests, which have erupted so spectacularly. Just as we need to be responding to hospitals and first responder groups to help the fight against COVID-19, so we should be stepping up to help human rights’ groups in their significantly increased funding requirements to fight racism.”
Graham is a lawyer practicing with Boughton Law Corporation. He specializes in arbitration, property-tax assessment, and First Nations economic development. He has a master’s degree in international human-rights law from the University of British Columbia.
After dedicating his life to human rights causes, Graham recently decided to leave a portion of his estate to Amnesty Canada in his will.
To learn more visit them online at www.amnesty.ca
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