122:, the primary founder of Amnesty International (AI). They discussed political, ethical and religious issues. Benenson described Baker as "a partner in the launching of the project" and together they directed the 'Appeal for Amnesty 1961', speaking almost daily on the phone, jointly corresponding with politicians, churches and the media, and gathering a small number of other supporters. Their shared ideas were often written down on napkins in bars, and influenced the 1961
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Switzerland. The position of president was abolished, and Eric Baker was chosen as secretary general. It is reported that Baker faced a formidable task, with morale at its lowest and distrust in the London office running high, and that he had to reestablish AI's stability and sense of purpose. By July 1968, when
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Baker became secretary general of AI in 1966. The organisation was in something of a crisis as a result of
Benenson's resignation as president, originating in his concerns that AI activities critical of the British Government were being suppressed and his wish to move the organisation headquarters to
92:. During the war, Baker worked on the "Famine Relief" campaign, raising funds to send food to the war-torn European continent, educate the British public, and pressure the government. From 1946 to 1948 he was appointed as a joint secretary of the Quaker Centre in
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from 1954 to 1959. In this role he wrote an article entitled 'Psychological warfare a challenge to democracy', and a policy statement on a 'Campaign to secure international agreement on the prohibition of nuclear weapons', in
December 1959.
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Baker also became
Chairman of the British section of Amnesty International, Vice Chairman of the International Executive Committee of Amnesty, and Chairman of Amnesty's Sub-committee for the Abolition of Torture.
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of the
Religious Society of Friends in Britain and at the Triennial Meeting of the Friends World Committee for Consultation in 1976, resulting in agreed statements calling for activism to end the use of torture.
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article by
Benenson which initially attracted worldwide publicity to the cause. Baker assisted Benenson with both the research and shaping of Benenson's book called
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was appointed secretary general, the number of AI groups was growing again, and more than a tenth of the prisoners of conscience the group adopted were freed.
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Baker continued his peace activism in the context of the
Religious Society of Friends. He organised sessions on political prisoners and torture at the 1974
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and similar conflicts but who are deeply concerned with those who are suffering simply because they are suffering.’
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on behalf of the
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In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Baker made four peace missions to
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The Truth Will Set You Free': The Making of
Amnesty International.
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Letter to Josiah Knight quoted in Quaker Faith and
Practice.
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While working on the Cyprus issue Baker became a friend of
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It was at Baker's suggestion that the now-famous term '
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378:"23.30 | Quaker faith & practice"
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416:Article on the history of AI in
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470:British conscientious objectors
316:Journal of Contemporary History
113:Quaker Peace and Social Witness
39:Quaker Peace and Social Witness
345:London Yearly Meeting (1974).
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450:Amnesty International people
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475:English Christian pacifists
299:Benenson, P. (1983). Memoir
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33:Baker was a member of the
285:The Settlement in Cyprus.
228:29 September 2020 at the
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90:Quaker Faith and Practice
288:The Political Quarterly
420:from Boston University
247:University of Bradford
243:"Papers of Eric Baker"
141:prisoner of conscience
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82:conscientious objector
273:Cyprus: Long Division
189:Amnesty International
187:Secretary-General of
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480:20th-century Quakers
311:Buchanan, T. (2002)
134:political prisoners
384:(Fifth ed.).
353:(Fifth ed.).
271:The Friend (2004)
245:. GB 0532 CWL EB.
43:Quaker testimonies
465:British pacifists
460:British activists
382:qfp.quaker.org.uk
351:qfp.quaker.org.uk
327:Funding Universe
318:37(4) pp. 575-597
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