Episode 2

Matthew Bannister tells the story of Amnesty International at 50, and discusses its future on the world stage.

He examines the position it currently holds in the field of global human rights, and assesses the international influence its many campaigns, and both Nobel and UN prizes, have brought it.

Critics of Amnesty International have accused the organisation of “moral bankruptcy”, that it is in danger of losing its moral compass.

Matthew assesses this premise and asks if Amnesty is waging campaigns on too many fronts and needs to focus more on its original core values, or if it is simply expanding responsibly in order to engage with the progressively-complicated global human rights issues of the new century.