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‘’Torture should have been kept where
it belonged, in the 16th century, instead of being
imported into the 21st.‘’
Irene Khan
by Radiyah Shakur
Irene Khan not only makes a living out of confronting
and challenging human rights violations, she lived
through two civil wars and experienced human rights
abuses first hand.
 Irene Khan grew up in war and poverty-stricken Bangladesh
at a time when it achieved independence from Pakistan.
She and her family later fled to Northern Ireland
as refugees. From an early age, Irene had witnessed
human rights violations and was interested in defending
people from these abuses.
Khan studied law at The Victoria University of Manchester
and Harvard Law School, specialising in public international
law and human rights. In 1977, she helped found Concern
Universal which was a development organisation. Two
years later she began work as a human rights activist
with the International Commission of Jurists. In 1980
Khan became a member of the United Nations High Commissioner
for Refugees (UNHCR), and in 1995 was sent to India
as the UNHCR Chief of Mission, being the youngest UNHCR
country representative at the time. Not stopping there,
she led the UNHCR during the Kosovo conflict in 1999,
and was appointed Deputy Director of International
Protection later that year.
In 2001, Irene Khan became the seventh Secretary General
of Amnesty International (AI), which is the world’s
largest human rights organization. This made her the
first woman, the first Muslim and the first Asian to
hold this high-ranking post. Khan initiated reforms
to AI’s response to crisis situations in her
first year in office, and personally led high level
missions to Pakistan, Israel, the West bank, Gaza and
Columbia.
Irene, who is a staunch advocate of women’s
rights, began a process of consultations with women
activists to design a global campaign by Amnesty International
against violence on women.
Irene Khan continues to serve as Secretary General,
receiving a Ford Foundation Fellowship, and the Pilkington
Woman of the Year Award 2002, among other academic
recognitions.
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