Prisoner of conscience (POC) is a term defined in Peter Benenson's 1961 article "The Forgotten Prisoners" often used by the human rights group Amnesty International. It can refer to anyone imprisoned because of their race, religion, or political views. It also refers to those who have been imprisoned and/or persecuted for the non-violent expression of their conscientiously held beliefs.
Read more about Prisoner Of Conscience: Definition, Current Amnesty International Prisoners of Conscience
Famous quotes containing the words prisoner and/or conscience:
“So doth the swan her downy cygnets save,
Keeping them prisoner underneath her wings.”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)
“The changes in our life must come from the impossibility to live otherwise than according to the demands of our conscience ... not from our mental resolution to try a new form of life.”
—Leo Tolstoy (1828–1910)