Amnesty International appoints South African rights activist Kumi Naidoo its next secretary general
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By:- Miguel Medina/AFP
Amnesty International
on Thursday announced that Kumi
Naidoo, a person of Indian origin and a South African human rights activist,
will be its next secretary general. He
will take over from Salil Shetty, who has been holding the post since 2010.
Naidoo, who will take
over the position from August 2018, will succeed Secretary General Salil
Shetty, who has been in the position since 2010.
“His [Naidoo] vision and passion for a just and peaceful
world make him an outstanding leader for our global movement, as we strengthen
our resolve for a world where human rights are enjoyed by all,” said Mwikali
Muthiani, chair of the Board of Amnesty International.
Shetty said it was the first time in Amnesty’s history
that both secretary general and board chair were from Africa.
Naidoo has headed the Greenpeace International, Global
Call for Climate Action and Global Call to Action against Poverty, among
others. His job as the secretary general of the human rights body will include
being the main spokesperson for the organisation and the chief executive of its
International Secretariat.
“I have been an activist and campaigner all my life, so I
am excited to be joining the world’s largest people movement for human rights
at a time when we need to counter increasing attacks on basic freedoms and on
civil society around the globe,” Naidoo said.
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