Nelson Mandela expresses joy at receiving award from Amnesty members
Posted: November 24, 2006
Nelson Mandela receiving the Amnesty International Ambassador of Conscience Award in Johannesburg. ALEXANDER JOE/AFP/Getty Images
On November 1, 2006, Nelson Mandela received Amnesty International's Ambassador of Conscience Award for 2006.
The award was presented to Mandela in Johannesburg, South Africa, by Nadine Gordimer, the South African writer and Nobel Literature Prize winner.
The Ambassador of Conscience Award is given for exceptional individual leadership in the fight to protect and promote human rights. Previous recipients include U2 and Václav Havel.
"The Ambassador of Conscience Award recognizes Nelson Mandela for his fearless leadership," said Irene Khan, Amnesty's secretary general. "Amnesty International draws strength from Mandela's example to renew our own commitment to human dignity, human rights and justice."
Mandela expressed joy at receiving the award from the members of the world's largest human rights movement.
He spoke of how he had, like Amnesty International, been struggling for justice and human rights for many years. He praised Amnesty for the organization's work in the area of women's human rights and for standing up against the human rights violations that drive and deepen poverty.