Law School graduate discusses human rights

Former prisoner of conscience and Penn Law School graduate T. Kumar said he owes his life to Amnesty International. "If it weren't for Amnesty International, I would have been killed eight years ago," the Amnesty International Government Program officer for Asia said last night. In a discussion sponsored by the University's Amnesty International chapter and seven other organizations, Kumar spoke to an audience of more than 50 about the current condition of human rights issues in Asia. He touched on the living conditions of people in various countries from Afghanistan to North Korea. Kumar cited numerous examples of human brutality to demonstrate the great need for Amnesty International and other human rights organizations. According to Kumar, women in Pakistan who report a rape incident will be charged with unlawful sexual intercourse if she cannot prove a particular person to be her perpetrator. "It's sad how the government is giving more power to the abusers," he said. If the Indian government wanted to "get rid" of an individual, Kumar went on, it would simply create fake stories in the newspaper of gun battles and the resulting deaths. He also named foreign governments and business corporations as the underlying abusers of human rights in most Asian countries. "It's all because of foreign countries who send money and weapons to different factions," Kumar said. He added that Amnesty International has attacked the United States for selling military arms to governments that have no concern for human rights. After each anecdote, Kumar urged the audience to raise the conscience of these Asian governments. "As Americans, you have more say, you have more power to influence human rights," he emphasized. He concluded his speech with a discussion of human rights issues in China. Kumar said he saved this for last because China contains 20 percent of the world population and is the world's most infamous violator of human rights. Those in attendance found the forum to be very informative. "He did an excellent job in outlining the role of Amnesty International to bring about positive change," said Chairperson of the Social and Economic Development group Richard Estes, a professor in the School of Social Work. College senior and Penn's Amnesty International President Sara Kleinberg said she agreed. "His story is captivating and increases awareness of Amnesty International," she said, adding that Kumar's speech was "a great way to kick off their Burma and China campaign."