How Amnesty International Suppresses Free Speech

by Alan M. Dershowitz • November 10, 2014 at 11:30 am

Amnesty International claims to champion freedom of speech and open dialogue, except when it comes to criticism of their own organization. Above, Amnesty International-Turkey protests limits on freedom of expression. (Image source: Amnesty International-Turkey)

Last month the Columbia University chapter of Amnesty International invited me to deliver a talk on human rights in the Middle East. I accepted the invitation, anxious to present a balanced view on human rights, focusing on the Israeli-Arab-Palestinian issue. As a supporter of the two-state solution and an opponent of many of Israel's settlement decisions, I regard myself as a moderate on these issues. That was apparently too much for the national office of Amnesty International to tolerate. They demanded that the Columbia chapter of Amnesty International disinvite me. They did not want their members to hear my perspective on human rights.

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