PoC Patrons

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi 

Aung San Suu Kyi 

We are excited and honoured to announce that Nobel laureate and pro-democracy leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has kindly accepted our invitation to become a new international patron of the Prisoners of Conscience Appeal Fund.

We issued this invitation on the momentous occasion of Daw Suu’s release from house arrest in November last year as a mark of respect for her unstinting commitment to the people of Burma. Since her release she has continued to work tirelessly to highlight the plight of the thousands of political prisoners who are still behind bars in Burma. Having such a high profile and universally respected advocate for Prisoners of Conscience will be a real boost to our work in the region and around the world.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Archibishop Desmond Tutu 

We are equally delighted to have Archbishop Desmond Tutu as our other International Patron in recognition of his non-violent stand in the face of apartheid and commitment to justice and human rights. The Archbishop's endorsement of our work is especially valued as we are currently seeking to assist more people in need around the world.

"I was hugely impressed when I heard about the range of support that PoC offers to its beneficiaries - money to help families forced into exile when they have lost everything, funds to help reunite families that have been brutally separated through imprisonment or conflict, money to pay for essential medical treatment for survivors of torture.

Following a comprehensive review of its activities in 2003, PoC committed to an increased programme of grant-giving overseas and, in my capacity as PoC's first international patron, I hope to lend my support to this initiative wholeheartedly. It is equally important to help the prisoner of conscience who has fled into exile as well as the prisoner of conscience who remains in his country of origin. Join hands with us once more as we reach out to help them."
 

UK Patrons

PoC benefits from the support of a number of distinguished patrons:

Rt Rev Simon Barrington-Ward, Sir Louis Blom-Cooper KT QC, Lord Briggs, Rt Rev John Crawley, Justin de Blank, Dame Judi Dench DBE, Lady Antonia Fraser, Rosamund Horwood-Smart QC, Baroness Helena Kennedy QC, Bruce Kent, Caroline Moorehead OBE, Rabbi Julia Neuberger DBE, The Hon Jonathon Porritt, Lord Puttnam CBE, (Revd) Canon Dr Nicholas Sagovsky, Rt Hon Jeremy Thorpe PC, Zoë Wanamaker CBE, Sir Osmond Williams Bt MC JP.