Amal Clooney – Human Rights Activist and a Lawyer

Amal Clooney is a human rights activist and a lawyer, or british barrister, as well. (“Amal Clooney.” Infoplease.) 1978 in Beirut, Lebanon Amal Alamuddin was born into a prominent family but also a civil war. Due to the circumstances Amal and her family fled to England as refugees, where she would later attend Oxford University to obtain her law degree and continue furthering her degree at New York University. Her career took off in New York working in criminal defense before slowly making her way into “international law and human rights, working in prosecutor’s office at the UN Special Tribunal for Lebanon and at the International Criminal Tribunal for (the former) Yugoslavia. In 2010, she was hired by London’s prestigious Doughty Street Chambers, which describes itself as “probably the largest and most wide-ranging civil liberties legal practice in the world.””(“Amal Clooney.” Infoplease.) Ever since Amal has represented and helped several european countries dealing with issues such as: border- disputes, immigration, hate crimes, freedom of speech, genocide, etc.

Amal Clooney has spent the past two decades fighting for basic human rights we all deserve and working towards making the world a better place through the legal system. Amal Clooney would have fought for my great grandmother whose citizenship was revoked during WWII for being married to a German. I feel as if Amal Clooney and I have similar values and she is my voice, a voice that will be heard.

One of Amal’s more recent human rights fights stakes place in Myanmar. Amal Clooney, Human rights lawyer, “called on Myanmar’s leader Aung San Suu Kyi to pardon two journalists who were sentenced to seven years in prison this month after reporting on the killing of Rohingya Muslims in the country,”(Reilly) Clooney represented two journalists who exposed the genocide of the Rohingya Muslims. Amal called out Myanmar’s leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, for jailing the journalists for simply being journalists, that reporting murder does not make one a spy. Amal also called out Suu Kyi for her hypocrisy, where she once laid a prisoner herself now lay these two journalists.

Amal called for the freedom and pardon of these journalists in front of the United Nations on a freedom of press panel. “Earlier this month, an independent fact-finding mission by the United Nations accused Myanmar’s military of carrying out brutal mass killings and gang rapes of thousands of Rohingya civilians, calling for top military leaders to be prosecuted for ‘genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.’”(Reilly) Amals determination and strength to call out basically anyone for their wrong-doings is extremely inspiring to me that there are strong women out there fighting for everyone’s basic human rights and proving that women can make a difference and we can demand justice. Amal is still fighting for the release and justice of these journalists, the freedom of speech, and justice for genocide. “’This case began with authorization from the government at the highest levels, all the way up to the president’s office, and the government can, if it wants to, end it today,’ Clooney said.”(Reilly)

With an iconic last name such as Clooney, it is only common knowledge that George Clooney is her husband. Not only does Amal fight for human rights in legal matters, but she also puts her money where her mouth is. Amal recognizes that legal justice and equality are important but philanthropy as well. Together, George and Amal have established a foundation, The Clooney Foundation for Justice. “We believe that justice means fighting for the rights of individuals unfairly targeted by oppressive governments through the courts. But justice is more than what is meted out in courts, it is litigated in communities as well. Advancing the cause of justice also means advancing justice for marginalized and vulnerable communities targeted by hate; justice for displaced children deprived of opportunities to learn; justice for refugees seeking to rebuild their lives abroad.”(About, The Clooney Foundation for Justice) Amal truly embodies what The Clooney foundation stands for and put her money where her mouth is.

The Clooneys donated 100,000 dollars to the Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights.(Bruner) ““At some point in the future our children will ask us: ‘Is it true, did our country really take babies from their parents and put them in detention centers?’ And when we answer yes, they’ll ask us what we did about it. What we said. Where we stood,” the Clooneys told THR. “We can’t change this administration’s policy but we can help defend the victims of it.”(Amal Clooney)”(Bruner) Amal highlights the hardcore truth while also striking a chord in people’s hearts. Immigrants deserve a better life, they want to work for a better life. Amal and I recognize the privilege that comes with being born into a developed country such as the United States. We are privileged to not be surrounded by corruption and violence, to have food and shelter, and to have the rights to education. Amal wants these rights for immigrants, she was an immigrant herself so she understands what it is like. Every single human being on this planet deserves equal opportunity and Amal clooney not only supports that claim fiscally, but she fights for it as well.

The Clooney Foundation for Justice also gave a 1 million dollar grant to the Southern Poverty Law Center in order to provide more protect for those being targeted by hate groups and to possibly dissolve these hate organizations. (States News Service) In wake of a wave of hate crimes in the United States it is important that influential people speak out about these injustices and use their platform for the greater good. During all of the white nationalist riots in Charlottesville, NC is when the Clooneys generous grant came in. “’We are proud to support the Southern Poverty Law Center in its efforts to prevent violent extremism in the United States. What happened in Charlottesville, and what is happening in communities across our country, demands our collective engagement to stand up to hate,’ said George and Amal Clooney.”(States News Service) It is important to fight intolerance and hate in every aspect and I believe Amal Clooney has those intentions to the deepest part of her core, she has done everything in her power and proved through her actions that she truly means what she says and will follow through.