Chandigarh: The Board of Trustees of Indians for Amnesty International Trust (IAIT) is pleased to announce the appointment of Avinash Kumar as its next Executive Director, effective December 2019. Avinash Kumar will lead the diverse and democratic movement of people who share fundamental global values of dignity, freedom, justice, equality for all.
A Ph.D. in Modern History from Jawaharlal Nehru University, Avinash Kumar is currently the Director of Programmes and Policy at WaterAid India. Blending academics with activism, Avinash Kumar earlier worked with Oxfam and was a Charles Wallace Post-Doctoral Fellow at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London.
Avinash Kumar, New Executive Directory of Amnesty International India
“Avinash Kumar brings a strong commitment to fighting impunity for human rights abuses in India and strengthening the movement worldwide. He will give strategic direction to its goal of being an independent, effective, and deep-rooted organization in India,” said Trustee V Rukmini Rao.
As part of the Nobel Prize winning movement, IAIT’s work is to uphold universal human rights and foster accountability through research, campaigning and advocacy on long-term issues such as human rights education and gender-based violence. Over four million Indians have supported IAIT’s work in the last six years.
“It’s a great challenge to be leading Amnesty International India at a time when civil and political rights seem to be increasingly violated in the context of people asserting their socio-economic rights,” said Avinash Kumar.
The Board takes this opportunity to thank Aakar Patel for his inspiring work and steering Amnesty International India through a difficult period. The Board is happy to note that Aakar Patel will continue to be associated with the movement.