A chara, – Colm O'Gorman, executive director of Amnesty International Ireland, says his organisation "is not simply refusing to comply with the law" by its refusal to return the substantial sum of money it received from George Soros (January 18th).
The unavoidable truth is that this donation contravenes the law of the land.
His assertion that the law is unjust does not change that. Nor, indeed, does his claim that there are human rights issues raised by this that Amnesty has a duty to challenge. There may well be; however, making such accusations concerning legislation that threatens to reduce its current bank account and dry up future sources of income risks giving the appearance that it is acting as much, if not more, in its own interest than in the public’s.
Amnesty is free, of course, to campaign for a change in the law. But if it wishes to do so with any credibility, it needs to first comply with it and then, and only then, seek to challenge it. – Is mise,
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Rev PATRICK G BURKE,
Castlecomer,
Co Kilkenny.