Edinburgh Festivals 2014

We were back at Edinburgh, the world’s biggest arts festival, with a full programme celebrating Freedom of Expression in all its forms.

Freedom of expression has always been a core part of our work and is closely linked to the right to hold opinions and the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. 



We have campaigned on behalf of thousands of prisoners of conscience – people who are imprisoned because of their political, religious or other conscientiously held beliefs, ethnic origin, sex, colour, language, national or social origin, economic status, birth, sexual orientation or other status.

Freedom of Expression Award

Our Freedom of Expression Award, which is given to a theatre production that explores human rights in a meaningful way, is set for the biggest year in the Award’s ten-year history.

Find out more about our Freedom of Expression Award

Daily Imprisoned Writers events

We host free daily Imprisoned Writers events at the largest book festival in the world, where famous authors give up their time to read the words of writers who cannot read their own work.

Every day focused on a different topic ranging from Russia to Death Penalty to remembering Nelson Mandela.

See the past Daily Imprisoned Writers events programme on the Festival website

Amnesty Annual Lecture

Our Annual Lecture also takes place at the Edinburgh International Book Festival. This year David Belton and Brian Turner explored Wars That Live on in the Mind focusing on Rwanda and Iraq.

The Power of Fiction

We were also delighted to welcome Children’s Laureate and award-winning author Malorie Blackman to Edinburgh where she explored the right to an identity.

Read Malorie Blackman on the right to an identity in our Guardian teen takeover