Press release me, let me go

So the Omagh bombing trial has collapsed and nearly a decade on theres still no justice for the 29 victims of the worst terrorist atrocity in Northern Ireland. Its a sad pattern across the world that far too few mass killers are ever...

You wait ages for a bus and then two come along at the same time, goes the expression. Yesterday the equivalent happened with a couple of significant successes for our campaigning and were still busy handling all the media follow-up...

So Fidel Castro has hinted that he may soon step down from the leadership in Cuba to make room for the younger generation. Should that happen, lets hope that a new leadership would guarantee the full respect of human rights for the...

They used to say John Redwood was a Vulcan but what planet does he live on if he thinks his comments about rape are acceptable? The former Tory cabinet minister used his blog to claim that the government was wrong to regard date rape...

Good news reached us from Saudi Arabia this morning. The BBC reports that King Abdullah has pardoned a female rape victim who had been sentenced to six months in prison and 200 lashes. The horrific case was highlighted here last month...

Death Penalty News Encouraging news today as the Guardian reports that the American state of New Jersey has abolished the death penalty. This is a significant step in US history as New Jersey becomes the first state in 40 years to...

This has been the year of remembering the end of the Atlantic slave trade and the Daily Mail has got a big feature on the history of slavery today. We've all become used to talking about the horror of slavery - I remember when Roots...

So in spite of the Governments promise in October to make special allowances for the Iraqi interpreters seeking asylum in the UK, only 75 out of the 200 who applied have been granted leave to remain according to The Times. Thats hardly...

A former CIA man has spoken out about their use of waterboarding forcibly pouring water down a detainees throat to give the sensation that theyre drowning on terrorism suspects. Heres a (simulated) clip of what this technique looks...

A different blog today as we mark International Human Rights Day and look ahead to the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in a years time. The UDHR is the document that provides Amnesty International with its...

The Met Police today announced plans to start deploying tasers to non-firearms trained officers as of Monday. They are the last of ten forces around the UK to take part in this pilot scheme set up by the Home Office which began on 1st...

Guantánamo Bays back in the news, on a couple of fronts. First, we had The New York Times reporting yesterday that there had been another particularly horrible suicide attempt at the camp. The camp authorities say that a prisoner has...

Two stories today provide a pretty good illustration of the whole debate about freedom of speech. Very handy. The Mail reports that Brighton becomes first city to ban rap music that offends gays (their headline). While the Guardian...

Were launching a new film tonight in parliament, which aims to show MPs just how badly the UK is treating refused asylum seekers many of whom cant return home to countries that remain unsafe. Amnestys part of the Still Human, Still...

It doesnt come as a huge surprise to hear that the OSCE has reportedly declared Russias parliamentary elections unfair , following a win by bookies favourite the United Russia Party (of Vladimir Putin fame). In the run-up to the...

Lets be clear. The 15-day sentence by a Sudanese court for teacher Gillian Gibbons is a mockery of justice. But I have again been struck by the attention a story has obtained simply because a Briton is involved. Are we really such a...

More reports emerged today in the media about unrest in Parisian suburbs and the escalating violence between armed rioters engaged in running battles with police following the deaths of two youths whose motorbike collided with a police...

Did you know that if youre a woman whos been raped, abused at home, trafficked or suffered violence of one sort or another, the chances of getting appropriate specialised services can vary greatly according to where you live . Shocking...

The media today is full of stories about the arrest of British teacher Gillian Gibbons in Sudan after her young pupils chose the Islamic prophets name for their teddy bear. Arrested on a blasphemy charge she may face 40 lashes as...

Today we joined the growing chorus of opposition to extending pre-charge detention of terrorist suspects, lining up alongside such luminaries as Justice , Liberty , the Joint Committee on Human Rights, both opposition parties and Lords...