Press release me, let me go

I was having an Orwellian “moment” last night. First, watching Channel 4 News, I caught an item about how the Chinese authorities are trying to control reporting of the bullet train crash. They’ve been texting journalists with (pretty...

It’s summer time, so it must be reporting season in the world of business, which for us at Amnesty means time to shine the old spotlight back on Vedanta. Now those of you not in the know, we’ve been hammering on about Vedanta’s pretty...

I think there are some things Id almost rather not see. Witnessing an act of cruelty is itself mentally painful. For instance my girlfriend will positively not look at (or even hear accounts of) anything to do with animal cruelty, and...

Yes, this is the 1,000th post on this humble PRESS RELEASE ME, LET ME GO blog. That’s around four years’ worth of blogging, Monday-Friday, on human rights issues in the news (and sometimes things that are not in the news but arguably...

My mum phoned me this morning, after spotting me doing an interview on the BBC News Channel. “You looked very smart but very serious”, she said. I argued that I didn’t have much choice: when you’re talking about children facing a...

The situation in Syria is truly brutal and you wonder how bad it has to get before the United Nations Security Council will do something about it. What is the Security Council for if not to step in when something like 1,500 people have...

The Guardian reports that Pegah Ahangarani, a popular Iranian actor who was scheduled to be heading off to Germany to cover the women’s World Cup football, was arrested last week. According to the Guardian, Pegah is the second woman to...

Amnesty TV, our new video magazine show mixing satire, stunts, short documentaries, opinion and news is now LIVE at www.amnestytv.co.uk Episode One features a message from Aung San Suu Kyi; a satirical training video highlighting...

Watch all about it! Tis the eve of Amnesty TV Episode One- the one where it all began- and the hysterical tension is mounting across the UK. Amnesty TV will be a fortnightly, 15-minute, online, magazine-style show that will blend...

It is one of those Catch 22 paradoxes that human rights observers face; the worse a country is, the less you are likely to know about it. The drip feed of information from within North Korea, gives just a terrifying glimpse into the...

I’ve probably done more radio interviews about Tasers than any other single subject. These stun guns are being used in increasing numbers by the police, yet no one other than Amnesty seems to be regularly raising concerns about their...

Today marks five years since the enforced disappearance of Ebrima Manneh and still his family wait to find out what’s happened to him. On 11 July 2006, the Gambian journalist was arrested by plain-clothed police officers and has not...

With the news agenda being dominated by the world of hacks and hackers, youd be hard pressed to hear of anything else, and probably the historic event of this weekend will pass many of us by. Im not referring to the end of the News of...

“Carpet Karaoke” involves forcing an individual’s face down towards the carpet with such force that they are only able to scream inarticulately ‘like a bad karaoke singer’. That ‘singer’ is seated, handcuffed, with a tight seatbelt...

Earlier in the week I watched that video clip where a person using a video camera to film events (said to be in Homs, Syria) appears to be shot by a person in uniform seen pointing his weapon towards the camera. Quite honestly, it’s...

The sun shone brightly in London last Saturday as thousands of Londoners and visitors took to the streets to celebrate Pride. The parade was fun and very colourful, and Amnesty’s ‘Love is a Human Right’ float drew a great crowd as...

Assuming the title as Thailand's first female prime minister following the overwhelming victory in yesterday’s Thai elections is a great achievement for Yingluck Shinawatra, the younger sister of Thaksin. Particularly since she’s...

The last time I blogged about Ramze Shihab Ahmed, the dual Iraqi-UK national detained in Iraq, things were well, extremely uncertain. They still are. Today is his birthday (hes 69). But I dont think hell be celebrating. Ramze remains...

It is not often that people feel sorry for lawyers. But a new Amnesty report , made public today, details the concerted campaign in China to break the law; to suppress, intimidate and persecute lawyers who take up human rights cases...

The new clashes in Tahrir Square are a blunt reminder of the fact that Egypt’s “25 January” revolution is unfinished business. To say the least…. Many of the people protesting in the square and surrounding streets are reported to be...