Belfast and Beyond

That's the verdict given by long-time Westminster-watcher Brian Walker over at Slugger O'Toole , full of choice quotes from the good Lords, but rounded off with this assessment from Walker: "It’s very hard to see how 42 days can...

I came across a fine bit of creative campaigning and locally targetted advertising by pressure group Unlock Democracy (successor of Charter 88). They have taken out wraparound advertising in two local freesheets, East Riding Advertiser...

In Dublin in May, 111 countries agreed to ban cluster bombs. The United States didn't show up for the conference and, according to a report in The Guardian, has now published its response: to reduce the number of unexploded bomblets...

Will Northern Ireland's (non-DUP) Lords help restore Northern Ireland's Westminster reputation when the Government's counter-terrorism Bill comes to the upper house tomorrow? When the government won the vote at the Bill's first reading...

Where human subjectivity continues to be celebrated, and the potential of connection, solidarity or relationship, advocated through protest or letter-writing, a better future must surely soon materialize. Committed readers of this blog...

The two-day conference staged by the Human Rights Consortium in Belfast last week was a confident assertion of the continued determination of Northern Ireland civil society to secure a Bill of Rights worthy of the name. The current...

This is Laura from the Belfast Amnesty Youth Group – the first non-school youth group in Northern Ireland. This is just an outline of who we are, and saying hello! We've been running since the end of February 2008. Our meetings were...

Could Northern Ireland-educated Irene Khan, Secretary General of Amnesty International, be the next UN High Commissioner for Human Rights ? She certainly seems to be in the running for the world's top human rights job, according to a...

I read the article by Kira Cochrane on the apparent backlash against feminism | World news | The Guardian with a sinking heart. It confirmed what I and many of my contemporaries have known for a long time. I used to live in Brighton...

I have just read an article about how the first gay pride march in Cuba has been banned and the organisers arrested. I returned from Cuba on Monday where I was engaging with some members of the gay community about a documentary, which...

The electorate of Zimbabwe go to the polls today in a presidential election run-off which is two parts tragedy to one part farce. The Queen has stripped Robert Mugabe of his knighthood. Nelson Mandela has condemned the Zimbabwean...

Official figures just published show that the UK became the world's largest arms dealer last year, thanks to a host of export orders agreed with notorious human rights abusing regimes, like Saudi Arabia, Israel and Russia. The UK...

In support of asylum-seekers in Northern Ireland who may be detained, the Refugee Action Group has produced an information pack setting out their rights. [i] Those rights include the right to liberty, the right to legal advice and...

Well done to the Foyle Amnesty International Group for their unveiling this week of a terrific new Human Rights for China campaign painted billboard at 'Free Derry corner', directly behind the city's most famous mural . As the Derry...

President Bush's advance guard has arrived in Belfast in the shape of various security agents and other recce merchants ahead of his announced visit here. The folks in dark glasses who talk into their shirt cuffs have been spotted...

I talked to a Hong Kong Chinese couple who have made their home in Northern Ireland on Wednesday. The conversation took place in Belfast city centre where I was with Amnesty supporters to mark the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square...

Around 20 Amnesty activists and supporters met in Belfast's Cornmarket today to hand out red roses and action cards and commemorate the 19th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre. Since the Chinesegovernment cracked down on the...

While Northern Ireland's Consultative Group on the Past won’t be publishing their report till the summer, yesterday it’s co-chairs, Archbishop Robin Eames and Denis Bradley, set out to trail their findings with a joint keynote speech...

President George Bush will be honouring Belfast with a flying visit next month. The BBC reports that "it is understood that Mr Bush wants to put his seal of approval on devolution." No doubt the President would like to claim a bit of...

Belfast 2008: Protesting Deportations – What Next? In collaborationwith the Refugee Action Group, Belfast Exposed has organised a paneldiscussion around the issue of UK deportation. Do come along to this free discusson event on 27 May...