Campaigning for human rights in the age of the internet

I am off to Shrewsbury Folk Festival later today and I hope to have something to report back of music that relates to human rights. Two years ago I wrote on this blog about some political songs that I had heard or sung at the festival...

Salil Shetty is the new secretary of Amnesty International and he comes from India.

The School of the Americas needs to be shut down before it causes one more death or other serious abuse of human rights in Latin America. President Obama came in with radical ideas and powerful speeches and I must admit that I was...

Some people do not like music and I think that they miss out on a wonderful expression of human creativity As a musician I think that listening to and playing music is a human right although I am certainly fussy about which music I...

A letter in the Guardian yesterday expresses the alarm of more than 40 signatories about Kenneth Clarke's proposed changes on the right to arrest war crime suspects. Those who have signed the letter include parliamentarians, trade...

A shocking article in the Observer says that between 500 and 2000 British girls will endure the pain of genital mutilation this summer , either here or abroad.

The Syrian record on human rights has got no better in a decade, since Bashar as-Assad became president, says a report from Human Rights Watch. See Ian Black's article in the Guardian today .

Amnesty International has issued a new report on the crumbling health system in North Korea . A Guardian article today says that the report paints a desperate picture of the health of the people.

Is it better to send thousands of e-mails, thousands of letters, or a petition with thousands of signatures? Are letters better than e-mails? Is it better to use your own words or to send a standard message or letter? What do you think...

Many families with disabled children are struggling to pay the bills , according to this BBC report, based on a survey by a charity called "Contact a Family".

Rose George is not afraid to write about toilets, or the lack of them. Her Guardian article points out the importance of sanitation for preventing disease and says that many countries are falling short. She says that the sanitation...

Beat the Bullies is a film that had its first showing in Birmingham recently. It aims to help people with learning disabilities cope with bullying. It was made by a group of adults with learning disabilities who live in the city.

Unreported World is the Channel 4 series that brings us the harsh realities of life in many places around the world where there is violence and conflict. To balance the traumatic scenes shown there are often stories about local people...

Avaaz have a petition calling for an international investigation into the attacks on the fleet of ships carrying aid for Gaza and for an end to the blockade. The petition reached 200 000 within 24 hours and more than 400 000 by 6 June...

English PEN has published a briefing on Freedom of Expression in Cuba or rather the lack of it. Cuba has more writers in prison than any other country in Latin America. Worldwide only China and Iran have a worse record.

On 18 May 2010 there was a showing of Mugabe and the White African at Amnesty's Human Rights Action Centre in London. On the same date the film was shown on television on More4. The documentary tells the story of Michael Campbell who...

The Observer reports on sick and starving prisoners in Zimbabwe . It is not just in Zimbabwe because prisoners suffer appalling conditions in many parts of Africa.

Today you have the chance to place your cross, to vote in the UK's general election. Some may not bother to vote but I think that it is an important duty and a privilege as well. I recommend voting carefully, because not all parties...

Richard Goldstone writes in the Guardian to defend his report into alleged atrocities by both sides in the Gaza conflict. He says that it would have been hypocritical of him to speak out about violations of international law and...

Sudan has held elections. The percentages can only be dreamed of by Brown, Cameron and Clegg as polls here in the UK show support for the three main parties almost evenly split. In the south of Sudan Salva Kiir took 92.99% of the vote...