Scottish Human Rights

Katie Cunningham is our media volunteer in the Scotland office. When I started university in Edinburgh one of the first things drummed into my head – before my classes had even started – was that I was in danger. Warning signs in...

Guest blog by Stephen Sacco A full orchestra comprised of Edinburgh’s classical musicians filled Reid Concert Hall in Bistro Square with the sounds of Tchaikovsky, Walton and Wagner on a recent Sunday evening. The concert was a tribute...

GUEST POST by Amnesty Scotland's new media volunteer Katie Cunningham I have recently joined Amnesty in Edinburgh as a media volunteer. One of my first “official duties” was to attend an event at the Scottish Parliament to thank MSPs...

The cavernous wooden ceilings of Glasgow’s Old Fruitmarket concert hall remind me of the hull of an upturned ship. It was a fitting reminder at the Refugee Week Opening Concert that, through countless serendipitous chances, many...

Rea Cris is the Parliamentary Office Administrator at Scottish Environmental LINK and Communication Co-ordinator at the International Union for Conservation of Nature. You can find her on the Me Eco You Eco corner of the blogosphere or...

Amnesty Scotland is closely involved with the Human Rights Cross-Party Group in the Scottish Parliament. The last meeting gave us some insight into how businesses handle human rights issues and the impact UK-registered companies have...

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights contains truths which transcend borders, nationalities, and the words we use to communicate. The issue of human rights moves people to act, to wake up, and connect with others. “Much like music...

The conferences have started. From Holyrood to Glasgow City Chambers academics, lawyers and politicians are beginning to work through the implications of the referendum on whether or not Scotland should be an independent country. I've...

Forensic anthropologist Lourdes Penados has spent the past 15 years exhuming mass graves in her homeland of Guatemala. Her work is part of a social initiative supported by NGOs, lawyers, academics and victims’ communities to collect...

Last month, Edinburgh School of Music student Isla Ratcliff scored the top prize for Lyrics in Amnesty International UK’s Power of Our Voices protest song competition. Amid a hectic exam schedule, Isla gave us a quick rundown of what...

Guest post by Pauline Kelly, Media and Campaigns Officer at Amnesty International Scotland. Since joining Amnesty a few months ago, I have realised there are situations where the mention of human rights can feel like a thought grenade...

I’ve always been bookish, but last Saturday, I became one: I was a human book at Aye Write!, The Mitchell Library’s amazing book festival. I joined the Human Library for the day. It works like this: readers go up to the lending desk...

I was at a meeting this week with the SHRC to discuss SNAP. The next day I was at the CPG on HR discussing Climate Justice and yesterday I talked about SGT with SG at VQ. Yes, I've arrived, I now speak human rights! What that means is...

Ganesh Pandey is something of a cycling superhero. In his native Nepal, he and his family faced terrible poverty wrapping chocolates for a mere 20-30 rupees (20-30 pence) a day. Recalling such adversity, Ganesh pays tribute to his...

It seems that this month I can't open a newspaper, watch TV or overhear a conversation on my commute without there being a reference to Human Rights. I did wonder if this is just a heightened sensitivity as I approach the conclusion of...

Today is International Roma Day. Last week’s briefing from Amnesty Human Rights Here, Roma Rights Now highlighted horrendous human rights violations ranging from discrimination and hate crimes, to segregation and forced evictions. The...

An exhibition at the Tramway , Glasgow this week brings into sharp focus the realities of refugees and asylum seekers living in the city. In Human Rights + Wrongs , photographer Angela Catlin and journalist Billy Briggs worked with...

Guest post by Amnesty Scotland campaigns volunteer Catriona Clunas, who has been heading up our Scottish Gypsy Traveller campaign this year. On the 26 March 2013, the Equal Opportunities Committee (EOC) of the Scottish Parliament...

Youth charity Article 12’s “What a Voice” exhibition, showcases 12 different aspects of Scottish Gypsy Traveller life including Nomadic existence, Heritage, Family, and Health in an effort to help us – the settled community –...

On Monday women’s rights advocates from across Scotland came to Edinburgh to learn how the United Nations (UN) Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) can help women living here access their...