Niall

How can anyone anywhere justify torture? It just absolutely baffles me. This morning, we launched a report into caning in Malaysia with an accompanying video. Caning may be a legacy of British rule, but the UK ditched the practice...

I’ll be honest, I was caught up in the euphoria as Aung San Suu Kyi took her first steps of freedom in over seven years just before 11am on Saturday morning UK time. But 48 hours later and what does the pro-democracy leader of Burma’s...

There are some things in life you expect as a given. Night follows day, rain on Bonfire Night, and the Liberal Democrats supporting human rights. But wait a minute, what was this on the Today programme this morning , none other than...

Sometimes it’s good to get out of the office and visit the real world. And yesterday that meant a trip to Harris City Academy Crystal Palace in South London for the launch of Amnesty’s new education pack. The pack, entitled A Matter of...

Today it’s all been go in Brussels. The Belgian capital is playing host to the leaders of Europe and Asia for an all-important summit. And for Amnesty that means the perfect chance to push the problems in Burma back up the global...

It’s taken a while, but tomorrow could signal the start of change in the secretive state of North Korea. Tomorrow, the ruling Workers’ Party are expected to anoint Kim Jong-un as the country’s new leader. The 27-year-old will replace...

Tomorrow is decision time for the people of Afghanistan, as the people of the war-torn country go to the polls. And to be honest the prospect of the elections going smoothly has never been more remote. We’ve already heard of harrowing...

It’s been all go today at the Human Rights Action Centre. The building has been swamped by over 100 student journalists from across the country. The reason? Amnesty and the National Union of Students’ two-day media summit. It’s a...

Rarely in recent months has a visit of a dignitary to these shores caused such a stir as that of the Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari. There’s the on-going row over Cameron’s comments that Pakistan’s intelligence service “looks both...

Don the hat, pick out the nice shoes, look for a smart tie. Ah summer, and wedding season. Don’t you just love it. This weekend it was the little village of Rhinbeck off the Hudson River that took centre stage, as the former first...

It’s been a while, well OK more like 31 years, but at last the citizens of Cambodia have a sniff of justice. This morning, Kaing Guek Eav was sentenced for 35 years for crimes against humanity and war crimes. For those of you who don’t...

It’s often said that sport has the unique ability to unite. Well at least that’s the theory… At first glance the World Cup seems to have delivered exactly that. The media has been glowing about events in South Africa. The Independent –...

Why can’t we get a little bit of openness from the Chinese authorities? I know it’s a bit of a Groundhog Day -type question, but it is Friday afternoon and surely I’m allowed to show a bit of frustration! Anyway, why am I asking this...

You go to all the hard work and then at the last moment it all goes a bit ‘Pete Tong’. Welcome to the world of Amnesty’s press office. Yesterday we were utterly convinced that our ad highlighting Shell’s behaviour in the Niger Delta...

The Barbican. The big oil company. And us. The battleground: pollution and corporate responsibility. The collateral: a global brand, multi-millionaire shareholders and hard-nosed PR executives against hundreds of activists, an ad and...

OK I’ll own up. I’m a big sports fan. And today I’ll have to admit that I’ve got half an eye on events in St Lucia. At 4.30 this afternoon England take on Sri Lanka for a place in the final of the Twenty20 World Cup. Can the England...

A number of oil-related stories popped up today in the media. Firstly there’s a new Greenpeace report out that warns that British motorists are unwitting users of diesel and petrol derived from the tar sands of Alberta, Canada, which...

Loads of ash piles out of an Icelandic volcano, northern Europe’s airports grind to a halt, thousands of Brits are left stranded as the Daily Mail among others has reported. There’s only one option. Step forward the Cobra Committee...

So at last here it is the countdown to the election has finally begun. And the big question is which of the two main parties can really make a difference. Enough of the small talk, who’s going to win? Will it be the ruling United...

What is it with Sri Lanka? All I’d like is a country that could be transparent and allow fair trials. However, that all seems a little bit beyond Mahinda Rajapaksa, the country’s president. What am I talking about this time? Nothing...