top hat

Revelation, exposition, naming and shaming, turfing up the past- this is the stuff that has dominated the news over the last weeks since WikiLeaks started to gradually and systematically haemorrhage its latest haul of content. Yet...

At first it sounds like the sort of administrative disaster that most party hosts dread. Having elected to give an award to someone, as the day approaches it transpires that they can’t come, and neither can any member of their...

There has been a lot of debate around about the justification of blasphemy laws in the media this week as a result of the news of the death sentence passed on the Pakistani Christian woman, Aasia Bibi. Our Pakistan expert was...

Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words posted on what is well known to be a social forum where satire, sarcasm and flippancy are staple features of any utterance, can never lead to a criminal conviction. So goes a new take on...

Aung San Suu Kyi, is arguably the most famous prisoner in the world. She is one of Amnesty International’s longest running prisoners of conscience and an iconic inspiration to people across the world, who has come to symbolise the...

I don’t know if you noticed, but David Cameron popped over to China this week. His stated mission was to improve trade links between the two countries and garner profitable business deals for UK companies. Whilst he was at it though...

As regular readers of this blog no doubt you will, but lest we forget, this coming Sunday Burma will hold its first election in 20 years. It doesn’t take a psychic octopus (which is just as well ) to predict the outcome of this race...

There was plenty of media attention today on Indonesia. It focused on the erupting volcano , the displacement of up to 50,000 people, deaths from flash flooding and landslides , and an emergency landing for a Quantas aircraft. This did...

It’s been a mixed bag in terms of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) news this week, to say the least. Which do you want first, the good news or the bad? Russia was told by the European Court of Human Rights yesterday that...

Working for Amnesty you often come across things which turn your stomach, but I found news about the graphic video showing the torture of Papuan villagers- apparently by military personnel- intensely difficult to watch. The footage was...

We are in the very midst of award season at the moment, today there is a lot of buzz about the Man Booker announcement , and the unprecedented move to grant the award to a comic novel, for the first time in the history of the prize...

It is three years on from the iconic “Saffron Revolution” when protestors swept through the streets of Burma. The world watched with bated breath, as footage captured by brave and clandestine reporters revealed the largest show of...

I’ve just got back to the Edinburgh office from the ceremony to announce the 2010 Amnesty International Freedom of Expression Award, and can happily announce that Cora Bissett’s ‘Roadkill’ was the winner. The play tackles the issue of...

We have all been waiting to hear when the elections in Burma happen, since we were told they would take place by the end of 2010. The ruling Generals, who make up the junta, have been getting their house in order, introducing new...

I was delighted today, to see Steven Gerrard’s face emblazoned across the front page of the Guardian’s sports section , under the headline; “I’d boo as well”. I thought maybe it was some sort of pledge you just scribbled your name...

This Sunday, marks the anniversary of theinfamous 8/8/88 protests in Burma, wherein droves of people, many of themstudents, took to the streets of Rangoon to demand democracy. The peacefulprotests were brutally put down, by the ruling...

Everyone should have access to clean, safe drinking water. Seems fairly obvious, you might be thinking. That is a fundamental human right, right? Well no, not according to all of the countries represented at the UN General Assembly...

“The government has resolutely maintained that it is committed to, and capable of, providing for the basic needs of its people and satisfying their right to food and a proper standard of health. The testimonies presented in this report...

The epic stand-off on Wimbledon’s court 18 yesterday, made compelling viewing as the two men battled it out under the gaze of a sweltering, yet captivated audience, trying desperately to commit the players’ names and ever ascending...

The uncertainty of not knowing Who should play in goal for England against Algeria in the World Cup tonight has been the subject of much speculation. Should Robert Green be given another chance, or should he be replaced by David James...