Amnesty International UK Student Conference 2012 begins today!

The final preparations are taking place and we're buzzing with excitement as 250 students head straight towards us from Aberdeen, Exeter and Dublin and many universities in between. These two figures by street artist Stik have arrived already and will be greeting delegates as they arrive at the Human Rights Action Centre, now fully ready for a student takeover! 

This year’s speakers are journeying from even further afield. We will be joined by Jenni Williams, founder of Women of Zimbabwe Arise, Christine Mehta from the new Amnesty sectionin India and Jasmin Galace from the Philippine Action Network to Control Arms and IANSA Women's Network.

The very first to arrival was Student Action Network (STAN) Committee member Hannah R from Royal Holloway University. What is she looking forward to most?

“I can’t wait to see the Call Me Kuchu film and the ChainSka Brassica performance on Saturday night. I’m just really looking forward to showing all the people attending from my uni what it looks like when so many Amnesty student activists get together!”

With a packed agenda including plenaries on the media's role in the MENA uprisings, how discriminatory attitudes feed forced evictions and the 'delayed but not defeated' campaign for the Arms Trade Treaty, plus a spectacular action on Saturday in solidarity with Young Women For Change human rights defenders in Afghanistan, we’re counting down the hours until Hannah and the rest of the STAN committee take to the stage to officially open the conference at 4pm.

Look out for more conference updates over the weekend…