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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...
Tomorrow is B day. All eyes will be on Burma as “The Lady of Burma” celebrates her 65th birthday, her 15th under arrest. There has been a great deal of coverage on Burma and Aung San Suu Kyi today, and the gallery of intimate images on...
North Korea will take to the pitch tonight, for their first appearance in world cup finals since 1966. In something of a David and Goliath fixture, they will take on Brazil in their opening match. The bookies did not take long to call...
The first time someone told me about a human rights-free zone, it sounded like some sort of utopia that had been happened upon. Then I saw it in print, and there was a hyphen, not a comma. Amnesty published a report today, ‘ As if Hell...
“I am not a humble man by nature,” so began Henry Bonsu, co-founding presenter of Colourful Radio and an Amnesty Media Awards judge. It seemed somewhat out of keeping with last night’s ceremony, but he went on, “every year when I come...
After a long period of being neglected in the UK press, Jamaica is on the front pages . It is easy to see why. The story is a fascinating and compelling one. Residents of the poorest community in Kingston, have barricaded the streets...
Malawian couple sentenced to 14 years of hard labour. This Monday, 17 May, was the annual International Day Against Homophobia. A designated day for the world to reflect on the treatment of LGBT people. In a country like Britain...
Amnesty released a report today detailing the horrific dangers faced by migrants attempting to reach the US by crossing Mexico. Some powerful accompanying images feature in the Guardian’s gallery . To many of us reading it, this is...
It is all too easy to forget that you are not watching actors. The leaked footage of members of a Mexican drug cartel, meeting in a lay-by, guns casually slung over their shoulders, sauntering around, apparently taking a drug doled out...
The news story about George W Bush, seemingly wiping his hand on someone’s shirt, after having shaken hands with a Haitian earthquake survivor, caught my eye today. It was interesting because that ‘someone’ was none other than Bill...
I was struck by a number of things today, which got me thinking about justice, and whether delayed justice loses a degree of its value. The life imprisonment ot former SS leader Heinrich Boere, at age 88, might not have been witnessed...
This week the Damos de Blanco (Ladies in white) descended on the streets of Cuba. They are a group of Cuban women relatives of men who were arrested in a major crack down by Fidel’s authorities in March 2003. Many of the men arrested...
One of the most seductive misperceptions that humans tend to be inclined toward, is the belief that they would not be capable of committing atrocity. Especially today, in post World War Europe. There is an unerring confidence that we...