We have had another busy year notable for building collaborative relationships with other local Amnesty groups in Scotland, Amnesty UK activism staff and local community groups.

Iftar & Kashmir Conference

An Iftar was held in March 2024 in conjunction with Perth Minorities Association (PMA) with a view to engaging the local Muslim population in the work of Amnesty.  Thirty six people attended and Garry Ettle, Country Coordinator for IOPT spoke online about the situation in Gaza.  Many of those attending had connections with Kashmir and were interested in Amnesty’s work in this area.

The event led to further discussions with PMA, who were keen to organise a conference on human rights abuses in Kashmir.  With the support of local activism staff from Amnesty UK and the Country Coordinator for India and Nepal it is intended to run this in Perth during the second quarter of 2025.

General Election Hustings

This was a well-attended event in June 2024 organised by Perth Action for Churches Together in collaboration with our group.  We were able to put a number of human rights questions to the candidates.

Awareness Raising

We have been present at a number of different events during the year:

• Perth Film Society - once again we sponsored a film with a human rights focus.  ‘Name Me Lawand’ examined the refugee experience from  the perspective of a child with a severe hearing loss.  As well as raising the profile of the local group over £100 was donated towards our funds. 
• In April the Scottish Trades Union Congress was held at the Caird Hall and we joined forces with the Dundee Amnesty Group in running a stall.
• Refugee Festival Scotland - we took part in an event run by PMA, providing information with the aim of improving awareness of human rights issues.
• The Fresher’s Fayre at Perth UHI is a good opportunity to speak to students and staff at the university and college about the work of Amnesty and encourage participation. We followed this up with an online meeting with Omar Saleh, the new Scotland Student Representative, who is tasked with establishing and supporting student groups.
• Dundee Book Stall - principally a fundraiser this was also ‘flying the flag’ for Amnesty. We assisted the Dundee group in staffing the stall which raised a magnificent sum. 
• Berry picking – two sessions in Blairgowrie proved very worthwhile,  boosting funds but also highlighting the Amnesty organisation.
• Write for Rights - stalls were held at the International Cafe, the A K Bell Library and Birnam Arts Centre where members of the public were encouraged to write to human rights defenders and their governments

Scottish Activism

We were pleased to welcome Neil Cowan, newly appointed Programme Director for Amnesty Scotland to our July meeting.  A helpful discussion took place exploring how we can improve communication in the organisation and work more closely together.

A new local activism representative for Scotland attempted to organise a conference for Scottish Amnesty members.  Unfortunately, for various reasons, this did not happen but it is planned for 2025 and will be led by the staff at Amnesty UK.

In the process we have established closer relationships with the Glasgow and Edinburgh groups. In July we hosted a social walk in July in Birnam/Dunkeld and our members have also supported events run in Edinburgh and Glasgow.

An Amnesty Scottish Activists webinar has also helped to bring members together.

Campaigns

• Human Rights Bill Scotland. It was deeply disappointing to learn that the Scottish Government had not included this bill in their legislative programme for 2024/25.  In conjunction with the Amnesty Scotland staff we will continue to advocate for the bill with our local MSPs to ensure it is a priority for the future.
• Stop Israeli Apartheid   With events unfolding in Gaza and the West Bank it has been difficult to know how to take this campaign forward.  We were very sorry to lose Garry Ettle as Country Coordinator for Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories (IOPT), after many years of dedicated service.  We will miss his expertise and look forward to meeting Jack Farrar who has replaced him.  An online meeting with Jack and the Dundee group is planned for February 2025 when we can discuss future plans at local and national levels.

I would like to thank my fellow activists in the Perth group for being so willing to offer their time, skills and commitment to defending  and promoting human rights in both the UK and across the world.  I look forward to another year of challenge and opportunities.

Amanda Brown

Chair, Perth Amnesty Group