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2011 (161)
Jul 26 2011 2:20PM
Does the Saudi Arabian government read George Orwell?

I was having an Orwellian “moment” last night. First, watching Channel 4 News, I caught an item about how the Chinese authorities are trying to control reporting of the bullet train crash. They’ve been texting journalists with (pretty...

Jul 25 2011 2:55PM
Holding Vedanta to account

It’s summer time, so it must be reporting season in the world of business, which for us at Amnesty means time to shine the old spotlight back on Vedanta. Now those of you not in the know, we’ve been hammering on about Vedanta’s pretty...

Jul 22 2011 3:11PM
Don’t look now? Video of hangings in Iran

I think there are some things Id almost rather not see. Witnessing an act of cruelty is itself mentally painful. For instance my girlfriend will positively not look at (or even hear accounts of) anything to do with animal cruelty, and...

Jul 21 2011 2:07PM
We are 1,000 today!

Yes, this is the 1,000th post on this humble PRESS RELEASE ME, LET ME GO blog. That’s around four years’ worth of blogging, Monday-Friday, on human rights issues in the news (and sometimes things that are not in the news but arguably...

Jul 20 2011 1:18PM
Children in Somalia face human rights crisis

My mum phoned me this morning, after spotting me doing an interview on the BBC News Channel. “You looked very smart but very serious”, she said. I argued that I didn’t have much choice: when you’re talking about children facing a...

Jul 19 2011 1:47PM
Syria: another BRIC in the wall?

The situation in Syria is truly brutal and you wonder how bad it has to get before the United Nations Security Council will do something about it. What is the Security Council for if not to step in when something like 1,500 people have...

Jul 18 2011 4:23PM
Jailed for reporting on the World Cup?

The Guardian reports that Pegah Ahangarani, a popular Iranian actor who was scheduled to be heading off to Germany to cover the women’s World Cup football, was arrested last week. According to the Guardian, Pegah is the second woman to...

Jul 15 2011 6:00PM
Amnesty TV out today

Amnesty TV, our new video magazine show mixing satire, stunts, short documentaries, opinion and news is now LIVE at www.amnestytv.co.uk Episode One features a message from Aung San Suu Kyi; a satirical training video highlighting...

Jul 14 2011 4:06PM
Coming soon, to a screen near you

Watch all about it! Tis the eve of Amnesty TV Episode One- the one where it all began- and the hysterical tension is mounting across the UK. Amnesty TV will be a fortnightly, 15-minute, online, magazine-style show that will blend...

Jul 13 2011 5:57PM
Tales of woe - from the prison camps of North Korea

It is one of those Catch 22 paradoxes that human rights observers face; the worse a country is, the less you are likely to know about it. The drip feed of information from within North Korea, gives just a terrifying glimpse into the...

Jul 12 2011 5:10PM
Tasers, traffic police and a Ferrari

I’ve probably done more radio interviews about Tasers than any other single subject. These stun guns are being used in increasing numbers by the police, yet no one other than Amnesty seems to be regularly raising concerns about their...

Jul 11 2011 5:40PM
End the cover-up. Tell us where Ebrima is.

Today marks five years since the enforced disappearance of Ebrima Manneh and still his family wait to find out what’s happened to him. On 11 July 2006, the Gambian journalist was arrested by plain-clothed police officers and has not...

Jul 8 2011 5:48PM
A new dawn, a new Sudan

With the news agenda being dominated by the world of hacks and hackers, youd be hard pressed to hear of anything else, and probably the historic event of this weekend will pass many of us by. Im not referring to the end of the News of...

Jul 7 2011 11:01AM
“Carpet Karaoke” and forced removals from UK

“Carpet Karaoke” involves forcing an individual’s face down towards the carpet with such force that they are only able to scream inarticulately ‘like a bad karaoke singer’. That ‘singer’ is seated, handcuffed, with a tight seatbelt...

Jul 6 2011 9:07AM
Syria: how much more horror …?

Earlier in the week I watched that video clip where a person using a video camera to film events (said to be in Homs, Syria) appears to be shot by a person in uniform seen pointing his weapon towards the camera. Quite honestly, it’s...

Jul 5 2011 3:24PM
‘Tis the season to be proud!

The sun shone brightly in London last Saturday as thousands of Londoners and visitors took to the streets to celebrate Pride. The parade was fun and very colourful, and Amnesty’s ‘Love is a Human Right’ float drew a great crowd as...

Jul 4 2011 3:34PM
A Thai first

Assuming the title as Thailand's first female prime minister following the overwhelming victory in yesterday’s Thai elections is a great achievement for Yingluck Shinawatra, the younger sister of Thaksin. Particularly since she’s...

Jul 1 2011 11:58AM
A not-so-happy birthday for Ramze Shihab Amhed

The last time I blogged about Ramze Shihab Ahmed, the dual Iraqi-UK national detained in Iraq, things were well, extremely uncertain. They still are. Today is his birthday (hes 69). But I dont think hell be celebrating. Ramze remains...

Jun 30 2011 4:03PM
Breaking the law

It is not often that people feel sorry for lawyers. But a new Amnesty report , made public today, details the concerted campaign in China to break the law; to suppress, intimidate and persecute lawyers who take up human rights cases...

Jun 29 2011 5:06PM
Tahrir Square: unfinished business

The new clashes in Tahrir Square are a blunt reminder of the fact that Egypt’s “25 January” revolution is unfinished business. To say the least…. Many of the people protesting in the square and surrounding streets are reported to be...

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