I'm finding it increasing difficult to write about how relations with the police in Northern Ireland should improve with a helicopter hovering loudly above my neighborhood. Is it the loud noise that's making it difficult to concentrate...

The MacDermott Lecture 2010 is one of the key annual legal events at Queen's University Belfast. This year, it will be delivered by Lady Brenda Hale, Justice of the UK's Supreme Court on the theme “Equality”. The lecture takes place on...

I've received notification of a few forthcoming (non-Amnesty) events in Belfast related to the Israel-Palestinian conflict, which could well be of interest to AI supporters. First up is this afternoon at 4pm in Queen's University...

Prof Colin Harvey, a member of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission and Head of the School of Law at Queen's University Belfast (and Amnesty member!), gave a comprehensive speech in London this week on the proposed Northern...

The Democratic Unionist Party have voted to agree a deal with Sinn Fein over the devolution of policing and justice powers from Westminster to Northern Ireland. Another epic Northern Irish impasse has been surmounted and much of the...

Paige Jennings, who used to be an Amnesty researcher on Haiti and a former UN human rights observer there, recently blogged here about the situation post-earthquake. She'll be giving further reflections in person next week in a seminar...

Published today in the Belfast Telegraph : -------------------------------------------------------- Colin Harvey is dead right in his assertion that – whatever the outcome of the discussions over the devolution of policing and justice...

With permission, I'm reproducing the excellent opinion piece in today's Belfast Telegraph by Prof Colin Harvey, Amnesty member and Commissioner on the NI Human Rights Commission. This is a cut down and reworked version of a feature...

Paige Wilhite Jennings, who used to be a researcher on Haiti for Amnesty and a former UN human rights observer there, contacted me this week. She is now settled in Northern Ireland, but the tragic events in Haiti moved her to write...

On Belfast and Beyond we're fans of veteran Northern Ireland journalist Brian (Barney) Rowan. Journalistically speaking, he knows where the bodies are buried and literally speaking, he knows many of the the combatants – on all sides -...

Nearly twenty years ago, I worked as a security guard in New York (don’t laugh!) I had no Taser, but was side-armed instead with a powerful torch and a walkie-talkie to call colleagues in case of emergency. One of those colleagues was...

In the wake of the attempt to blow up an airliner as it landed in Detroit , the world's attention is once again on the airports, and, more specifically, airport security. Some perhaps faced the prospect of flying home from winter...