This year at Belfast Pride, Amnesty International campaigned on behalf of South African lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) human rights defender Noxolo Nogwaza. She was raped and murdered in April 2011 in KwaThema in South Africa. There has been no proper investigation into her killing and many people on the Belfast Pride parade signed…Continue reading South Africa’s townships still not safe for gay, lesbian and transgender people
Category: Criminal Justice
Mauritius must get to grips with torture if it wishes to restore confidence in criminal justice system
The failure to find and convict the killers of Michaela McAreavey has exposed glaring holes in the Mauritius criminal justice system and a worrying reliance on confessions allegedly extracted under torture. The Mauritian jury’s ‘not guilty’ verdict seems to show that they believed Avinash Treebhoowoon’s allegation that a confession statement produced three days after Michaela McAreavey’s…Continue reading Mauritius must get to grips with torture if it wishes to restore confidence in criminal justice system
I fought the law and the law won: the Police Ombudsman and child rights
We welcome today’s guest post by Sara Boyce, Information and Research Coordinator at Include Youth. Include Youth is an independent non-governmental organisation that actively promotes the rights, best interests of and best practice with disadvantaged and vulnerable children and young people. I Fought the Law and the Law Won Few people starting a new job…Continue reading I fought the law and the law won: the Police Ombudsman and child rights
Belfast Film Festival: film and human rights
As the Belfast Film Festival gets underway, we turn our attention to human rights at the movies. No stranger to presenting human rights stories on the silver screen, it’s great to see that the annual Belfast film-fest has a strong ‘Film and the Law’ strand for 2012. The Festival has pulled off a neat trick in turning…Continue reading Belfast Film Festival: film and human rights
Trafficking: A High Yield Crime in Pain and Suffering
Trafficking in persons “shall mean the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits…Continue reading Trafficking: A High Yield Crime in Pain and Suffering
Muhammad Ali vs Electro-shock weapons
Belated happy birthday to “the Greatest”, Muhammad Ali, who celebrated his 70th birthday earlier this week. Thought I’d share the fantastic poster of him that I see every day, as it sits opposite my desk in the Amnesty NI office. It highlights his backing for Amnesty’s 1998 campaign in the United States to end the…Continue reading Muhammad Ali vs Electro-shock weapons
Guantánamo Bay: A decade of damage to human rights
Ten years ago today, the first detainees were transferred to the US naval base at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. Since then 779 people have been held, yet only one has been transferred to the USA for trial in an ordinary federal court. Yesterday I met with acting US Consul General Kevin Roland at the Consulate in…Continue reading Guantánamo Bay: A decade of damage to human rights
Rape Levels in Northern Ireland
Following three reports of rape made to the PSNI last weekend, the BBC is today reporting that this brings the total number of rapes reported to the police in the last year to 525. That is more than 10 a week. In fact its about 3 every 2 days, as in another 6 victims by this…Continue reading Rape Levels in Northern Ireland
There is no reprieve from the grave: rejecting the DUP’s death penalty call
In the midst of a global / European economic meltdown, there are many pressing issues deserving of time for Commons debate. In the week of Remembrance Day, as ex-Serviceman Mark Mullins and his wife Helen commited suicide – apparently out of despair at their poverty and lack of adequate support from the State – perhaps it might…Continue reading There is no reprieve from the grave: rejecting the DUP’s death penalty call
Is There a Right to Shock and Offend?
Henry McDonald in The Guardian has reported on the arrests of a number of people in Coleraine for posting pictures on Facebook of youths burning a poppy. Away from this particular and on-going investigation that I will pass no further comment upon, there is a need to consider whether there can be a right to…Continue reading Is There a Right to Shock and Offend?
The Irish Vote
This Thursday the Irish electorate go to the polls for both the presidential election and the 29th and 30th proposed ammendments to the Constitution. These votes are not without their significance for Northern Ireland. Seven candidates are vying to become the 9th President of Ireland. The sucessful candidate will replace Mary McAleese, of Northern Ireland, who…Continue reading The Irish Vote
The Finucane Decision
Following on from Patrick’s response to the annoucement last week that there would not be an inquiry into the murder of Pat Finucane, we welcome this piece from Paul Mageean, now of the University of Ulster, but who has previously worked as a leading human rights solicitor, as legal officer for CAJ, for the Courts…Continue reading The Finucane Decision