Thanks to all involved in the creation of these minutes, your efforts are appreciated. If you prefer, you can read these updates as a PDF.
At a time when fundamental rights are under threat across the globe, join Amnesty International, get involved with our local Amnesty Group and play your part in helping to promote and defend vital human rights across the world.
We warmly invite both newcomers and familiar faces alike to attend the next meeting of the Amnesty International Glasgow West Group.
This email includes:
- Details of our forthcoming June 2026 meeting;
- Updates on recent and planned events and actions;
- A summary of AIUK's latest Local Group updates;
- The minutes from our local Group's May meeting; and
- A note of all our monthly meeting dates for 2026.
June 2026 Glasgow West AI Group Meeting
Thursday 11th May, Woodlands Methodist Church, 7:30pm – 9pm
The Glasgow West Amnesty Group's next meeting will take place on Thursday 11th June 2026 at 7.30pm – 9pm in Woodlands Methodist Church, Woodlands Road, Glasgow, G3 6LW.
Anyone curious about Amnesty International is most welcome to just turn up and join our meetings. We would love to see you there!
Our next meeting will include:
- A Guest Speaker from the Refugees at Home organisation;
- A brief review of our recent activities;
- Discussion and planning on upcoming future events/actions; and
- Undertaking letter writing on recent Urgent Action alerts from AIUK.
Join our Meetings online
Anyone unable / unavailable to physically come along, is welcome to join our monthly meetings online via this link.
(It will be the same link for all subsequent meetings).
Come Along and hear our latest Guest Speaker from Refugees at Home
We are delighted to welcome to our June meeting a guest speaker from the organisation Refugees at Home. This is a UK charity which connects those with a spare room in their home to refugees and people seeking asylum who are in need of somewhere to stay.
Volunteer refugee host, Katie, will speak about the work of the organisation and her own experience of hosting a refugee within her home in Glasgow.
To date, the organisation has connected over 7,500 refugees with leave to remain status or who are seeking asylum in the UK, to people with a spare room.
All are very welcome to come along and hear about this interesting and impactful initiative.
The State of the World's Human Rights – Amnesty's Annual Report
The 2026 edition of Amnesty International's annual report has been published. ‘The State of the World's Human Rights', assesses national, regional and global developments across a wide range of human rights themes.
It highlights how states have undermined the international rules-based system, hindering the resolution of problems that affect the lives of millions. It also identifies trends regarding armed conflicts, repression of dissent, discrimination, economic and climate injustice, the abrupt halt of humanitarian aid, and the misuse of technology.
The report documents human rights concerns during 2025 in 144 countries, connecting global and regional issues and looking to the future. The full report can be read as a PDF on the Amnesty International website.
Amnesty International UK AGM and Amplify Summit
AIUK's annual AGM and Summit will take place on 26th – 27th June in Sussex.
Several members of the Glasgow West Group will be joining colleagues from across Scotland to travel down to participate in the event. There are plans for the Scottish Groups to host a stall at the event to showcase the range of activities being undertaken by Amnesty Groups across the country.
At our local Group's June meeting, members will consider how our Group's vote should be cast on the various resolutions being presented to the AGM.
Further information on the AIUK 2026 AGM & Summit are available via eventbrite.
Glasgow's Pride 2026
The Glasgow West Amnesty Group is, once again, planning to participate in the Glasgow Pride March and Festival.
The 2026 event will take place on Saturday 18th July. The intention is to host a stall at the event, where we can showcase the work of Amnesty in Glasgow, raise awareness of human rights and, hopefully, recruit additional supporters.
More detailed information will be available for inclusion in our Glasgow West Amnesty Newsletter / email in July.
In the meantime, general information can be found Glasgow's Pride 2026 website.
Scottish Parliamentary Election 2026 – Follow-up
Following the recent Scottish Parliamentary Election, Amnesty's Scotland office has arranged a webinar for Amnesty activists, aimed at providing a post-election update. This will include reflecting on the 2026 Scottish Parliament election result and what it means for Amnesty's work.
Activists from across Amnesty's Scottish Groups campaigned during the run-up to the Scottish Parliamentary Election to promote a Human Rights Bill for Scotland. This is linked to the human rights manifesto published a few months ago by Amnesty International, which urged the next Scottish government to create a fairer, more equal Scotland by prioritising human rights.
The webinar will also be an opportunity for Amnesty activists to hear from Kerry Moscogiuri, the new Chief Executive of Amnesty International UK, about her vision for the organisation.
Amnesty UK Local Updates
Below is a selection of some of the issues featured in the latest monthly update for Local Groups from Amnesty UK. Full details of the latest AIUK monthly Local Groups Update can be viewed on our local archive.
End the prosecution of peaceful protestors in the UK
The arrest of peaceful protestors is a violation of the UK's international obligations to protect the rights of freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. This can't go unchallenged.
Amnesty International has condemned the use of counter-terror powers to target peaceful protestors.
The Chief Prosecutors of England & Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland now have the power to decide whether to prosecute the individuals who have been arrested.
We are urging them to end all prosecutions against these peaceful protestors.
Will you join us? Sign the Petition
Social Security – Webinar on Poverty in the UK: 23 June 2026
A conversation with an expert panel on how poverty disproportionately affects women, disabled people and racialised communities.
Poverty in the UK is getting worse - and it is often those from marginalised communities who are most affected. People are having to make impossible choices, between heating their home and feeding their family - or being left traumatised and stigmatised by a cruel system that doesn't provide the support they need.
- 📅 23 June 2026
- 🕑 7:00pm - 8:15pm
- 📍 Online Webinar
- 🎫 Free to join
Join Amnesty International UK and a panel of expert speakers for an online conversation around the realities of poverty in the UK.
- How disabled people, people from racialised communities and women are disproportionately impacted by poverty and let down by the system.
- Why poverty is a political choice - and how the UK Government could choose, instead, to improve people's lives.
- How we can all play our part in working towards a fairer society.
Speakers to include:
- Sajid Mohammed is the CEO and Director of Himmah, a Nottingham-based grassroots social justice charity, addressing poverty, race, and education inequalities. Initiatives include providing food banks, community meals, and anti-racism campaigns.
- Dan White, Policy and Campaigns Officer at Disability Rights UK (DR UK), working issues such as on social security, food insecurity, and disabled children's rights.
- Eva Neitzert, Head of Research and Policy at UK Women's Budget Group, a feminist think tank that raises awareness of and provides evidence for a gender equal economy.
Chaired by Jen Clark, Amnesty International UK's Economics, Social and Cultural Rights Lead.
Register for this free webinar now on Eventbrite. A Teams joining link will be sent out 24 hours before the event.
South America – How Governments Are Weaponising Regulation Against Civil Society
Authoritarianism is on the rise globally, and Latin America is no exception. Across the region, there has been a devastating assault on civil society. Under the guise of “transparency”, “national security”, and “public oversight”, governments are introducing laws that severely restrict the work of civil society organisations, human rights defenders and grassroots movements. What may appear to be administrative regulation is, in practice, reshaping civic space and weakening the very communities that defend democracy, accountability and human rights.
In “*Tearing Up the Social Fabric: Impact of Restrictive Laws on Civil Society Organisations in the Americas*”, Amnesty examines how Venezuela, Paraguay, Peru, Ecuador, Nicaragua and El Salvador have enacted or expanded so-called “anti-NGO laws”. These measures impose excessive registration requirements, intrusive financial controls, vague legal obligations and punitive sanctions that place organisations at constant risk of closure, surveillance or criminalisation.
The report reveals strikingly similar patterns across the region. Authorities and pro-government media increasingly portray civil society groups as “foreign agents”, “internal enemies” or threats to national stability. This is fuelling distrust and hostility toward organisations working on human rights, environmental justice, anti-corruption, Indigenous Peoples' rights, women's rights and LGBTQI+ advocacy. They are left in a climate of fear.
Amnesty documents how these laws are tearing apart the social fabric that sustains communities. Human rights defenders interviewed for the report describe emotional exhaustion, exile, loss of leadership and the collapse of vital support networks for vulnerable populations. Entire communities are left with fewer protections, less access to justice and diminished capacity to challenge abuses of power.
This report offers an urgent warning: the erosion of civic space is not isolated to a single country but part of a broader regional trend toward authoritarianism. It also highlights why protecting freedom of association is essential to protecting all human rights.
You can download this report from the South America section on the Community Platform (where we are already active) or our website.
(If you would like to receive our team's informative monthly newsletter, please email David Rogers - Country Coordinator for Argentina and Chile.)
Individual Giving
YOUR GIFT TODAY COULD HELP END THE SUFFERING OF MILLIONS
Advanced age can often leave people more vulnerable to injury, disease, and illness. But instead of living in safety, Israel's unlawful and inhumane actions in Gaza are leaving older people without access to critical healthcare, medications, food and shelter. According to UN reporting, at least 5,100 older people have been killed in Gaza by Israeli forces since October 2023 – and this figure doesn't even include indirect deaths due to destroyed health infrastructure.
Despite promises made in the October 2025 ‘ceasefire', older people are still faced with unlawful attacks, severe food deprivation and the collapse of essential services. With tens of thousands suffering, there is no time to waste.
But it's not just in Gaza. Older people are living in dangers conditions in so many countries around the world. Your donation could help Amnesty International expose human rights abuses against older people; and help the campaign to ensure that older people are properly protected by international law.
CEN – Refugee Webinar
“Universal Rights, Local Action”
All are warmly invited (you don't have to be an Amnesty member!) to this upcoming online event with Q&A
Speakers are:
- Steve Valdez-Symonds, Amnesty UK's Programme Director for Refugee and Migrant Rights
- Tony Samuel, Co-Chair of Asylum Welcome Oxford
Details:
- 📅 Wednesday 17 June 2026
- 🕑 7:30pm - 9:00pm
- 📍 Online - Zoom
May 2026 Updates
Amnesty Glasgow West Group Meeting Thurs 14th May 2026
Link to May meeting email here
- Welcome and apologies
- Attendance: Kirstie, Andrew, Claire, Luca, Clara, Debra
- Apologies: Ken, Paolo, Lauren, Neil, Carol, Merle
- Agreement of previous meeting minutes link
- Team Updates (list of roles here):
- Treasurer
- postage from letters: £6.15
- other expenditure: some funds from our recent Community Meal has still to be processed, including a reimbursement due to Paolo for event-related expenditure that he personally paid upfront; Our Group's £50 donation to the Palestinian support group Ele Elan Elak is being made via Paolo
- donations: £30 from Kirstie's friend
- Current balance: £1,815.27
- Still to make Maryhill Against Racism donation - awaiting for lead officer to provide bank transfer details
- Social Media & website (Lauren): / No update available
- Regional/Country focus (Clara)
- Uyghur campaign: inviting in August people to take part in the Uighur solidarity month - learn 1 word/day for the month of August
- Glasgow West group's Uyghur word is “affection”
- Could do stall at Hillhead Library / Kelvinbridge Farmers' Market to encourage people to come and create something e.g. candle / banner so we can talk to them about the Uyghur rights crisis
- We ought to research any Uyghur groups active in Glasgow and invite them to join us - Clara
- Will also have petition / letters to local MPs
- Clara to share info leaflet
- Zine Library / stall on the high street - Claire to contact Zine library
- Clara to speak to Lauren re. August Social Media plan - Clara
- 7pm Webinar on Uyghur rights abuses - Clara to share link
- July meeting - word creation
- Uyghur campaign: inviting in August people to take part in the Uighur solidarity month - learn 1 word/day for the month of August
- Prisoner of Conscience/Individual At Risk (Mhairi - No update available
- Not currently active: Theme Focus US Death Penalty
- Treasurer
- Updates from previous activities
- North Glasgow Against Racism event - Sunday 12.04.26
- Agreed donation of £50 from our Group to the Glasgow North Against Racism Group - As above (3,a,iv), Donation not yet made, Claire to follow up
- Stand Up to Racism Southside Unity March - 19.04.26
- North Glasgow Against Racism event - Sunday 12.04.26
-
Updates from local groups (Daytime / Glasgow Uni / AIUK)
-
Partner update: Freedom from Torture - Photography Competition:
Freedom from Torture invites photographers of all ages, nationalities, and skill levels to take part in this year's Photography Competition. The theme is Hope and Sanctuary, open to interpretation and creative expression. 📅 Entry period: 13 April – 25 May
-
Music Evening - Our Lady and St George's Church Hall, Friday 15th May, 7:30pm for an 8:00pm start
This is another Freedom from Torture event that we have been asked to promote. “Join us for a relaxed evening of live music in support of Freedom from Torture. Local musicians will perform a mix of folk and other songs, with singers accompanied by acoustic guitar and piano. The evening will also include a raffle, along with a licensed bar and refreshments. £3 on the door (no booking required, cash only)”.
-
- Updates from Scottish Activism Rep (Paolo) / Scotland-wide WhatsApp group chat
- “Persuasive Conversation Activation Session” 26.04.06 - next steps?
- Persuasive Conversations Resources
- Agreed the name is misleading - it's more like “exploratory / connecting / listening conversations” - being a listening, reflective ear
- Suggestion: do a training & canvassing session with our group after the election to encourage people to contact their new MSP to discuss HR Bill / other HR issues
- E.g. Thursday June 11th - Training 7-8, then to Kelvingrove Park for an hour?
- Very small attendance today, so pause this till next meeting to gauge interest.
- Claire to share resources in Signal
- E.g. Thursday June 11th - Training 7-8, then to Kelvingrove Park for an hour?
- Encourage all to join the recurring training sessions - link here: https://calendly.com/events-amnesty
- A Million Acts of Hope - https://millionactsofhope.org/about - 13 to 20 May 2026
- Amnesty International UK is joining hundreds of other charities and organisations around the UK to take part in ‘A Million Acts of Hope', a week of action from 13 to 20 May. At a time when division may feel loud, A Million Acts of Hope is all about doing small or big acts of kindness to bring people and communities together. Some ideas:
- Putting up an Amnesty postcard in your window
- Giving out messages of kindness in your community
- Donating food – or running a neighbourhood collection for your local food bank
- Joining local community events (e.g. at places of worship, community centres) if they are taking place
- Hosting a local community meal
- Taking part in an Amnesty campaign or action – either by yourself or with an Amnesty group or network
- Visiting an Amnesty bookshop
- Email us on millionacts@amnesty.org.uk to tell us what you're doing (and share pictures or info when you do it)
- Amnesty International UK is joining hundreds of other charities and organisations around the UK to take part in ‘A Million Acts of Hope', a week of action from 13 to 20 May. At a time when division may feel loud, A Million Acts of Hope is all about doing small or big acts of kindness to bring people and communities together. Some ideas:
- “Persuasive Conversation Activation Session” 26.04.06 - next steps?
-
Refugee Week 15-21 June https://refugeeweek.org/events/ - would anyone like to organise anything / partner with another organisation?
Request: Refugees at Home have contacted us to ask if we'd like a speaker during Refugee Festival Scotland (Friday 12 to Sunday 21 June). Our next meeting is Thurs 11th June so we could do it then?
- Would anyone like to liaise with them on this? Claire to reply and confirm we are interested to hear / meet this Group, but also be open that we don't think any of our members will necessarily have capacity to host a refugee
- Vital for SM sharing and newsletter - one-off email / on the mailing list
- Claire to confirm date → ask AIUK to share with our postcodes
- Urgent Appeals - Merle # of letters written during meeting: [ ] Tally for the year: [ ]
- Pride! AIUK Pride Pack - can anyone lead on organising our Pride Actions this year? (e.g. looking through the pack, preparing our stall petition for 18th July Pride in Glasgow), sharing other accessible actions, ordering leaflets/bunting) - thank you Debra!
- Clara to email Glasgow Pride to ask about transparency / email (based on concerns re their sponsorship last year)
- Clara (with car), Claire, Debra, Luca
- 9.30am-10am: Clara, Debra
- 10am-11.30am: Debra & Luca
- 11.30am-1pm: Debra
- Clara on the march
- 2026 Plan for the year ahead - Glasgow West 2026 Planner.docx
- NB Amnesty “Amplify” Summit and AGM - 27/28 June 2026, Brighton - Clara, Claire, Carol and Paolo confirmed - others attending?
- Discussion/brainstorm:
- How can we get new active members?
- How can we keep active members?
- Any suggestions for the current/new role-holders on how to conduct their role?
- AOB
- Next meeting - Thurs 11th June 2026
- Potential Speakers for 2026:
- [Refugee Action - potentially joint event with Daytime group - awaiting update from Graham in Daytime Group]
- Clara: journalist from Somalia - Clara to check his availability and if needs transport/accommodation
- Paulo: law professor re. UK supreme court ruling that affects trans rights.
- AIUK Equality Network speaker - Ailig to look into - how to have conversations w family and friends
-
Ebba: Palestinian researcher:
https://sgsahblog.com/2025/01/27/activist-ethnography-in-palestine/
- [Amicus: after find out about Death Penalty network - admin@amicus-alj.org - Allan]
2026 Meeting Dates
New Members very welcome!
The Group meets every second Thursday of each month at 7.30pm - 9pm.
The meetings take place at Woodlands Methodist Church, 229 Woodlands Road, G3 6LW
For further information contact mail@glasgowwestamnesty.org.uk
Thursday 8th January 2026Thursday 12th February 2026Thursday 12th March 2026Thursday 9th April 2026Thursday 14th May 2026- Thursday 11th June 2026
- Thursday 9th July 2026
- Thursday 13th August 2026
- Thursday 10th September 2026
- Thursday 8th October 2026
- Thursday 12th November 2026
- Thursday 10th December 2026
BETTER TO LIGHT A CANDLE THAN CURSE THE DARKNESS
