International solidarity

The grating sound of metal on metal as the reverberating CLANNGGG of the heavy prison doors closing on you for the first time cannot be forgotten. The smell of prison; the malicious looks of the guards; the claustrophobic feeling of a cell which distorts your intestines and bleaches your thoughts bare before you even see it.

“I am here for no reason. I have not been charged with anything. Does anyone know I am here?”

My crime was to say I was going to Bethlehem. There were 11…

Recently, Turkey witnessed an unusually spirited long weekend. There was action almost everywhere in the country starting on Friday 24 January.

In expectation of the UN Weapons Inspectors' reports, people from different political backgrounds and worldviews stood united against the war plans on Iraq. With significant international participation in some of the events during this “peace weekend”, anti-war messages were conveyed in the streets, congress halls, theatres, music clubs and…

Is a group whose objective is to raise awareness in British Columbia, Canada, about the Colombian humanitarian crisis and the nonviolent social movements that mobilise for the construction of peace and the defence of human rights.

We have made a collective presentation which shows the profound impact that long-lasting armed violence - from the army, right-wing paramilitaries, leftist guerrillas, narco-traffickers and urban militias - is having on the civilian population and the…

Friends of South Asia (FOSA), a California organisation working for peace between India and Pakistan, came into existence when, in December 2001, nine of us, the founding members, came to the chilling realisation that the place we call home was full of war cries and that South Asia was on the brink of a war.

In our frustration we came out on the streets - literally. We arranged peace vigils; attendance at those vigils varied depending on how bad the India-Pakistan situation was…

Peace Brigades International (PBI)'s work in conflicts around the world involves intensive interaction with the local police and military. On one notorious route in Colombia there are 60 military checkpoints. How can a small organisation committed to nonviolence affect the outcome of their encounters with government forces?

PBI's objective is to create the political space for local human rights defenders to do their work in countries where disappearances are commonplace. PBI does…

The Free Gaza expeditions, designed to break the Israeli siege, have been unable to reach Gaza since November. Twice, on 30 December and 15 January, the Israeli navy forced the boats to turn back. The SS Dignity embarked on its journey from Cyprus on 29 December, carrying 16 people and over three tons of badly needed medical supplies.

In the early hours the next morning, two Israeli gunboats began shadowing the 20-metre yacht. One of them opened fire without warning 30 minutes…

Five protestors were arrested on 29 August, and charged with disrupting the performance of the internationally-acclaimed Israeli Jerusalem Quartet at Edinburgh’s Queen’s Hall.

The Quartet were playing as part of the official Edinburgh International Festival (EIF) program and have other tour dates in the UK. The protest, organised by Scottish Palestine Solidarity (SPS), stopped play on four occasions during the concert, whilst a leafleting protest took place outside the building…

Passengers hurrying into the main check-in at Edinburgh International Airport on August 22nd were greeted by an unusual sight. A massive banner proclaimed: “MEXICO... Sun… Fun… bloomin’ nice beaches…”, alongside a painting of a palm tree. A somewhat eccentric Mexican tourist board initiative perhaps?

Not exactly. “Torture… Death squads… Human Rights Breaches…” continued the lower half of the banner, with a carefully painted AK47 illustrating the point.

Demonstrators from…

Since the Colombia Project was set up 11 years ago, Peace Brigades International has maintained a continuous presence in the regions most affected by the armed conflicts in Colombia.

PBI's aim has been the protection of internally displaced people and of human rights in general. In order to accomplish these aims, the project uses various different working strands. Some of its main “forces” are the presence of observers/international accompaniers, as well as the provision of mental…

The XVII Brigade of the Colombian Army - the brigade responsible for the killing of eight members of the peace community of San Jose' in February and another leader in November - will not receive US military aid next year, or at least not officially.

The US State Department notes an improvement in the human rights record of various units of the Colombian Army, but the XVII Brigade will receive no aid until it has satisfactorily responded to the complaints about its actions concerning…

On 12 October people gathered outside the Colombian embassy in London to protest in support of the strike in Colombia.

The General Secretary of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ), Jeremy Dear, as well as other senior trade unionists and representatives of Justice for Colombia, handed a letter to the acting Colombian Ambassador Cesar Castro to demand that the rights of peaceful protesters in Colombia on the day of the strike be respected and that the security forces not use…

The El Sueno Existe music festival is held from 11-13 August in Machynlleth in the beautiful Dyfi valley. It is a vibrant fusion of Welsh and Latin American music, dance, poetry, film and political discussion, taking inspiration from Victor Jara, the Chilean theatre director and singer-songwriter who has become a symbol of the struggle for human rights and justice across Latin America.

This year, the festival will feature workshops and talks from on the theme Latin America rising: “…

The Llanidloes-As Sawiya Friendship Association (LASFA) group was formed about two years ago. As Sawiya is a village of approximately 3,000 people in Salfit province, right in the middle of the West Bank, Palestine. It is dominated on all its surrounding hills by illegal Israeli settlements, from which comes the continual threat of settler violence.

LASFA aims to provide support for this village through publicising its situation, financial contributions to community projects, and…

Late news: Oxford peace activist Virginia Moffatt completed the London marathon on 17 April in 6hrs 51 minutes, raising £1,000 for the Boomchukka Circus. The money will contribute to their next tour of Palestine in autumn 2011.

You can still donate to: Circus2Iraq; Co-operative Bank; a/c 65131574; sort code 08-92-99.