Scotland: Amnesty International announces Freedom of Expression Award shortlist
Posted: 20 August 2007
Source: Amnesty International Website
Amnesty International and the Big Issue in Scotland announced the shortlist
for the Freedom of Expression Award, which rewards a company whose performance at the Edinburgh
Festivals makes a significant contribution to public awareness and understanding of human
rights issues.
The five shortlisted shows are The Container; As the Mother of a Brown Boy; Rash;
Truth in Translation; and Superpatriots and Morons.
The Freedom of Expression Award was established by Amnesty International in 2001.
This year the Award was relaunched as a partnership with the Big Issue in Scotland,
helping secure the Award's position as a central feature of the Edinburgh Festival.
All Fringe productions which address human rights themes were eligible to nominate
themselves for the Award, and judges chose from a “longlist” of 32 productions
accepted as promoting human rights themes. The winner of the award will be announced
at a special ceremony on Thursday 23rd August and in the edition of the Big Issue
published that day.
Amnesty International’s Programme Director in Scotland John Watson said:
‘The Festivals are all about freedom of expression - whether it’s in a play, a film,
a book or a joke – and this is what makes Edinburgh such an apt place for Amnesty
to tell people about our work to protect free speech around the world.
‘We hope that this Award will help encourage companies to tackle human rights
issues in their work.’
Clare Harris, Editor of the Big Issue in Scotland, said:
'The Big Issue has been reporting on the festivals for many years and it’s really
exciting to be involved for the first time this year with Amnesty International.
‘We’ve been overwhelmed by the response and by the sheer number of shows that
we’ve seen over the last two weeks, shows which really bring home human rights
and the importance of raising human rights issues.’
Amnesty is asking people to take action for human rights while they’re enjoying the
Festival this year using the Internet and text messaging, including a campaign
for Shi Tao, a Chinese journalist imprisoned for ten years just for sending
an email. Amnesty is asking people to demand his freedom at www.amnesty.org.uk/scotland
or text the word ‘FREEDOM’, plus their name and email address to 64118 to join
the ever–growing petition.
Other Festival highlights from Amnesty include the Stand Up For Freedom comedy
shows on 15 and 22 August; daily readings at the Book Festival from the work of
imprisoned writers; a powerful photographic exhibition at St Giles Cathedral
documenting the reality of human trafficking; and the Protect The Human
exhibition in the Assembly Rooms, showing some of Amnesty’s best–known
supporters from the worlds of comedy, music, and film standing up for human rights.
Comedian Ed Byrne, speaking to Amnesty as part of its podcast series, said:
‘Freedom of speech is such a fundamental part of what we do – if we weren’t
allowed to say what we liked then a lot of us would be out of a job.
‘The point when a lot of comedians started getting into it was when we
started campaigning for two comics from Burma who were jailed for doing
the kind of stuff that any of us would get away with over here, no one
would bat an eyelid. The fact that people could go to jail for that
struck a nerve with a lot of comics.’
More information about Amnesty’s programme across the Festivals at www.amnesty.org.uk/Scotland
Amnesty is asking people to take action for human rights while they’re
enjoying the Festival this year using the Internet and text messaging,
including a campaign for Shi Tao, a Chinese journalist imprisoned for
ten years just for sending an email. Amnesty is asking people to demand
his freedom at www.amnesty.org.uk/scotland
or text the word ‘FREEDOM’, plus their name and email
address to 64118 to join the ever–growing petition.
