Tom Morello, who has been a long time supporter of Amnesty International has teamed up with Amnesty’s 100 Days Action to urge President-elect Barack Obama to make human rights central to his new administration. In the first 100 days, Amnesty International is calling on the new administration to:
– announce a plan and date to close Guantanamo;
– issue an executive order to ban torture and other ill-treatment, as defined under international law;
– ensure that an independent commission to investigate abuses committed by the US government in its “war on terror” is set up.
Tom invited Amnesty to come out to his recent shows as The Nightwatchman with letters in hand for people to sign.…

Richard Hughes, drummer with Keane, is a committed human rights campaigner and has pledged his support to Troy Davis’ case about Music for Human Rights.

He recently received a personal letter of thanks from Troy’s sister Martina, after he wore a similar t-shirt to the one pictured on ‘Later with Jools Holland’ which did a lot to raise awareness of the case.

Not only is Richard a personal supporter of human rights, but Keane are also screening Amnesty UK’s film You are Powerful ahead of each show on their UK arena tour, helping us to reach hundreds of thousands of people.

Richard hopes to do more to support Troy’s case over the coming months, so stay tuned.…

Aung San Suu Kyi, the Nobel Laureate who is currently under house arrest and on trial in Myanmar, was announced as this year’s Ambassador Of Conscience Award recipient. The news was announced from stage at U2’s show in Dublin on July 27th just prior to the band performing “Walk On”.…

Serj Tankian has teamed up with Amnesty International to support the Global Write-A-Thon December 5th through December 14th. When you register to write a letter you’ll get a thank you email with a link to download a free song that Serj wrote especially for the Write-A-Thon called “Fears”. You can listen to a stream of the song here. It will also be available on iTunes soon!

Amnesty International human rights news and its members’ strengths have been the realization of the release of prisoners of conscience and the establishment of justice around the world where it is long overdue. The letter writing campaign has been a vital weapon in this regard. It has kept hope alive for all those unjustly incarcerated and has also kept extra judicial governments in check, including our own.” – Serj Tankian

One of the most unconventional frontmen in rock, System Of A Down singer and solo artist Serj Tankian is very involved with promoting activism for various social and political causes that strike a chord with his beliefs. Besides his support and involvement with Amnesty International, Tankian co-created Axis Of Justice, an activist organization, with fellow musician and activist Tom Morello of Rage Against The Machine.…

Salvador Santana, the 26-year-old keyboardist, vocalist, composer, and songwriter from the Bay Area invites Amnesty International supporters to download a free track from his upcoming album, “Keyboard City”.…

The Secret Policeman’s Balls is the collective name for a legendary series of hilarious, irreverent and groundbreaking benefit shows staged to raise funds for Amnesty International. Beginning in 1976, the Balls featured the cream of Britain’s comedians and an astounding line-up of international musical talent. International human rights news shows have been credited by numerous people as being the inspiration for many of the high-profile charity events of the last 30 years, including Live Aid.

The Secret Policeman’s Balls Comes to DVD!
Available for the first time in North America on January 27, 2009, The Secret Policeman’s Balls 3-DVD box set, presented by Shout! Factory in association with Amnesty International, celebrates over 30 years of comedic excellence. Featuring five of the most popular shows from the first wave of The Secret Policeman’s Ball from 1976-1989 and bountiful rare footage, these groundbreaking galas include members of Monty Python (John Cleese, Graham Chapman, Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones, Michael Palin) and Beyond the Fringe (Peter Cook, Dudley Moore, Alan Bennett, Jonathan Miller), as well as individual comedic talents such as Rowan Atkinson (Mr. Bean), Hugh Laurie (House, M.D.) and Jennifer Saunders (Absolutely Fabulous). In addition to the laughmakers, the shows feature acoustic musical performances that prefigured the “unplugged” phenomenon by Pete Townshend, Sting, Phil Collins, Bob Geldof, Peter Gabriel, Donovan, Jackson Browne, Lou Reed, Kate Bush and Joan Armatrading. Also featured are rare duets from guitar legends Eric Clapton & Jeff Beck and Mark Knopfler & Chet Atkins.

Contains five classic Secret Policeman’s …