WHAT HUMAN RIGHTS MEAN TO ME
FIFTY YEARS HOLDS A LOT OF STORIES
Tree-planting ceremony to mark 50 years of Amnesty in Glasgow, officiated by the City Council’s Deputy Lord Provost Bailie Christy Mearns (front), 21 November 2025 Below: Former political prisoner Jack Mapanje (centre) visits Glasgow.
Glasgow West group members Christine Alison and Andrew McGuire reflect on a remarkable five decades of Amnesty activism in the city.
‘Glasgow’s first local Amnesty group, Glasgow West, was started in 1975 by members of St Mary’s Episcopalian Cathedral, where meetings were held for many years,’ says Christine Alison, who joined the group in 1983. ‘I was just out of university when I stopped at an Amnesty stall and learned about the campaign against torture. I was horrified and felt so naïve about the world. The start of my Amnesty career was stuffing envelopes with Urgent Action appeals and posting them to volunteers. ‘Across the city several other groups grew: Glasgow City, Glasgow Central, South Side, East End, Milngavie and Bearsden and Paisley. Today there are
three: Glasgow West, Glasgow
University and Glasgow Daytime. At the time Amnesty’s main objective was securing the release of prisoners of conscience (POCs) – to receive letters or visits from them reaffirmed the importance of our work.
‘An important strand to our work was
– and is – fundraising. Immense book sales, pub quizzes and ceilidhs, dancing til all hours. Our comedy night has taken place annually for over 20 years. ‘Two particularly impressive campaigns stand out. In 1990, when Glasgow was European Capital of Culture, we worked for the release of Malawian poet Jack Mapanje, South Korean artist Hong Song-dam and Vietnamese poet Nguyen Chi Thien, all eventually released. In 1995, the Freedom Festival launched with a spectacular gala concert followed by over 100 events in the city linked to freedom.
‘I value the sense of personal solidarity. To hear POCs speak so full of forgiveness and with great dignity inspires me. I remember the news of the Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989, and the day after throwing red roses into the River Clyde in memory of those who died. Fifty years holds a lot of stories.’ To celebrate the 50th anniversary, the Deputy Lord Provost of Glasgow
City Council hosted a civic reception on 28 October 2025, with speeches and an archive display, followed by a tree- planting ceremony on 21 November. Says Andrew McGuire, who helped compile the
material is a testament to the countless hours of work the volunteers have put in. One letter from Peruvian teacher and trade unionist Elmer Vasquez particularly hit home. He’d been arbitrarily detained, accused of treason, tortured and sentenced to life imprisonment. He spoke of the “joy and comfort” he’d felt on realising people cared about the injustice. ‘Glasgow City Council has also played its part, with joint events and hosting former POCs. The anniversary has provided pause for reflection on all that still needs to be done. All around the world, including on our own doorstep, new human rights challenges arise. We cannot be complacent.’
SPRING 2026 AMNESTY 39
display: ‘The archive
© Ashraf Hamzah/AI
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