Latest Death Penalty Report


Report for mid – July to mid – August

August 2026

We are pleased to attach the latest report with thanks to group member Lesley for the work in compiling it. The highlights in the report are

  • Conditional pardon offered to Ruth Ellis who was the last person to be hanged in Britain
  • In Lebanon a law has been passed abolishing the death penalty.  It will be the only country in the Middle East formally to end the penalty
  • Florida continues with its spate of executions including two on one day and Governor DeSantis is busy signing fresh warrants
  • Jermaine Wright, Delaware, becomes the 203rd person exonerated since 1973 and is declared innocent after 34 years on death row.

As ever we note that there is no data from China – believed to execute more of its citizens than the rest of the world put together – because they are a state secret. It is another aspect of the persecution of the Uyghurs the subject of a series of posts elsewhere on this site.

Report: mid – July to mid – August (Word)Download

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Uyghur campaign: letter


Group members publish letter in local paper

August 2026

Two members of the local group have their letter published today (13th) on the Uyghur campaign in the Salisbury Journal:

“DURING  August, the local Amnesty group is taking part in the Uyghur Solidarity Month to highlight the dire human rights situation in that part of China.

“The UN Commissioner for Human Rights said there were credible allegations that the Chinese government had carried out arbitrary detention, torture, forced labour, family separation and severe restrictions on religious and cultural freedoms on a vast scale.   Reading a book in their language is punished and might result in execution.

“Despite these findings, the suffering of the Uyghur people continues while the world looks on. More than a million Uyghurs have been detained and countless families have been torn apart. 

“Survivors describe detention camps where torture, rape, forced labour and coercive birth control measures are carried out by the Chinese. Whether one views this issue through the lens of International law, religious freedom human rights or human dignity, the plight of these people deserves continued public attention. 

“Further background can be found on the Salisbury Amnesty site www.salisburyai.com

Lesley and Peter Curbishley”

The letter was modelled on one suggested by the campaign team which had to be shortened because of the paper’s word limit.

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Uyghur campaign – day 11


Latest action in relation to the persecution of the Uyghurs

August 2026

Today’s action is a little bit different, as we will focus on issues closer to home rather than exclusively on the rights of the Uyghurs.  We are asking you to sign the Amnesty petition to ‘protect the protest’ – something that we feel is ultimately essential to the future of all human rights campaigning. 

In some of our recent posts, we have started to include issues concerning the UK with successive attempts by governments to clamp down on unwelcome protests. In the UK, new laws are constraining our ability protest peacefully, which is an attack on our political rights. It risks creating a precedent and mark the beginning of more infringements on our ability to campaign on human rights. The UK is not of course in the same league as China where repression and stifling of rights is on a massive scale.

However, governments are dilatory about climate actions, are determined to assist Israel overtly and covertly in their violence, and are happy to support and allow arms sales to a wide variety of obnoxious regimes with poor human rights records. Voluble protests against these actions are unwelcome.

We want to protect our ability to run campaigns such as this one on the Uyghurs. In the end, protecting our political rights means protecting the future work we will do for human rights globally. The current laws that impact our ability to protest peacefully, which infringes not only on basic human rights to assembly, association, and expression (Articles 10 and 11, Human Rights Act), also creates nearly 7,000 climate protesters were arrested in the UK between 2019 and mid-2025.

Since 2021, the government has proposed four different anti-protest laws in four years. Police have arrested 3,300 people for peaceful protest against the proscription of Palestine Action. The actual prosecution of peaceful protesters in the UK threatens our ability to raise our voices for human rights around the world. It is also an infringement on political rights that limits a human rights response in any instance of further infringement.

For the health of our human rights futures (and therefore, our ability to campaign for others) please sign this petition: https://www.amnesty.org.uk/issues/authoritarianism/protect-the-protest/

Although this is not directly related to the Uyghurs as part of the Uyghur Solidarity Month, we did suggest in our last post on this topic an action to speak to a friend or colleague.

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Risks of University Partnerships with Arms Firms and Israel


Report by Southampton University into tensions and risks in dealing with Israel and Palestine

August 2026

The latest edition of the Campaign Against the Arms Trade’s News (Issue 277, Summer 2026) contains an article discussing links with universities and arms companies in the context of relations with Israel and Palestine. The report Aligning Policy with Practice: Tensions and Risks in the Context of Israel and Palestine, February 2026 analyses these tensions in relation to Southampton but it is clear the issues apply to many universities in the UK. The full report can be accessed here. It is the product of work carried out by the Palestinian Solidarity Network in the University (pictured) and the lead author is Irene Ruiz Espejo.

Essentially, the report analyses the various principles which the University has concerning transparency, sustainability, ethics and EDI and matches that against what happens, the links they have with arms firms and their support for research, and also the links with Israeli universities. They suggest that sometimes matters of governance, partnerships and approaches to free speech can exert a chilling effect as has been seen at other academic institutions.

Risks

They identify several risks: legal, financial, reputational and wellbeing in the report. Official communications do not reference the historical and legal realities of military occupation in Gaza, settler colonialism on the West Bank, apartheid, or the longstanding siege of Gaza. They also do not engage with international legal developments and findings, including United Nations and international and Israeli civil society organisations, which have raised serious concerns that Israel’s conduct in Gaza may amount to grave breaches of international law, including acts that violate the Genocide Convention.

In addition, University statements do not situate events in Gaza within the wider regional context of Israeli military aggression, including the bombing of Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Qatar, and Iran, which have resulted in additional civilian deaths and escalating regional and global instability. Instead, communications tend to frame events primarily as a bilateral conflict and to address Palestinian deaths, displacement, and civilian harm largely through the language of humanitarian crisis.

This framing obscures a central and well-documented reality: the “conflict” is characterised by profound asymmetries in power, control, and vulnerability, including Israel’s effective control over borders, airspace, and key conditions of civilian survival in Gaza, including access to humanitarian aid. In this context, large-scale civilian harm is not only the outcome war, but it is shaped by Israel’s political and military decisions that have driven mass displacement, civilian targeting, severe restrictions on essential supplies, the use of starvation as a method of war , bombardment, and the destruction of critical civilian infrastructure in Gaza, including all twelve universities.

Power of money

They maintain this bias is not accidental but managed, where money and and power repeatedly take precedence over stated values. Students and staff who raise concerns about arms partnerships, or who engage in Palestinian solidarity, face ‘scrutiny, marginalisation or silencing’ – a direct threat to freedom of speech.

Money has become an existential issue for universities and many are struggling. The drop in foreign students has been a severe blow. The suggestion, implicit in the report, that the desire to secure research funding from arms firms has led to threat to their core values. Links to Israeli universities are not inherently wrong but the nature of the research might be.

The CAAT piece ends “our report is an attempt to interrupt that silence resisting erasure – of lives, of knowledge and our ability to name what is happening requires more than critique. It requires cultivating the capacity to see clearly even when language obscures: to think critically even when institutions reward compliance and to remain connected to our sheared humanity, to people, to place and to the consequences of what is doe with our knowledge our research and our labour”.

Some content from the report.

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Obituary: Daphne White


Long standing member of the local group. Born 1933 – died 2026

We are sad to record the death of Daphne White who was a stalwart member of the Salisbury group who died on 19th July. Her funeral was held today 11 August at Salisbury crematorium attended by relatives, friends and former pupils.

Daphne was of the generation who lived their early lives through the war years, years of hardship and making do and mending. An evacuee from Portsmouth came to stay with the family and came to be almost a sister to her. After St Marks Junior School she went to South Wilts Grammar School. She was brought up in a Methodist family and after school, she attended a Methodist Teacher Training college in Scotland. She became a teacher of geography.

She travelled widely despite her dislike of flying working for a while in Cyprus. She returned and taught for a while at Durrington Secondary Modern and then became Deputy Head of Wilton Middle School before retiring.

It was this interest in the world and geography which led her to take an interest in human affairs and thence to become active in Amnesty International, both in the national organisation and with the local group. She took great interest in the plight of others including that of political prisoners. Amnesty became a great passion for her and she was a regular attendee at the monthly group meetings. One prisoner of conscience Daphne worked on was Dr Raul Lombardi who, with his family, came to visit Salisbury following his release. Work with PoCs is a key element of Amnesty’s work. Daphne was the county coordinator for Peru for many years.

We are grateful to the celebrant, Helen George, for this extract from her celebration of Daphne’s life and her work in speaking to those who knew Daphne to describe her life story. Helen can be contacted on helenislageorge@gmail.com. We hope to add to this obituary if further material comes to light including adding a photo. So please view this as a first draft.

She will be missed.

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Uyghurs: getting the word out


Try telling a friend or neighbour about how the Uyghurs are treated

August 2026

Bringing back media and governmental attention on the Uyghurs is an essential step in ensuring that the current crisis is not simply ignored and forgotten. But these actions are only as strong as the wider support from the population. The more people know, care, and act for the Uyghurs, the stronger the influence we can have will be. That is why we are asking you today to simply talk to someone you know – a friend, a neighbour, or a colleague for example – about the Uyghur crisis.

Earlier posts will give you a flavour of the issues, the cruelty and repression these people are experiencing so we hope that with the information we have shared this far you will feel empowered to discuss the issue if in simple terms.

Nobody has all the answers to all the questions that may be asked, but creating that spark of curiosity within someone, who may learn more on their own, is so important and powerful. A simple conversation can make all the difference. You may get a response that it has little to do with us. It is sad and terrible that these things are happening but what can we do? Some points to consider:

  • You are involved. If you have cotton garments in your wardrobe, there is a 25% chance that the cotton was harvested by Uyghurs using forced labour.
  • Repression and denial of free speech is not confined to the Uyghurs. Mongolia and Tibet has also suffered and more recently Hong Kong. Britain has taken in many thousands of people fleeing the territory. There is great anxiety about immigration and considerable political and media attention to the Channel crossings. The thousands of Chinese who have come here receive little attention.
  • We discussed the new China Unity Law in our last post and this has incorporated repression and discrimination into all of China’s minorities.
  • As China becomes ever more powerful, Xi Jinping’s ambitions increase. Taiwan is in his sights and he is fomenting unrest in Japan and elsewhere in Asia
  • China is providing massive weapons assistance to Russia in its war with Ukraine. The war has resulted in many thousands of Ukrainians coming to Britain as well.
  • China is demanding a massive embassy be allowed in Britain which is almost certainly to be used for espionage it is alleged.

Although the Uyghurs may seem a long, long way away, they are but the latest victims of China’s relentless desire for power and commercial domination. The effects of this will increasingly be felt in the UK. Regrettably, it does not get the attention it deserves and governments are keen to pursue trade interests. China is said to be sensitive to criticism and claims that human rights and other matters are raised behind the scenes are to be questioned. They certainly had little or no effect in Hong Kong.

So please mention the Uyghurs to your friends and add that China is becoming ever more important in our lives and it is beginning to affect all of us.

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Uyghurs part of repression of all minorities in China


The China Unity law is an act of cultural genocide

The China Unity Law came into force in July and is intended to establish Chinese dominance over all its ethnic minorities. Mandarin will become the dominant language and all 51 of China’s minorities will be affected, around 9% of the total population. We are focusing on the Uyghurs who are being persecuted as part of Amnesty’s Uyghur Awareness Month. The law will be used to justify ever more repression and discrimination over its minorities.

We have to be aware of the wider context however and the threat to human rights inside and outside China. An article By Simon Tisdall in the Guardian (8th August) discusses these wider issues. The new law has been condemned but not too loudly by western governments but more loudly by Amnesty. We must not forget the repression which went on Tibet and also Mongolia: the Uyghurs are just the latest in a line of minorities persecuted by an increasingly authoritarian Xi Jinping.

Tisdall argues that a kind of ‘debilitating fatalism’ has taken hold of the western powers who just watch the ever increasing exercise of power by China. They are threatening Taiwan and with US military stocks reported to be much reduced by the Iran excursion, is now the time when an assault is right for them? They also threaten Japan.

Hong Kong is another example and thousands left the former colony to come to the UK. Free speech is no longer possible. The publisher Jimmy Lai was sentenced in December to 20 years in prison and is in solitary confinement and in poor health. His family say he is denied medical attention which is denied by the Chinese but they do not allow independent verification.

The sad fact is that the cause of human rights in that country and those of its minority populations in particular is bleak. As China becomes more economically and politically powerful and western countries more divided, China is able to pursue its plans with ever greater vigour. Its desire to build the biggest embassy in the west in London seems unstoppable. It is almost certainly to be used for espionage and to exert control over Chinese people living in the UK. Donald Trump’s divisive policies against US allies plays into China (and Russia’s) hands.

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Israel ‘concealing evidence of genocide’


140th vigil well attended. Need to maintain the spotlight on genocide and war crimes

August 2026

Around 35 turned out this week (8th) and this number swelled at times to over 40 with people stopping for a while. The need is still there with killings going on despite the so-called ceasefire. There were scarcely credible reports of a more permanent ending which almost certainly will come to nought. [UPDATE: Israel rejects Trump’s plan today 9th]. Israel is reported to be engaged in a process of concealing evidence of the genocide.

Destroying the evidence

One event beginning to happen is Israel is now busy trying to clear away the evidence of genocide. Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor reports that around 10 million tonnes of material has been cleared away from Gaza. They report:

“The Israeli forces, along with Israeli civilian contractors, are conducting a wide and organised operation to process and clear the rubble from neighbourhoods and facilities they have destroyed in the Gaza Strip and relocate it from areas under their military control to outside the Strip.

“This is occurring without any official record of the quantities removed or independent oversight, and before international and local investigative committees have had the chance to survey, examine, and document the sites. This risks destroying crucial evidence of genocide and the remains of victims still unaccounted for under the rubble.

“These operations are not part of organised humanitarian efforts to rescue the missing, open roads, or prepare for reconstruction. Instead, Israel is acting unilaterally within closed areas under its military control by demolishing remaining buildings and then crushing, mixing, and transporting the rubble before forensic teams, evidence experts, and unexploded ordnance specialists can examine, document, and preserve the sites, along with the evidence and human remains […]”.

Since thousands of remains of Palestinians lie buried in this rubble, this represents a dreadful and unfeeling extension to the genocidal crimes Israel has already committed. The full story can be read here. A search of this topic was carried out and there is no sign of it being reported in any UK news outlet [accessed 9th].

Mass burial

Last week, a mass burial took place of 112 Palestinians, 40 of whom were children, killed in one of the deadliest strikes which took place since October 7th. An entire apartment block was demolished in November 2023 and 157 people are still missing. Their bodies could not be recovered until now.

No sign of the local MP Mr John Glen who despite the genocide and continuing killings is a ‘proud member’ of the Friends of Israel lobby group along with around 140 other MPs of all major parties.

Photo. Two members standing by a traffic island which attracted a good level of response from motorists. Photo courtesy of Peter Gloyns.

Sources: Euro-Med, Kuwait Times, Eupal, The Canary. No UK media could be found.

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Reactions from an IDF soldier


Many IDF soldiers are troubled by what they see

August 2026

There is a danger when we see film of IDF soldiers who are all kitted up such that we cannot see their faces, in assuming they are unaffected by the carnage, death and destruction they witness. There is film of IDF soldiers gleefully smashing up Palestinian homes and no doubt filled with the propaganda of Arab malevolence, who are only too keen on their work. But not all are and our attention has been drawn to an article in Haaretz which describes the trauma of one Israeli soldier.

HAARETZ, August 06 2026


After helping direct artillery fire that claimed civilian lives in Gaza, former Israeli combat medic Yael is struggling with debilitating trauma and remorse. Her long wait for treatment highlights the military’s failure to care for soldiers scarred by war….
Yael, who asked not to use her real name, is 22 years old. She enlisted in the Israel Defense Forces in August 2022. She says she was highly motivated. She wanted to contribute, to do meaningful combat service.

The army listened and granted her wish.. “I left the army and saw the number of children killed, and I was shocked. I started searching obsessively for information online. I looked for the neighborhoods we attacked, the villages,” she recounts. “I saw that many innocent people were killed in these places, I saw pictures of dead children. In the army, they told us we only kill terrorists, but that’s a lie. Artillery fire is imprecise; the army considers a hit within a 50-meter radius to be a good hit.”..
“I have nightmares. I see inside my head dead children, crying mothers. I imagine how the bodies are removed. The guilt doesn’t leave me. How can it? I killed an innocent child, I was the one who fed the targets, it’s on me.”.. She was discharged from the IDF a year and a half ago…..


Since October 7, Haaretz has spoken with more than 300 people suffering from mental injuries caused by the war. Some of them reported suffering from PTSD due to exposure to intense combat experiences. Others described extreme guilt due to the deaths of their comrades in combat or of civilians on October 7. Recently, the barrier of shame has broken. More and more soldiers talk about moral injuries they suffer, often related to exposure to or participation in war crimes prevalent in the Gaza Strip.


The army prevented me from getting treatment,” she says. Only after her mother contacted the battalion commander did he meet with her for a conversation. “I told him I was harming myself and that I had suicidal thoughts,” she says. “I wasn’t exaggerating. I didn’t want to live this suffering anymore, this reality where 18-year-old children are killed, and I hear their last moments. I don’t agree with it. I don’t support it.” The mental health officer ordered her removed from combat duty. About two months later, in December 2024, the IDF discharged her….


When she returned home, the symptoms struck with intensity. She felt she was withering. “I became a shadow of a person. I didn’t see the beauty in life. I saw everything in gray,” she recalls. “Every day I had to cope with such severe panic attacks that I’d scratch myself, hit myself. I was depressed. ..
She felt not only pain in her heart but also anger towards her battery commander (“he’s a scumbag”), and, in fact, towards the entire system. “The state ruined my life, and after it ruined my life, it didn’t bother to give me the treatment I needed. It forced me to prove I was injured, to fight for recognition.” Today, she is in ongoing treatment, taking psychiatric medications, trying to alleviate the pain.


She finds a ray of light in the change in her values, in her moral compass. “Before the army, I was an extreme right-winger, one who would say ‘Death to Arabs.’ That was the myth in school that influenced me,” she explains. “But after the war, I understood that there’s a difference between Hamas terrorists and Palestinian civilians who want peace, who want life. I saw the conditions in which Gazans live. I realized there must be a change, that we must strive for equality, for peace. This is the only way to save the children, to save us all.”

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Reading books can get you killed


Reading a Uyghur book can lead to serious punishment

August 2026

This is not the Middle Ages. This is the 21st Century. But the desire of the Chinese to extinguish Uyghur culture can lead to draconian consequences. This short piece and the book, were created by the Amnesty Death Penalty project.

So often, we take our books for granted. But if you are Uyghur, reading, promoting or writing books in the Uyghur language – even children’s text books – can land you in serious trouble. In fact it can and has on a number of occasions, resulted in a death sentence. This is all part of the Chinese government’s attempts to suppress the Uyghur language, culture and identity. Too many governments around the world use the death penalty as a means of intimidating ordinary people into compliance.  Books, things that we take for granted in the West, can be very dangerous for Uyghurs which is why the Anti-Death Penalty Project has created a book (كىتاب) to show our solidarity. ‘Thank you so much Death Penalty Network for such a beautiful and thoughtful project!  

The Salisbury group publishes a report each month on the use of the penalty around the world. It does not include China as executions are a state secret. The country is believed to execute more of its citizens than the rest of the world put together.

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Uyghur solidarity month


Salisbury MP’s activity on this topic is poor

August 2026

It is often suggested we write to MPs on matters of concern and this can achieve something but too often it doesn’t. An MP receives a lot of messages from constituents most of which concern local matters. Indeed, it is a criticism of the system that much of their postbag are issues more properly the concern of local councillors. MPs feel obliged to engage in these matters however, because it is clearly the expectation of their constituents that they should.

Salisbury has two MPs, Mr Danny Kruger (Reform) who represents East Wiltshire which runs down to the northern part of the City, and Mr John Glen (Conservative) who represents the City itself and most of south Wiltshire. Their involvement in Chinese human rights issues is slight.

Mr Kruger asked the prime minister (then Sir Keir Starmer) the following question in February:

“The Prime Minister is very full of the abstract virtue of engaging with China and getting in the room with them. He used to say that Britain should not even sign a trade deal with China because of the persecution of the Uyghur people. Having now got into the room with the Chinese leader, can he tell the House a single thing that he achieved on behalf of the Uyghurs, or indeed on behalf of the security of this country?

“[Starmer] Yes. Engaging is really important for the security of this country. Just for clarity, we did not sign a trade deal on the visit; we simply looked at the ways in which we can open the opportunities for businesses. There were 60 big businesses with us on the visit, and they are absolutely clear about the advantages to them. I would much rather take their view on the advantages than the nonsense that is being spouted on the other side of this House”.

A good question receiving a complete non answer. The prime minister talks vaguely about engagement and then on to talk about the trade talks. He does not answer the Uyghur point at all. In the same session, Jim Shannon (DUP) also asks about, inter alia, the Uyghurs:

[…] what steps forward remain in terms of the Chinese treatment of Christians, Uyghur Muslims, Falun Gong and other religious minorities? Was the Prime Minister able to use diplomatic soft power to bring about the changes required to provide human rights protection, to stop religious persecution and to enable successful trade between the two nations?

“[Starmer] The hon. Gentleman is right to raise these really important issues. I raised them myself during the course of the visit, and I thank him”.

With what result we do not know. Danny Kruger asked again about the Uyghurs in March and a junior minister simply replied that “[the government] continues to engage with the Chinese on human rights and religious freedom”. The results do not look to be that impressive. At least it can be said that Mr. Kruger has tried to raise the matter.

There is one speech by Mr John Glen which mentions the Uyghurs in part of a long speech much of which was devoted to the treatment of Christians. A mention of Uyghurs is as follows:

“[…] It is not a binary question; it is not that we cannot talk about what is happening with the Uyghur Muslims in China while recognising that China is an important economic actor in the world that needs to be respected. We need to find ways of interacting well together and respecting, as far as we can, what common ground exists. It troubles me sometimes that when we have statements in the House, we revert to a binary: “It’s all good or it’s all the opposite.” The hon. Member for North Northumberland [David Smith, Labour] grasps the right way to approach this”.

The full speech can be accessed on the They Work for You website. It is not clear what ‘common ground’ exists with repression, torture and cultural genocide or where we could find it. On the subject of China generally, Mr Kruger has mentioned it 14 times and Mr Glen on no less than 41 occasions. We can conclude that the issue of persecution of Uyghurs is not high on either MP’s concerns. Both are Christians and seem more concerned about how they are treated rather than Muslims. According to They Work for You, Mr Glen ‘generally votes against laws to promote human rights’ and Mr Kruger ‘consistently votes against equality and human rights’.

Overall, both MPs do not seem to concern themselves with human rights issues. They are concerned about problems experienced by Christians and about political issues to do with China with little recognition of the plight of Uyghurs although Mr. Kruger has tried. We were unable to find anything relevant on their websites.

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Corruption and Arms Trade: The UK’s Enduring Dilemma


Will anything change in the government’s approach to weapons sales?

August 2026

We questioned the extent of help offered to arms companies in a previous post. The Farnborough show featured a range of such companies including Elbit Systems deeply implicated in the appalling death toll in Gaza. We noted the vast sums – around £3 trillion – of tax payers money underpinning the industry when they are not paid. We drew attention to the infamous ‘revolving door’ where senior military, civil service and government ministers sidle off into lucrative directorships or consultancies with arms firms when they retire using their contacts to secure yet more funding. A system so steeped in corruption it is amazing it is still allowed.

So we now have a new leader of the Labour party who was quick to say on July 9, that Labour “didn’t get it right” on Gaza. His video message also included a pledge to bar arms sales to Israel wherever weapons could be deployed in Gaza or the West Bank. Sounds good. So what happened?

The second time we saw our PM’s face on a video message discussing arms was a mere 11 days later. Beamed onto the big screen at Farnborough Air Show, he gleefully emboldened the arms industry, placing them as a core pillar of his ambition to ‘re-industrialise’ the nation by ‘working together with brilliant businesses, like those at Farnborough’ – Farnborough being an international arms fair hosting over 1,000 exhibitors, including the likes of BAE Systems, Lockheed Martin, Elbit Systems, Rafael, Israel Aerospace Industries and Boeing.

Shortly after, his Defence Secretary, Wes Streeting, took to the stage and announced a £708 million government contract with BAE. He remarked at ‘what an opportunity we have with this Prime Minister’ and ‘the enormous contribution that Defence [defense] can make to the Prime Minister’s vision for this country.”

It’s getting worse

Campaign Against the Arms Trade have analysed the current situation and if anything the situation is worse than previous administrations. A key element is Wes Streeting’s desire for speed in commissioning and delivering new systems. He is aware of the prolonged time scales, endless delays and cost overruns involved in arms procurement. He is against unnecessary red tape and bureaucracy. Part of that bureaucracy is assessing risk and potential damage to human rights for those at the end of the arms sales. Putting speed above these assessments carries obvious risks.

He is also keen on joint ventures which makes it difficult for the UK to extract itself from sales where weapons are used by regimes bent on oppression or killing people. The F35 is a classic example which is being used by Israel to bomb Gaza, Iran and Lebanon. We cannot ban components made in the UK (around 15%) because they go off to the States.

Streeting ended his speech with a glowing rhetorical flourish: ‘It is not yet clear whether the 21st century will be defined by tyranny or freedom. But we need not let others define the answer to that question…. We know which side we are on.’ As CAAT argues ‘others’ does rather leave the door open to alternative interpretations. Streeting and Burnham were both members of governments who have engaged the UK in Afghanistan, Iraq and Palestine involving the deaths of a million people. Iraq led to instability and the creation of ISIS; Afghanistan has left the country in the hands of the Taliban with its draconian controls of women and a flourishing heroin trade, and Palestine has seen the wasting of Gaza and the death of 20,000 children.

Have they learned nothing?

You would think that they might have learned a thing or two about violence. Yet here they are, lauding the firms who make the weapons and hell bent on making things worse. Over and over we have argued that making and selling weapons with their ability to create jobs is put above moral or human rights considerations. Claims of a ‘robust policy’ on sales is no longer credible. Does ‘re-industrialising’ the nation have to involve selling weapons to awful regimes? Is that really what Andy Burnham and his new team really want?

We are grateful to CAAT for use of some of their text. No AI has been used.

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Uyghur solidarity – a love story


A love story illustrates the tragedy of the Uyghur people

August 2026

This is a love story which appeared in today’s Guardian (5th August) which highlights the effects on innocent lives arising from the repression and cultural genocide being committed in Xinjiang by the Chinese. The relationship blossomed around a discovered novel entitled Leyighan Bulaq (The Muddy Spring) written by the Uyghur novelist Jalalidin Băhram. It is a book about the brutalities of the Cultural Revolution.

The boy who uncovered the book wanted to share it with a female friend which in a Moslem environment was difficult to do. He smuggled a copy of the book to her. He left to study abroad. She was unable to sit a university entrance exam as she wore a headscarf. She was unable to obtain a passport either which the Chinese are reluctant to permit Uyghurs to have. She eventually made it out and they married in Istanbul. No family members were present. Messages from abroad can result in punishment which meant they could not convey messages to their families back home including the sad death of their 2 year old daughter.

The story illustrates very well the effects on ordinary lives by the campaign of repression. How people cannot leave the area, how messages from abroad can result in punishment. How indignities are heaped on the people for wearing a scarf. Unspoken in the story is the use of CCTV cameras which control lives not just in Xinjiang but throughout China. They make ordinary contact and movement almost impossible.

A message …

“To all Amnesty activists and supporters,

Thank you for standing with the Uyghur people at a time when our language, culture, faith, and very identity are under systematic attack. The recent testimony of former Chinese police officer Zhang Yabo has once again confirmed what Uyghurs have long tried to tell the world: in today’s Uyghur homeland, almost anyone can become a target — writers, poets, musicians, artists, intellectuals, religious figures, and ordinary people simply trying to preserve who they are. Songs are banned, the Uyghur language is criminalised, faith is weaponised against believers, and even memory itself is treated as a threat.

Beyond the camps and prisons, the repression follows Uyghurs across borders through intimidation, surveillance, disinformation, and relentless transnational repression designed to silence us and isolate us from the world. Many Uyghurs are afraid even to speak publicly, fearing consequences for loved ones back home.

That is why your solidarity matters so deeply. Every voice raised, every campaign organised, every act of compassion tells Uyghurs that we have not been abandoned or forgotten. In the face of fear and erasure, solidarity becomes a form of protection, dignity, and hope.

Please continue to stand with us, support the work of Stop Uyghur Genocide, and help amplify Uyghur voices by following and sharing our work on social media. Your support truly makes a difference.

With heartfelt gratitude,

Rahima Mahmut
Executive Director
Stop Uyghur Genocide”

Responses

We are delighted to report that the response to our earlier posts on the Uyghur Solidarity Month have been good. Our post made top ranking on Startpage’s search engine today. Most pleasing is the number of views from China and Hong Kong which together were second and third in the rankings. Amnesty is banned in China so this is encouraging.

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Podcast Episode: Uyghur Solidarity And Advocacy


Short podcast of our last two posts on this campaign

Pip: August 2026, and a cultural genocide that’s largely dropped out of the news — which is exactly when a local Amnesty group decides to make some noise.

Mara: The Salisbury has been writing about Uyghur Solidarity Month, and that’s the territory we’re covering today — the scale of what’s happening in Xinjiang, and what people in Salisbury can actually do about it.

Pip: Let’s start with the oppression itself, and who’s trying to break through the silence.

Uyghur Solidarity Month: Oppression and the Fight for Awareness

Mara: The framing here is stark: this is described as “the largest campaign of cultural genocide in the modern era,” and Amnesty’s declaration of August as Uyghur Solidarity Month is a direct response to the crisis slipping from public view.

Pip: The post points to one outlet trying to hold that ground — Kashgar Times, founded in April 2025. Here’s how they describe their mission: “At Kashgar Times, our mission is to break through that silence. We aim to bridge the information gap. We provide a platform where Uyghur voices can be heard, and their stories told — free from propaganda.”

Mara: What that means in practice is that independent, on-the-ground reporting from Xinjiang is nearly impossible to obtain. China’s censorship has closed off the region to journalists and foreign observers entirely, so an outlet run by Uyghurs, for a global audience, is filling a gap that mainstream media simply cannot.

Pip: The scale is worth sitting with. Around a million individuals detained. Children separated from parents. Arbitrary detention, torture, forced labour, persecution on grounds of religion and ethnicity. And a proposed Chinese embassy in London — potentially the largest in Europe — raising fears about expanded surveillance of dissidents on British soil.

Mara: The second post, “Uyghur solidarity month,” pulls the crisis closer to home in a way that’s hard to dismiss. It includes a draft letter to local newspapers, drawing on findings from the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the 2021 Uyghur Tribunal, chaired by Sir Geoffrey Nice KC, which concluded the Chinese government had committed genocide.

Pip: And then there’s the wardrobe argument — which is either uncomfortable or very effective, depending on your tolerance for being implicated personally. A quarter of the world’s cotton comes from Xinjiang.

Mara: The post puts it directly: “You will have in your wardrobe, or be wearing, many items made of cotton. It is highly likely that some of them have been made with cotton from this region using virtual slave labour.” The ask is simple — write to your local paper.

Pip: Silence, as the post notes, makes it easier to ignore. And writing a letter is not nothing.

Mara: A genocide that’s fallen out of the news cycle, and a local group working to put it back — that’s the thread running through everything here.

Pip: More to come through the month, apparently. We’ll be watching.

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Uyghur solidarity month


Bringing the plight of Uyghurs to a wider audience

August 2026

We noted in our last post on the Uyghurs that their plight had slipped out of the news in the last year or so. With war in Iran and the closure of the Straight of Hormuz, and continuing conflict in the Middle East including Gaza, giving attention to a far off land where contact with its people is almost impossible is not altogether surprising.

But we need to do our best to bring people’s attention to what is going on there. We should always remember desperate governments do desperate things. The UK is up against it politically and economically. This leads it to pursue arrangements with overseas powers with highly dubious human rights records such as Saudi and UAE, to promote arms sales with almost any country while claiming to have a ‘robust policy’ not to, supporting Israel overtly and covertly despite its destruction of Gaza and mounting violence in the West Bank. Economic needs trump concerns about human rights. Jobs in the UK count for more than rights half way across the world.

Write a letter

We are asking that people write to their local newspaper to highlight the dreadful way the Chinese are treating these people. The campaign organisers have provided a sample letter which unfortunately exceeds the word limit of local papers. We have amended the letter which could be the basis of your own contribution:

I want to draw the attention to people in Salisbury of the dire human rights situation facing the Uyghur people in Xinxiang province, China.

the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights concluded there were credible allegations that the Chinese government had carried out arbitrary detention, torture, forced labour, family separation, and severe restrictions on religious and cultural freedoms on a vast scale on the Uyghur people. They stated that these violations may constitute crimes against humanity. In 2021, the independent Uyghur Tribunal, chaired by Sir Geoffrey Nice KC in London, concluded that the Chinese government had committed genocide against the Uyghurs through measures intended to prevent births, and had also committed crimes against humanity.

Despite these findings, the suffering of the Uyghur people continues while the world looks away. More than a million Uyghurs are reported to have been detained, and countless families have been torn apart. Survivors have described detention camps, torture, rape, forced labour, coercive birth-control measures, and the removal of children from their families. Behind every statistic are innocent individuals whose lives have been destroyed for ever.

This month, Amnesty International’s Uyghur Solidarity Month is trying to raise awareness of the continuing crisis but also to celebrate the rich culture, language, and heritage now under such severe threat.

Whether one views this issue through the lens of international law, freedom of religion, cultural preservation, or basic human dignity, the plight of the Uyghur people deserves continued public attention and informed discussion. Uyghur Solidarity Month reminds us that protecting a people’s culture is inseparable from protecting their human rights.

Public awareness alone will not end this crisis, but silence only makes it easier to ignore. We all have a responsibility to ensure that the voices of the Uyghur people continue to be heard.

[NAME]

Provide name and address.

You might be tempted to think that what has this to do with me? It’s sad that a people are being persecuted in a far off land but there are so many other problems nearer to hand, why there? But you are involved. You will have in your wardrobe, or be wearing, many items made of cotton. It is highly likely that some of them have been made with cotton from this region using virtual slave labour – the Uyghurs. A quarter of cotton comes from there. You may have bought these garments from a well known and reputable store in the high street or online. Despite their fine words and protestations about the integrity of their supply chains, they still use this cotton. So you are wearing the evidence. You are involved.

Please write.

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Death penalty debate: Florida


Webinar on the penalty hosted by Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty

August 2026

Florida is featuring in the news on this topic because of its record use of the penalty having passed Texas as the state who previously held this dubious honour. Its passion for executions is allegedly because the governor, Ron DeSantis, is a keen proponent of its use. He believes it is a deterrent and also helps victim’s families come to terms with their loss. It is also alleged that he is keen to show himself to be tough on crime as part of his wish to become president of the US. Recently, on July 28th,, there were two executions in one day a kind of grisly record. In a previous post on this topic we wondered if it should no longer be known as the ‘Sunshine State’ but the ‘Death State’.

On the justification for its use, De Santis is wrong on both counts. There is no correlation between violent crime and the death penalty. US states or other countries internationally who do not use it, do not have higher levels of violent crime. Victims of crime as a speaker of the seminar observed, want the crimes solved.

Brief history

The history of the penalty in the US was discussed and the decision by the US Supreme Court in 1972 to rule, in the case of Furman v. Georgia, that the penalty was arbitrary and inconsistent (as between different states) and in contravention of the 8th and 14th Amendments. In 1976, the same court allowed the resumption of the penalty in Florida, Georgia and Texas. Since 1976, 12 states have abolished its use they noted.

There has been a gradual reduction in its use the speakers noted. In 1978 there was 84% support according to a Gallup pole. This has dropped to 36% now. Some supported it because they thought it cheaper. Since many are on death rows for decades this is not supported by the facts. A study by the Death Penalty Information Center showed that the cost in California was around $4bn.

It was noted that the US was a member of a motley collection of states still actively using it: China, North Korea and Saudi Arabia (interestingly, none noted Iran, another colossal user). To be among them was not exactly a badge of pride. The US was unique in the Americas still to use it.

The fact remains that many Americans support its use. Mr DeSantis obviously feels that his actions in making the state the nation’s chief executioner will improve his chances in the presidential primaries improving his tough on crime credentials.

Readers might want to revisit an earlier post on how the penalty and court system works in the state.

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Uyghur Solidarity Month: A Call to Action


Oppression of the Uyghurs continues

August 2026

The oppression and cultural genocide of the Uyghurs continues and has largely dropped out of the news. Such news as there is concerns the desire for China to establish the largest embassy in London and possibly Europe which is still being considered. The fears, the very real fears, is that it will become an espionage hub and also enable the Chinese Communist Party to expand its intimidation of Chines ‘dissidents’ i.e. anyone who disagrees with the CCP. It will be an interesting test of the government’s wil to see if it agrees with this proposal.

Amnesty has declared this month to be Uyghur Solidarity Month and you can sign up using this link. The treatment of Uyghurs and Kazakhs is deplorable and consists of arbitrary detention, torture, forced cultural intimidation and persecution based on religion and ethnicity. Children are separated from their parents. Around 1 million individuals are involved. There is evidence of forced labour that Uyghurs are used to pick cotton which finds its way into clothes sold in high street stores in the UK. No journalists or foreign observers are allowed into the region.

It represents the largest campaign of cultural genocide in the modern era.

One beacon of light is the Kashgar Times which tries to bring news from the area. We include an extract from them below.

“Kashgar Times is an independent news media outlet dedicated to reporting on the Uyghur people and the injustices they face under the oppressive regime of the People’s Republic of China. Kashgar Times was founded on April 30, 2025, by prominent Uyghur advocate Arslan Hidayat and seasoned journalist Nuriman Abdureshid. The outlet aims to serve as a vital source of accurate, on-the-ground news from East Turkistan, also known as the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.

“The Uyghur people have long suffered under systemic oppression. They face cultural erasure and widespread human rights violations—amounting to genocide—by the Chinese government. Yet, despite the urgency of these issues, getting unfiltered news from this region is increasingly difficult. China’s strict censorship and crackdown on free journalism have silenced many voices.

“At Kashgar Times, our mission is to break through that silence. We aim to bridge the information gap. We provide a platform where Uyghur voices can be heard, and their stories told—free from propaganda.

“Kashgar Times fills an urgent gap in today’s media landscape. Our founders bring with them a wealth of experience and passion. Arslan has tirelessly advocated for Uyghur rights on international platforms. Nuriman has sharpened her journalistic skills while reporting for the Uyghur Service at Radio Free Asia. Together, they embody the spirit of resilience and commitment that Kashgar Times stands for.

“At Kashgar Times, we are dedicated to upholding the highest journalistic standards. We aim to present stories that highlight the struggles and triumphs of the Uyghur community, offering insights that are often overlooked or misrepresented in mainstream narratives and especially on Chinese state-run media. By sharing first hand accounts, investigative reports, and expert analyses, we hope to shed light on the reality of life in Chinese-occupied East Turkistan, pushing back against the extensive campaign of disinformation funded by the Chinese Communist Party.

“As a Uyghur-run media outlet, we are committed to reporting on Uyghurs, by Uyghurs, for a global audience. We believe in the power of storytelling to awaken empathy and understanding—allowing the world to grasp the gravity of the situation faced by the Uyghur people.

“We invite you to support our mission by subscribing to Kashgar Times. Your contributions will enable us to continue our crucial work and help us expand our reach and resources. Together, we can create a robust platform that not only informs readers but also amplifies the voices of those fighting for justice and preservation of our people.

“For U.S. Donors Zelle to “kashgartimes.news@gmail.com” (if you don’t use Zelle then donate via DonorBox)”

We hope to bring further posts through the month.

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AI used to create title. No AI used otherwise.

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Good attendance at latest vigil


Nearly 40 showing continued concern

July 2026

Vigil number 138 held this Saturday with just under 40 who came to support. It is amazing that people continue to come and although there are the diehards, new faces come each time. Recognition by passers-by was strong as many at 10 a minute at one stage and over 100 overall. We meet every Saturday in the market square by the Library at 5 pm. All are welcome.

The situation remains grim with 1,123 killed in Gaza since the October ‘cease fire’: cease fire seeming to mean slightly less killing than before. We have already noted the new prime minister, Andy Burnham’s apology for the shameful response by Sir Keir Starmer at the beginning of the conflict which did so much damage to the party and to his reputation. Aseel Baidoun, Deputy Director of Advocacy and Communications at Medical Aid for Palestinians, said:

“Prime Minister Burnham enters Downing Street with an opportunity to chart a new course on the UK’s response to Gaza and the occupied Palestinian territory. His acknowledgement that the last administration ‘got it wrong’ on Gaza is a welcome first step. It must now be followed by urgent action to uphold international law and protect Palestinian lives.

“[…] The new Government must match its words with action by suspending arms transfers to Israel, ending trade with illegal settlements, suspending the UK-Israel Trade and Partnership Agreement, and taking meaningful steps to ensure accountability for violations of international law.”

We noted in a recent post that the government is actively supporting arms sales with money, insurance and organisation at events such as Farnborough. The government has closed down its monitoring unit in the Foreign Office so will be even less aware of events on the ground.

Israel protest

One piece of good news is that Al Jazeera report that there have been demonstrations in Tel Aviv against settler violence which continues at pace. The UN’s OCHA reports that Fatalities linked to settler attacks in 2026 have already surpassed the total recorded during all of 2025, with 18 Palestinians killed as of 20 July compared with 17 throughout 2025.

About 90 Palestinians were displaced by demolitions and settler attacks during the reporting period, most following a large-scale demolition carried out by Israeli authorities in a Bedouin community in Qalqiliya governorate. Demolitions and settler attacks continued to affect Palestinian homes, water systems, schools and livelihood assets, further undermining access to essential services and community resilience.

We await to see if the new prime minister and new Foreign Secretary who replaces the largely ineffective Yvette Cooper, will bring changes to British policy concerning the region and our approach to the Israeli regime. No sign of the local MP, Mr John Glen who is a proud member of the Conservative Friends of Israel along with around 200 other MPs.

Sources include: UN, Lemkin Institute, Guardian, Al Jazeera, OCHA.

Photo courtesy of Peter Gloyns

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BBC ‘bias’ in Gaza conflict


Report reveals in detail how the BBC has misreported the conflict

July 2026

The BBC is widely trusted. It promotes itself as an independent media organisation dedicated to giving fair balanced news and comments about what is happening in the world. A report by the Centre for Media Monitoring analysed the BBC’s output on the Gaza conflict and found it to be anything but balanced. Indeed it concluded that the ‘BBC is systematically biased against Palestinians in Gaza war coverage‘. They echo conclusions by Peter Oborne in his book Complicit [OR Books, 2025] who was extremely critical of their reporting of the conflict.

Not that these conclusions are new. Tom Mills in his book The BBC: Myth of a Public Service [Verso, 2016] concluded that it has ‘always sided with the elite‘. Despite the constant accusations by right-wing media interests for its left-wing bias, in fact he argues ‘its journalism has overwhelmingly reflected the ideas and interests of elite groups‘.

Gaza coverage

CfMM analysed thousands of BBC pieces as part of its research and came up with 4 main conclusions:

  • Palestinian deaths are treated as less newsworthy. Despite there being 34 times more deaths among Palestinians, the BBC gave Israel deaths 33 times more coverage.
  • BBC used emotive terms 4 times more for Israeli victims, applied ‘massacre’ 18 times more to Israeli casualties, and used ‘murder’ 220 times for Israelis in contrast to once for Palestinians. We have noted that the word ‘hostage’ was applied (correctly) for those seized by Hamas after the October 7th massacre, but the word ‘prisoner’ is used for those seized by Israel and held without trial and tortured. Prisoner implies some kind of due process has taken place which it hasn’t.
  • BBC presenters shut down genocide claims in over 100 documented instances whilst making zero mention of Israeli leaders’ genocidal statements, including Netanyahu’s biblical Amalek reference. The moment an interviewee mentions the G word, a BBC person will immediately interrupt and say that there has been no conclusion to the claims despite the massive evidence to the contrary and blatant statements by Israeli politicians to that effect.
  • The BBC interviewed significantly fewer Palestinians than Israelis (1,085 v 2,350) on TV and radio, while BBC presenters shared the Israeli perspective 11 times more frequently than the Palestinian perspective (2,340 v 217). The interviews themselves are often weak and unchallenging.

The full report is available here.

Reasons

We can only speculate on the reasons for the bias. One is the myth of BBC independence. This much touted merit is not always true. The Board is appointed by Government ministers and the organisation is under constant funding threats. The Charter is up for renewal soon in 2028.

A second aspect is the charge of anti-Semitism. Anti-Semitism is of course to be condemned but it has become a cover for any and all criticism of Israel. When Amnesty and Human Rights Watch published their reports on Israel’s Apartheid policy for example, the immediate and knee-jerk response was the charge of anti-Semitism and anti-Israel. It has led the BBC we would argue to an approach of extreme caution and nervousness.

The policy of balance is also a factor. Balance does not always mean equal. This arose with debates about climate change. A scientist would be interviewed with facts and data followed by a denialist such as Lord Lawson. They received equal coverage even though Lawson was not a scientist and seldom had any evidence to support his views. Viewers were left confused. Scientists gradually refused to be interviewed. The BBC has now stopped doing this (after many protests) although it should be stressed scientists are not always right and should be challenged: but challenged by someone competent.

The tragedy is that there are many Jewish people in the UK who are concerned about the extreme violence and genocide taking place in Gaza and the increasing tide of violence against Palestinians living on the West Bank. On a recent Any Answers programme, two Jewish men phoned in with their views. They did not fit the narrative as expected and the presenter was audibly disconcerted and tried vainly to counter their views. The grim future of Israel is discussed in the Jewish academic Omar Bartov’s book Israel: What Went Wrong? [Fern Press, 2026].

Does it matter?

It matters because the BBC is a trusted source much needed in these days of mis- and disinformation and torrid material being produced by X and other online outlets. Generally, they perform well despite attempts at coercion and control. One has only to spend 10 minutes watching GBNews to witness what low standards mean.

It matters because they have a role in shaping public opinion. People were rightly angry at the seizing of hostages by Hamas and the frequent bulletins about the negotiations to secure their release increased that anger. The almost complete absence of reporting by the BBC of the seizure by Israel of medical staff and their incarceration, torture and sometimes death in an underground prison weakens their claims to be impartial.

It matters because this public opinion shapes political opinion and policies. The almost total failure by the BBC to report the hundreds of RAF overflights for example means a large chunk of British society is unaware of this help and other more covert help by our government for the regime. It means the government can continue selling arms with impunity thus playing a part in increasing the destruction of Gaza. It means the incarceration of those who support the Palestinian cause is made that bit easier because they have been labelled the ‘bad guys’. It means politicians like David Lammy can make provably misleading statements about reducing arms sales without being challenged. [David Lammy left government as this post was being written].

It matters because the distortion of language: for example selective use of words like ‘massacre’ and ‘hostage’ as we have noted above, means trust in the BBC is eroded.

The BBC fails to mention when interviewing various members of parliament, whether they are members of one or other of the Friends of Israel groups nor asks how much they have received for visits to the country. It does not ask them leaving the viewer or listener left in the dark. [To be fair, neither does the BBC nor other broadcasters ask interviewees if they are a member of one or other of the think tanks with their undeclared funding].

The organisation needs to shake off its fear of being called anti-Semitic and provide proper and balanced reports.

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The vigils continue


Vigil number 137 held on July 18th

We continue to hold vigils in Salisbury’s market place on Saturday evening. Last Saturday was the 137th such event. Thinly attended this time but we were briefly joined by 26 Brazilian students which was a delight.

We continue because the situation in the Middle East gets no better. We await how the new prime minister handles the situation in Gaza but he has already apologised for the party’s response and approach to the conflict which was very damaging. Sir Keir Starmer was so desperate to lay the ghost of ‘anti-Semitism’ that his response to Israel’s violence and destruction of the territory was distorted. Now David Lammy has made statements about the mistaken approach but it has to be noted that there was little sign of this up till now. He did not feel the need to resign.

Dr Hussan Abu Safiya

The UN said in a report last month:

“The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel expresses its grave concern at credible reports that Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, a Palestinian doctor and Director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in the Gaza Strip, has been subjected to continued and severe abuse since his detention by the Israeli authorities in December 2024.

“The Commission calls for the immediate, unconditional and safe release of Dr. Abu Safiya and of all medical personnel held in arbitrary detention by Israel. It also urges the Israeli authorities to provide immediate independent medical care for Dr. Abu Safiya.

“The continued arbitrary detention of Palestinian medical personnel and the severe mistreatment they are subjected to are deplorable and flagrant violations of international law. The actions of the Israeli Prison Service guards towards Palestinian detainees raise grave concerns of violations of international law that likely amount to international crimes. Dr. Abu Safiya’s medical condition is the direct result of these actions. The Commission underscores that persons deprived of liberty are protected against murder, torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment and sexual violence”.

He is held in an underground prison.

Israeli forces now occupy 65% of the Gaza strip in contravention of Trump’s peace plan. The number of Palestinians killed is 73,770 of whom 20,000 or more are children. The total is likely to be much higher with thousands buried and unaccounted for under rubble. 1,144 have been killed since the ceasefire in October.

Sources: Guardian, BBC, Al Jazeera, Copilot Search, UN,

Image courtesy Peter Gloyns

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Britain’s support for the arms trade


The UK hosts a major international arms fair

July 2026

UPDATE: Journalists attending the Fair from Declassified and Byline Times faced threats from the personnel on the Elbit Stand and other Israeli weapons stands. We are grateful for Salisbury Concern for Israel Palestine for bringing this link to our attention.

The UK is an enthusiastic supporter of the arms trade, organising a fair at Farnborough ever other year in Hampshire. A thousand firms will attend and the ‘strategic sponsor’ is Barclays. It is curious to note in passing that the bank was founded by two Quakers and their early history was supporting Quaker businesses in the New World. Now they are supporting weapons firms. One of their values is ‘[being] passionate about leaving things better than we found them‘. One wonders what someone who has had a weapon dropped on them or a limb blown off feels about this value?

The firms themselves supply weapons to a range of conflicts around the world including the genocide in Gaza, Yemen, Lebanon and Syria. Some of UK weapons find their way to Sudan via the UAE one of our largest customers. Our old friends Elbit Systems are in evidence as well as Rafael, Israel’s largest missile maker.

Government support

The fair depends crucially on British government support which includes a dedicated arms sales unit in government, organisation of the fair, providing insurance cover in case firms do not get paid and finally, ready access to ministers and civil servants through what is called the ‘revolving door’. This is the highly dubious process by which ex ministers, former civil servants and ex military officers secure lucrative consultancy work or directorships with the firms to help lobby for their activities.

The insurance is provided by Exports Credit Guarantees and the amount may surprise readers. A total of 20 countries have defaulted on payments: some you might expect like Iraq, Cuba and Serbia because of conflicts, but others include Pakistan, Egypt and Argentina. The total is just under £3 trillion which is added to the national debt. It is worth pondering this for a moment because one of the hotly disputed political debates at present is over the welfare bill and some politicians and pundits are arguing for it to be cut to enable tax cuts. The quite staggering level of funding support for arms companies is never mentioned by these same politicians. Three trillion is £3,000,000,000,000. This figure may be an underestimate because the report makes clear some data has been lost.

Establishing facts difficult

Discovering quite what is being exported is not easy. The government likes to claim it has a robust arms sales policy but the facts seem to suggest otherwise. One has only to look at the countries to which we sell to see that ‘robust’ is not a word one would use. It issues what are called Standard Individual Export Licences [SIEL] of which there were 10,400 in 2025. The problem is approximately half of sales are under ‘open license’ making the reporting unreliable.

Ministers cannot always be trusted. David Lammy MP said in parliament that sales to Israel were being reduced once the destruction of Gaza became too great to ignore. Later analysis of Israel’s import data showed sales by the UK had in fact increased.

When we speak of arms sales, the photographs often show fighter jets, missile systems and other items of large scale military kit. We must not overlook that it is the millions of small weapons such as rifles, machine guns, grenades and so forth which cause so much damage to ordinary people. It is these weapons which kill and maim especially women and children.

Our continued support for the likes of Elbit Systems who make the drones which have killed many and made the lives of the people of Gaza such a misery, is shaming. Huge efforts have been made to stamp down on protests and hundreds of protestors have been arrested and gaoled.

There will be much glad-handing at Farnborough and no doubt a minister will speak about the contribution to our economy and jobs created. But we cannot escape the plain fact that this is an industry who’s products are designed to kill people. It could be argued that we need to defend ourselves and our partners in NATO for example. While that may be true, firms are busy supplying weapons to unstable, undemocratic and often brutal regimes who are using them to inflict misery on millions of people. Few questions are asked and the notion of a ‘robust regime’ is for the birds. The revolving door is alive and well – a process so steeped in corruption it is astonishing it has survived so long.

Sources: CAAT, SIPRI (Sweden), MoD, Barclays Bank, Salisbury CND

Picture: Dorset Eye

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Podcasts


New feature on this site

June 2026

A new feature on the site which will appear from time to time, is podcasts. The first is below. Note they are produced by AI but from texts written and researched by us not using any AI. It is an amalgamation of more than one text post. Feedback is welcome. We hope you enjoy listening! If you are not used to these, click on the heading and you will see a sound bar with the text displayed below it.

Podcast Episode: Prisons, Punishment, And Survival

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Podcast Episode: Rights Trade And Sustainability


Pip: Amnesty Salisbury keeps showing up — in the rain, at the park, in the footnotes of trade agreements nobody else is reading.

Mara: That's the thread running through welland2's recent posts: rights under pressure, from ECHR reforms to death row to a sustainability fair in a local park. Let's start with where the pressure is heaviest — the slow dismantling of civil liberties.

Rights eroding in plain sight

Pip: The headline concern here is a pattern, not a single event — each new policy framed as a border measure or a public-order fix, but adding up to something larger when you step back.

Mara: The post "Steady Erosion of Rights Continues" puts it directly: "It is not even true to say 'by stealth' as it is done in plain sight."

Pip: That's the part that should unsettle people. The argument isn't that rights are being quietly stolen — it's that they're being removed openly, and we've stopped noticing.

Mara: The context is the ECHR declaration giving European governments more power to deport migrants, even where there's a risk of mistreatment on return. Yvette Cooper called it permission for countries to "take action on illegal immigration." Amnesty International's response was that it risks creating a "hierarchy of people" — those protected under Article 3 against torture, and those who are not.

Pip: And the post notes that the UK sells arms to countries that practice torture while turning away people fleeing it. That tension doesn't get much airtime.

Mara: The post also flags the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 and the Public Order Act 2023 as part of the same drift — limits on protest, expanding police powers, and now pressure on jury trials. Local MPs John Glen and Danny Kruger are recorded by They Work for You as voting against equality and human rights legislation.

Mara: Then there's the vigil — post number 128, held in the rain, documented in "A Damp Vigil." Around twenty people attended. Omer Bartov's book is quoted there, asking how Israel, founded the same year as the genocide convention, now conducts what he calls a genocidal undertaking with near-total impunity.

Pip: And the minutes and newsletter post pulls these threads together — immigration, the death penalty, the state of rights in the UK — for anyone who wants the fuller picture.

Mara: The Oklahoma piece is the counterweight. Richard Glossip, after twenty-seven years on death row and three last meals, walked out of jail after a judge ordered his release ahead of retrial. The prosecution had withheld evidence about its key witness's mental health. As the post puts it: had he been executed on any of those three occasions, it could not be undone.

Pip: The good news from Oklahoma is real. It's just that it took nearly three decades to arrive. On to the trade deal that skipped the values entirely.

A trade deal without the values

Pip: The Gulf States agreement is being sold as a win for British business — but the post "Government Signs Trade Deal" asks what got left out of the small print.

Mara: Sir Keir told his biographer "There is no version of my life that does not largely revolve around me being a human rights lawyer." The post's response is pointed: being a lawyer is not the same as having principles and acting on them.

Pip: The TUC called it a "values free agreement." The UAE's record — the kafala system tying workers to single employers, mass trials, solitary confinement, allegations of arming Sudan's RSF — none of it made it into the text.

Mara: Which sets up exactly what the Salisbury group was raising at the park.

Sustainability is also about the clothes you wear

Pip: "People in the Park" is the annual Salisbury Transition City event — seventy-five exhibitors, sustainability focus — and the local Amnesty group brought a different angle to it.

Mara: The post describes the group highlighting Amnesty International's report "Stitched Up," which details abuses in the global jeans industry: "health hazards, physical and sexual abuse of the mainly female workforce, wage theft and the denial of union and collective bargaining rights."

Pip: The response was muted. The post's honest read is that people associate sustainability with the environment, not with the supply chain behind a pair of jeans.

Mara: Around a quarter of the cotton comes from Xinjiang, where forced labour is documented and the region is closed to outside observers. The post's conclusion: retailers can claim humanitarian credentials on their websites while the exploitation continues.

Pip: Rights in the courtroom, rights at the border, rights in the fabric of your jeans — it's the same argument in different registers.

Mara: And the vigil keeps going. Next episode, we'll see what else is accumulating.

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Review of 2025


… and things do not look much better for 2026

December 2025

We have published 192 posts so far this year on a wide variety of subjects concerned with human rights. A key feature of the year has been the continuation of our vigils. We have held over 109 since the current conflict started and although there is some kind of cessation of hostilities, peaceful reconciliation between Israel and the Palestinians seems a far away dream. Some food aid is getting in but Israel has seized almost all the cultivable land leaving those in Gaza hemmed into an even smaller part of their territory. We have commented on the poor reporting of events there and the unsatisfactory nature of so many interviews.

Arms sales

A feature of this conflict and other conflicts around the world is the role of the arms trade. It appears that this trade seems to determine British policy: truly the tail wagging the dog. The government frequently trots out that it has a ‘robust policy’ whilst granting licences – and in particular open licenses – to almost all who come. The effects on people at the receiving end of these weapons sales does not seem to worry the Foreign Office or government ministers. Recent government’s policies have focused on growth and if growth means selling arms to Israel and to the UAE so be it. There is considerable evidence that the latter are supplying the RSF in Sudan who are alleged to commit many atrocities.

At the height of the Yemen war we highlighted the role of British arms firms and their weapons sales to the Saudis. RAF personnel were involved just short of being labelled ‘mercenaries’.

Sport

Sport has featured in several of our posts and the ever increasing use by states with abysmal human rights records to use sport to burnish their images. Virtually all sports are involved, but especially football, boxing, motor sport, golf, tennis and cycling. The driver is money. China and the Gulf states are among those with almost unlimited resources to pour into sporting events with seemingly no difficulty in attracting sportsmen and women to compete in their countries with no moral qualms. They also invest in our football clubs again with no concerns about how tainted the money is.

It has become so part of the furniture now that it engenders little comment. Whereas some years ago a nation which executes significant numbers of its citizens – often after confessions extracted under torture – which imprisons or ‘disappears’ human rights defenders and journalists and treats its women as second class citizens denying them many rights, would raise eyebrows when seeking to sponsor or host a sporting event. Not today.

Refugees

And it is not just sport where issues of human rights have seemed to take a back seat. People entering this country by various means have generated a massive amount of political controversy here in the UK. It is probably true to say that immigration in one form or another is one of the dominant political forces at work. It is deciding elections. A number of politicians are using the ‘crisis’ to their political advantage (they hope). Egged on by sections of our media, they have created the impression that there is a crisis particularly around the numbers arriving in small boats across the Channel. Any concern for those in the boats and why they are risking their lives to get here does not seem to feature. The impression is sometimes created that if we could deport the migrants (however defined) our problems would be over. The connection between our arms sales and the instability of the countries they have fled from does not seem to enter their thinking.

The contribution by immigrants (again however defined) is scarcely recognised. That large sections of our economy (horticulture and the food industry for example), the health service, hospitality and transport, would cease to function without them seldom seems to enter the consciousness of our senior politicians. We have commented on the strange fact that many of our senior politicians, including Rishi Sunak, Suella Braverman, Priti Patel, Shabana Mahmood, Kwasi Kwarteng and Danny Kruger are all descended from recent immigrants but are among the most aggressive about deporting those coming after them. We can offer no explanation.

Rights at home

Which brings us to another theme concerning the government and its own attachment to UK human rights. It was once hoped that the arrival of Sir Keir Starmer – an ex human rights lawyer and past Director of Public Prosecutions – would see an improvement in the human rights climate. Sadly, it has not come to pass. Laws against protests introduced by the Conservatives to clamp down on protestors, have not been modified or repealed and have even been added to. A more humane policy towards immigrants and refugees has not happened. Arrests have continued and as this is being written, those arrested on pro-Palestine marches are close to death on hunger strike. His continuing support for Israel has been shaming. He has issued critical comments but they have not been backed up by action, cutting arms supplies for example. No believable explanation for the hundreds of RAF flights over Gaza has been forthcoming. His most disgraceful comment that ‘Israel was right to withhold power and water from Gaza’ was widely condemned.

This year we have introduced a new regular feature reviewing the human right situation in the UK itself. This is probably something we would never have contemplated doing say, twenty years ago but a combination of poor leadership, aggressive home secretaries and many MPs with little interest in protecting human rights, has led to this move. Both Danny Kruger (MP for East Wiltshire) and John Glen (MP for Salisbury) are listed on They Work For You as generally voting against human rights is another factor. Mr Glen, who is listed as a member of the well-funded lobby group Conservative Friends of Israel has never once visited the Saturday peace vigil nor mentioned it in his weekly column in the Salisbury Journal.

Ukraine, Sudan, China, Palestine …

The world situation does not seem to get any better. The situation in Ukraine is critical and not just for the Ukrainians. We have one member of the Security Council, Russia gratuitously attacking an independent nation while another member, the US seems indifferent to their plight. The warm greeting by President Trump of President Putin on the tarmac in Alaska must be one of the more grizzly images of the past year. European nations have become almost powerless, in part because of their collective failure to invest in defence (defense) but also because they have become kind of vassal states to the US.

We must not forget that human rights in Russia are poor. There is no opposition and a leader who was a threat to Putin, Navalny, was probably murdered in Siberia. Others have been arrested or murdered along with many journalists. Children have been abducted from Ukraine. Ukrainian prisoners have been tortured.

We could devote a whole page to China. A million Uyghurs are persecuted and are forced to work while their culture is systematically destroyed by the Communist Party. Some call it genocide. Tibet has had a similar treatment and its culture largely eliminated. They are believed to execute more of its citizens than all the rest of the world combined. Freedom has been snuffed out in Hong Kong. Chinese nationals are intimidated overseas.

The future

The future is unpromising. The ‘New World Order’ created after the war is well and truly dead. Powerful interests act at will. Despotic leaders act in their own interests not in the interests of ordinary people. Europe is too feeble to act. It looks as though things will continue as they are. There is no hint that the current conflicts will end equitably but based on the whims of a handful of profoundly flawed men.

A large number of MPs of all parties are members of the Friends of Israel group and many also receive money from them. How can they be expected to act honestly, with integrity and in the best interests of the country (to be clear, the UK whose residents voted them in not a foreign state) if they are members of a powerful and well funded lobby group? Arms companies continue to sell their wares with few controls so desperate is the government for growth. The BBC has been cowed into silence on important topics.

In June of last year, the Institute for Government, recognising the serious loss of trust in the government, published its 7 steps to restore trust. One was the publication of an independent ministerial code. Another was to ensure lobbying was built on a clear coherent and transparent system. It has not happened. There is no rigorous or proper system of controlling the ‘revolving door’ which is a passport for corruption by ministers, ex-civil servants and military people retiring into lucrative appointments with arms companies.

Hope

The weekly vigils and the many hundreds of protests around the country for an end to the killing and genocide in Gaza is a heartening sign. It shows a significant number of people who care about what is happening, care that is not reflected by the government nor by chunks of the media. Despite their numbers, reporting is thin with a media all too keen gleefully to report flag waving disturbances outside hotels or army camps. If hope is to be found it lies with ordinary people who simply say ‘this isn’t right, this is not what I believe in’. Rutger Bregman in his Reith Lectures (2025) argues just this: that small committed groups can make a difference. However, whether they can achieve this at the international level is debatable. We can cite climate which will be having harmful effects on more and more of the world’s population and where progress if anything is going backwards.

We shall continue to campaign and we always welcome new members to the team.

Best wishes for the New Year to our small band of readers!

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25th Anniversary of HRA


Today marks the 25th Anniversary of the Human Rights Act

October 2025

Twenty five years ago this act was signed and ended the need to go to Strasbourg to get justice. It fundamentally changed the law by giving fundamental rights to citizens. It is currently under threat and it, and the European Convention which predates it, are disliked by many of the political and media class. In the next post we shall discuss this in more detail.

But today (2nd) we celebrate.

Recent posts:

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We are 50!


The Salisbury group is 50 this year

September 2024

NOTE FOR YOUR DIARY

And we want to celebrate it with a photo. We were formed not too long after Amnesty International itself was created and we are, sadly, the last group left in Wiltshire.

We shall be assembling at 2:30 near the Guildhall in the market square tomorrow, October 3rd for a group photo. It should only take 30 minutes or so and we are inviting all members and supporters who can make it, to come and join in.

In some ways it is sad that we still need to exist. The hope after the Second World War and the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948 was high. People believed human rights would become the norm in societies around the world. It hasn’t turned out that way. Atrocities still continue in Africa, the Uyghurs are still persecuted in China, war rages in Ukraine, bombing continues in Gaza and human rights violations continue around the world in Syria, Iran, Burma and Saudi Arabia.

One of our continuing campaigns is the ending of the death penalty around the world (see our reports on this site). You will also see from our site and elsewhere that the UK is a major supplier of arms to states which are engaged in abusing their citizens. This has been a vexed issue at present concerning arms to Israel. It is an irony of the post war world that the UN Security Council is comprised of the world’s major arms suppliers. So there is still a need for human rights work.

Come and join us on 3rd!

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Salisbury Group at 50!


Group is 50 this year!

February 2024

The Salisbury group was established in 1974 and has been going strong for 50 years. It took us a bit by surprise today when we realised this so we haven’t thought of any celebrations yet. But as the last active group in Wiltshire we can allow ourselves a bit of pride that we are still here and still trying to promote the human rights cause in the county.

It probably seems a little different today from 50 years ago. Human rights then were regarded as a good thing and support was largely unquestioning. The war was a living memory for many and a desire never to see a repeat of the death and destruction of the war and the horrors of the Holocaust was deeply felt. 

A long time has passed however and today, we see successive Conservative governments seeking to end or curtail the Human Rights Act. Laws have been passed making protest more difficult and the police have been given more powers to arrest those protesting. 

Much of the media keeps up a steady campaign denigrating human rights and suggesting they are a means for terrorists and serious criminals to escape justice because their ‘rights’ have been infringed. We are made less safe they claim because of the act rather than the precise opposite. The benefits the act has brought are seldom mentioned. The success of the Hillsborough families in overturning the various coroner and court decisions and the false narrative put out by the police was a major example. 

Some sections of the media do not like the act since it provides some protection from press intrusion and this has led them to carry on a relentless campaign often supported by exaggerated stories.

In the past few years the issue of immigration has come to the fore and immigrants crossing the Channel by boat has become a political hot potato. The government is seeking to send some immigrants to Rwanda in an attempt to discourage smugglers from sending them over from France. There has always been hostility to immigrants as each wave has come over, the Jews from Russia for example at the beginning of the last century. 

But the notion that we would become more sympathetic and welcoming has not worked out. The question therefore is how embedded are human rights norms and beliefs in our society? The occasional desire for a return of the death penalty, hostility to refugees as just mentioned and evidence of the UK government’s involvement in torture, clampdowns on protest suggest that human rights and human dignity is only shakily rooted in our society.

So although the group is 50 this year, our work is not done!

If you live in the South Wilshire area, we would welcome you joining us. Follow this site for details of what we are doing.

Grammar amendment April 2026

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