Posts Tagged ‘museum’

Amnesty International opens Virtual Museum exploring six decades of human rights activism

September 6, 2026

On 3 September 2026 Amnesty International presented ‘Stories That Resist‘, its first Virtual Museum—an immersive 360° experience that allows visitors to explore 65 years of campaigning, research and collective action in defence of human rights around the world. Developed in the Americas, the initiative aims to introduce the movement’s history to new audiences and inspire more people and future generations to join the defense of human rights. More than a digital archive, Stories That Resist is a space for memory, education and participation that demonstrates what can be achieved when thousands of people organize and act in the face of injustice.

The museum is available in English, Spanish and Portuguese, includes accessibility features for all visitors and can be explored free of charge from anywhere in the world.

Across five thematic galleries, visitors can explore more than 50 historical items, including emblematic objects from Amnesty International’s archives, campaigns that defined generations, photographs, videos, awards and testimonies from people who chose to act in the face of injustice.

The history of Amnesty International is made up of people who refused to remain indifferent. This museum allows us to honour their courage, preserve the memory of our struggles and remind ourselves that every action, however small it may seem, can help transform a life,” said Ana Piquer, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for the Americas.

The museum offers visitors a closer look at some of the most significant moments and honours in Amnesty International’s history, including the story of the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to the organization in 1977 for its contribution to the defence of human rights. It also features individuals and movements honoured with the Ambassador of Conscience Award, Amnesty International’s highest distinction, presented to those who have confronted injustice and used their voices and actions to inspire millions of people. Recipients include Nelson Mandela, Malala Yousafzai, Ai Weiwei, Alicia Keys, Greta Thunberg and the Fridays for Future movement. SEE ALSO: https://trueheroesfilms.com/equip/digest/?sort=most

“Every campaign, every investigation, every object and every person who chose to act is part of this history. Today, that legacy has a new space where it can continue to inspire,” said Ana Piquer, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for the Americas.

Explore Amnesty International’s Virtual Museum, Stories That Resist**:** https://www.museoamnistiainternacional.org/

https://www.museoamnistiainternacional.org

The unholy wisdom of invoking sovereignty

July 6, 2020

When writing about human rights defenders one comes regularly across invocations of “sovereignty”. Erdogan now uses the hyperbole for Hagia Sophia.

A recent example was India’s reaction to the UN High Commissioner’s amicus curiae brief [https://humanrightsdefenders.blog/2020/03/05/indias-overblown-notion-of-sovereignty-no-to-un-advice-for-supreme-court/] and a recurring one is China [https://humanrightsdefenders.blog/2012/12/06/china-and-its-amazing-sensitivity-on-human-rights-defenders/]. The USA feels also strongly: https://humanrightsdefenders.blog/2020/06/12/trump-issues-new-sanctions-on-the-icc-and-human-rights-defenders/.

On 4 July 2020 Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan – a fervent nationalist – rejected criticism over his willingness to convert Istanbul’s famed Hagia Sophia landmark into a mosque despite international and domestic concern. “Charges against our country over Hagia Sophia are a direct attack on our right to sovereignty,” Erdogan said. (Interestingly the same day an Istanbul court convicted human rights defenders [https://humanrightsdefenders.blog/2020/07/06/istanbul-court-jails-four-human-rights-defenders-on-terror-charges-seven-acquitted/]). 

We will never resort to seeking your permission or your consent,” he said last month in a retort to warnings from other countries on the Hagia Sophia. “Do you rule Turkey, or do we?”

Turkey’s top court is considering whether the museum can be redesignated as a mosque. Many scholars (not just Greek) think this is a terrible idea: https://greekcitytimes.com/2020/07/06/more-than-300-scholars-across-the-world-appeal-to-turkey-not-to-convert-hagia-sophia-into-a-mosque/.

Moreover, in order to change its status, a decision will have to be made by the Unesco intergovernmental committee. The Art Newspaper understands that the date of Unesco’s next committee meeting has not been set. Unesco declined to comment further regarding the Turkish government’s plans but Ernesto Ottone Ramirez, Unesco’s assistant director for culture, told Greek press last month that “before any decision can be taken to change the status of a Cultural Heritage Monument, such as Hagia Sophia, a decision of the relevant Unesco intergovernmental committee is required”. He added that Unesco had written to Turkish authorities in June outlining its concerns but had not yet received a reply.

https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/international/europe/1593782667-erdogan-interference-over-hagia-sophia-direct-attack-on-our-sovereignty

https://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/turkish-government-on-collision-course-with-unesco-over-hagia-sophia-mosque-initiative

A White Elephant or a quintessentially Canadian museum ?

October 1, 2013
Canadian Museum of Human Rights in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

(Canadian Museum of Human Rights in Winnipeg, Manitoba)

The new Canadian Museum of Human Rights that is to open in 2014 in Winnipeg Manitobo, Canada, has been in the making for 10 years, but has been plagued by controversy and disagreement, as shown in the exchange of letters in the National Post of 30 September. Read the rest of this entry »