Fifteen years of standing up for freedom

Every year for the past decade and a half, Amnesty international have headed to the largest arts festival in the world to promote freedom of speech. Placing injustice in the global spotlight, Amnesty have delivered a string of good news over recent years, the most recent of which came just this month. With the festival fast approaching Amnesty's 2012 target, the Burmese junta, finally bowed to pressure and released Khun Kawrio, a Burmese political activist jailed and tortured for criticising the authorities. As Amnesty select a new campaign for this year, choosing from a woefully long list of individuals denied freedom of speech, we look back at some past successes.

Release the UAE five

In April 2011, blogger and political commentator Ahmed Mansoor, 42, lecturer Nasser bin Ghaith, 41, and online activists Fahad Salim Dalk, 39, Ahmed Abdul Khaleq, 34, and Hassan Ali al-Khamis, 39, were jailed in the United Arab Emirates. Arguing for democracy and criticising the government, the "UAE five" as they came to be known were charged under article 176 of the UAE penal code which makes it illegal to publicly insult the country's top officials. After a high profile campaign, including Amnesty's efforts at the Edinburgh Festival, the men were finally released in November 2011.

Free Zarganar

At the beginning of this year, a Burmese comedian namaed Zarganar performed at Amnesty's Secret Policeman's Ball. The comedian, however, wasn't there to tell jokes but to thank Amnesty for their work their work in securing his release and for supporting freedom of expression in his country. Only a few months earlier, Zarganar had been released from a Burmese jail after serving part of a 35 year sentence for "causing public alarm" – in other words for criticising the regime. Since then, Zarganar has worked with Amnesty to secure the successful release of Khun Kawrio.

Free Dr Binayak Sen

In 2009, Amnesty leant its weight behind the campaign to force the release of Dr Binayak Sen. A public health expert and activist, Dr Sen was imprisoned without charge under the Indian state of Chhattisgarh's stringent security laws after meeting with the imprisoned leader of a Maoist organisation – a meeting facilitated by state authorities. International observers criticised the politically motivated incarceration of the doctor, whose human rights campaigning had led him into frequent clashes with the state government. Though granted bail in 2009 following international pressure, Dr Sen's harassment by the state authorities has yet to fully cease.

Find out about amnesty’s ed programme this year at www.amnesty.org.uk/edfest, or this year's campaign at www.amnesty.org.uk/burma