Dear PTHRF Supporter,

Greetings and thanks for your solidarity in 2004. Over the last 12 months I have worked on a wide range of human rights issues. Here are a few of the highlights:

Stop Murder Music

Hailed as the Gay Times ?Campaign of the Year 2004', Stop Murder Music (SMM) challenged the eight reggae singers who advocate the murder of lesbians and gays. It was part of a broader campaign against homophobic violence and anti-gay discrimination in Jamaica .

Jamaican activists and OutRage! had lobbied the Jamaican government for 10 years That strategy did not work. I calculated that targeting the manifestations of violent homophobia in popular culture could be a way of bringing gay-bashing attacks in Jamaica to public attention and pressing the Jamaican music industry and government to change. Hence the strategy of financial pressure, through concert cancellations ? a strategy endorsed by the Jamaican gay rights group J-Flag.

Beginning with OutRage! in London , the SMM campaign mobilised 150 local groups in 40 cities in 12 countries; including the Black Gay Men's Advisory Group in the UK . Our campaign secured the cancellation of dozens of concerts in the UK , Europe and the US . Lobbying the Home Office resulted in some murder music stars being refused entry into the UK .

Overall, the five-month campaign generated around 5000 newspaper stories worldwide, raising international awareness of murder music and gay human rights abuses in Jamaica. SMM prompted the biggest ever debate on gay issues in Jamaica, throughout the Caribbean and in the UK black communities ? helping to kick start the process of changing hearts and minds. Clothing giant Puma and six of the biggest sponsors of Jamaican music responded by announcing they would no longer fund artists who promote violence. The financial losses caused to the reggae industry by the SMM campaign (around £5 million) eventually pressured record companies and promoters to come to an agreement to end the release of songs advocating homophobic violence.

In parallel with this campaign against the singers, and acting in concert with gay and human rights groups inside Jamaica , SMM met with Jamaican government representatives. We urged the repeal of the anti-sodomy law, or at least a moratorium on prosecutions. Another proposal was comprehensive hate crimes legislation to protect all Jamaicans, including gay people; and police training in human rights to stamp out police brutality against gays - and everyone else. These proposals are currently under consideration by the Jamaican government.

I am pleased to say there is now broad support for gay law reform from human rights groups within Jamaica , including Jamaicans for Justice, Families Against State Terrorism and the Independent Jamaica Council for Human Rights. I am honoured to be able to show solidarity with their courageous demands for an end to homophobic discrimination and violence.

Asylum campaign

My campaign, in partnership with OutRage!, is geared to highlighting the illogical and unjust nature of the asylum system. Many refugees are highly qualified with valuable skills. But they are not allowed to work (and pay tax). Instead they cost the taxpayer. Forced to depend on meagre state handouts, they live in semi-destitution. Lots of genuine refugees are being turned away, sometimes with tragic consequences. Gay Iranian Israfil Shiri burned himself alive rather than be deported back to Iran where he would have faced execution by stoning.

As well as assisting individual Jamaican, Algerian and Zimbabwean asylum seekers, I am working with the former Home Office Minister, Barbara Roche MP, to expose the Home Office's inaccurate country information reports, which prompt many asylum refusals. I am also pressing the Home Office to introduce sexuality awareness training for asylum appeal adjudicators (they don't have any and it shows in their frequently bigoted rulings), and for new guidelines on how adjudicators should assess asylum applications based on sexual orientation.

Buttiglione's appointment scuppered

Working with liberal Catholic campaigners, I helped alert the EU to the far right politics of the prospective Justice and Home Affairs Commissioner, Italian Rocco Buttiglione. He wanted to ban abortion and fertility treatment for childless couples. He denounced immigrants, asylum seekers and Muslims. Buttiglione also condemned homosexuality as a ?sin?, opposed including non-discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation in the EU's Charter of Fundamental Rights, and watered down the EU directive banning discrimination against gays in the workplace; thereby permitting homophobic discrimination by key Italian government bodies. His appointment was eventually blocked (despite a gay Commissioner-designate, Peter Mandelson, defending him).

MOBOs & Urban Music Awards

The press launches of the Music Of Black Origin and the Urban Music Awards were picketed. This resulted in murder music singers Elephant Man and Vybz Kartel being dropped from the MOBOs, and in Beenie Man and Vybz Kartel being axed from the UMAs. The MOBOs have, to their credit and our appreciation, given an undertaking that singers advocating the killing of other human beings will not, in future, be eligible, for nomination.

Darfur genocide

The UN prevaricated as 50,000 black Africans were massacred in Darfur by racist Arab Islamists. A further 1.3 million were displaced as refugees. I helped set up the ad hoc Darfur Solidarity Campaign, and last December organised a picket of the Sudan Embassy, where we called for a five-point UN action plan:

* Enforce a no-fly zone over Darfur to halt the Sudanese bombing of African villages

* Send into Darfur a 15,000-strong peace-keeping force to protect the civilian population and aid workers, and to keep the warring factions apart

* Provide food, clothing and shelter to the victims of the conflict

* Impose sanctions against the Sudanese government leaders and the leaders of the Janjaweed militia, including an arms embargo and an assets freeze

* Put the Sudanese and Janjaweed leaders on trial before the International Criminal Court, on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity; and also indict the western companies that aid the perpetrators of these crimes.

Lesbian & Gay Museum

My proposal for a national Queer Museum to document and display lesbian and gay history and lives - in Britain and internationally - was taken up by Green Party member of the London Assembly, Darren Johnson, and later adopted by Mayor Ken Livingstone. The project is now being developed by Jack Gilbert and others.

Vatican sabotage of gay rights

Catholic cardinal, Murphy-O'Connor, was confronted during the Palm Sunday procession at Westminster Cathedral last April, over the way t he Catholic Catechism denounces gay relationships as 'debased', 'disordered' and a 'grave depravity', and in protest at the Vatican's role in blocking a UN resolution condemning the persecution of lesbians and gay men. In Britain , the Catholic Church has protected paedophile priests, while the Pope has attacked gay marriages as 'evil' and vilified supporters of gay equality as 'gravely immoral'. He also denounced homosexual equality as a 'deviant trend' and condemned same-sex relationships as being ?without any social value'.

Dr Yusuf al-Qaradawi

City Hall was picketed in July by a coalition of gay, humanist and green activists. We were appalled that the Mayor of London had rolled out the red carpet for a fundamentalist cleric, Dr Yusuf al-Qaradawi. His books and the website he supervises - IslamOnline - endorse female genital mutilation, wife beating, execution of gays by Islamic states, suicide bombing of innocent civilians, and destruction of the Jews. He also blames ? and implicitly approves the punishment of - rape victims who do not dress with sufficient modesty. Our primary concern was solidarity with progressive Muslims who reject clerical tyranny, and with the victims of Islamist repression. One of my projects for 2005 is to work with liberal and left Muslims to help establish a progressive Muslim alliance to counter the reactionary leadership of the Muslim Council of Britain and the Muslim Association of Britain.

Rename Australian capital cities

During my visit to Australia in early 2004, I triggered a debate about honouring the country's Aboriginal heritage with my proposal that the capital cities should be renamed with the original Aboriginal names for the areas where they now stand. Sydney , for example, would be renamed Warrung. This initiative follows my long-standing campaigns in support of Aboriginal land rights and scholarship schemes to educate and empower the Aboriginal nation.

Solidarity with Palestinian queers

At a Palestine Solidarity protest in May, I teamed up with OutRage! and the Queer Youth Alliance to back the struggle of the Palestinian people, and to also urge the Palestinian authorities to halt the arrest, jailing and torture of gays. We urged: " Israel : stop persecuting Palestine ! Palestine : stop persecuting queers!" This provoked other protesters to attack us as ?racists?, ?Zionists?, ?CIA and MI5 agents?, and ?supporters of the Sharon government?. The subsequent global press coverage did a great deal to raise awareness of the plight of Palestinian lesbians and gays.

Mugabe legal action

My application for an arrest warrant and extradition order against President Mugabe of Zimbabwe , on charges of torturing two black Zimbabwean journalists, was rejected by Bow Street Magistrates in January 2004. Judge Timothy Workman acknowledged that my case was ?most thoroughly and carefully prepared?, but ruled that President Mugabe, as a serving Head of State, has ?absolute immunity? from arrest and prosecution.

What is the point of having laws against torture if the main abusers ? Heads of State like President Mugabe ? are exempt from prosecution? We may as well tear up the UN Convention Against Torture and throw it in the bin. It offers no protection or redress to people who are tortured at the behest of Heads of State. The verdict highlights the urgent need to reform international human rights law, to end immunity for Heads of State for crimes against humanity, such as torture.     

Challenging Labour's blocking of queer equality

Much of my campaigning in the last year has addressed government failings on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) issues. Labour has enacted several very welcome and positive reforms, such as equalising the age of consent and ending the ban on gays in the military. But these progressive changes are no excuse for the government's current backing of homophobic discrimination in 10 key policy areas:

1. Labour says it is acceptable for charities to discriminate against LGBTs (and against Muslims, people with HIV and others). It is refusing to amend the draft Charities Bill to make equal opportunities for everyone a condition of charitable status.

2. Labour wants to create a new Commission for Equality & Human Rights. It will place a legal duty on public bodies to combat discrimination based on race, gender and disability - but not discrimination based on sexual orientation. As a result, local councils and other public bodies will remain free to do nothing to tackle homophobic prejudice, harassment and violence.  

3. Labour backs the ban on same-sex marriage. It supports a system of sexual apartheid, whereby gays are banned from marriage (homophobia) and straights are banned from civil partnerships (heterophobia). This two-tiered system of partnership law is not equality. It perpetuates and extends discrimination.  

4. Labour is refusing asylum to LGBTs who have been jailed, tortured and raped in countries like Jamaica , Iran , Algeria and Zimbabwe . The Home Office says they won't be at risk of arrest and murder if they are sent back home, hide their sexuality and behave with ?discretion?.  

5. Labour allows homophobic reggae singers to openly advocate the murder of LGBTs, and it permits record stores and radio stations to promote CDs inciting homophobic violence.  

6. Labour has exempted religious bodies from the new laws against homophobic discrimination in the workplace. This means religious-run institutions - such as schools, hospitals, care homes and hospices - are free to discriminate against LGBT employees.  

7. Labour has failed to ensure that sex education and Aids advice lessons address the specific needs of young lesbians and gays. This failure is particularly serious when it comes to safer-sex information for teenagers in same-sex relationships. It is putting their welfare and lives at risk.  

8. Labour is enacting a new law against incitement to religious hatred, but it refuses to pass a law prohibiting incitement to homophobic hatred. Double standards, yet again.  

9. Labour has rejected calls for laws against homophobic discrimination in the provision of goods and services, such as housing and insurance, and in hotels, bars, restaurants and other leisure facilities. This means that such discrimination remains lawful by default.  

10. Labour vetoed the inclusion of education against homophobia in the National Curriculum Religious Education Guidelines. While all other forms of discrimination are addressed in the Guidelines, Labour bowed to pressure from religious fundamentalists to exclude understanding and acceptance of LGBT people.   These are ten instances where Labour has had an opportunity to overturn homophobia, but chose to maintain discrimination. The government talks about equality, but sometimes fails to deliver. Seeking reform in these ten policy areas will be a focus of my campaigning in 2005.

Campaign aims, strategies, methods and priorities

The aim of my human rights work is to encourage awareness, promotion and enforcement of UK and international human rights laws, in order to challenge prejudice, discrimination, violence, repression and injustice ? mostly within the UK, but sometimes abroad as well.

The human rights laws that guide my campaigns include the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1948, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights 1966, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights 1966, the European Convention on Human Rights 1950, the Genocide Convention 1948, the Geneva Conventions 1949, the Torture Convention 1984, and the Human Rights Act 1998.

All my human rights work is based on the principle of solidarity with the victims of oppression, and support for their struggle for justice and liberation. The Stop Murder Music campaign, for instance, involves solidarity with, and support for, Jamaican gay and human rights groups.

I sometimes cooperate with groups like Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International. They do valuable work, but to maintain their influence with governments they cannot take direct action, such as attempting to arrest tyrannical Presidents like Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe . That is where my campaigns are useful. Being independent, I can do some of the things that Amnesty and HRW cannot.

Rather than duplicate the campaigns of other organisations, I focus mainly on human rights abuses that are either neglected or are not being robustly challenged. Three good examples are the campaigns to support the victims of Islamist repression in Algeria , to assist the black freedom struggle in West Papua , and to back lesbian and gay asylum-seekers who have fled homophobic persecution. I have made these issues recent campaign priorities because they are largely ignored by other activists.

I work mainly via ad hoc campaigns, like the 2004 Darfur Solidarity Campaign. These bring together people from diverse backgrounds who are committed to action on a particular issue. This independent, ad hoc structure frees us from the constraints of the laborious decision-making procedures of established organisations. It gives the freedom and flexibility to do what is needed to tackle an issue fast, including taking political risks that mainstream human rights groups prefer to avoid.

I see my campaigns as being part of a bigger, broader movement. I am just one of millions of people who are working for a fairer, more just world. It is through our collective, cumulative efforts that universal human rights will be achieved.  

Thank you from Peter Tatchell  

I am immensely grateful to everyone who supported my human rights campaigns in 2004. Your generosity and solidarity is much appreciated. Without this support, my campaign effectiveness would be greatly diminished. I look forward to seeing you at the PTHRF annual reception on 14 March.  

Warmest wishes, Peter Tatchell