Amnesty International apologizes to J.K. Rowling, retracts 'anti-rights' report

Amnesty International has issued a public apology to author J.K. Rowling, retracting a report that had labeled her women's support center, Beira's Place, as an "anti-rights" organization. The apology came on Rowling's 61st birthday and followed significant backlash from Rowling and feminist groups who threatened legal action over the report.

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This document should never have been published, and Amnesty International UK takes full responsibility for this error.

The controversial report, titled "A growing threat: the anti-rights movement in the UK," was published by Amnesty International UK (AIUK). It included Beira's Place, a center founded and funded by Rowling to support women survivors of sexual violence, among over a hundred organizations deemed part of a movement against civil rights. Rowling, along with representatives from feminist and lesbian-gay organizations, denounced the report for creating a "blacklist."

Agnès Callamard, Secretary General of Amnesty International, and Kerry Moscogiuri, Executive Director of AIUK, acknowledged the error. They stated the document should never have been published and that AIUK takes full responsibility. The report was withdrawn 48 hours after its release upon notification to management. An internal investigation is underway to determine how it was published.

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For clarity: this label does not represent our institutional stance and we apologize for its inclusion.

Amnesty International clarified that the "anti-rights" label did not represent their institutional stance and apologized for its inclusion. They specifically apologized to Beira's Place and other groups categorized as critical of gender equality, stating they should not have been collectively labeled as anti-rights. A previous, more extensive report referencing a wide range of organizations was also withdrawn. AIUK asserted its commitment to high standards of research and promised an independent external review to learn from the experience, while reaffirming its dedication to defending human rights for all marginalized groups, including women, girls, and transgender individuals.

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In particular, we apologize to Beira’s Place and other groups we classified as organizations critical of gender equality, whom we should not have collectively labeled as anti-rights.