Amnesty International UK has said it "regrets" publishing a report that labelled dozens of Christian organisations, including Premier, “anti-rights”.
The report, A growing threat: the anti-rights movement in the UK, which was published on 8 July was removed two days later. Amnesty said it had been temporarily withdrawn so that an internal review could be carried out.
The report said dozens of Christian charities, pro-life groups and gender-critical organisations were targeting “the rights of women and LGBT+ people”.
The report also called for the charitable status of the organisations, which included among others, The Christian Institute, the Evangelical Alliance UK, the Catholic Bishops Conference of England and Wales, Christian Concern and CARE to be reviewed.
Withdrawing the report, Amnesty International UK said it regretted it hadn't gone through the “proper internal checks” before being published.
In a statement, Premier’s CEO Kevin Bennett said: “Amnesty has real questions to answer about how this report came to be created and published in the first place, and what it reveals about their true position on these matters. Withdrawing the report is a first step but should be followed by a clear statement that it does not see the organisations listed as being ‘anti-rights’. Amnesty was founded with a mission to protect freedom of conscience and belief, it is sadly ironic that in reports like this it actually achieves the complete opposite, by making accusations against organisations and individuals seeking to thoughtfully contribute to the national debate on what are complex and contentious issues."
Ciaran Kelly, Director of The Christian Institute, told Premier Christian News he believes Amnesty has diminished its own reputation by publishing the report:
“I think it's been damaging to them. I can only speak for The Christian Institute, but inclusion on a list which calls us out for being pro-life, being pro-women, being pro-biological reality, I'm happy to be on that list. To be to be perfectly truthful, I think it has damaged their reputation.
“The person that comes out worse than this is not any of the groups on the list. It’s Amnesty International”.
A statement from Amnesty International UK said: “We regret that this briefing was uploaded to our website without going through the established internal review processes that are in place to ensure consistency, accuracy and alignment with Amnesty International UK's positions.
“Its use of language does not reflect the position of Amnesty International UK which is why it was promptly removed.
“We remain committed to defending human rights, including both the rights of women and the rights of trans people.
“Human rights protections are strongest when they apply equally to everyone, and no community should be singled out for unfair treatment or denied their dignity and rights.”