Amnesty International UK has referred itself to the Charity Commission over a report that labelled a sexual violence support centre founded by JK Rowling as 'anti-rights'. The UK branch of the global human rights charity listed Beira's Place in Edinburgh among more than 100 organisations it said were part of an anti-rights movement.
Report withdrawn and apology issued
Amnesty later apologised and removed the list, titled 'A Growing Threat: The Anti-Rights Movement in the UK', stating it had not gone through 'the established internal review processes'. Lawyers for Beira's Place have accused Amnesty of defamation and threatened legal action unless it apologises, permanently withdraws the report, and commissions an external review into its publication.
JK Rowling has invited other organisations considering legal action after being included on the list—which she described as a 'blacklist'—to apply to the JK Rowling Women's Fund for help with legal costs.
Charity Commission confirms self-referral
On Thursday, the Charity Commission confirmed that Amnesty International UK had submitted a serious incident report. A spokesperson said: 'We can confirm that concerns have been raised with us about a briefing published by Amnesty International UK charitable trust. In line with our guidance, the charity has also submitted a serious incident report. We are assessing the matters raised to determine what, if any, role there might be for us as charity law regulator.' The Commission has not launched a formal investigation.
Earlier this week, an Amnesty International UK spokesperson said the list was 'promptly removed' as its language did not reflect the charity's position. '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,' they said. The charity added it was committed to defending the rights of women and trans people, and that no community should be 'singled out for unfair treatment'.
Beira's Place responds
Set up by Rowling in 2022, Beira's Place provides sexual violence support for women across Edinburgh and the Lothians 'in a safe, women-only space'. Its chief executive, Lesley Johnston, said it was 'inexplicable' that it had been included on the list of groups described as 'gender critical' and 'anti-rights'. 'This is deeply offensive to Beira's Place staff who work day in day out to support survivors and to the women who need and use our service,' she said.
The list also named For Women Scotland, which won a supreme court case in April 2025 ruling that the term 'woman' in the Equality Act refers to a biological woman, with implications for trans people's access to single-sex services and spaces. The Amnesty report said the ruling had contributed to a 'significant decline in protection for LGBT+ rights'.
