This episode’s guest is Bill Shipsey, founder of Art for Amnesty, human rights activist and the bringer of culture to all things. We’ll be talking about his adventurous life of attaching U2, Sting and Joan Baez to Amnesty International, founding and then bestowing the Ambassador of Conscience award on Vaclav Havel, Nelson Mandela, Ai Weiwei, Alicia Keys and other inspiring advocates of human rights.

Shipsey was Co-Executive Producer of “Instant Karma” – Amnesty’s multi-star benefit album of John Lennon compositions. He devised and produced the Small Places Tour, a 2008 music concert project which partnered with over 800 concerts in some 40 countries worldwide. Shipsey first joined Amnesty in the late 1970’s – inspired in part by the activism of entertainers who performed at the Monty Python inspired “Secret Policeman’s Ball” benefit show.

He is a former Chair of the Irish Section of Amnesty International and a former member of the International Executive Committee of Amnesty International. By profession Shipsey is a Barrister and has appeared for Amnesty International before the Court of Justice of the European Union.  He has consulted widely with other human rights organisations around the world seeking to partner with artists in the promotion of human rights campaigns.

We talk about his recent article for the Irish Times about Aleksey Navalny and Amnesty International awarding him the title of Prisoner of Conscience despite his previous history of ultra-nationalist sentiment. We discuss culture and some of his many projects including his exhibitions with Peter Sis, how the journey began and unfolded with his friends from the world of music and art, including Bono and Peter Gabriel, and even the Human Rights Now world tour in 1988, headlined by Bruce Springstein and Tracey Chapman amongst others.

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