One year after its launch, the Conservative Party Human Rights Commission played a prominent part in the 2006 Party Conference in Bournemouth.

We held a fringe meeting on October 4, on the theme of "Freedom & Human Rights At the Heart of Foreign Policy - What Does It Mean?"   Speakers included the former UK Ambassador to Uzbekistan, Craig Murray, who has recently published a book, Murder in Samarkand, the Director of Amnesty International UK, Kate Allen, the former Prime Minister of Mongolia, Elbegdorj Tsakhia, and the Leader of the Forum for Democratic Change in Uganda, Dr Kizza Besingye.

We also arranged for Zoya Phan, a young Karen activist from Burma, to address the conference in the main hall during the foreign policy session, immediately before Shadow Foreign Secretary William Hague. Zoya Phan received a standing ovation, after delivering a passionate and emotional appeal for support for democracy in Burma.

The Irrawaddy News on Zoya Phan speech at Conservative Party Conference