Beira's Place, a women-only support service co-founded by author J.K. Rowling, is threatening legal action against Amnesty International UK.
The Edinburgh-based center claims a report by Amnesty International UK, which labeled Beira's Place as "anti-rights," caused "extremely serious" damage to the service, its staff, and the women who rely on it.
The report, which also categorized the campaign group For Women Scotland as "anti-rights," was widely shared online before Amnesty removed it. Beira's Place has described the allegations as "grossly offensive and entirely without foundation."
In a lawyer's letter made public by Rowling, Beira's Place stated that it had received threatening and abusive correspondence since the report's publication on July 8. The center also reported a 600% surge in website visits from outside its service area.
"The damage which the report has caused to Beira’s Place, the staff who work there and the women who seek support is extremely serious," the letter stated. The center also noted it had to implement "extra administrative and digital measures and provide staffing support to mitigate for this disruption to their service."
Lawyers for Beira's Place warned that the report's "egregious falsehoods" could cause some women to avoid seeking help. They asserted that the report wrongly labeled individuals associated with Beira's Place, including those seeking support, as "anti-rights bigots who are seeking to weaken human rights."
Beira's Place is demanding a public apology from Amnesty International UK and an independent investigation into how the report was published. If Amnesty does not comply, Beira's Place intends to pursue legal action.
An Amnesty International UK spokesperson expressed regret that the briefing was published without going through established internal review processes. "Its use of language does not reflect the position of Amnesty International UK which is why it was promptly removed," the spokesperson said. The organization stated its commitment to defending the human rights of both women and trans people, emphasizing that human rights protections are strongest when they apply equally to everyone.
Rowling, who founded Beira's Place in 2022, has stated she will file a complaint with the Charity Commission and support others considering legal action against Amnesty International.