Gita Sahgal, whose departure from Amnesty International marks the end of the organisation as a credible player in human rights, ends her statement with this cutting question:

if it lies to itself, can it demand the truth of others?

This is really a terrible thing for any proper concern with human rights. AI was once a thoroughly admirable organisation which placed human rights above other political angles. No longer. It is now a typically hard-left agitprop outfit; typical in the way the left now allies with Jihadis and demonises Israel.

Quite apart from the Cageprisoners affair - which shows, as Nick Cohen writes, that Amnesty is now more concerned with promoting the views and freedom to proselytise of Jihadis than it is with the rights of women - the JC has also covered its obsession with Israel (see Eric Lee's columm here).

The tragedy is that there is an even greater need now for an organisation such as AI used to be, with despots and totalitarian regimes across the globe denying human rights. AI used to have credibility and was uniquely placed. Today, thanks to its own behaviour, no serious organisation now takes any notice of it.