Philanthropists Peter Kinney and Lisa Sandquist tell Ellie O’Byrne why their sights are set on funding equality in Ireland

Amnesty International's Irish section has launched a High Court challenge to an order of the Standards in Public Office Commission that it return a donation of €137,000 for a campaign to increase support for a referendum to repeal the 8th Amendment.

The US foundation which awarded funding to Amnesty Ireland for its campaign against Ireland’s abortion laws has taken issue with the State ethics watchdog’s claims that it had said the money was for “political purposes”.

The ethics watchdog said it ordered Irish organisations to return overseas donations because the donor said the funds were for political purposes — despite the claims of the Irish groups themselves.