Comedians including Ed Byrne, Mark Watson and Russell Kane are backing Amnesty International's 2011 Edinburgh Festival campaign to free five activists detained in the United Arab Emirates after they signed a petition calling for democracy in their country.

The performers are drumming up support at Amnesty's annual Stand Up For Freedom comedy show (August 17), asking the audience to join a text petition for the immediate release of the men, to be presented to the UAE embassy in London ahead of their Abu Dhabi trial in September.