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Press Release

Responding to the arrest in Iran this morning of Reza Khandan, the husband of prominent jailed human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh, Amnesty International's Research and Advocacy Director for the Middle East and North Africa, Philip Luther, said: “First the authorities jail Nasrin Sotoudeh on bogus charges, then harass, intimidate and threaten her family and friends, and now arrest her husband. These callous actions illustrate the lengths to which Iranian authorities will go to silence human rights lawyers, even targeting their families. “The Iranian authorities must immediately and unconditionally release both Nasrin Sotoudeh and Reza Khandan. They must drop all charges…

September 4, 2018

Press Release

Leading human rights champions – including Amnesty International’s newly appointed Secretary General, Kumi Naidoo, and Amnesty Turkey Honorary Chair, Taner Kılıç, appearing publicly for the first time since his release from prison – will today pledge to intensify the struggle to ensure the release of all those unjustly jailed in Turkey. The gathering, attended by civil society leaders and parliamentarians, will highlight the situation facing hundreds of human rights defenders, journalists, academics, lawyers, artists and others – jailed in the aftermath of the 2016 failed coup attempt. “All over Turkey, ordinary people with extraordinary passion are speaking out for justice and equality despite the…

August 27, 2018

Press Release

Responding to this morning’s announcement of the passing of Kofi Annan, the former UN secretary-general who won the Nobel Peace Prize for his humanitarian work, Kumi Naidoo, Amnesty International’s Secretary General said: “The world has lost a great leader. Kofi’s dedication and drive for a more peaceful and just world, his lifelong championing of human rights, and the dignity and grace with which he led will be sorely missed in a world which needs these characteristics more than ever. “I had the enormous privilege to work with Kofi on tackling climate change, poverty, and gender equality. I saw first-hand his…

August 18, 2018

Press Release

Following the release the Honorary Chair of Amnesty International Turkey, Taner Kilic, after more than fourteen months behind bars, Kumi Naidoo, Amnesty International’s new Secretary General said: “We are overjoyed at this news. It has taken us more than a year of campaigning and struggle to get here. Taner has finally been freed and is safely back in the arms of his wife and daughters. “But beneath the smiles of joy and relief there will be sorrow, anger and a steely determination. Sorrow for all the things Taner has missed during his cruel incarceration. Anger that the baseless charges against…

August 15, 2018

Press Release

Diplomats from four countries and a senior member of Amnesty International will join numerous human rights monitors in Shali tomorrow to observe the trial on trumped-up drugs charges of prominent human rights defender, Oyub Titiev. If found guilty, Titiev, the head of the human rights organization Memorial in Grozny, faces up to 10 years in jail. “A lot may have changed in Chechnya superficially over the last decade, but fundamentally it remains the same with the authorities using repressive tactics to torture or ‘disappear’ its opponents and persecute its critics,” said Anna Neistat, Amnesty International’s Senior Director for Research. “Rather than catching…

August 7, 2018

Press Release

The international community must speak up for detained human rights defenders in Saudi Arabia, Amnesty International said today, after the Canadian ambassador to the country was expelled after calling for their release. “The international community must push Saudi Arabian authorities to end this draconian crackdown and targeted repression of human rights defenders in the country”, said Samah Hadid, Amnesty International’s Middle East Director of Campaigns. “Instead of pursuing human rights reform, the government of Saudi Arabia has chosen to lash out with punitive measures in the face of criticism. States with significant influence in Saudi Arabia - such as the USA,…

August 6, 2018

Press Release

Reacting to the Russian authorities’ refusal to grant Amnesty International access to Ukrainian filmmaker Oleg Sentsov, currently 81 days into a hunger strike in a penal colony in the Russian Artic, Oksana Pokalchuk, Amnesty International’s Ukraine Director, said:  “Denying us the right to visit Oleg Sentsov is indefensible. After almost 3 months on hunger strike, there are grave concerns for his health. We were planning to visit Oleg accompanied by an independent medical expert who would be able to evaluate his health. In order to dispel all doubts about Oleg’s health condition and the adequacy of medical assistance provided to…

August 2, 2018

Press Release

Responding to news that the Malaysian authorities have acquitted and dropped all sedition charges against political cartoonist Zulkiflee Anwar "Zunar" Ulhaque, lawmaker R. Sivarasa and civil rights lawyer N. Surendran, Rachel Chhoa-Howard, Amnesty International’s Malaysia Researcher, said: "Zunar, Sivarasa and Surendran have shown great courage in shining a spotlight on injustices such as corruption and abuse of power. Their acquittal is a positive development but the Malaysian authorities must do more to protect people who dare to speak out. Zunar, Sivarasa and Surendran have shown great courage in shining a spotlight on injustices such as corruption and abuse of power.…

August 1, 2018

Press Release

On the 100th day of Miguel Díaz-Canel’s term as president of Cuba, Erika Guevara-Rosas, Americas Director at Amnesty International, said: “The news that Cuba’s National Assembly has signed off on a new constitution that, among other things, opens the path to legalize same-sex marriage if approved by referendum in the coming months, is a potentially huge step forward for the rights of LGBTI people in Cuba and the Caribbean. We welcome this advance and urge the government to embrace dialogue with all sectors of society and allow plurality of voices as it makes further reforms. “However, during the first 100 days of the Díaz-Canel presidency,…

July 27, 2018

Press Release

BRICS nations must put human rights at the forefront of their discussions, said Amnesty International India and South Africa in a joint statement released at the commencement of the 10th BRICS Summit in Johannesburg today. All the BRICS countries face a number of human rights challenges. In Brazil, there are still no answers for the murder of Marielle Franco, a human rights defender who was killed in Rio De Janeiro. In Russia, LGBTI people face serious threats and live in constant fear. In China, a Tibetan HRD, Tashi Wangchuck, was handed an unjust five year prison sentence after being featured…

July 25, 2018

Press Release

Responding to reports that artist Liu Xia, widow of Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo, has left China and is traveling to Germany, Patrick Poon, China Researcher at Amnesty International, commented: “It is wonderful news that Liu Xia is finally free and that her persecution and illegal detention at the hands of the Chinese authorities has come to an end, nearly one year since Liu Xiaobo’s untimely and undignified death. “Liu Xia never gave up on her wrongfully imprisoned late husband, and for this she was cruelly punished. The Chinese authorities tried to silence her, but she stood tall for human rights.…

July 10, 2018

Report

Zimbabwe's election at the end of the month will take place in the context of decades of politically motivated gross human rights violations, including mass killings, the forced disappearance of critics and suppression of peaceful protesters, Amnesty International said in a new briefing published today. The briefing, Breaking away from the past: A human rights manifesto for Zimbabwe’s political parties and candidates, offers seven human rights recommendations for the candidates and political parties battling for control of Zimbabwe in the 30 July election. “As the country holds its first elections without former president Robert Mugabe on the ballot paper, it…

July 9, 2018