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Press Release
Tanzania: 10 men arrested in Zanzibar for being ‘gay’
Ten men have been arrested on suspicion of being gay on the Tanzanian island of Zanzibar after police received a “tip-off” from members of the public about a same-sex marriage taking place, Amnesty International has revealed. The arrests come after a prominent Tanzanian politician last week called on the public to report the names of suspected gay men to the police – comments subsequently denounced by the government. “This is a shocking blow following the Tanzanian government’s assurance that no one would be targeted and arrested because of their actual or perceived sexual orientation and gender identity,” said Seif Magango,…
November 6, 2018
Press Release
Crackdowns on LGBTI people in Indonesia hit alarming level
LGBTI communities in Indonesia are facing increasing crackdowns both from the police and the municipal police (Satpol PP) with at least four series of arrests and public humiliations having taken place across the country in the past month, Amnesty International says. The latest crackdown took place on November 4 when Satpol PP in Padang, West Sumatra, arrested ten people assumed to be lesbian women after one of them posted a photo of her kissing and hugging her girlfriend on Facebook. The Satpol PP moved to make the arrest after people in Padang complained about the picture. They said that the…
November 6, 2018
Press Release
Washington State Ballot Initiative Would Provide Much-Needed Accountability for Lethal Force by Police
Tomorrow, people in Washington state will be voting on an initiative that would require police officers to receive training in violence de-escalation, mental health, and first aid so that officers will have greater skills to resolve conflict without the use of physical or deadly force. Initiative 940 would require independent investigations when an officer causes serious injury or death and would ensure tribes are notified if a tribal member was injured or killed when interacting with law enforcement. Initiative 940 would also replace a malice intent requirement with the lower threshold to determine when any use of lethal force was unlawful. Ahead of…
November 5, 2018
Press Release
On Last Day of Public Comment, Amnesty Urges Administration to Preserve Laws Limiting Detention of Asylum-Seeking Children
Early last month, the Trump administration announced it was seeking new regulations that would effectively terminate the 1997 Flores Agreement, which sets a 20-day limit for all asylum-seeking and migrant children held in detention. This opened a public comment period for two months. That period ends tomorrow, November 6.
November 5, 2018
Press Release
Cameroon: 70 schoolchildren taken in mass abduction must be freed
Following the abduction of at least 70 schoolchildren in Cameroon’s Anglophone region, Samira Daoud, Amnesty International Deputy regional director for West and Central Africa said: “These appalling abductions show just how general population is paying the highest price as violence escalates in the Anglophone region. “The abduction of schoolchildren and teachers can never be justified. Whoever is responsible must release and return the victims immediately. “We express solidarity with the families of these children and demand that the Cameroon authorities do everything in their power to ensure all the pupils and school staff are freed unharmed. “In a case with…
November 5, 2018
Press Release
Arrest warrants for Syrian officials in France an important step towards justice
Responding to the news that French prosecutors have issued arrest warrants for three senior Syrian government and intelligence officials on charges of torture, enforced disappearances, crimes against humanity and war crimes, Amnesty International’s Senior Director for Research Anna Neistat said: “These arrest warrants for three senior officials, including a top adviser to President Bashar al-Assad, are an important step towards delivering justice for the countless victims of gross human rights violations carried out by the Syrian government. “With war crimes and crimes against humanity continuing to go unpunished in Syria, it is vital that all states cooperate to ensure justice…
November 5, 2018
Press Release
Legacy of murdered activist must be an end of impunity for attackers in Ukraine
Responding to news that Kateryna Handzyuk, a prominent Ukrainian anti-corruption activist has died from injuries sustained three months ago in an acid attack, Oksana Pokalchuk, Amnesty International’s Ukraine Director, said: “The death of this fearless civil society activist must spur the Ukrainian authorities into providing a credible answer to the question on everyone’s lips: who killed Kateryna Handzyuk? This answer will only come through an independent, impartial, effective and transparent investigation, the type of which we have not seen in so many cases.” “The killing on Kateryna Handzyuk is the latest in a series of brutal attacks against civil society activists in Ukraine…
November 5, 2018
Press Release
Amnesty International Calls on the US and Nigerian Government to Stop Trying to Justify Rights Abuses
In response to the Nigerian Army’s tweets using President Trump’s words to justify the fatal shooting of rock-throwing protestors. and the subsequent issuing of a statement denouncing Amnesty International’s calls for accountability, Amnesty International Nigeria Executive Director Osai Ojigho said: “Basic human rights are not subject to whims of the world’s leaders. Rather than engaging in a preposterous competition over who does a better job of violating human rights, the Nigerian government must hold its security forces accountable for the horrific killing of at least 45 peaceful protestors. Executive Director of Amnesty International USA, Margaret Huang said: “Donald Trump’s latest…
November 3, 2018
Press Release
Relentless harassment, intimidation and censorship of journalists must end in Sudan
Sudanese authorities have this year been unrelenting in their quest to silence independent media by arresting and harassing journalists, and censoring both print and broadcast media, Amnesty International said today. The organization documented the arrest and detention of at least 15 journalists between January and October 2018 by the government’s National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISS). In addition, the entire print run of 10 newspapers was confiscated on at least 27 occasions. Al Jareeda, one of the last independent newspapers, has been confiscated at least 13 times this year. “Since the beginning of 2018 the Government of Sudan, through its security machinery,…
November 1, 2018
Press Release
Trump’s cruel plans to block people seeking protection must not stand
In response to President Trump’s plans to implement restrictive policies to limit the rights of migrants, refugees, and people seeking asylum from Central America, Amnesty International´s Secretary General Kumi Naidoo issued this statement:
November 1, 2018
Press Release
‘Dangerous’ plans for homophobic taskforce must be abandoned immediately in Tanzania
Following the announcement of plans to form a government taskforce which will begin hunting down and arresting people who are, or are perceived to be lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgender and inter-sex (LGBTI) next week, Joan Nyanyuki, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for East Africa, the Horn and the Great Lakes said: “It is extremely regrettable that Tanzania has chosen to take such a dangerous path in its handling of an already marginalized group of people. The idea of this taskforce must be immediately abandoned as it only serves to incite hatred among members of the public. LGBTI people in Tanzania already face…
November 1, 2018
Press Release
As Trump Weighs Indefinite Family Detention, Asylum-Seeking Children and Parents Continue to Languish in Limbo
While Trump’s proposal to detain asylum-seeking and migrant families indefinitely remains open to public comment for the next week, families who have already been detained for longer than the 20-day maximum endure painful separations and terrifying uncertainty while they remain in limbo.
October 31, 2018