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Since 4 April, there have been at least 60 people reported dead and 1,000 injured in the context of the political crisis, according to official figures. According to local NGOs, hundreds of people have been unfairly imprisoned in the context of massive anti-government demonstrations that have been taking place across Venezuela. More than 300 people are believed to have been taken to military courts, accused of crimes such as “rebellion”, “terrorism” and “treason”, and effectively treated like soldiers in an armed conflict. Over recent weeks, security forces have used undue force to prevent peaceful demonstrations from taking place. Individuals living in residential areas, and not taking part in demonstrations, have also reported being victims of indiscriminate tear gas attacks. The community in La Isabelica, Carabobo, is a striking example of the extent of the indiscriminate use of violence against people not involved in the recent wave of protests. Amnesty International has received direct reports of random shootings against civilians, tear gas being shot straight into homes, and a sense of generalized fear to report these incident to the authorities.

Press Release

Venezuela: Acts of violence highlight government’s disregard for human rights

The dramatic increase in illegal use of force, scores of arbitrary detentions and the killing of at least 10 people,…

July 31, 2017

Press Release

Gruesome murder of Kenyan election official must be investigated

Reacting to the murder of Chris Msando, head of information technology at Kenya’s independent election monitoring body, Amnesty International’s Kenya…

July 31, 2017

Press Release

Brazil: New Amnesty campaign will fight back as Congress considers legal changes that flagrantly attack human rights

Amnesty International today launches a new campaign to fight back against a raft of changes currently being discussed by Congress…

July 31, 2017

Press Release

Russia: VPN ban is a major blow to internet freedom

A new law signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin banning anonymizers and virtual private networks (VPNs) is a major blow…

July 31, 2017

LAMPEDUSA, ITALY - MAY 24: Refugees and migrants are seen swimming and yelling for assistance from crew members from the Migrant Offshore Aid Station (MOAS) 'Phoenix' vessel after a wooden boat bound for Italy carrying more than 500 people capsized on May 24, 2017 off Lampedusa, Italy. Numbers of refugees and migrants attempting the dangerous central Mediterranean crossing from Libya to Italy has risen since the same time last year with more than 43,000 people recorded so far in 2017. In an attempt to slow the flow of migrants Italy recently signed a deal with Libya, Chad and Niger outlining a plan to increase border controls and add new reception centers in the African nations, which are key transit points for migrants heading to Italy. MOAS is a Malta based NGO dedicated to providing professional search-and-rescue assistance to refugees and migrants in distress at sea. Since the start of the year MOAS have rescued and assisted 3572 people and are currently patrolling and running rescue operations in international waters off the coast of Libya. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

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Deploying Italian warships to police Libyan waters will expose refugees to horrific abuse

Proposals to send warships to police Libyan territorial waters are a shameful attempt by the Italian authorities to circumvent their…

July 31, 2017

FERGUSON, MO - AUGUST 10: Police stand guard as demonstrators, marking the one-year anniversary of the shooting of Michael Brown, protest along West Florrisant Street on August 10, 2015 in Ferguson, Missouri. Mare than 100 people were arrested today during protests in Ferguson and the St. Louis area. Brown was shot and killed by a Ferguson police officer on August 9, 2014. His death sparked months of sometimes violent protests in Ferguson and drew nationwide focus on police treatment of black suspects. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Press Release

Trump’s Views on Policing Flout Rule of Law and Endanger Both Civilians and Law Enforcement

In his speech today before police officers in Suffolk County, NY, President Trump bragged about the volume of military equipment…

July 28, 2017

Opposition activists shout slogans while members of the National Orchestra System hold a demonstration in rejection of the recent deaths of young people by security forces -within opposition protests- in Caracas on May 7, 2017. The last death in Venezuela's unrest, of a 22-year-old man, occurred during looting in Valencia, one of Venezuelan cities hardest hit by a worsening economic crisis. Demonstrators blame Maduro for the country's plight and the shortages of food and medicine, and demand elections to remove the leftist president. / AFP PHOTO / JUAN BARRETO (Photo credit should read JUAN BARRETO/AFP/Getty Images)

Press Release

Venezuela: Ban on protests lays groundwork for mass human rights violations

The security plan announced ahead of the elections for the Constituent Assembly in Venezuela this Sunday banning protests against the…

July 28, 2017

AI France staff membres protesting the arrest and detention of AI Turkey director Idil Eser and AI Turkey chairman Taner Kiliç at the Turkish embassy in Paris on 10 July 2017.

Press Release

UK Foreign Secretary Calls for Release of Jailed Activists in Turkey, Including Amnesty Staff

Speaking at an event in Sydney, UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said he ‘deplored’ the actions of the Turkish authorities…

July 28, 2017

Palestinian worshippers demonstrate outside Jerusalem's Old City in front of the Al-Aqsa mosque compound after Israeli police barred men under 50 from entering the Old City for Friday Muslim prayers as tensions rose and protests erupted over new security measures at a highly sensitive holy site on July 21, 2017. The ban came after Israeli ministers decided not to order the removal of metal detectors erected at entrances to the Haram al-Sharif mosque compound, known to Jews as the Temple Mount, following an attack nearby a week ago that killed two policemen. / AFP PHOTO / Ahmad GHARABLI (Photo credit should read AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP/Getty Images)

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Israeli forces attack peaceful crowds at Jerusalem holy site

Israeli forces attacked peaceful crowds of Palestinians as they gathered at al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem this afternoon for the first…

July 27, 2017

This photograph taken on July 26, 2017, shows a view of a room where a Pakistani teenage girl was raped in the neighbourhood of Raja Ram in Muzaffarabad, a suburb of the central city of Multan. Fourteen members of a Pakistani village council have been arrested for ordering the rape of a teenage girl as punishment for a rape committed by her brother, police said. / AFP PHOTO / SS MIRZA (Photo credit should read SS MIRZA/AFP/Getty Images)

Press Release

Village council ‘revenge’ rape order must prompt urgent reforms in Pakistan

The rape of a teenage girl ordered by a village council in ‘revenge’ for a rape allegedly committed by her…

July 27, 2017

Press Release

President Trump’s Prejudice Laid Bare in Transgender Military Announcement

CONTACT: Mandy Simon, [email protected] WASHINGTON – Following tweets from President Donald Trump announcing he would no longer allow transgender individuals to…

July 26, 2017

Press Release

Ohio Conducts First Execution in Three Years

The state of Ohio has executed Ronald R. Phillips tonight, marking the first execution that the state has carried out…

July 26, 2017