Below you’ll find breaking news as well as reports, updates on our campaigns, and victories.
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Report
South Sudan: Government troops and militias given free rein to commit new atrocities
The staggering brutality of a recent military offensive in South Sudan – including murder of civilians, systematic rape of women and girls and massive looting and destruction – was fuelled by the authorities’ failure to prosecute or remove suspected war criminals, Amnesty International said in a new report today. ‘Anything that was breathing was killed’: War crimes in Leer and Mayendit, South Sudan, is based on the testimonies of around 100 civilians who fled an offensive by government forces and allied youth militias in southern Unity State between late April and early July this year. “A key factor in this brutal offensive was the failure…
September 18, 2018
Press Release
Romania: Rights groups submit legal challenge against ‘homophobic’ referendum
A planned referendum to change the definition of family in Romania’s constitution could lead to a breach of international human rights standards and increase homophobic discrimination in the country, said Amnesty International as it joined other rights groups in intervening in a case before the Romanian Constitutional Court. Amnesty International, together with ECSOL (European Commission on Sexual Orientation Law) and ILGA-EUROPE (European Region of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association), will make legal submissions today on the constitutionality of the 7 October vote. The referendum could result in making it impossible to protect same-sex unions in the future. Currently, same-sex couples do not have…
September 14, 2018
Press Release
Brazil: Failure to identify Marielle Franco’s killers after six months is unacceptable
The Brazilian authorities’ failure to identify all those responsible for the killing of human rights defender Marielle Franco, six months after she was brutally shot dead, raises concerns about their commitment to deliver justice for this atrocious crime and ensure a safe environment for human rights defenders in the country, Amnesty International said today. Marielle Franco and her driver Anderson Gomes were killed in their car in Rio de Janeiro on March 14. She was shot in the head four times. Media reports suggest that the killing was carefully planned, believed to have involved agents of the state and the security forces. “Today sadly…
September 14, 2018
Press Release
Supreme Court decriminalizing consensual same-sex relations marks a new era for LGBTI rights in India
The landmark ruling by India’s Supreme Court decriminalizing consensual same-sex relations is a historic step, which sends a message of hope not only to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people, but to everyone fighting for justice and equality, Amnesty International India said today. “The judgment closes the door on a dark chapter of Indian history. It marks a new era of equality for millions of people in India. The remarkable victory today is a milestone in the three decade old struggle by the LGBTI community and their allies in India”, said Asmita Basu, Programmes Director, Amnesty International India.…
September 6, 2018
Press Release
Guatemala: Discriminatory law puts at risk the lives and rights of thousands of women, girls and LGBTI people
Guatemala’s Congress must reject proposed law 5272, also known as the “Law for the Protection of Life and Family,” because it would violate the rights of thousands of women, girls and LGBTI, Amnesty International said today. “This bill actually threatens what it claims to protect: life and families,” said Erika Guevara-Rosas, Amnesty International Director for the Americas. “We demand that the Guatemalan Congress reject this absurd bill that puts at risk the lives and the rights of women, girls and LGBTI people, and that it dedicate its resources to protecting them through laws and policies that guarantee real equality.” Among other…
September 5, 2018
Press Release
Malaysia: Convictions of two women sentenced to caning for having sexual relations must be quashed
Responding to yesterday’s sentencing of two women to six strokes of caning and a fine of RM 3,300 after they were convicted of attempting to have sexual relations in Terengganu state, Gwen Lee, Amnesty International Malaysia’s Interim Executive Director said: “This deeply cruel sentence marks yet another severe setback in Malaysia’s treatment of LGBTI people, which is increasingly troubling. “Across the country, LGBTI people are facing a climate of growing discrimination and persecution. Rulings such as this only affirm that Malaysia is becoming a more hostile place for its LGBTI population. “Caning is a form of cruel, inhuman and degrading…
August 15, 2018
Press Release
Senators in Argentina squander an historic opportunity upon rejecting the legalization of abortion
The decision of the Argentine Senate to reject the draft bill to legalize voluntary termination of pregnancy during the first 14 weeks represents the loss of an historic opportunity for the human rights of women, girls and others who can become pregnant, Amnesty International said today. “The Argentine lawmakers chose today to turn their backs on hundreds of thousands of women and girls who have been fighting for their sexual and reproductive rights. The senators who voted against this or abstained have therefore decided to agree on a system which forces women, girls and others who can become pregnant to…
August 9, 2018
Press Release
Saudi Arabia: International community must speak up for human rights defenders after Canadian ambassador expelled
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
Denmark: Face veil ban a discriminatory violation of women’s rights
As a new law banning the wearing of face coverings in public comes into force in Denmark, Amnesty International’s Deputy Europe Director Fotis Filippou said: “All women should be free to dress as they please and to wear clothing that expresses their identity or beliefs. This ban will have a particularly negative impact on Muslim women who choose to wear the niqab or burqa. “Whilst some specific restrictions on the wearing of full face veils for the purposes of public safety may be legitimate, this blanket ban is neither necessary nor proportionate and violates women's rights to freedom of expression…
August 1, 2018
Press Release
Cuba: 100 days in, new administration has yet to dismantle repressive state machinery
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
House of Representatives Must Reject Funding Increases for ICE and CBP
The House Appropriations Committee must reject all funding increases for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in next year’s budget for the Department of Homeland Security, Amnesty International urged in a letter as the committee prepares to mark up the FY19 DHS budget. The current bill proposes increased spending on border enforcement, including an unprecedented $5 billion for President Trump’s Border Wall, as well as funds for 44,000 ICE detention beds per day, a record high. “This bill will threaten asylum seekers at every turn. It will fuel this administration’s cruel policies of detaining, deporting,…
July 24, 2018
Report
Chad: People forced to pay a heavy price for harsh austerity measures
A host of austerity measures implemented by the Chadian authorities is pushing people into deeper poverty, undermining access to necessary health care and putting education beyond the reach of many, Amnesty International said in a new report published today. ‘Strangled budgets, silenced dissent: The human cost of austerity measures in Chad’ documents the impact of drastic spending cuts on the rights to health and education. It also charts the government’s crackdown on protesters and activists opposed to the austerity measures implemented in response to an on-going economic crisis. “We spoke to pregnant women who were forced to delay important ante-natal…
July 15, 2018