Below you’ll find breaking news as well as reports, updates on our campaigns, and victories.
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Report
We are defending the land with our blood: Defenders of the land, territory and environment in Honduras and Guatemala
An insidious wave of threats, bogus charges, smear campaigns, attacks and killings of environmental and land activists in recent months has made Honduras and Guatemala the most dangerous countries on earth for those protecting natural resources, Amnesty International said in a new report six months after the brutal murder of Indigenous leader Berta Cáceres.
August 29, 2016
Press Release
U.S. must go beyond resettlement goals and welcome more Syrian refugees
After reports that the United States will meet its goal of taking in 10,000 Syrian refugees, Amnesty International USA issued the following statement.
August 29, 2016
Press Release
Attacks on the rise in Honduras and Guatemala, the world’s deadliest countries for environmental activists
An insidious wave of threats, bogus charges, smear campaigns, attacks and killings of environmental and land activists in recent months has made Honduras and Guatemala the most dangerous countries on earth for those protecting natural resources, Amnesty International said in a new report six months after the brutal murder of Indigenous leader Berta Cáceres.
August 29, 2016
Press Release
Israel/OPT: ‘Secret trial’ of Gaza aid worker will not deliver justice
The Israeli authorities must ensure that the trial of a detained humanitarian worker employed by the charity World Vision is fair and open, said Amnesty International on the eve of his trial, amid reports that the proceedings are due to take place in secret. Mohammed al-Halabi, the manager of Gaza operations for the child-focused global development NGO, is facing 12 charges including being a member of a “terrorist organization” and siphoning off the charity’s funds for “terrorism” purposes. He was initially denied access to a lawyer and, when she was eventually allowed to meet him, he alleged he had been…
August 29, 2016
Press Release
Cameroon: 130 people still missing 20 months after their arrest
Authorities in Cameroon must provide answers about the whereabouts of 130 men and boys still unaccounted for 20 months after they were arrested in a crackdown on suspected Boko Haram members, Amnesty International said today on the International Day of the Disappeared. “The Cameroonian authorities must come clean about the fate of these 130 missing men and boys. The government’s continued failure to reveal their whereabouts adds insult to injury to the families who have already waited a long time for news of their loved ones,” said Alioune Tine, Amnesty International West and Central Africa Regional Director. “The country must…
August 29, 2016
Press Release
The Day of the Disappeared: Enforced disappearances persist globally
Governments around the world are consistently using enforced disappearances to secure their own power and silence opposition, said Amnesty International, ahead of this year’s International Day of the Disappeared on 30 August. “Amnesty International campaigns on hundreds of cases of enforced disappearance in all regions of the world. This Day of the Disappeared, our millions of supporters globally will press governments who employ enforced disappearances to stop using this cruel tactic once and for all,” said Salil Shetty, Amnesty International’s Secretary General. The organization is highlighting cases from each of its global regions this year: Middle East and North Africa…
August 29, 2016
Press Release
Pakistan: Where is Zeenat Shahzadi?
As the International Day of the Disappeared is marked around the world, Pakistan’s authorities must promptly, thoroughly and effectively investigate the abduction and suspected enforced disappearance of Zeenat Shahzadi, Amnesty International said today. Just over a year ago, on 19 August 2015, Zeenat Shahzadi, a 24-year-old journalist, was on her way to work in Lahore on an auto-rickshaw when she was abducted by armed gunmen. She has not been seen or heard from since. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan believes she was subject to an enforced disappearance by security forces. “Zeenat Shahzadi is the first female journalist suspected to…
August 29, 2016
Press Release
Zimbabwe: Investigate fate and whereabouts of disappeared pro-democracy activist
The continued failure of Zimbabwe’s authorities to launch an effective investigation into the enforced disappearance of pro-democracy activist, Itai Dzamara, sends a chilling message about the security of other government critics, said Amnesty International today marking the International Day of the Disappeared. “The absolute failure of the police to account for the enforced disappearance of Itai Dzamara, almost 18 months after he was last seen, speaks volumes about the high levels of impunity that persist in Zimbabwe,” said Tjiurimo Hengari, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for Southern Africa. “The authorities must take action to ensure truth and justice are delivered and…
August 26, 2016
Press Release
Ukraine: Authorities must commit to a thorough investigation after 13 people released from secret detention
Fresh details of secret detention by the Ukrainian authorities have emerged following the release of 13 people from a Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) compound in Kharkiv, said Amnesty InternationaI and Human Rights Watch today. The release comes after Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch exposed the use of torture and secret detention by both Ukrainian authorities and pro-Russian separatists during the conflict in eastern Ukraine in a joint report “‘You Don’t Exist.’ Arbitrary Detentions, Enforced Disappearances, and Torture in Eastern Ukraine” published on 21 July. The organizations have now written to the Chief Military Prosecutor of Ukraine with fresh…
August 26, 2016
Press Release
Amnesty International reaction to court decision to overturn burkini ban in France
Responding to the decision of France’s highest administrative court to overturn the ban on the burkini on a French beach, John Dalhuisen, Amnesty International’s Europe Director said.
August 26, 2016
Update
With Whom are Many U.S. Police Departments Training? With a Chronic Human Rights Violator – Israel
U.S. law enforcement agencies need partners for effective training to strengthen their identified weak areas. Israel is not such a partner.
August 25, 2016
Press Release
Colombia: End of negotiations over conflict brings hopes of peace
The announcement that the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) have reached a deal to end the five decade-old armed conflict is a momentous and long-awaited development that brings hope that peace will at last be possible, said Amnesty International.
August 25, 2016