Below you’ll find breaking news as well as reports, updates on our campaigns, and victories.
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Press Release
France: Upholding burkini ban risks giving green light for abuse of women and girls
Failure to overturn the ban on the burkini would be a missed opportunity to end an assault on women’s freedoms of expression and religion as well as the right to non-discrimination, said Amnesty International as France’s highest administrative court considers a challenge to the ban.
August 25, 2016
Press Release
Malaysia: Sedition conviction must be quashed
The conviction of Mohammed Fakhrulrazi Mohammed Mokhtar for sedition should be quashed immediately, Amnesty International said today.
August 25, 2016
Press Release
Egypt: Refusal to release survivor of torture and disappearance an outrageous blow
The Egyptian authorities’ refusal to release Islam Khalil who was tortured and subjected to enforced disappearance for 122 days is another alarming setback for human rights in Egypt, said Amnesty International.
August 25, 2016
Update
DatNav: How to Navigate Digital Data in Human Rights Research
From online videos of war crimes, to satellite images of rights violations in areas as reclusive as North Korea, to eyewitness accounts disseminated on social media, we have access to more relevant data today than ever before.
August 24, 2016
Press Release
Myanmar: Kofi Annan to head Commission on Rakhine state
The establishment of a high-level commission headed by former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan is a welcome step towards addressing the human rights situation in Myanmar’s Rakhine state, Amnesty International said today.
August 24, 2016
Press Release
Philippines: Over 1700 killings by unknown assassins and police indicate lawlessness, not crime control
The disclosure by Philippine’s Police Chief Ronald dela Rosa that there have been at least 1067 killings by unidentified people and over 712 killings by police in the Philippines since July 1, is a terrifying indication that the authorities are grossly failing in their obligations to respect and protect the right to life.
August 24, 2016
Press Release
Amnesty International USA to Observe North Dakota Pipeline Protests
As a federal court issues a decision regarding whether construction of a disputed pipeline can go forward, Amnesty International USA has sent a delegation of human rights observers to monitor the response of law enforcement to protests by Indigenous communities in North Dakota.
August 24, 2016
Press Release
Conference of States Parties must stop the secrecy and drag $100bn global trade out of the shadows
The second Conference of States Parties for the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) must make critical progress this week on holding governments to account by introducing mandatory public reporting of all international arms deals, say campaigners.
August 23, 2016
Press Release
Police Must Protect the Right to Peacefully Protest Pipeline Construction in North Dakota
As thousands of Indigenous activists gather in 90-degree heat at the construction site of the Dakota Access Pipeline at the border of North and South Dakota, North Dakota state officials have shut down highways leading to the site and removed state-owned water tanks that have served as the main supply of drinking water for the encampment, citing public safety concerns.
August 23, 2016
Press Release
Brazil: Rio’s Olympic legacy shattered with no let-up in killings by police
The legacy of the Rio 2016 Olympics has been shattered with at least eight people killed in police operations in the city during the Games and peaceful protests heavily repressed, Amnesty International said. “Brazil has lost the most important medal at play during Rio 2016: the chance to become a champion on human rights,” said Atila Roque, Executive Director at Amnesty International Brazil. “The Brazilian authorities missed a golden opportunity to follow on their promises to implement public security policies to make Rio a safe city for all. The only way to undo some of many wrongs that took place…
August 22, 2016
Press Release
Iraq: Executions will not eliminate security threats
The execution of 36 men in Iraq yesterday marks an alarming rise in the authorities’ use of the death penalty in response to the dramatic security threats the country is facing, said Amnesty International today. The men were convicted over the killing of 1,700 military cadets at Speicher military camp near Trikrit in June 2014, after a deeply-flawed mass trial which lasted only a few hours, and relied on “confessions” extracted under torture. “These mass executions mark a chilling increase in Iraq’s use of the death penalty,” said Lynn Maalouf, Deputy Director for Research at Amnesty International’s Middle East and…
August 22, 2016
Press Release
Art for Amnesty Partners with AFROPUNK Music Festival
Art for Amnesty, an Amnesty International USA program using the power of art, music, and culture to support human rights and inspire people to act, is partnering with AFROPUNK Festival. Amnesty will showcase original artwork at the music festival to bring attention to human rights abuses happening all over the world as well as bring activists on site to discuss human rights with attendees. Held annually in Brooklyn since 2005 and drawing tens of thousands attendees, AFROPUNK is a two-day festival of multicultural music and arts. This year’s AFROPUNK features artists Ice Cube, Janelle Monae, Thundercat, Tyler the Creator, TV…
August 22, 2016