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Women fleeing war and conflict are coming together to fight against horrific abuses, including sexual violence, and to demand a better life in Europe, Amnesty International reveals in a new report published today. I want to decide my future: Uprooted women in Greece speak out, reveals the perilous journeys made by women and girls and the terrible conditions and dangers they face when they finally arrive on the Greek islands or mainland. It also highlights the tremendous resilience and strength these women have shown in overcoming adversity. “The abject failure of European governments to open safe and legal routes to…

October 4, 2018

Press Release

Today, seven Rohingya men, Mohammad Jalal, Mokbul Khan, Jalal Uddin, Mohammad Youns, Sabbir Ahamed, Rahim Uddin and Mohammad Salam were forcibly returned to Myanmar by the Indian Government. These seven men are at grave risk of being subjected to serious human rights violations by the Myanmar government, said Amnesty India today. “Today’s decision by the Supreme Court marks a dark day for human rights in India. This decision negates India’s proud tradition of providing refuge to those fleeing serious human rights violations. It endangers the most persecuted population in the world and is bereft of any empathy,” said Aakar Patel,…

October 4, 2018

Press Release

Responding to the arrest of Hassan al-Kontar by Malaysian police, Rachel Chhoa-Howard, Amnesty International’s Malaysia Researcher, said: “Hassan al-Kontar’s arrest is the latest misstep in a series of mishandlings of his case. It would be abhorrent to see him deported to Syria, given the critical situation there and the clear risks to his own safety. Malaysian authorities should respect the international principle of non-refoulement and find a humane solution to his ordeal. “The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) office in Malaysia should have access to him, which they have requested. They have recognized him as a ‘person of interest’…

October 3, 2018

Press Release

Following the conviction of Loan Torondel, a human rights defender charged with defamation for a tweeted photograph of policemen standing over one of the many people systematically evicted from informal camps in Calais, Nicolas Krameyer, Programme Manager at Amnesty International France, said: “This is outrageous decision sets a dangerous precedent for anybody attempting to document the disproportionate use of force employed by the police in Calais and throughout the country. It will also have a chilling effect on the work of migrant rights defenders and leave migrants and refugees in an even more precarious situation. “This case highlights the harassment and intimidation of…

September 25, 2018

Press Release

“Wanted” pictures of Min Aung Hlaing, the Commander-in-Chief of the Myanmar military who oversaw atrocities against the country's Rohingya population, were posted around New York overnight, as part of Amnesty International’s campaign for accountability in Myanmar. World leaders, including representatives from Myanmar’s government, are meeting in New York this week for the 73rdsession of the UN General Assembly (UNGA). Accountability for the atrocities committed against the Rohingya and Myanmar’s other ethnic minorities is expected to be high on the agenda. The UN Human Rights Council is currently discussing the establishment of an evidence preservation mechanism which could see Min Aung…

September 25, 2018

Press Release

Responding to news that the Panama Maritime Authority revoked the registration of the search and rescue ship, Aquarius, operated by SOS Mediterranée and Médecins Sans Frontières, reportedly after pressure from the Italian government, Elisa di Pieri Amnesty International’s Europe Researcher said: “After closing its ports and seizing NGO ships, it now appears that Italian authorities have resorted to even more underhand tactics to curtail the life-saving work of NGO search and rescue ships in the central Mediterranean. “If it is confirmed that Panama’s decision to revoke the registration of the Aquarius was made as a result of pressure brought to bear…

September 24, 2018

Press Release

Reacting to news that U.S. President Donald Trump plans to set the refugee admissions number to 30,000 for Fiscal year 2019, Ryan Mace, Grassroots Advocacy and Refugee Specialist at Amnesty International USA said: “The Trump administration is abandoning this country’s promise to refugees. “Today’s announcement demonstrates another undeniable political attack against people who have been forced to flee their homes. “This is the lowest goal in the history of the program, and compounded by this administration’s history of creating road block after road block for refugees to arrive, this must be perceived as an all-out attack against our country’s ability to resettle…

September 17, 2018

Press Release

The Australian government must urgently evacuate the 107 refugee children and their families trapped in appalling conditions in Nauru, or else accept New Zealand’s offer to provide safe haven, said Amnesty International, as the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) comes to a close in Nauru today. The four-day meeting, which brought together leaders from across the region, comprehensively failed to address the needs of refugees, with the approved draft Forum Communiqué featuring no mention of an improved, human rights-oriented approach to refugee policy. “The dire situation for refugees and asylum-seekers in Nauru requires urgent action and the Australian government can still…

September 6, 2018

Press Release

Amnesty International USA calls upon the Trump administration to refrain from deporting Mauritanians who have sought refuge and safety in the United States without renewed and fair consideration of their claims for protection. Many of them had previously sought asylum based on fears of human rights abuses including possible enslavement and racial discrimination. The Trump administration’s aggressive anti-immigration policies enforced by ICE would place hundreds and possibly thousands of Mauritanians at risk upon their return to the west African nation. “The deportation of individuals back to an environment where they risk possible enslavement shows disdain for their human dignity and…

August 20, 2018

Press Release

Responding to news that the authorities in Italy and Malta have closed their ports to Aquarius MV, a rescue ship run by SOS Mediterranee, with 141 people aboard, including 73 children, Maria Serrano, Amnesty International’s Senior Campaigner on Migration, said: “European governments must stop playing with human lives. Italy and Malta’s disgraceful refusal to allow refugees and migrants to disembark in their ports is pure cruelty. These individuals have braved dangerous journeys and inhumane conditions in Libya only to be stranded at sea as governments shamelessly abdicate their responsibility to protect. “What’s equally alarming is that the Gibraltar, under whose flag Aqurius has…

August 14, 2018

Press Release

270 local and state elected officials from 42 states expressed their support for resettling refugees in their communities in a bipartisan letter sent to President Trump on Tuesday. The letter, supported by refugee advocacy organizations and resettlement agencies, urges the President to resettle at least 75,000 refugees in Fiscal Year 2019. The letter was signed by Governor Jay Inslee (WA), Governor Mark Dayton (MN), and 58 Mayors including Muriel Bowser (Washington, D.C.), Buddy Dryer (Orlando, FL), Keisha Lance Bottoms (Atlanta, GA), Rahm Emanuel (Chicago, IL), Eric Garcetti (Los Angeles, CA), Lyda Krewson (St. Louis, MO), Steve Adler (Austin, TX), and…

August 9, 2018

Press Release

The number of people drowning in the Central Mediterranean or being taken back to squalid detention centres in Libya has surged as a result of European policies aimed at closing the central Mediterranean route, Amnesty International said in a new briefing published today. The briefing, titled ‘Between the devil and the deep blue sea. Europe fails refugees and migrants in the Central Mediterranean’, reveals the devastating impact of policies which have resulted in more than 721 deaths at sea over June and July 2018 alone. It highlights new Italian policies which have left people stranded at sea for days and analyzes…

August 7, 2018