Below you’ll find breaking news as well as reports, updates on our campaigns, and victories.
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Press Release
Iraq: Fears for safety of civilians during battle for Mosul
Every effort must be made to protect civilians from the onslaught of war and potential revenge attacks in Mosul, said Amnesty International today as the operation to recapture the city from the armed group calling itself the Islamic State gets under way. Tomorrow, 18 October 2016, Amnesty International will launch a major new report ‘Punished for Daesh’s crimes’: Displaced Iraqis abused by militias and government forces which documents serious human rights violations - including war crimes committed by Iraqi militias and government forces against displaced civilians during past military operations. The report warns against a repeat of such violations on…
October 17, 2016
Press Release
Nigeria: Privacy of 21 Chibok girls released should be a priority
Responding to the announcement by Nigerian government that secured the release of 21 Chibok girls abducted by Boko Haram Netsanet Belay, Amnesty International’s Regional Advocacy Director, said: “The release of 21 of the kidnapped Chibok schoolgirls by the armed group Boko Haram is a big relief. However, it is vital now that they receive adequate physical and psychosocial counselling and support so that they can fully reintegrate in their communities. The government should also respect their privacy and ensure that the released girls are reunited with their families and not kept in lengthy detention and security screening which can only add to their…
October 13, 2016
Press Release
Sudan: International chemical weapons investigation urgently needed into horrific Jebel Marra attacks
Member states of the international body responsible for monitoring the use of chemical weapons must trigger an investigation into the alleged chemical weapons attacks in the Jebel Marra area of Darfur, revealed by Amnesty International last month. The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons’ (OPCW) Executive Council will start a three-day meeting at the organisation’s headquarters in the Hague today. Many of the members who will be present at the meeting, including France and other EU member states, have expressed their alarm over the chemical weapons allegations. “Expressing concern and consternation will not suffice, we need to see concrete…
October 11, 2016
Press Release
Amnesty International USA Launches Campaign on President Obama’s Last 100 Days
Amnesty International USA (AIUSA) is launching a new campaign calling on President Obama to prioritize human rights during his last 100 days in office by accomplishing three outstanding tasks before he leaves office: close the prison at Guantánamo Bay, stop selling arms to countries that use them to commit war crimes and human rights violations, and grant protection to those fleeing violence in Central America. Amnesty International USA has sent a letter to the president to formally call on him to achieve these goals and is encouraging its 1.2 million supporters in the U.S. to join the campaign by signing…
October 11, 2016
Press Release
Nobel Peace Prize shows Colombia must not close the door on hopes for peace with justice
Today’s awarding of the 2016 Nobel Peace Prize to Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos underscores the expectation that Colombians will persevere in their search for peace with justice, Amnesty International said.
October 7, 2016
Press Release
British forces should not be above the law when it comes to torture, says Amnesty
Responding to reports that Prime Minister, Theresa May, and Defence Secretary, Michael Fallon, will today announce that the UK’s obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights will be suspended in any future international conflict, Amnesty International UK’s Head of Policy and Government Affairs Allan Hogarth said: "No legal manoeuvring means the UK can avoid its obligations to make sure soldiers operating abroad don’t carry out human rights abuses such as torture. As the Government well knows, it has an obligation to ensure that credible allegations of serious abuse carried out by members of its own armed forces are properly investigated. …
October 4, 2016
Press Release
Libya: Civilians trapped in Benghazi in desperate conditions as fighting encroaches
Fears are growing for hundreds of civilians who are trapped in a Benghazi neighbourhood which faces intensified fighting after several months under military blockade, Amnesty International said today. The organization has gathered testimony from some of the 130 Libyan families and hundreds of foreign nationals who have been trapped for months in the residential district of Ganfouda, in south-west Benghazi. All entry roads are blocked by the fighting or Libyan National Army forces, and food, water and electricity supplies have been cut off. “Time is running out for civilians in Ganfouda, who are being left to die trapped by the…
September 29, 2016
Press Release
EU: Time to eradicate the torture trade
The European Parliament should vote in favour of measures strengthening the European Union’s landmark regulation combatting the trade in equipment that can be used to torture, ill-treat or execute people, said Amnesty International and the Omega Research Foundation (Omega). Final amendments to the torture trade Regulation (EC) 1236/2005 accepted by the EU Council will be debated and voted on by the full European Parliament plenary on Tuesday 4 October. “The global market is rife with sinister equipment like leg chains and spike batons which can easily be turned into tools of torture. Introducing tighter EU restrictions on the sale, brokering…
September 29, 2016
Press Release
Israel and Occupied Palestinian Territories: Pattern of unlawful killings reveals shocking disregard for human life
Nearly a year on from a bloody spike in violence in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) Israeli forces continue to display an appalling disregard for human life by using reckless and unlawful lethal force against Palestinians, Amnesty International said today.
September 28, 2016
Press Release
Thailand: Torture victims must be heard
Silencing human rights activists who highlight human rights violations will not solve the problem of torture and other ill-treatment in Thailand, Amnesty International said today. In Bangkok, Thailand’s authorities prevented Amnesty International from proceeding with the launch of “Make Him Speak by Tomorrow: Torture and Other Ill-Treatment in Thailand.” This report details torture and other ill-treatment at the hands of soldiers and the police against suspected insurgents, government opponents, and a range of individuals from vulnerable backgrounds, including alleged drug users and minorities. “The Thai authorities should be addressing torture, not human rights activists doing their legitimate work. Instead of…
September 28, 2016
Report
Scorched Earth, Poisoned Air: Sudanese Government Forces Ravage Jebel Marra, Darfur
An Amnesty International investigation has gathered horrific evidence of the repeated use of what are believed to be chemical weapons against civilians, including very young children, by Sudanese government forces in one of the most remote regions of Darfur over the past eight months.
September 26, 2016
Press Release
Killing of Jordanian journalist a deplorable attack on freedom of expression
The shooting to death of a prominent journalist outside a court in Amman yesterday is an alarming attack on freedom of expression, said Amnesty International.
September 26, 2016