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Vietnamese activist La Viet Dung holds up a phone with the screen displaying an open letter to Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg in Hanoi on April 10, 2018. A group of 50 Vietnamese activists and rights organisations have written an open letter to Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg suggesting his company may be colluding with communist authorities to scrub out online dissent. / AFP PHOTO / - (Photo credit should read -/AFP via Getty Images)

Press Release

Facebook Must Cease Complicity with Government Censorship in Vietnam

Facebook must immediately reverse its decision to censor posts deemed critical of the government in Viet Nam, said Amnesty International…

April 22, 2020

Sadnaya - Syria detentions - Collaboration with Forensic Architecture. Illustrations taken from the Forensic Architecture Platform. Saydnaya Military Prison is located 30km north of Damascus, Syria. The prison is under the jurisdiction of the Minister of Defence and operated by the Military Police. Saydnaya became notorious for the use of torture and excessive force following a riot by detainees in 2008. There are two buildings on the Saydnaya site, which between them could contain 10,000-20,000 prisoners. In April 2016, Amnesty International and Forensic Architecture travelled to Turkey to meet a group of survivors from Saydnaya prison. Since 2011, journalists and other monitoring groups have been unable to visit the prison and speak with prisoners from Saydnaya, so this was an opportunity to tell their stories. As there are no images of Saydnaya, we were dependent on the memories of survivors to recreate what happened inside. Using architectural and acoustic modelling, we helped witnesses reconstruct the architecture of the prison and their experiences of detention. The interview techniques were developed by Forensic Architecture at Goldsmiths, University of London, in consultation with the university’s Forensic Psychology Unit.

Press Release

Torture Trial in Germany a ‘Historic Step’ Towards Justice in Syria

The first trial of two former officials of the Syrian government’s security service charged with crimes against humanity marks an…

April 22, 2020

The White House Holds Daily Briefing On Coronavirus Pandemic — Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images

Press Release

Trump’s Proposal to “Halt Immigration” Is Fueled by Bigotry and Xenophobia

Responding to plans announced by U.S. President Donald J. Trump to sign an executive order “to temporarily suspend immigration into…

April 21, 2020

Libyans queue at a distance outside a bakery, during a curfew announced by the UN-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) in areas under its control to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus, in the capital Tripoli on April 19, 2020. - Already tired by the tribulations of war, Libyans in the capital Tripoli are reluctant to respect lockdown measures introduced Friday to control coronavirus, which has officially infected 49 people in the country. The UN-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) announced a total curfew for 10 days in areas under its control in western Libya on Thursday. Driving is banned and people are only allowed out to do their shopping on foot between 7am and noon. (Photo by Mahmud TURKIA / AFP) (Photo by MAHMUD TURKIA/AFP via Getty Images)

Press Release

Historic discrimination in Libya threatens right to health of minorities in the south amid COVID-19

The Libyan authorities and militias in control of southern cities and towns and international donors must ensure that those most…

April 21, 2020

Report

Death penalty 2019: Global executions fell by 5%, hitting a 10-year low

Saudi Arabia executed a record number of people in 2019, despite an overall decline in executions worldwide, Amnesty International said…

April 20, 2020

An opposition supporter pickets in front of a monument to Soviet Marshal Georgy Zhukov to support opposition activist Konstantin Kotov, who was sentenced to four years in prison for repeatedly taking part in unauthorised rallies, in downtown Moscow on October 13, 2019. (Photo by Dimitar DILKOFF / AFP) (Photo by DIMITAR DILKOFF/AFP via Getty Images)

Press Release

Prisoner of conscience Konstantin Kotov will remain in jail in Russia

Following today’s decision by Moscow City Court to uphold the conviction of human rights defender Konstantin Kotov and sentence him…

April 20, 2020

Press Release

Workshop for media to examine human rights and response to COVID-19 in Hungary and Russia

As part of a series of workshops exploring human rights concerns related to the COVID-19 response, Amnesty International USA will…

April 20, 2020

Congolese firemen begin the disinfecting operation of the state buildings and public spaces in the Gombe district of Kinshasa, on April 12, 2020. - The operations will last for ten days to try to curb the spreading of the COVID-19 coronavirus. (Photo by JUNIOR KANNAH / AFP) (Photo by JUNIOR KANNAH/AFP via Getty Images)

Press Release

Protect Detainees at Risk of COVID-19 in Sub-Saharan Africa, Unclog Prisons and Release Prisoners of Conscience

Authorities in Sub-Saharan Africa must take urgent action to protect people in detention from COVID-19, including releasing prisoners of conscience,…

April 20, 2020

Saudi imprisoned human rights defenders Abdullah al-Hamid, Waleed Abu al-Khair and Mohammad Fahad al-Qahtani (not pictured) receive the Right Livelihood Award represented by Omar al-Qahtani (L), family member of al-Qahtani and the Saudi human rights advocate Yahya Assiri (R), during the Right Livelihood award ceremony at the Vasa Museum in Stockholm, Sweden, on November 23, 2018. (Photo by Meli PETERSSON ELLAFI / TT NEWS AGENCY / AFP) / Sweden OUT (Photo credit should read MELI PETERSSON ELLAFI/AFP via Getty Images)

Press Release

Prisoner of conscience in coma still detained in Saudi Arabia during COVID-19 pandemic

The Saudi Arabian authorities must immediately release Dr Abdullah al-Hamid, a prisoner of conscience who remains detained despite being in…

April 17, 2020

Monday 4 June, Amnesty International placed a giant heart balloon outside the Parliament in Budapest. The 10x10x5 meter red heart was there to tell Hungarian MPs that people working for a fair and safe Hungary need to be protected, not attacked or threatened. Therefore, the draconian legislative proposal submitted by the government to the Parliament – dubbed ‘Stop Soros’ and aiming to criminalise those helping refugees and migrants and to instil fear and silence civil society - must be voted down. . The face of the heart balloon installation was the “Civil” symbol - - logo of over 250 organizations working in coalition in Hungary for rights and freedoms. The giant heart is a symbol of the strong and heartfelt worldwide support for civil society, organisations and activists, working for a Hungary that is fair and safe for all. More than 22,000 people from 50+ countries around the world have sent messages of support to NGOs in Hungary both offline and online, which have also been collected in a booklet of solidarity that was handed over to MPs.

Report

Mass protests in Europe provide hope as rights and judicial independence eroded

People’s rights are being violated by governments in Europe and Central Asia, who are cracking down on protests and seeking…

April 16, 2020

Press Release

Migrant workers in Qatar illegally expelled during COVID-19 pandemic

Qatari authorities rounded up and expelled dozens of migrant workers after telling them they were being taken to be tested for COVID-19,…

April 15, 2020

Press Release

Congress Must Halt Administration’s Plan to Suspend Critical Funding to WHO

Responding to U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement that the U.S. will halt funding to the World Health Organization (WHO) pending…

April 15, 2020