Newsroom

Update

President Obama spoke out publicly about human rights during Chinese President Hu Jintao's US visit this week. However, he needs to convert his rhetoric into policies that can bring about real human rights change in China.

January 21, 2011

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As we reported earlier this week, Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier, who has been accused of presiding over numerous human rights violations during his rule from 1971 to 1986, was detained after being questioned by police on Tuesday, January 18th. It is not yet clear what charges he will face. Amnesty's Haiti researcher Gerardo Ducos gives a brief interview and analysis on the latest developments:

January 20, 2011

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The state of Georgia has refused to turn over information on its lethal injection procedures with the absurd claim that such disclosure could "compromise security against sabotage, criminal or terroristic acts." The state’s killing of prisoners must be subject to public scrutiny and this refusal to comply is an insult to the public’s right to know what is being done in their name.

January 20, 2011

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A new survey finds the best officers in the Army are abandoning the military. Meanwhile, an Atlantic Monthly profile of General Sanchez reminds us that we're still waiting for accountability for torture all the way up the chain of command.

January 19, 2011

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Recent reports of more mass rapes in the Democratic Republic of Congo over the new year show the urgent need to end impunity for perpetrators. Congolese authorities must ensure that those responsible for these violations are held to account. No one, regardless of their status, should be above the law.

January 19, 2011

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Justice Paul E. Pfeifer is a Republican who has been a Justice on Ohio’s Supreme Court since 1993. He was re-elected again last November. Yesterday, after he was sworn in to begin his fourth term, he called for Ohio to end its association with the death penalty.

January 19, 2011

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Former Haitian president Jean-Claude 'Baby Doc' Duvalier's return to Haiti on January 16th will hopefully prompt Haitian authorities to bring him to justice for the human rights abuses committed during his regime.

January 18, 2011

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Since the beginning of the year, at least 550 people in Brazil have died and thousands more have lost their homes, due to this year’s floods, which have been disastrous as usual, but certainly not surprising.  What is surprising is the government’s inability to prepare for a recurring problem all too familiar to local inhabitants. Of course, global warming and climate change are a big component of this tragedy, but the incompetence of local authorities is outrageous. Every single year, during summer time, Brazil suffers from flooding, which is inherent to the tropical weather of the country.  Similarly, every single…

January 15, 2011

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Update: New Amnesty International statement calling on the Tunisian authorities to rescind permissions to "shoot on sight". Several news outlets are confirming that Tunisia's president Ben Ali has fled the country. Tunisia has seen rising protests in recent weeks, sparked by the suicide of a 26-year-old unemployed graduate on 17 December 2010. Protesters have been demanding jobs and better living conditions and for an end to corruption, but the government’s response has been heavy-handed with police accused of opening fire on and killing and injuring scores of demonstrators. Earlier today we have called on authorities in Tunisia to release two…

January 14, 2011

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It has been a week of tragic political violence in the United States, and as we collectively mourn our fellow citizens and brave public servants at home, it is sad but timely to recall that in another world the reaction to another assassination has been very different.

January 14, 2011

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On January 11th, over 200 activists marched from the White House to the Department of Justice to mark the 9th anniversary of the detention facility at Guantanamo and demand an end to unfair kangaroo courts, indefinite detention and impunity for torture. The march was covered by the media, including the Washington Post and the Miami Herald. The march was organized by Witness Against Torture, the Center for Constitutional Rights, September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows and Amnesty International USA. Similar demonstrations were held around the world. Amnesty International UK and Amnesty USA are campaigning to resolve the case of Shaker Aamer, a former UK resident with…

January 12, 2011

Update

Tonight the Illinois Senate joined the Illinois House or Representatives in voting to abolish the death penalty. If Governor Pat Quinn signs the bill into law, Illinois will become the 16th state in the USA to ban capital punishment, and the 3rd in the last 4 years.

January 11, 2011