Below you’ll find breaking news as well as reports, updates on our campaigns, and victories.
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Update
Ghailani and the Torture Trail
Ahmed Ghailani will go to jail regardless of the outcome of his trial in Manhattan. When a society seeks to deprive someone of their liberty through a legal process, it is a reflection not only on their actions but our own laws and values.
October 9, 2010
Update
Three Supreme Court Justices Later Regretted Supporting the Death Penalty
Three out of the seven Supreme Court justices who voted to reinstate the death penalty in 1976 have since said they regretted those votes and, if given a do over, would have supported abolition of the death penalty.
October 8, 2010
Update
Liu Xiaobo's Nobel Peace Prize Win Puts Spotlight on China Rights Violations
Amnesty International is thrilled that Liu Xiaobo was awarded the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize today and hope his win will shine a spotlight on the struggle for fundamental freedoms and protection of human rights in China.
October 8, 2010
Update
Anna Politkovskaya’s killer still at large four years on
This week it is four years since the murder of Anna Politkovskaya, the journalist who since 1999 had written continuously about human rights abuses in Chechnya for the Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta.
October 8, 2010
Update
Filipino Farmer Tells of Enforced Disappearance Nightmare
Raymond Manalo is one of the very few living victims of enforced disappearance.
October 8, 2010
Update
Ethiopian Prisoner of Conscience Birtukan Mideksa Released!
Amnesty International welcomed Birtukan Mideksa’s release from prison yesterday. The leader of the Unity for Democracy and Justice (UDJ) opposition party in Ethiopia, Birtukan Mideksa has a long history of speaking out against the Government of Ethiopia. In the aftermath of the potentially corrupt 2005 elections, in which the ruling Ethiopian People’s Democratic Revolutionary Front (EPRDF) retained control, she was one of many CUD officials who refuse to take office and participated in mass demonstrations. The protests were violently dispersed by police: 187 people were shot dead and 765 others were wounded. Birtukan Mideksa was arrested for the first time…
October 7, 2010
Update
Great news for Inés Fernández Ortega and Valentina Rosendo Cantú!
Inés Fernández Ortega and Valentina Rosendo Cantú were raped by soldiers in the Mexican Army in 2002, and have been fighting for their right to hold their perpetrators accountable for their actions. The Inter-American Court of Human Rights just issued a ruling that greatly aids both women in their fight for justice. On October 1 the Court issued a ruling recognizing that gross human rights violations were committed against both women and their relatives. These violations include impunity for those responsible for the abuses as well the harassment of both the people who have supported the women in their search for…
October 6, 2010
Update
Art Competition to Stop Abuses in Iraq
Calling all artists! We here at Amnesty are announcing a new art competition that you can be a part of! We’re looking for artwork to be featured on our postcards urging the Iraqi government to release Qusay ‘Abdel-Razaq Zabib, an Iraqi police officer who has been held without charge or trial for two years. The competition is part of our latest campaign against human rights violations in Iraq, which was documented in our recent report New Order, Same Abuses: Unlawful Detentions and Torture in Iraq. We are demanding that the U.S. government ensure that detainees like Qusay are either released…
October 5, 2010
Update
Ozzy Osbourne Covers John Lennon's 'How' for Amnesty
Marking the 70th anniversary of John Lennon’s birth are excited to share with you a brand-new cover of the iconic Lennon song “How?” by Ozzy Osbourne premiering on iTunes.
October 5, 2010
Update
Congress Seeks to Improve Prison Conditions Around the World
For years, we’ve documented horrendous conditions in prisons all around the world in our Annual Report. Detainees are often held in inhumane prison conditions, including overcrowding and inadequate food, water and medical care, and are often subjected to other forms of ill-treatment and torture. Family members and legal counsel are often barred from visiting, and juveniles can be detained with adults. Every day, prisoners around the world die in prison due to ill-treatment, in contravention of international human rights standards. But I’m happy to report that the US Congress is finally paying attention. Just a little over two weeks ago,…
October 4, 2010
Update
California Spent 4 Million Dollars Trying to Kill Prisoner
One would assume that a state facing a significant financial crisis would choose to spend its resources on practical policies and beneficial projects. Why, then, did California waste $4 million in order to accomplish… nothing? Perhaps that's unfair; the state did have a goal in mind while spending this money – executing Albert Brown. Not an admirable goal, and, thankfully, Albert Brown is still alive and in prison. Why not save the time, funds, and pain associated with the death penalty? As James Clark of Southern California's ACLU suggests, replacing the death penalty with life without parole, and requiring people…
October 2, 2010
Update
Give Omar Khadr His Chance at Justice
The U.S. Constitutional amendment protecting everyone's right to a fair trial is under attack. On October 18, the desperately flawed trial of Omar Khadr, the young Canadian man who has been in U.S. custody since age 15, is scheduled to resume – lack of transparency, fairness, credibility and all.
September 30, 2010