Newsroom

Update

A global justice gap is being made worse by power politics despite a landmark year for international justice.  So was the conclusion of our world report released today that documents abuses in 159 countries.  State of the World’s Human Rights shows that powerful governments are blocking advances in international justice by standing above the law on human rights, shielding allies from criticism and acting only when politically convenient. Amnesty International is calling on governments to ensure accountability for their own actions, fully sign up to the International Criminal Court and ensure that crimes under international law can be prosecuted anywhere…

May 27, 2010

Update

As you may have noticed, we released our Annual Report today. As always, both state and non-state actors are doing a great job at abusing human rights. But what’s becoming clearer and clearer is that governments are evading their responsibility to ensure justice and accountability for the victims of human rights abuses. This year’s Annual Report highlights this trend: the increasing tendency of governments to block advances in international justice by shielding allies from criticism and acting only when it’s politically convenient. The need for effective global justice is a key lesson from the past year. Justice provides fairness and…

May 27, 2010

Update

Four weeks from today, June 23, Troy Davis will get a day in court. Not a perfunctory hearing where lawyers and judges parse the written affidavits of all the witnesses who have recanted their trial testimony, but a real hearing, where those witnesses themselves will testify, in person and under oath, about what they really saw that summer night in Savannah, Georgia, more than 20 years ago.  The hearing may be filled with high drama, as the witnesses are likely to face vigorous cross-examination.  And the outcome is far from certain.  Because this is an evidentiary hearing, and not a…

May 26, 2010

Update

Segundo Alberto Pizango Chota, president of the Peruvian national indigenous federation AIDESEP, has been arrested immediately upon his return to Lima today after several months in exile in Nicaragua. He is facing charges in Peru which seem to be politically motivated and unsubstantiated, and he may not be given a fair trial. Peruvian indigenous and human rights organizations are already mobilizing to pressure the Peruvian government to dismiss all unsubstantiated charges and ensure that he receives a fair trial.  Pizango was granted asylum by the Nicaraguan authorities, after the Peruvian authorities accused him of being responsible for violence which led…

May 26, 2010

Update

While it will not bring back the life of Ruchika Girhotra, total scumbag and former Chief of Police for the State of Haryana SPS Rathore will spend 18 months in prison for the human rights violations committed against Ms Girhotra and her family despite efforts by him and his buddies to sleaze his way out of facing justice: From that moment, the case became a blatant example of the ability of powerful officials to use their influence to avoid criminal prosecution. Ruchika’s family complained to the police, but officers failed to register the case. Her father and brother were harassed…

May 25, 2010

Update

I checked my email this morning to find this message from Alex Neve, Secretary General of Amnesty Canada, currently in Abeche, Chad, and wanted to share it with you. It's a powerful reminder of why we all need to speak up now to ensure peacekeepers aren't forced out of eastern Chad. We have begun our work on the ground in eastern Chad and in early days much of our focus is on the impending decision of the UN Security Council about the future of the critical UN mission here. Under pressure from the Chadian government, and with the conspicuous absence…

May 24, 2010

Update

Today the U.S. Supreme Court announced that they will hear the case of Henry "Hank" Skinner. Skinner, on Texas death row since 1993, is arguing that he should be allowed to use federal civil rights law to obtain DNA testing that might establish his innocence.  The hearing will take place this Fall.   Skinner’s guilt has been in question since the time of his conviction, and DNA testing, if allowed, could well provide some answers. Prosecutors have tried to prevent Skinner from getting the evidence tested, while Skinner’s lawyers have tried to use civil rights litigation to gain access to…

May 24, 2010

Update

We are deeply concerned about the impacts of the recent Gulf of Mexico oil spill on the human rights of affected people in the region. Beyond the immediate impacts of the explosion that resulted in a tragic loss of life, the spill also poses a threat to human rights particularly in those communities of the Gulf region that are still struggling to recover from severe hurricane damage and who rely, for example, on fisheries or tourism for their livelihoods. As evidenced in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, disadvantaged racial and ethnic groups and poor communities are often disproportionally…

May 24, 2010

Update

Whenever there are "development projects" in various parts of the world, the ostensible reason given is almost always that they are good for the economy in some way-- i.e., they "provide jobs" for the community where a project is being sited. This rationale is usually the only one cited to tip the scale in favor of a project irrespective of the costs to the community.  It leaves me a bit "dazed and confused" (to quote Led Zeppelin-- see video below) even as an economist because there is more than just jobs that play into whether a development project is good…

May 21, 2010

Update

The Utah Board of Pardon and Parole  has agreed to hold a two-day hearing for Ronnie Lee Gardner, to determine if should receive clemency.  The hearing is set for June 10-11; Gardner’s execution date is June 18, and he has chosen the firing squad as the method with which he wants to be killed.  Family and friends of the victim oppose the execution and are expected to participate in the hearing and urge the Board to grant clemency.  The Board will also hear expert testimony about Gardner’s dysfunctional background – evidence that was not fully presented to the jury.  Amnesty…

May 21, 2010

Update

Today a gay couple in Malawi was sentenced to serve the maximum possible sentence of 14 years in prison. They were convicted on May 18th of unnatural acts and gross indecency. Personally, I think jailing people for expressing their love is both unnatural and indecent. In December, Steven and Tiwonge celebrated their love with a traditional engagement ceremony at the hotel where Tiwonge worked. The publicity generated by the ceremony alerted authorities, leading to their arrest. They knew the risk they took, but are so dedicated to each other and their relationship, they proceeded anyway with their public declaration of love. Because of…

May 20, 2010

Update

Last night, Governor Brad Henry of Oklahoma approved clemency and commuted Richard Tandy Smith’s death sentence to life without the possibility of parole.  Smith was found guilty of murdering John Cederlund in 1986. Upon receiving a clemency recommendation from the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board, Governor Henry twice postponed Smith’s scheduled execution before ultimately accepting the recommendation and commuting the sentence. Preceding to Governor Henry’s clemency approval, momentum had built in Oklahoma to see Mr. Smith spared.  In a statement,  the Governor said: "I am very respectful of a jury’s verdict, the prosecutors who tried the case and the victim’s family…

May 20, 2010