Newsroom

Update

"I owe my life to Amnesty International...  Now I am dedicating that life to campaigning against the death penalty and raising awareness about human rights." Earlier this month in Yemen, an emotional Hafez Ibrahim greeted Amnesty International researcher Lamri Chirouf, the man he credits with stopping his execution for a crime committed when he was a child. Now aged 22, Hafez proudly described his determination to make the most of the life that was returned to him. He is in his third year at Sana'a University studying law, and plans to dedicate himself to protecting human rights. His story highlights…

April 14, 2010

Update

Up to 71 civilians have reportedly been killed this past weekend in the Pakistani region on the border with Afghanistan. Residents from the Tirah Valley village said that the dead and wounded were civilians with no connections to the region’s militant groups. This is just one example of many reports of civilian casualties that have reached various media outlets, throughout the past few years. It reiterates the toll that the conflict in Northwestern Pakistan has taken (and is currently taking) on civilian lives. The Northwestern region of Pakistan, which is on the Afghan border, is very difficult to access. However,…

April 13, 2010

Update

A court in Azerbaijan has given a go to prosecute celebrated journalist Eynulla Fatullayev on newest charges.

April 10, 2010

Update

AGM Countdown: In the run up to Amnesty International’s Annual General Meeting in New Orleans this weekend, the Science for Human Rights program will be posting a new blog entry every day this week. All of the projects presented this week—and many more—will be at display in New Orleans. For this year’s Annual General Meeting, the Science for Human Rights Program (SHR) is unveiling a cool new toy. This new toy, which we’re calling the "SHR Explorer," enables you to check out a selection of the satellite images we have acquired and analyzed over the years, and lets you really…

April 9, 2010

Update

Today, we’re gathering with human rights advocates from around the world in New Orleans to demand and fight for all human rights for all people!  While the challenges facing human rights activists are great, the energy and determination to meet them are even greater. We’ll be mobilizing with those assembling in New Orleans to attack injustice from Burkino Faso to Biloxi, and grow an even stronger human rights movement. Already the word is getting out:  today we’ve seen a spike in coverage about our reporting on the human rights abuses of Hurricane Katrina victims.  New Orleans in the aftermath of…

April 9, 2010

Update

AGM Countdown: In the run up to Amnesty International’s Annual General Meeting in New Orleans this weekend, the Science for Human Rights program will be posting a new blog entry every day this week. All of the projects presented this week—and many more—will be at display in New Orleans. With the AGM being in New Orleans this year, and as we are fast approaching the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina’s landfall on the Gulf Coast, Amnesty International is committed to raising awareness about the slow progress in housing recovery, as well as the demolition of public housing, and the problems…

April 8, 2010

Update

Today as the second annual European Union Roma Summit takes place in Spain, it is a reminder that European leaders must confront the pervasive discrimination against millions of Roma across the continent.  Roma people routinely face human rights abuses and EU leaders need to speak up against racist attacks and hate speech and provide concrete measures to end discrimination in access to housing, education, health and employment. Amnesty International, along with Romani and other NGOs, has documented the failures of the authorities in a number of European countries to protect Romani communities from discrimination. We’ve documented repeated failures to end…

April 8, 2010

Update

AGM Countdown: In the run up to Amnesty International’s Annual General Meeting in New Orleans this weekend, the Science for Human Rights program will be posting new blog entries throughout the week. All of the projects presented this week—and many more—will be on display in New Orleans. On March 12, 2010, we released Deadly Delivery: The Maternal Health Crisis in the USA, our groundbreaking report on maternal health in the United States. Deadly Delivery lays out a clear case for the ways in which the U.S. health system is broken, and how we can fix it to fulfill the right…

April 7, 2010

Update

The human rights situation in Colombia for internally displaced persons (IDPs) is deteriorating rapidly. The incidence of displacement in Colombia is one of the highest in the world. Between 3 and 4 million people have been forced to flee their homes and seek refuge elsewhere in the country; a further 500,000 are believed to have fled to neighboring countries.  Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendants and campesino communities make up a disproportionate number of those who have been internally displaced. This level of human suffering prompted the Colombian Constitutional Court to issue two declarations in 2004 calling for the Colombian government to protect…

April 7, 2010

Update

I often read to my almost four-year old daughter our favorite book-- Dr. Suess' environmental treatise, The Lorax.  Unfortunately, this fictional account of environmental destruction is being played out for real in the Indian state of Orissa where Vedanta Corporation is wrecking the environment of the Dongria Kondh people.  To take action, click HERE, but you can also read more below. The story of the Lorax and the Once-ler amazingly parallels that of the Dongria Kondh peoples of Orissa. There is a kid who explores "the far end of town" an area that has been subjected to some environmental disaster.  The area…

April 7, 2010

Update

As the end of the interim period for the Comprehensive Peace Agreement nears in January 2011, the fragile peace between the North and the South may be close to unraveling. Sudan’s first elections in twenty-four years are just around the corner on April 11, 2010. Although the international community had been hoping for a smooth electoral contest after a relatively peaceful-although flawed-voter registration process, there are a number of red flags pointing to the possibility of the outbreak of violence.  Before this week, they were limited to continued repression of opposition candidates, threats to expel elections observers and laws limiting…

April 7, 2010

Update

India has lately become known for its high tech, call center, Bollywood movie and car industries.  It draws the likes of Lindsay Lohan and used to draw the Beatles to its shores.  If there is some sort of thing that requires brain power, it has been outsourced to India.  Only a tiny fraction of the Indian population can have the opportunities that come form working in these well-paying jobs.  The rest of the millions toil away in poverty, often unable to feed themselves on a regular basis.  Because of not being able to feed themselves, they will never have the…

April 6, 2010