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man looks over a destroyed building in Gaza — (AFP/Getty Images)

Press Release

ICJ Hearings Over Israel’s Alleged Breaches of the Genocide Convention a Vital Step to Help Protect Palestinian Civilians

The International Court of Justice proceedings on a South Africa legal case alleging that the state of Israel is breaching…

January 10, 2024

Photo by Kena Betancur/VIEWpress/Corbis via Getty Images

Report

Governments Must Stop Conniving with Fossil Fuel Industries to Burn Our Rights

The world’s richest governments are effectively condemning millions of people to starvation, drought and displacement through their continued support of…

June 6, 2021

Photo by APU GOMES/AFP via Getty Images)

Press Release

Governments and Police Must Stop Using COVID-19 Pandemic as Pretext for Abuse

Abusive policing and excessive reliance on law enforcement to implement COVID-19 response measures have violated human rights and in some instances…

December 16, 2020

TOPSHOT - A woman sells masks to residents of the Olievenhoutbosch township in Centurion, while they queue on May 2, 2020 during a food distribution organised by the South African non profit charity Mahlasedi Foundation. - 30 000 households in the township have been provided with 2200 tons of dry food, sanitisers and masks. (Photo by MARCO LONGARI / AFP) (Photo by MARCO LONGARI/AFP via Getty Images)

Press Release

Governments in Southern Africa must move beyond politics in distribution of COVID-19 food aid

Millions of people face the threat of starvation and are already in a precarious situation as they have now lost…

May 6, 2020

Press Release

Generation Z Ranks Climate Change Highest as Vital Issue of our Time in Amnesty International Survey

Climate change leads as one of the most important issues facing the world, according to a major new survey of…

December 9, 2019

CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA - SEPTEMBER 05: Protesters gather to hand-over a memorandum of grievances during gender-based violence demonstration outside Parliament, following the rape and murder of UCT student Uyinene Mrwetyana on September 05, 2019 in Cape Town, South Africa. While accepting a memorandum of demands from the protesters, Ramaphosa admitted that he will be addressing the issue of violence against women and children and that a state of emergency should be declared. (Photo by Ziyaad Douglas/Gallo Images via Getty Images )

Press Release

Gender-Based Violence and Femicide Offenders in South Africa Must Face Justice

In response to President Cyril Ramaphosa’s address to the nation and hundreds who had gathered in Cape Town to protest…

September 5, 2019

TOPSHOT - A protestor gestures and holds a placard during a demonstration in front of the South African Embassy in Lusaka on September 4, 2019 to protest against Xenophobic attacks on foreign nationals in the Rainbow Nation. (Photo by SALIM DAWOOD / AFP) (Photo credit should read SALIM DAWOOD/AFP/Getty Images)

Press Release

Years of Impunity for Xenophobic Crimes Driving the Latest Attacks in South Africa

The ongoing and escalating attacks against refugees, asylum seekers and migrants, and looting of foreign owned shops in South Africa,…

September 4, 2019

Report

Oppressive, sexist policies galvanize bold fight for women’s rights in 2018

Women activists around the world have been at the forefront of the battle for human rights in 2018, Amnesty International…

December 9, 2018

Press Release

Amnesty and Sofar Sounds partner for Write for Rights concert and letter writing event

On Saturday, December 8, human rights organization Amnesty International USA in partnership with live music events startup Sofar Sounds will…

November 30, 2018

Nawal Benaissa, 36 yeards-old, is a mother of 4 who joined Hirak early on and became one of its main female leading voices. She took part to several protests with her husband and children and has been very active on social media. Her Facebook profile gained more than 80 000 followers, before authorities asked her to shut down during one of her detention in custody. She was arrested and held in custody for few hours four times between June and September 2017. This last time she was sued and on mid-February 2018, she was sentenced to 10 months suspended sentence and a fine of 500 hundred dirhams for inciting to commit an offence (by speech, cries or threats made in the places where public meetings, either through posters exposed to the public or by any means fulfilling the condition, advertising, including electronically, on paper and by audio-visual channel, if the provocation has not been followed by effect. Article 299 of the penal code). Her lawyer has appealed the sentence, the Court of Appeal has yet to rule. Benaissa responded to the court's decision on her Facebook page by expressing her continued support for the Rif protests. "I am proud to take part in the protests in the region and I denounce the imprisonment of Hirak activists. I demand their immediate release," she wrote. Few weeks ago, she moved from the northern city of Al Hoceima to another Moroccan city in order to flee harassment from authorities.

Press Release

Amnesty International launches world’s biggest human rights campaign

Women human rights defenders around the world are facing unprecedented levels of abuse, intimidation and violence, said Amnesty International as…

November 28, 2018

(From L) Russian Foreign Affairs Minister Sergei Lavrov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of China Wang Yi, South African Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Lindiwe Sisulu, Brazil's Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Marcos Galvao and Indias External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj pose for a picture during the BRICS Ministerial Meeting held at OR Tambo International Building on June 4, 2018 in Pretoria. - South Africa, which currently chairs the Brics association, hosts member states' foreign ministers in preparation for the full heads of state summit between July 25 and 27. (Photo by STRINGER / AFP) / The erroneous mention appearing in the metadata of this photo has been modified in AFP systems in the following manner: [Sushma Swaraj] instead of [Sushma Swarajon]. Please immediately remove the erroneous mention from all your online services and delete it from your servers. If you have been authorized by AFP to distribute it to third parties, please ensure that the same actions are carried out by them. Failure to promptly comply with these instructions will entail liability on your part for any continued or post notification usage. Therefore we thank you very much for all your attention and prompt action. We are sorry for the inconvenience this notification may cause and remain at your disposal for any further information you may require. (Photo credit should read STRINGER/AFP/Getty Images)

Press Release

BRICS: Nations Must Put Human Rights First

BRICS nations must put human rights at the forefront of their discussions, said Amnesty International India and South Africa in…

July 25, 2018

Report

South Africa: Women and girls risk unsafe abortions after being denied legal services

Women and girls risk unsafe abortions that can lead to serious health complications, and even death, due to persistent barriers…

January 31, 2017