Press Release

Dr. López-Gatell Must Support the Release of Migrants in Mexico Due to COVID-19

Amnesty International sent an open letter today to the Undersecretary of Prevention and the Promotion of Health, Dr Hugo López-Gatell Ramírez, the maximum authority on the response to COVID-19 in…

April 23, 2020
An asylum seeker staying at the Juventud 2000 migrant shelter in Tijuana, Baja California State, Mexico, sprays disinfectant on tents on April 3, 2020 as stronger cleaning measures are being implemented to fight the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, pandemic. - Thousands of migrants overcrowding shelters or begging in the streets in Mexican cities along the US border are living in fear as the novel coronavirus spreads in the population and screening interviews for asylum seekers are being suspended. (Photo by Guillermo ARIAS / AFP) (Photo by GUILLERMO ARIAS/AFP via Getty Images)

Press Release

Facebook Must Cease Complicity with Government Censorship in Vietnam

Facebook must immediately reverse its decision to censor posts deemed critical of the government in Viet Nam, said Amnesty International today.

April 22, 2020
Vietnamese activist La Viet Dung holds up a phone with the screen displaying an open letter to Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg in Hanoi on April 10, 2018. A group of 50 Vietnamese activists and rights organisations have written an open letter to Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg suggesting his company may be colluding with communist authorities to scrub out online dissent. / AFP PHOTO / - (Photo credit should read -/AFP via Getty Images)

Press Release

Torture Trial in Germany a ‘Historic Step’ Towards Justice in Syria

The first trial of two former officials of the Syrian government’s security service charged with crimes against humanity marks an important step towards justice, Amnesty International said.

April 22, 2020
Sadnaya - Syria detentions - Collaboration with Forensic Architecture. Illustrations taken from the Forensic Architecture Platform. Saydnaya Military Prison is located 30km north of Damascus, Syria. The prison is under the jurisdiction of the Minister of Defence and operated by the Military Police. Saydnaya became notorious for the use of torture and excessive force following a riot by detainees in 2008. There are two buildings on the Saydnaya site, which between them could contain 10,000-20,000 prisoners. In April 2016, Amnesty International and Forensic Architecture travelled to Turkey to meet a group of survivors from Saydnaya prison. Since 2011, journalists and other monitoring groups have been unable to visit the prison and speak with prisoners from Saydnaya, so this was an opportunity to tell their stories. As there are no images of Saydnaya, we were dependent on the memories of survivors to recreate what happened inside. Using architectural and acoustic modelling, we helped witnesses reconstruct the architecture of the prison and their experiences of detention. The interview techniques were developed by Forensic Architecture at Goldsmiths, University of London, in consultation with the university’s Forensic Psychology Unit.

Press Release

Historic discrimination in Libya threatens right to health of minorities in the south amid COVID-19

The Libyan authorities and militias in control of southern cities and towns and international donors must ensure that those most marginalized are factored into their emergency public health response to…

April 21, 2020
Libyans queue at a distance outside a bakery, during a curfew announced by the UN-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) in areas under its control to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus, in the capital Tripoli on April 19, 2020. - Already tired by the tribulations of war, Libyans in the capital Tripoli are reluctant to respect lockdown measures introduced Friday to control coronavirus, which has officially infected 49 people in the country. The UN-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) announced a total curfew for 10 days in areas under its control in western Libya on Thursday. Driving is banned and people are only allowed out to do their shopping on foot between 7am and noon. (Photo by Mahmud TURKIA / AFP) (Photo by MAHMUD TURKIA/AFP via Getty Images)

Press Release

Prisoner of conscience Konstantin Kotov will remain in jail in Russia

Following today’s decision by Moscow City Court to uphold the conviction of human rights defender Konstantin Kotov and sentence him to a year-and-a-half in a penal colony, Amnesty International Russia’s…

April 20, 2020
An opposition supporter pickets in front of a monument to Soviet Marshal Georgy Zhukov to support opposition activist Konstantin Kotov, who was sentenced to four years in prison for repeatedly taking part in unauthorised rallies, in downtown Moscow on October 13, 2019. (Photo by Dimitar DILKOFF / AFP) (Photo by DIMITAR DILKOFF/AFP via Getty Images)

Press Release

Workshop for media to examine human rights and response to COVID-19 in Hungary and Russia

As part of a series of workshops exploring human rights concerns related to the COVID-19 response, Amnesty International USA will be holding a workshop titled "Europe At Risk: Human Rights…

April 20, 2020
MOSCOW REGION, RUSSIA - APRIL 20, 2020: Russia's President Vladimir Putin during a video conference meeting on the COVID-19 coronavirus situation in Russia, at Novo-Ogaryovo residence. Alexei Druzhinin/Russian Presidential Press and Information Office/TASS (Photo by Alexei DruzhininTASS via Getty Images)

Press Release

Protect Detainees at Risk of COVID-19 in Sub-Saharan Africa, Unclog Prisons and Release Prisoners of Conscience

Authorities in Sub-Saharan Africa must take urgent action to protect people in detention from COVID-19, including releasing prisoners of conscience, reviewing cases of pre-trial detention, and guaranteeing access to healthcare…

April 20, 2020
Congolese firemen begin the disinfecting operation of the state buildings and public spaces in the Gombe district of Kinshasa, on April 12, 2020. - The operations will last for ten days to try to curb the spreading of the COVID-19 coronavirus. (Photo by JUNIOR KANNAH / AFP) (Photo by JUNIOR KANNAH/AFP via Getty Images)

Press Release

Prisoner of conscience in coma still detained in Saudi Arabia during COVID-19 pandemic

The Saudi Arabian authorities must immediately release Dr Abdullah al-Hamid, a prisoner of conscience who remains detained despite being in coma and in critical condition, Amnesty International said today. Dr…

April 17, 2020
Saudi imprisoned human rights defenders Abdullah al-Hamid, Waleed Abu al-Khair and Mohammad Fahad al-Qahtani (not pictured) receive the Right Livelihood Award
Saudi imprisoned human rights defenders Abdullah al-Hamid, Waleed Abu al-Khair and Mohammad Fahad al-Qahtani (not pictured) receive the Right Livelihood Award represented by Omar al-Qahtani (L), family member of al-Qahtani and the Saudi human rights advocate Yahya Assiri (R), during the Right Livelihood award ceremony at the Vasa Museum in Stockholm, Sweden, on November 23, 2018. (Photo by Meli PETERSSON ELLAFI / TT NEWS AGENCY / AFP) / Sweden OUT (Photo credit should read MELI PETERSSON ELLAFI/AFP via Getty Images)