The government of Bangladesh’s announcement that it is to postpone the return of Rohingya refugees to Myanmar is a welcome relief for hundreds of thousands currently living in Bangladesh, Amnesty International said today. Implementing a returns arrangement – finalised last week – in its current form would put the safety and rights of more than …
Author Archives: Amnesty International
Young people still at risk despite WA Banksia Hill inquiry
An independent inquiry into abuses at Banksia Hill Juvenile Detention Centre is welcome, but must be accompanied by immediately moving at-risk young people out of the harmful ‘Intensive Support Unit’. WA Corrections Minister Fran Logan announced at a press conference on Friday that Inspector of Custodial Services Neil Morgan would examine the allegations of abuse, …
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Keep Australia Day, and move to a date we can all celebrate
Australia should move Australia Day to a date that is inclusive of all Australians and recognises the survival and resilience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, Amnesty International said today, as it released its first position statement on the issue. “Australia Day should be a day when everyone can come together, to celebrate our …
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Let’s make Australia Day one we can all share
Australia Day should be for all Australians, but for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who mark the day as one of invasion, survival and mourning, it is an emotional day. 26 January is an important day in our history, but it is not a day for celebrations. We need to move to a date …
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Bangladesh: Returning Rohingya to Myanmar illegal and premature
Responding to an announcement by the Bangladeshi Foreign Ministry that it will aim to repatriate all Rohingya refugees within two years, James Gomez, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, said: “With memories of rape, killing and torture still fresh in the minds of Rohingya refugees, plans for their return to Myanmar …
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Concerns of torture in WA youth prison: “I felt like a dog”
The Intensive Support Unit at Banksia Hill Youth Detention Centre, Western Australia, must be immediately closed pending investigation, said Amnesty International following serious allegations of abuse of young people which may amount to torture. Amnesty International visited Banksia Hill last week and interviewed two young people who have allegedly been subjected to solitary confinement and …
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Israel: Release teenage Palestinian activist Ahed Tamimi
Israeli authorities must release a 16-year-old Palestinian activist who could face up to 10 years in prison over an altercation with Israeli soldiers in the occupied West Bank last month, Amnesty International said as she appeared in court today. Ahed Tamimi will go before Ofer military court in the occupied West Bank accused of aggravated …
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Myanmar: Military’s mass grave admission exposes extrajudicial executions of Rohingya
Amnesty International is clear that governments, such as Australia’s, who continue to train Myanmar’s military are propping up a force that is carrying out a vicious campaign of violence against the Rohingya that amounts to crimes against humanity. Amnesty calls on Australia to immediately cease providing training to the Myanmar military and to use …
NT Royal Commission: Federal leadership welcome, now it’s time for Australia-wide change
In response to reports that Federal Indigenous Affairs Minister Nigel Scullion said the Federal Government will release in the “very near future” a “fully funded” response to the final report of the Royal Commission into the Protection and Detention of Children in the Northern Territory, Amnesty International Australia’s Indigenous Rights Advisor Rodney Dillon said, “We’re …
Syria: Government must allow 529 sick and injured civilians out of Eastern Ghouta
Amnesty International is calling on the Syrian government to allow the urgent medical evacuation of more than 500 sick and injured civilians from the besieged Eastern Ghouta area near Damascus. According to medical personnel in Eastern Ghouta, some 529 patients require urgent treatment for their injuries or diseases – treatment that is unavailable in the …
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