Marking the one-year anniversary since Iraqi forces and the US-led coalition launched the offensive to retake the city of Mosul from the armed group calling itself the Islamic State (IS), Amnesty International’s Middle East Director of Campaigns, Samah Hadid said: “The battle for Mosul has had catastrophic consequences for the city’s residents. Entire families were …
Author Archives: Amnesty International
Rohingya crisis: Australia must not be complicit in ethnic cleansing
The AFP news agency has reported that the European Union is considering cutting ties to the Myanmar military in protest at the Rohingya crisis. This follows a similar move last month by the United Kingdom. Amnesty International is calling on Australia to follow their leadership on human rights and cut ties with the Myanmar military. …
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James McAvoy, Claire Danes and Ben Stiller join Hollywood starts calling for release of human right activists in Turkey
Actors James McAvoy, Claire Danes and Ben Stiller have joined a host of Hollywood stars in calling for the immediate release of 11 prominent human rights defenders in Turkey. More than 20 celebrities – including Zoë Kravitz, Tim Roth, Mark Ruffalo, Whoopi Goldberg, Zach Galifianakis and Marisa Tomei – have signed a letter sent by Amnesty International …
Turkey must release human rights defenders, still in jail after 100 days
Amnesty International Turkey’s Director and Chair among detained Global protests mark “shameful milestone” for #Istanbul10 They face 15 years in jail on trumped-up terrorism charges One hundred days after their wrongful arrest, Amnesty International is leading a global demand for the immediate and unconditional release of 11 prominent human rights defenders in Turkey. Ten activists, …
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Singapore: Executions continue in flawed attempt to tackle drug crime
Singapore’s continued reliance on mandatory death sentences, which violate international law, has meant that dozens of low-level drug offenders have been sent to death row in recent years, Amnesty International said in a new report, ‘Cooperate or Die’. ‘Cooperate or Die’ also reveals how death penalty reforms introduced in 2013, while reducing the number of …
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Amnesty says ‘we stand with you’ to LGBTQI community in Marriage Equality ‘solidarity’ video
Amnesty International Australia has posted a solidarity video to its social media channels, to let LGBTQI community members know that they are loved and valued, and that we support them during this time. We want as many members of the LGBTQI community as possible to see this video and know that Amnesty International is standing …
Turkey: Charges against rights defenders must be rejected
· Taner Kiliç added to indictment of Istanbul 10 · Charges against the 10 increased to include “membership of a terrorist organisation” Responding to news that a prosecutor has filed an indictment calling for jail terms of up to 16 years on terror charges for 11 human rights activists including İdil Eser and Taner Kiliç, …
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Cambodia must end crackdown on peaceful dissent
The Cambodian authorities’ attempts to shut down the main opposition party ahead of next year’s general election is the latest move in a relentless effort to crush all forms of dissent, however peaceful. The Interior Ministry has filed a complaint with the Supreme Court asking for the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) to be dissolved ahead of the …
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European governments return nearly 10,000 Afghans to risk of death and torture
Returns from Europe increase as Afghanistan becomes more dangerous Europe governments are wrong to claim parts of Afghanistan are safe 2016 was deadliest year on record for civilians and 2017 is going the same way European governments have put thousands of Afghans in harm’s way by forcibly returning them to a country where they are …
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Egypt: LGBTI crackdown of arrests, anal examinations
Egyptian authorities have arrested 22 people over the past three days alone, stepping up a campaign of persecution against LGBTI people in the country which began after a rainbow flag was displayed at a Mashrou’ Leila concert in Cairo provoking a public outcry. The arrests bring the total number of people who have been detained …
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