Amnesty International Australia
Defending Human Rights
By Josef Benedict, Amnesty International’s Deputy Campaigns Director for Southeast Asia and the Pacific There is nothing left of Boeung Kak lake in the centre of Cambodia’s capital Phnom Penh. What used to be the largest body of water in the city has over the past years been completely filled with sand, as part of a …
Continue reading ““Even when she was beaten in protests, she would join the next day””
Responding to news of the execution of Syrian-Palestinian human rights activist Bassel Khartabil overnight, Anna Neistat, Amnesty International’s Senior Director of Research said: “We are deeply saddened and outraged at this awful news. Bassel Khartabil will always be remembered as a symbol of courage, who peacefully fought for freedom to the very end. Our thoughts …
Responding to the Thai authorities summoning of prominent journalist Pravit Rojanaphruk to answer accusations of sedition for some of his Facebook posts, Amnesty International’s Director for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, James Gomez, said: “The authorities must immediately stop using the criminal justice system to harass Pravit Rojanaphruk. It is outrageous to think that he …
Continue reading “Thailand: Drop sedition charges against prominent journalist for Facebook posts”
Companies such Ferrovial and Broadspectrum are profiting millions of dollars from the deliberate abuse of 2,000 men, women and kids on Nauru and Manus Island. Ferrovial has publicly claimed it will end its operations on the two islands when its current contract with the Australian Government ends on 31 October 2017. We held this eye-catching …
Continue reading “Stop companies profiting from abuse of people seeking asylum”
You have probably heard of VPNs (Virtual Private Networks), right? They’re those things you use to stream movies online in other countries that are annoyingly blocked in yours. If VPNs were banned, how would you watch the latest robot apocalypse blockbuster online without having to wait a whole year? Now imagine that the online content …
Continue reading “VPNs are a vital defence against censorship – but they’re under attack”
By Josefina Salomón, Amnesty International Mexico The phone rang at four in the afternoon, exactly as scheduled. The ringing heightened the tension in the small living room of the 1950s house in Mexico City. “Will you accept a call from the West Federal Prison?” said the voice at the end of the line. “Yes, of course. …
Continue reading “Arbitrary detentions in Mexico: ‘We never thought this could happen to us’”
First executions in more than 60 years Government seeks to divert attention from political crisis Executions would violate Maldives commitments under international law Authorities in the Maldives must halt the first executions in more than 60 years as the government seeks to divert attention from a worsening political crisis, Amnesty International said today. The Minister …
Iran’s judicial and security bodies have waged a vicious crackdown against human rights defenders since Hassan Rouhani became president in 2013, demonising and imprisoning activists who dare to stand up for people’s rights, Amnesty International said in a new report. Caught in a web of repression: Iran’s human rights defenders under attack details how scores …
Continue reading “Iran vilifies human rights defenders as ‘enemies of the state’”
By Gabe Kavanagh, President, Amnesty International Australia Later this month I’ll have the privilege of travelling to Amnesty’s International Council Meeting (ICM) in Rome, Italy. At the ICM, held every two years, representatives from most of the 150 Amnesty offices around the world come together in one place. We’ll be meeting to look to the …
Continue reading “Update on the 2017 International Council Meeting”
The dramatic increase in illegal use of force, scores of arbitrary detentions and the killing of at least 10 people, among other worrying attacks against the people of Venezuela recorded this weekend, confirm a consistent pattern of deteriorating human rights in the country, said Amnesty International. “President Maduro and his government appear to be living …
Continue reading “Venezuela: Acts of violence highlight government’s disregard for human rights”
