Responding to the UK government’s commitment to ban all new petrol and diesel cars and vans from 2040, Mark Dummett, Business and Human Rights Researcher at Amnesty International, said: “This is good news for the environment and for air quality, but drivers should be aware that while electric cars may be green, they’re not always …
Author Archives: Amnesty International
Myanmar: Release journalists facing prison over charges linked to reporting from Shan State
The Myanmar authorities must immediately and unconditionally release three journalists who were arrested in conflict-ridden northern Shan State last month, Amnesty International said ahead of their trial today. Aye Nai and Pyae Phone Aung, both reporters for the Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB), and Thein Zaw (aka Lawi Weng), a reporter for the Irrawaddy newspaper, were arrested on …
Ferrovial continues to build a fortune on refugees’ despair
Spanish multinational Ferrovial continued to make millions from the abuse of refugees and people seeking asylum on Nauru and Manus Island in the first half of 2017, despite attempts to distance itself from Australia’s deliberately cruel refugee “processing” system, Amnesty International said today. Financial reports released today show that between 1 January and 30 June …
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Israeli forces attack peaceful crowds at Jerusalem holy site
Israeli forces attacked peaceful crowds of Palestinians as they gathered at al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem for the first time since Israel lifted recent security measures imposed at the site, according to Amnesty International staff at the scene. “Israeli forces started firing stun grenades, tear gas and sponge-tipped bullets into a peaceful crowd as they stood …
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The world is finally starting to break its silence on Turkey
In Turkey, truth and justice have become strangers. Six human rights defenders were imprisoned this week on the absurd charge of supporting a terrorist organization. They await trial, which could prolong their incarceration for several months. Four others were released but remain under investigation. Their movements have been restricted and they have to report to …
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President Trump’s Prejudice Laid Bare in Transgender Military Announcement
Following tweets from President Donald Trump announcing he would no longer allow transgender individuals to serve in the U.S. military, Tarah Demant, Amnesty International USA’s director of Gender, Sexuality, and Identity program issued the following statement: “This announcement violates the human rights of all transgender Americans. It lays bare the president’s prejudice and underlines the …
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Lebanon: Further investigation needed into deaths of Syrian refugees in military custody
The Lebanese authorities must disclose the full findings of their investigation into the deaths of four Syrian refugees, said Amnesty International, after the country’s military prosecutor yesterday revealed that a forensic report concluded that they had died of “natural causes”. The men died after they were arrested in a military raid on the town of …
Israeli forces carry out violent hospital raids in ruthless display of force
Israeli soldiers and police stormed a Palestinian hospital twice over the past week terrifying staff and patients and in some cases preventing doctors from providing emergency medical care to critically injured patients, said Amnesty International. The raids on al-Makassed hospital in East Jerusalem took place as tensions escalated in Jerusalem and across the West Bank …
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Afghanistan: Kabul bombing is a war crime
Responding to the deaths of 24 people and the wounding of 42 when a car packed with explosives rammed into a bus in western Kabul this morning, in an attack claimed by the Taliban, Amnesty International’s Afghanistan Researcher, Horia Mosadiq, said: “This horrific attack deliberately targeted civilians and constitutes a war crime under international law.” …
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Australian Government chooses to punish families
In response to the official statement by Filippos Grandi, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees that the Australian Government has refused to reunite families despite an understanding with UNHCR, Dr Graham Thom, refugee coordinator at Amnesty International said: “Amnesty International, along with others, has been asking what will happen to split families from the very …
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