Australia Day is not a celebration for all Australians. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples mark this day as Survival Day. Since colonisation, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have been subjected to government-sanctioned violence, policies that removed children from families, the removal of people from their lands and the denial of self-determination. This year …
Author Archives: Amnesty International
Chelsea Manning: ‘Why speaking out is worth the risk’
In the final days of his term, President Obama commuted the sentence of WikiLeaks source Chelsea Manning. Manning had been serving a 35-year sentence in a maximum security prison after releasing documents to the website WikiLeaks which revealed potential human rights violations by the U.S. military. In 2015, she told us why speaking out against injustice can be a once-in-a-lifetime …
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Protecting Australians from racial discrimination
Did you know that there is a Federal Inquiry into Freedom of Speech in Australia? This was announced by the government last year after a case from Queensland failed under section 18c of the Racial Discrimination Act. The terms of reference of the inquiry, rather than focusing on the serious threats to freedom of expression …
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Vacancy: National Board of Amnesty International Australia
Vacant position as director The National Board of Amnesty international Australia (AI Australia) is looking for a director to fill a vacancy. Background AI Australia has a board of 14 directors, seven elected at its AGM (including the 4 office bearers), and an additional seven elected one each by its regional branches. There is a …
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Good news: Obama commutes sentence of WikiLeaks source Chelsea Manning
With less than a week left in his term, President Obama commuted the sentence of Chelsea Manning today. Manning had been serving a 35-year sentence in a maximum security prison after releasing information pointing to potential crimes by the U.S. military. Manning, who has been in jail for nearly seven years, will be freed on …
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EU: Orwellian counter-terror laws stripping rights
Sweeping new laws are driving Europe into a deep and dangerous state of permanent securitization, Amnesty International said on the publication of a comprehensive human rights analysis of counter-terrorism measures across 14 EU member states. Dangerously disproportionate: The ever-expanding national security state in Europe reveals how a deluge of laws and amendments passed with break-neck …
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Good news: Dolma Tso walks free
Dolma Tso, a 30-year-old Tibetan woman who was imprisoned in 2013 for helping a neighbour, walked free from detention unharmed in December 2016. In 2013, Dolma Tso moved the body of her neighbour, Kunchok Tseten after he had set himself on fire. The Chinese authorities have a policy of immediately seizing the body of people who …
Submission: Marriage equality bill inquiry
A Select Committee has been set up to inquire into the government’s draft Marriage Amendment (Same-Sex Marriage) Bill. If passed by the Parliament this Bill would change the definition of marriage from being a union of a man and a woman, to “a union of 2 people”. Amnesty International Australia unequivocally opposes discrimination in civil …
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How the world has changed thanks to Edward Snowden
Thanks to the documents Snowden released, the world is now a different place. Here’s how… In June 2013, whistleblower Edward Snowden revealed the first shocking evidence of global mass surveillance programs. We’ve since learned that the USA’s National Security Agency (NSA) and the UK’s Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) have been monitoring the internet and phone activity of …
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Malawi: Killing of man with albinism underscores justice failures
In response to the killing on 10 January 2017 of Madalitso Pensulo, a 19-year-old man with albinism in Mlonda Village under the Sabwe Traditional Authority in Thyolo District, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for Southern Africa, Deprose Muchena, said: “Malawian authorities must promptly and thoroughly investigate the horrific killing of Madalitso Pensulo, and take immediate steps to address the poor …
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