Failure to overturn the ban on the burkini would be a missed opportunity to end an assault on women’s freedoms of expression and religion as well as the right to non-discrimination, as France’s highest administrative court considers a challenge to the ban. “The case being considered today offers an opportunity for the French justice system …
Author Archives: Amnesty International
Syria: 10-year-old girl to receive urgent surgery following evacuation from besieged Madaya
A 10-year-old Syrian girl seriously wounded by sniper fire from a Syrian government forces checkpoint in Madaya was successfully evacuated on 13 August for urgent surgery following international pressure. According to the Syrian Red Crescent, Ghina Ahmad Wadi and her mother were escorted from the besieged town to Damascus on 13 August. The move follows …
Amnesty International welcomes Queensland youth detention review
Amnesty International has welcomed the Queensland Government’s announcement of an independent review into Queensland youth detention centres, and called for the terms of reference to be defined in consultation with Indigenous communities and the youth justice sector. Attorney General Yvette D’ath today announced the review will focus on the practices, operation and oversight of Queensland’s …
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Argentina: Woman jailed after miscarriage released
A ruling to release a woman sentenced to eight years in prison after having a miscarriage in Argentina is a step forward for human rights in the country, Amnesty International said. Last night the Supreme Court of Tucumán, a state in north Argentina, said there were not enough reasons to keep Belén, 27, in pre-trial …
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Secret documents reveal culture of abuse in Queensland juvenile detention
Australia urgently needs an independent investigator for all places of detention, after over 1,000 pages of documents detailing abuse and mistreatment against children in detention in Queensland have been uncovered by Amnesty International today. Abuse and secrecy “We’ve shone a light into the dark corners of these detention centres, and found a culture of abuse …
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Torture, inhuman conditions and mass deaths in Syria’s prisons
The horrifying experiences of detainees subjected to rampant torture and other ill-treatment in Syrian prisons are laid bare in a damning new report published by Amnesty International today which estimates that more than 17,723 people have died in custody in Syria since the crisis began in March 2011 – an average rate of more than …
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Yemen: Huthi authorities must release Bahá’ís, end crackdown
The Huthi armed group in control of parts of Yemen must immediately ensure the release of all 27 members of the Bahá’í religion who have been detained in the capital, Sana’a, for a week without charge, in a blatant case of persecution of a minority faith. Armed officers in balaclavas from Yemen’s National Security Bureau …
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Australia/PNG: Closure of Manus Island detention only first step to ending offshore nightmare
Responding to today’s reports that the Australian Government-run refugee detention centre on Manus Island will close Anna Neistat, Amnesty International’s Senior Director for Research, said: “While welcoming the news that the centre will close Amnesty International urges the Australian Government to bring those currently held there to Australia. The Australian Government has for many years …
Major Transfer of Guantanamo Detainees
Today the Department of Defense announced 15 detainees were transferred from the Guantánamo Bay detention site. Amnesty International USA’s Security and Human Rights Program Director Naureen Shah issued the following statement: “This is a powerful sign that President Obama is serious about closing Guantánamo before he leaves office. With these transfers, Guantánamo’s population will be reduced …
Iraq: Hundreds of thousands more risk displacement
Increased humanitarian assistance is urgently required to alleviate the suffering of millions of Iraqis displaced across the country and to provide basic services to hundreds of thousands of people who are expected to be displaced by military operations to recapture territory controlled by the group calling itself Islamic State (IS). Humanitarian organizations have already been …
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