Turkey: State of emergency must not roll back human rights

President Erdogan’s announcement of the imposition of a state of emergency must not pave the way for a roll-back in human rights or be used as a pretext to further clamp down on freedom of expression and protections against arbitrary detention and torture. Following a meeting of the National Security Council and the Turkish cabinet …

Hong Kong: Guilty verdicts against student leaders latest blow for freedom of expression

The Hong Kong authorities’ prosecution of three pro-democracy student leaders sends a chilling warning for freedom of expression and peaceful assembly in the city, after Joshua Wong, Alex Chow and Nathan Law were found guilty for their roles in events that triggered 2014’s Umbrella Movement. The city’s Eastern Magistrates’ Court found Joshua Wong and Alex …

Ukraine: Car bomb killing of journalist despicable attack on freedom of expression

This morning’s killing of prominent journalist Pavel Sheremet by a car bomb in central Kyiv is a reprehensible act that has sent a shockwave for freedom of expression in Ukraine, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch said. Pavel Sheremet, who writes for the country’s top internet news site Ukrayinska Pravda, was driving to work when …

Syria: Video showing beheading of boy further evidence of abuses by armed groups

A video showing the beheading of a boy by an armed opposition group in northern Syria is the latest abhorrent signal that some such groups are carrying out serious abuses with impunity. The video, believed to be filmed near Aleppo, shows a man standing on the back of a truck carrying out an execution-style killing …

Turkey: Media purge threatens freedom of expression

As the sweeping crackdown in Turkey following a failed coup continues, purges may be extended to censor media houses and journalists, including those critical of government policy. “We are witnessing a crackdown of exceptional proportions in Turkey at the moment. While it is understandable, and legitimate, that the government wishes to investigate and punish those responsible …

Myanmar: Sulphuric acid factory behind health fears must be relocated

The Myanmar government must immediately order the relocation of a sulphuric acid factory built dangerously close to a village, which is continuing to operate despite grave concerns over its health and environmental impact. Residents of Kankone village told Amnesty International on a recent research mission to Myanmar that they are suffering from strong-smelling factory emissions …

Syria: Alarm over reports of high civilian death toll from US-led coalition airstrikes on Manbij

US-led coalition forces carrying out airstrikes in Syria must redouble efforts to prevent civilian deaths and investigate possible violations of international humanitarian law, amid growing reports that scores of men, women and children were killed in their homes in al-Tukhar village, near Manbij, on 18-19 July. High civilian death toll Since June, more than 100 …

Pakistan: End impunity for so-called ‘honour’ crimes

The Pakistani authorities must end impunity for so-called ‘honour’ killings and other violence against women. “The tragic killing of Qandeel Baloch, at the hands of her brother, has highlighted the need for urgent action to protect women and men from crimes that are justified as a defence of family honour.” Amnesty International welcomes the decision …

Turkey: Human rights in danger following coup attempt and subsequent crackdown

Human rights in Turkey are in peril following a bloody coup attempt on Friday 15 July, which resulted in the deaths of at least 208 people and almost 8,000 arrests. Several government officials have suggested reinstating the death penalty as punishment for those found responsible for the failed coup, and the organisation is now investigating …

Mexico faces a test to end torture of women by police and military

Verónica Razo, a Mexican 37-year-old mother of three is terrified of sleeping. Every night, when she lies in her bed in a small cell in Morelo’s federal prison, an hour outside the capital, Mexico City, her mind replays the scariest 24 hours of her life. On 8 June 2011 federal police raped, suffocated and electrocuted …