Amnesty International Australia
Defending Human Rights
Hundreds of refugees who survived the 2015 boat crisis in South East Asia have been locked up in poor conditions in Malaysia ever since, Amnesty International said, following a visit to the country to investigate the fate of people one year on. Rohingya refugees are being kept in indefinite detention Failure to properly investigate criminal …
Continue reading “Malaysia: One year on, no justice for ‘boat crisis’ survivors”
Saudi Arabia will have put to death more than 100 people in the first six months of this year if it continues to carry out executions at its current pace. At least 94 people have been executed so far this year, higher than at the same point last year. 2015 saw the highest number of …
Continue reading “Saudi Arabia: Surge in executions continues as death toll approaches 100”
A poignant new video experiment breaking down barriers between recently-arrived refugees and Europeans will be launched globally by Amnesty International on 25 May 2016. The video, Look Beyond Borders, filmed by Amnesty International Poland in Berlin in April 2016, is based on a theory that four minutes of uninterrupted eye contact increases intimacy. Amnesty International Poland …
Continue reading “Look refugees in the eye: Powerful video experiment breaks down barriers”
Legendary folk singer Joan Baez and world-renowned artist Ai Weiwei have been awarded the 2015 Amnesty International Ambassador of Conscience Award at an evening ceremony in Berlin which featured performances from artists around the world. The Amnesty International Ambassador of Conscience Award recognises those who have shown exceptional leadership in the fight for human rights, …
A court’s decision this week to release a woman who spent four years in jail in El Salvador for miscarrying her pregnancy is a great victory for human rights. María Teresa Rivera, 33, was jailed in 2011 and sentenced to 40 years in prison for “aggravated homicide” after having a miscarriage. “The release of María …
A new global survey commissioned by Amnesty International shows that 80% of people would welcome refugees fleeing danger into their own countries. The Refugees Welcome Index, based on a global survey of more than 27,000 people and carried out by strategy consultancy GlobeScan, ranks 27 countries across all continents based on people’s willingness to let …
Despite the Australian Government’s announcement in April, children are still in community-based detention. What did the government say? On 3 April Immigration Minister Peter Dutton announced that the Australian Government had released all asylum-seeker children from detention centres on the Australian mainland. The last group released – which included a baby, a toddler and a …
Continue reading “Fact check: are all children out of detention?”
President Joko Widodo should seize the opportunity to show that his government has the resolve to stand up for human rights by halting the imminent executions of up to 15 people. Flawed justice system The death row prisoners believed to at risk have been convicted of alleged drug offences and some did not receive a …
Continue reading “Indonesia: Halting executions will be a show of strength”
Armed groups surrounding the Sheikh Maqsoud district of Aleppo city have repeatedly carried out indiscriminate attacks that have struck civilian homes, streets, markets and mosques, killing and injuring civilians and displaying a shameful disregard for human life. The organization has gathered strong evidence of serious violations from eyewitnesses, and obtained the names of at least …
Continue reading “Syria: Armed opposition groups committing war crimes in Aleppo city”
The Chief Justice of the highest court in Australia has taken the rare step of speaking out about the need for action on family violence and our “appallingly high rate of indigenous incarceration”. Chief Justice French rarely speaks on issues publicly, so this is an important step for shining the spotlight on the over-representation of …
Continue reading “Australia’s top judge urges action on family violence and Indigenous prison rates”
