Amnesty International Australia
Defending Human Rights
Quintin Jones, a black man, was executed on 19 May 2021. He was on death row in Texas, USA in connection with a murder in 1999 when he was just 20 years old. His execution is a reminder that we must all stand strong against the death penalty, an ultimate violation of human rights. The …
Continue reading “USA: Texas man executed based on faulty theory”
Amnesty International welcomes the UN Human Rights Council’s decision to hold a special session to address the rapidly deteriorating situation across Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Within a matter of weeks, the situation in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories has escalated from a crackdown by Israeli forces against peaceful Palestinian demonstrators in East …
Amnesty International holds grave concerns for Shafqat Emmanuel and Shagufta Kausar, a Christian couple who were convicted of ‘blasphemy’ in Pakistan and sentenced to death in 2014. They have been in prison for the better part of eight years waiting for their appeal hearing, when they should not be in jail in the first place. …
Continue reading “Australia must help get Shafqat and Shagufta off death row in Pakistan”
Under international human rights law, the principle of non-refoulement guarantees that no one should be returned to a country where they would face torture, cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment and other irreparable harm. This principle applies to all migrants at all times, irrespective of migration status. Amnesty International is deeply concerned about the …
Continue reading “Denmark must not return refugees to Syria”
Content warning: details of the murder of a non-binary gay man. Earlier this month Alireza Fazeli Monfared, who self-identified as a non-binary gay man, was brutally murdered in his hometown in Iran. His killers are yet to face justice – and under Iran’s justice system, are unlikely to. Alireza was murdered on 4 May in …
Continue reading “Iran: Why was Alireza Fazeli Monfared murdered?”
Amnesty International is deeply concerned by the Egyptian government’s decision to go forward with the execution of nine people, including an 82-year-old man, on 26 April this year. Amnesty International’s recently released annual report on death sentences and executions for 2020 saw Egypt as the third most frequent executioner internationally (following China and Iran), with …
Continue reading “Australia must condemn Egypt after nine Ramadan executions”
The actions of the Iranian government to destroy and desecrate a mass grave site and prevent the dignified burial of members of the Baha’i community must be condemned on the international stage as serious violations of human rights. The Khavaran mass grave site is believed to contain the remains of up to several hundred victims …
A third wave of COVID-19 has contributed to a worsening human rights situation in Cambodia. The government is accused of barring humanitarian assistance to locked-down parts of Phnom Penh, silencing dissent, and violently cracking down on those believed to have broken lockdown restrictions. Everyone under lockdown must be provided access to adequate food, water, health …
Continue reading “Cambodia in the midst of COVID-19 humanitarian crisis; Australia must support”
Ugandan man, Chriton Atuhwera, has died after a homophobic attack at Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya. The LGBTQIA+ community at the camp were targeted in a fire-bombing. The death of Chriton Atuhwera serves as a tragic reminder of the significant threat faced by refugees fleeing homophobic violence. In light of this very real threat, it …
Amnesty International Australia written to Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne asking her to urge the Colombian authorities to end its crackdown on human rights during anti-tax reform demonstrations. As the protests enter their third week, Colombian authorities must end the repression of demonstrations, cease the militarization of cities and ensure that respect for and guarantee …
