Amnesty International is deeply concerned about recent incidents in which Israeli security forces have used repeated, unwarranted and excessive force against Palestinian protesters in occupied East Jerusalem following four days of violence in which 840 Palestinians were injured. At least 21 Israeli police officers and seven Israeli civilians were also injured, according to Israeli police. …
Author Archives: Joel MacKay
Marise Payne must put human rights at the forefront of her trips to the UK, USA and Switzerland
Australian Foreign Affairs Minister, Senator the Hon. Marise Payne, is currently on a diplomatic trip to the United Kingdom, Switzerland, and the United States of America. Amnesty International is calling on the Minister to use the trips to address ongoing human rights concerns, and work with Australia’s partners to overcome and recover from the COVID-19 …
#StrandedAussies at risk of becoming #ForgottenAussies if the government doesn’t act on UN Committee recommendation
Amnesty International Australia has welcomed the UN Human Rights Committee’s ruling that the Australian government must “facilitate and ensure” the prompt return of two Australian men who argued their country has breached international law by preventing their return home because of “arbitrary caps on airline travel”. The men are just two of more than 34,500 …
Australia must stand with Belarusian protesters, older people, women and children: Amnesty International
The ongoing detention, torture, and ill treatment of peaceful protestors in Belarus is a gross violation of human rights that cannot stand unopposed on the global stage. In a series of reports and briefings, Amnesty International has documented gross human rights violations against Belarusian protesters, older people, women and children. Since Belarus’ controversial presidential election …
Surge in targeted killings of Ahmadis in Pakistan requires a global response
The Ahmadiyya community in Pakistan is increasingly under threat after a surge in targeted killings since July 2020. The Ahmadiyya community has long-been victimised by the discriminatory policies of Pakistan, borne from broad religious intolerance to the sect of Islam across the country. Today, Ahmadi individuals are subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention, and charges on …
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Minister Payne must call out the surge of killings of lawyers and judges in the Philippines
The Philippine justice system is under threat as a result of a deadly surge in killings of lawyers and judges under President Duterte’s administration. The failure of the Philippine government to promote accountability mechanisms to protect the judiciary has facilitated a climate of impunity across the country, and put a vital arm of government under …
Australia must push for a full-blown investigation into potential war crimes in Tigray region
The human rights violations perpetrated by Eritrean armed forces in the city of Axum, Ethiopia, against its civilian population must be scrutinised by the international community. Amnesty International has released a report into widespread looting, deadly indiscriminate shelling of the city, and wanton killing of its civilian population by Eritrean and Ethiopian forces. The UN …
Turkey mustn’t withdraw from the Istanbul Convention: Amnesty International
On 20 March 2021, Turkish authorities issued a Presidential Decree announcing its imminent withdrawal from the 2011 Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence, better known as the Istanbul Convention. The Istanbul Convention was drafted by the Council of Europe in 2011, designed to provide legal protection for women and promote …
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Forty-seven international organisations call for UN-action on Saudi Arabia
Forty-seven international organisations, including Amnesty International, has written to the Foreign Ministers of Australia, Iceland and Denmark, asking them to lead on a resolution to address the human rights crisis in Saudi Arabia at the 47th session of the UN Human Rights Council. The letter outlines that the human rights situation in Saudi Arabia has …
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Submission: Inquiry into the Youth Justice and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2021 (QLD)
Amnesty International Australia has made a submission to the inquiry into the Youth Justice and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2021 (QLD). The bill sets out to: make it harder for recidivists to get bail, introduce a 12-month trial of GPS monitoring as a bail condition for 16 and 17-year-olds charged with particular offences, make it …