Amnesty International Australia has written to Australian Foreign Minister, Marise Payne, sharing its grave concern about a homophobic and transphobic law adopted in Hungary. The rights of the LGBTQIA+ community have once again been placed under dire threat in Hungary after the authorities passed a deeply problematic law. This new legislation outlaws education or advertising …
Tag Archives: Marise Payne
USA: Two men face execution by electric chair in South Carolina
Amnesty International Australia has written to Australian Foreign Minister, Marise Payne, with grave concerns about the upcoming execution of two men in South Carolina, USA. If carried out, the executions will end a ten-year hiatus in executions in South Carolina, marking a disturbing return to a deeply flawed practice in the state. These two men …
Continue reading “USA: Two men face execution by electric chair in South Carolina”
Greece: Pushbacks and violence against refugees and migrants are de facto border policy
Amnesty International has revealed new evidence of torture, ill-treatment and illegal pushbacks of refugees and migrants to Turkey from Greece in a new report: Greece: Violence, lies and pushback. The report documents how the Greek authorities are conducting illegal pushbacks at land and sea. It focuses primarily on unlawful operations in the Evros region, at the land border between Greece and Turkey. In …
Australia must declare Israeli “annexation” in Occupied Palestinian Territories illegal
Amnesty International Australia has written to the Australian Foreign Minister, Senator Marise Payne, to urge her to publicly reaffirm Australia’s commitment to international law by stating that “annexation”, including that of the West Bank, Occupied Palestinian Territories, is illegal. On 3 June 2021 during Senate Estimates, Senator Janet Rice asked the Minister to clarify if …
Amnesty calls on Australia to work to ensure the UN Committee Against Torture is independent and diverse
In October 2021, the states parties to the UN Committee against Torture will elect five new members. Amnesty International Australia has written to the Australian Foreign Minister, Marise Payne, calling on the government to nominate and vote in the elections to to take into consideration the following ‘checklist’ for key criteria for membership of the …
Targeted moves against Platoshkin and Open Russia Movement underscore threat to human rights in Russia
The recent suspended conviction of Russian prisoner of conscience, Nikolai Platoshkin, and the forced dissolution of Otkrytaya Rossiya (Open Russia Movement), underscore the threats to the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association in Russia. Prisoner of conscience, Nikolai Platoshkin joins the ranks of peaceful activists convicted on politically-motivated charges meant to silence …
USA: Texas man executed based on faulty theory
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”
Australia must condemn Egypt after nine Ramadan executions
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”
Destruction of mass grave site in Iran a continuation of human rights abuses against the Baha’i
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 …
Kenya: Homophobic attack leaves man dead at Kakuma Refugee Camp; UN safety measures review needed
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 …