Amnesty International Australia
Defending Human Rights
By Josefina Salomón, Amnesty International Mexico The phone rang at four in the afternoon, exactly as scheduled. The ringing heightened the tension in the small living room of the 1950s house in Mexico City. “Will you accept a call from the West Federal Prison?” said the voice at the end of the line. “Yes, of course. …
Continue reading “Arbitrary detentions in Mexico: ‘We never thought this could happen to us’”
In Turkey, truth and justice have become strangers. Six human rights defenders were imprisoned this week on the absurd charge of supporting a terrorist organization. They await trial, which could prolong their incarceration for several months. Four others were released but remain under investigation. Their movements have been restricted and they have to report to …
Continue reading “The world is finally starting to break its silence on Turkey”
While we hoped that 2017 wouldn’t deal us the same cruel blows as its predecessor, it seems we’re yet to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Whether it’s fretting over President Trump’s intent to reinstate a ban on transgender individuals from serving in the US armed forces, or agonising over the ongoing …
Continue reading “How to keep positive when the world deals another blow”
Stunning coastlines, magnificent national parks, bustling cities… and human rights abuses. Here are some of the world’s most popular holiday destinations and the difficult truths that are being quietly ignored by tourism campaigns. For most holidaymakers, politics isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when planning an overseas getaway, but what if the places …
Lucy Le Masurier, journalist, artist and researcher, talks to the queer community about how the representation of LGBT+ people affects their personal identities. I was too young and disinterested in science fiction to form a relationship with the franchise of Star Trek. Thankfully, the 1990s comedy series Will and Grace, a show much closer to …
The majority of Australians are in favour of marriage equality (also referred to as same-sex marriage or gay marriage). Amnesty LGBTQI activist Hannah Wahlsten writes passionately about what she is doing to make it a reality. When I first joined Amnesty International Australia to build groups on University campuses, I had no idea of the …
Continue reading “Amnesty activist: my fight for marriage equality”
Without your support we couldn’t achieve the many things we do year in and year out. It’s thanks to your action, your determination and your continuous support that Amnesty can transform the lives of people and communities worldwide. Here’s what so many of you have helped us do so far in 2017. Chelsea Manning is …
South Sudan, the world’s youngest country, gained independence on 9 July 2011 following decades of war, lengthy negotiations and a referendum to secede from Sudan. But the jubilation over this new-found freedom was fleeting, and internal strife has marred much of its short life as an independent state. An armed conflict that erupted in December …
14-year old Sophie Nguyen from Collingwood College in Victoria is a winner in our Junior Blogging Competition. Here she reveals her father’s heroic journey to Australia by boat over 30 years ago and her wish for Australia to help refugees reach safety. Recently, the global refugee crisis has become a widely discussed issue. What I …
“I don’t care about human rights, you better believe me.” We cannot say that we were not warned. During his campaign for the Philippine presidency, Rodrigo Duterte made his contempt for human rights and the rule of law glaringly apparent. He vowed to kill as many as 100,000 people – filling Manila Bay with so …
Continue reading “One year later, Duterte remains a human rights nightmare”
