Amnesty International Australia
Defending Human Rights
Channeling one of the calls from our Community is Everything campaign, the NT Government has announced $18.2 million dollars in new funding including for community organisations to run diversion programs that help keep kids out of the justice system. In the wake of a horrific exposé last year of conditions for children in Don Dale Detention …
Continue reading “Big news: Northern Territory Government funds new approach to youth justice”
In a brave move in support of the #changethedate movement, in August 2016 the Fremantle Council voted to cancel Australia Day fireworks usually held on 26 January in sensitivity to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Instead, along with a group of traditional owners they organised One Day in Fremantle, an alternative, inclusive festival on …
This January, I got to spend a weekend with 25 of our lead NSW activists. We came together just outside of the Sydney CBD to discuss the 2020 Vision and how the NSW Famnesty is going to get there. NSW runs 3-4 Social Change Labs a year but we found that we had some amazing leaders who …
Amnesty International has received information that the King of Malaysia has commuted the death sentence imposed on Nigerian national Osariakhi Ernest Obayangbon (aka Michael Phillips). Obayangbon, who was sentenced to the mandatory death sentence for murder in 2000, was scheduled to be executed in the early hours of 14 March 2014. Amnesty was notified just …
Continue reading “Good news: Death sentence of mentally ill prisoner commuted in Malaysia”
A historic court ruling has blocked the Kenyan government’s unilateral decision to shut the world’s largest refugee camp. In his ruling, Justice JM Mativo said the government’s orders to shut down Dadaab were discriminatory and amounted to collective. He also described the orders as excessive, arbitrary and disproportionate. The High Court ruling came in response …
Continue reading “Historic ruling blocks closure of Dadaab refugee camp”
Amnesty International welcomes the Australian Government’s announcement today that it will finally ratify the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture (OPCAT), which it signed in 2009 but had not committed to implementing until today. Ratification is an important step towards ensuring respect for the rights and dignity of all people held in detention under …
Continue reading “Government commits to prevent future #DonDale”
Dylan Voller, a boy who was tortured at Don Dale detention centre, has been released on bail from prison eight months early, to participate in a youth rehabilitation program. What happened? Dylan Voller shot to national attention as one of the young boys abused and tortured by NT juvenile detention centre guards, as exposed by …
Continue reading “Good news: Dylan Voller released early on bail”
The Amnesty Northcote local action group celebrated World Human Rights Day on 10 December in Melbourne style with arts, music and great food. The evening featured works on human rights issues by poets, rappers and songwriters. Jane Hunt, former CEO of Women Fitted for Work, was one of the judges in the performance competition on the …
Continue reading “Celebrating Human Rights Day in Northcote”
In brief… The Australian Government has extended the Royal Commission into Youth Detention in the Northern Territory by four months. The Commission will now report in August. December’s COAG meeting saw some promising words on Indigenous kids in prison. However we’re yet to see any concrete action from our pollies. Before the next COAG: remind …
Continue reading “Community is Everything: what’s on and coming up”
On 21 January Danilo Maldonado Machado (also known as ‘El Sexto’) was released from El Combinado del Este, a maximum-security prison on the outskirts of Havana. Danilo Maldonado was arrested at his home in Havana the morning of 26 November 2016, hours after the announcement of Fidel Castro’s death. That same day, a Cuba-based newspaper …
Continue reading “Cuban graffiti artist El Sexto released from maximum-security prison”
