Yemen: Hospitals under attack

Anti-Huthi forces in Yemen’s southern city of Ta’iz are leading a campaign of harassment and intimidation against hospital staff and are endangering civilians by stationing fighters and military positions near medical facilities. During a visit to Ta’iz earlier this month, the organization’s researchers interviewed 15 doctors, and other hospital staff, who described how members of …

Winners of the 2016 Amnesty International Australia Media Awards announced

Tonight Amnesty International announced the winners of the 2016 Amnesty International Media Awards, recognising excellence in reporting on human rights issues in the Australian media over the past year. The winners of this year’s award categories are: Photography The winner of the Photography category is Andrew Quilty for his photo essay, ‘The Man on the …

UN General Assembly: Support moratorium on death penalty

On 17 November 2016 the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) will consider and vote upon a draft resolution on a moratorium on the use of the death penalty. This is the sixth draft resolution on this topic to be proposed for consideration by the Committee, under the leadership of the delegations of …

India: Detained journalist beaten in prison

Authorities in Chhattisgarh must independently investigate the beating of eight prisoners, including journalist Santosh Yadav, in the Jagdalpur central jail. On 2 November, according to Santosh Yadav’s family and media reports, the state police beat the prisoners with batons after they peacefully protested against the quality of food served at the jail. The next day, …

Malaysia: Quash sentence against whistle-blowing MP

The Malaysian authorities should quash the 18 months jail sentence handed down to Rafizi Ramli, a whistle-blowing member of parliament. Rafizi Ramli has been convicted under the Official Secrets Act of 1972 for being in possession of and disclosing part of the Auditor General’s report into the 1MDB corruption scandal that is engulfing Malaysia’s Prime …

Kenyan officials coercing refugees back to war-torn Somalia

Just two weeks before the deadline given to close the Dadaab refugee camp, Kenyan government officials are deliberately coercing refugees to return to Somalia, where they risk being injured or killed in the ongoing armed conflict. The government announced in May that it would close the world’s largest refugee camp, which is home to more …

Singapore: Halt imminent execution

The Singapore government must grant clemency to a Nigerian man set to be executed for drug trafficking next week. Chijioke Stephen Obioha will be hanged on 18 November unless President Tony Tan commutes his death sentence, which was imposed as the mandatory punishment for trafficking. “Singapore is a week away from brutally ending the life …

Australian Government takes extreme step in shirking responsibility

Today’s announcement by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull on third country resettlement is an extreme step in shirking responsibility by the Australian Government. Prime Minister Turnbull today announced that the Australian Government is in discussions with the United States for some of the refugees warehoused on Nauru and Manus Island to be settled in the US …

Japan: Man hanged as secretive executions continue

Secretive executions can’t hide the fact that Japan is on the wrong side of history when it comes to the death penalty, Amnesty International said after a death row inmate was hanged on Friday. Kenichi Tajiri, 45, was executed at Fukuoka Detention Centre in the early hours of Friday. He was sentenced to death in …