The unprecedented challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic were not enough to deter 18 countries from carrying out executions in 2020, Amnesty International said today in its annual global review of the death penalty. While there was an overall trend of decline, some countries pursued or even increased the number of executions carried out, indicating a …
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#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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It’s time to welcome back refugees – new poll finds strong support for community sponsorship
As new Immigration Minister, Alex Hawke, prepares to announce important reforms to Australia’s Community Sponsorship of Refugees, a poll commissioned by Amnesty International Australia has found the majority of Australians (55%) support communities being able to directly sponsor refugees into their neighbourhoods. Amnesty Campaigner, Shankar Kasynathan, who came to Australia as a community sponsored refugee, …
The Lucky Country for some, but a long way to go on addressing basic human rights breaches in Australia
Australia’s lack of action on climate change, treatment of Indigenous people and the ongoing detention of refugees have been singled out for criticism in Amnesty International’s annual report into the state of human rights around the world: Amnesty International Report 2020/21 – The State of the World’s Human Rights. The report highlighted widespread public support …
Viet Nam: Fresh crackdown as National Assembly election looms
The Vietnamese authorities must end their crackdown on independent election candidates and critical voices, said Amnesty International today ahead of the country’s National Assembly elections scheduled to take place on 23 May 2021. In recent weeks, authorities have arrested and charged two independent candidates and one medical doctor under Article 117 of the Criminal Code for “making, …
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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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