Responding to the announcement by Mahdi al-Mashat, leader of the Huthi authorities in Yemen, that all Baha’i “political prisoners” are to be released, Lynn Maalouf, Amnesty International’s Middle East Research Director, said: “The Huthis’ decision to release all Baha’i prisoners is a positive signal, and must be the first step in ending the years of suffering for those who …
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COVID-19 Commission must ensure vulnerable in our community are protected
Amnesty International Australia is calling for an urgent injection of funding for frontline services who are facing an explosion in demand for their services and a reduction in available volunteers. Amnesty International campaigner Tim O’Connor, welcoming the establishment of the Independent National Coordination Commission for COVID-19, said: “Australia’s most vulnerable people are being forgotten in …
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Government must act now to protect the rights of Indigenous peoples
Amnesty International Australia called on the Federal Government to urgently protect the human rights of Indigenous peoples as part of its response to the COVID-19 pandemic. One of the key areas where Amnesty has concerns is the increased risk to the health and safety of children who are on remand and are detained in adult …
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Thailand: Military conscripts face harassment, beatings and sexual abuse
A new investigation by Amnesty International exposes how the Thai military routinely subject new conscripts to a barrage of beating, humiliation and sexual abuse that often amounts to torture. The organization’s new report, “We were just toys to them”, documents a widespread and long-standing pattern of abuse of new conscripts, including several incidents of rape. “Abuses …
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Amnesty International Australia announces new board chair
Mario Santos has been named as the incoming Chair of Amnesty International Australia’s board. Santos replaces Gabe Kavanagh who has been a part of the board since 2011, and chair for the past three and a half years. “I’ve been privileged to chair the board of this extraordinary organisation. Amnesty is really in my blood …
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Iran: Prisoner pardons welcome, but more should be freed
Responding to an announcement by the Iranian authorities that pardons will be granted to prisoners convicted of “security” offences who have a five-year prison sentence or less, and that those who have been granted leave in recent weeks will not be returned to prison, Philip Luther, Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa Research and …
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Amnesty International urges transparency from ADF inquiry and whistleblower protection
Responding to revelations to air tonight on ABC’s Four Corners program that unarmed civilians were unlawfully killed by Australian special forces in Afghanistan, Amnesty International Australia’s Tim O’Connor said: People have a right to know if the government they elected and the departments and services they pay for are behaving legally and ethically. Amnesty International’s …
Brazil: Two years after killing of Marielle Franco, Rio de Janeiro authorities must solve unanswered questions
Two years after the fatal shooting of the human rights defender and Rio de Janeiro city councillor Marielle Franco, and her driver, Anderson Gomes, on 14 March 2018, the crime remains unsolved and has become an example of the impunity regarding violence against human rights defenders in Brazil, said Amnesty International today. “Two years is …
Ecuador: State must urgently adopt public policy to protect human rights defenders from the grave risks they face
Today, at the end of Amnesty International’s visit to Ecuador, the organization expressed concern about the lack of concrete measures taken by the state to guarantee the effective protection of human rights defenders, as well as highlighting the authorities’ persistent inability to carry out appropriate and effective investigations into attacks and threats against members of …
Sudan: All security agencies that attacked protesters must be held to account
An Amnesty International investigation has found that Sudan’s crackdown on protests against the government of deposed President Omar al-Bashir in 2018 and 2019 involved all branches of the country’s security forces and revealed new evidence about how protesters were killed. In a new report, “They descended on us like rain”, the organization documents how the …
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