Iran: Ailing prisoners left to die amid crisis of impunity for fatal denial of medical care

Iranian prison officials are committing shocking violations of the right to life by deliberately denying ailing prisoners lifesaving healthcare and refusing to investigate and ensure accountability for unlawful deaths in custody, Amnesty International said today. In a new briefing, In death’s waiting room: Deaths in custody following deliberate denial of medical care in Iran’s prisons, the …

Russia: Authorities close down Amnesty International’s Moscow Office  

Today, the Russian authorities have closed down representative offices of Amnesty International and other international NGOs. Reacting to the news, Agnès Callamard, Secretary General of Amnesty International, said:  “Amnesty’s closing down in Russia is only the latest in a long list of organizations that have been punished for defending human rights and speaking the truth …

Qatar: Security guards subjected to forced labour

Security guards in Qatar are working in conditions which amount to forced labour, including on projects linked to the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Amnesty International has found. In a new report, They think that we’re machines, the organization documented the experiences of 34 current or former employees of eight private security companies in Qatar.     The security guards, all migrant …

Poland/Belarus: New evidence of abuses highlights ‘hypocrisy’ of unequal treatment of asylum-seekers 

Authorities violating rights of asylum-seekers, including strip searches and other degrading treatment, in overcrowded detention centres Some people forcibly sedated during return Pushbacks and arbitrary detention in stark contrast with welcome shown to those fleeing Ukraine Spokespeople available The Polish authorities have arbitrarily detained nearly two thousand asylum-seekers who crossed into the country from Belarus …

Ukraine: Apparent war crimes by Russian forces in Bucha must be investigated

Following reports of apparent war crimes committed by Russian military forces against civilians in Bucha, Agnès Callamard, Secretary General of Amnesty International, said: “These reports from Bucha are showing a wider pattern of war crimes including extrajudicial executions and torture in other occupied areas of Ukraine. “We fear the violence suffered by civilians in Bucha at …

Ethiopia: Crimes Against Humanity in Western Tigray Zone

Immediate humanitarian access, protection of communities key Tigrayans in the disputed Western Tigray Zone of Ethiopia have experienced a relentless campaign of ethnic cleansing by security forces from the neighbouring Amhara region and their allies. The campaign of killings, rape, mass detentions, and forcible transfers amounts to war crimes and crimes against humanity. The Ethiopian government needs to call …

Ukraine: Russia’s cruel siege warfare tactics unlawfully killing civilians – new testimony and investigation

The Russian military’s siege warfare tactics in Ukraine, marked by relentless indiscriminate attacks on densely-populated areas, are unlawfully killing civilians in several cities, Amnesty International said today in a new on-the-ground investigation. For the first time, Amnesty International field investigators in Ukraine have independently verified physical evidence of banned cluster munitions, the use of which violates international law. …

Singapore: Shameful resumption of executions after more than two years won’t end drug-related crime 

Responding to reports that the Singapore government executed Abdul Kahar bin Othman on 30 March, Amnesty International Southeast Asia Researcher Rachel Chhoa-Howard said:   “After two years of no executions, the hanging of Abdul Kahar bin Othman, who was sentenced for drug-related offences and to the mandatory death penalty, is a shameful breach of international law.  “There is overwhelming evidence that punitive drug policies, …

Singapore: Executions feared as soon as Wednesday after two years with no hangings

Responding to the rejection of the death penalty appeal of Malaysian national Nagaenthran Dharmalingam and the imminent execution of Abdul Kahar bin Othman in Singapore, Amnesty International’s Southeast Asia Researcher Rachel Chhoa-Howard said: “A man sentenced to the mandatory death penalty for drug-related offences faces execution on Wednesday, and fears are growing that more are …