Amnesty says ‘we stand with you’ to LGBTQI community in Marriage Equality ‘solidarity’ video

Amnesty International Australia has posted a solidarity video to its social media channels, to let LGBTQI community members know that they are loved and valued, and that we support them during this time. We want as many members of the LGBTQI community as possible to see this video and know that Amnesty International is standing …

Turkey: Charges against rights defenders must be rejected

·         Taner Kiliç added to indictment of Istanbul 10 ·         Charges against the 10 increased to include “membership of a terrorist organisation” Responding to news that a prosecutor has filed an indictment calling for jail terms of up to 16 years on terror charges for 11 human rights activists including İdil Eser and Taner Kiliç, …

Cambodia must end crackdown on peaceful dissent

The Cambodian authorities’ attempts to shut down the main opposition party ahead of next year’s general election is the latest move in a relentless effort to crush all forms of dissent, however peaceful. The Interior Ministry has filed a complaint with the Supreme Court asking for the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) to be dissolved ahead of the …

Myanmar: ASEAN must do more to tackle Rohingya crisis

Southeast Asian leaders must take urgent steps to address grave human rights violations against the Rohingya in Myanmar, Amnesty International said in a letter sent to the chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) today. The letter, signed by directors of 13 Amnesty International offices across the Asia-Pacific region, called for an emergency …

European governments return nearly 10,000 Afghans to risk of death and torture

Returns from Europe increase as Afghanistan becomes more dangerous Europe governments are wrong to claim parts of Afghanistan are safe 2016 was deadliest year on record for civilians and 2017 is going the same way European governments have put thousands of Afghans in harm’s way by forcibly returning them to a country where they are …

Egypt: LGBTI crackdown of arrests, anal examinations

Egyptian authorities have arrested 22 people over the past three days alone, stepping up a campaign of persecution against LGBTI people in the country which began after a rainbow flag was displayed at a Mashrou’ Leila concert in Cairo provoking a public outcry. The arrests bring the total number of people who have been detained …

Las Vegas Attack Shows Utter Contempt for Human Life

Following a mass shooting yesterday in Las Vegas, Margaret Huang, Amnesty International USA executive director, released the following statement: “Last night’s shooting in Las Vegas demonstrated an utter contempt for human life, and our thoughts are with the victims of these attacks and the city of Las Vegas. But thoughts must be backed up with …

Tragic Manus Island death proves situation increasingly desperate

On learning of the reported death of a refugee who had been held in the Australian-run detention centre on Manus Island, Kate Schuetze, Pacific Researcher at Amnesty International said: “This tragic and avoidable death is the sixth death related to the Manus Island centre, and the ninth overall connected to Australia’s offshore processing regime. Immigration …

Australian involvement in West Mosul civilian deaths

Australian involvement in West Mosul civilian deaths In response to Australia’s announcement overnight that Australia was involved in civilian deaths in Iraq, Amnesty International Australia’s Campaign Coordinator Diana Sayed said: “Months ago, Amnesty International released a report expressing grave concern about the horrifying scale of civilian casualties and other human rights violations during operations in …

Peter Dutton’s comments are irresponsible and untrue

“Peter Dutton’s comments are not only extremely irresponsible, they also show a complete lack of understanding of the refugee convention,” said Graham Thom, Refugee Coordinator at Amnesty International Australia. The Immigration Minister made the incorrect comments on a Sydney radio station today in reference to the 52 people who have finally arrived in safety in …