Responding to the disbandment of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China (Hong Kong Alliance), which has organized Hong Kong’s Tiananmen commemoration vigil for the past 30 years, Amnesty International’s Asia-Pacific Director Yamini Mishra said: “For 32 years, the Chinese government has sought to censor…
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Russia: Siberian shaman who marched against Putin is indefinitely confined to a psychiatric hospital
Responding to a court decision that came into force today to indefinitely confine Siberian shaman, Aleksandr Gabyshev, to a psychiatric ward for vowing in 2019 “to purge” President Vladimir Putin from the Kremlin, Natalia Zviagina, Amnesty International’s Moscow Office Director, said: “Aleksandr Gabyshev has become a symbol of grassroots resistance…
Gambia: Oppressive laws remain despite President’s promises
Current parliamentary session is an opportunity to make significant changes to improve human rights protection Gambia Press Union recorded more than 15 assaults on media professionals in the past four years Despite Gambian President Adama Barrow’s pledge to reform the country nearly five years ago, oppressive laws curtailing human rights…
COVID-19: States must take immediate action and deliver surplus vaccines now, not next year
In response to today’s Global Covid-19 Summit: Ending the Pandemic and Building Back Better, where US President Biden and EU President von der Leyen announced new commitments to donate an additional 900 million to low and lower-middle income countries by September 2022, Amnesty International’s Secretary General Agnès Callamard, said: “Fair…
Thailand: Immediately drop unjustified charges against protest leader
Responding to the arrest of prominent Thai rights activist Panusaya “Rung” Sithijirawattanakul today for alleged sedition and computer-related crimes, Ming Yu Hah, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for Campaigns, said: “As Thailand’s protest movement resumes, the Thai authorities continue to abuse their powers to detain and penalize peaceful protesters. For…
The Netherlands: Decision to allow continued use of ethnic profiling “throws international human rights law out of the window”
Following a decision by a District Court in The Hague to reject a claim brought by Amnesty Netherlands and a coalition of NGOs and individual claimants that the use of ethnicity in stop and searches by Dutch border police was discriminatory, Amnesty Netherlands’ Director, Dagmar Oudshoorn said: “Today’s ruling that…
Cameroon: Repression marks crackdown anniversary
Release Political Prisoners, Respect Right to Peaceful Assembly Cameroon’s authorities should ensure accountability for their security forces’ crackdown on opposition leaders, supporters and peaceful protesters in September 2020, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch said today. They should immediately and unconditionally release all those held for expressing their political views…
New report shows leading Covid-19 vaccine pharma companies fuelling unprecedented human rights crisis
AstraZeneca, BioNTech, Johnson & Johnson, Moderna, Novavax and Pfizer refused to participate in initiatives to boost global vaccine supply Less than 1% of people in low-income countries are fully vaccinated, compared to 55% in rich countries BioNTech, Moderna and Pfizer set to earn US$130 billion by the end of 2022…
Afghanistan: Taliban wasting no time in stamping out human rights says new briefing
The Taliban are steadily dismantling the human rights gains of the last twenty years, said Amnesty International, the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) in a new briefing published today, which documents the group’s wide-ranging crackdown since their seizure of Kabul little more than five weeks ago. Contrary to…
Rwanda: Fair trial violations in Rusesabagina trial verdict must be effectively remedied
Commenting after Paul Rusesabagina, a Rwandan opposition leader, was found guilty of terrorism and sentenced to 25 years in prison in the Rwandan capital Kigali today, Amnesty International cited numerous violations in the pre-trial period which impacted the fairness of the trial. “Amnesty International noted numerous fair trial violations, including…
Russia: To protect human rights, newly elected MPs must repeal repressive laws
Newly elected members of Russia’s State Duma, or lower house of parliament, must not shirk their duty to urgently address the country’s increasingly dismal human rights record by amending repressive legislation and resuming parliamentary scrutiny of the executive, Amnesty International said today. The organization set out what it considers to…
Afghanistan: US drone strike admission a positive first step, but full investigation and accountability now needed
Responding to the United States military’s admission that it killed 10 people, including seven children, in a drone strike in Kabul on 29 August, Brian Castner, Senior Crisis Advisor with Amnesty International’s Crisis Response Programme, said: “This admission is an important step towards accountability for the killings in Kabul, but…