Bahrain: free political prisoners
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Azerbaijan: Eurovision is deaf to human rights abuses
23 May 2012, 10:39AM Be the first to comment
The refusal of the organisation behind Eurovision to condemn human rights abuses in Azerbaijan provides a carte blanche to the government’s crackdown, Amnesty International said after another two peaceful protests were violently dispersed.
Malawi: President announces intention to repeal laws criminalising homosexuality
23 May 2012, 10:38AM Be the first to comment
Amnesty International welcomes President Joyce Banda’s announcement in Parliament on Friday to repeal laws criminalising homosexuality in Malawi, but urges the government to introduce the bill to repeal the laws without delay.
Lebanon: Independent investigation into checkpoint killings needed
22 May 2012, 10:36AM 1 comment - add yours
A prominent Lebanese cleric opposed to the Syrian government and another man travelling with him have been shot dead at a checkpoint in northern Lebanon, prompting Amnesty International to urge the Lebanese authorities to launch an independent investigation rather than one carried out by the army or other security forces.
Mexico: Freedom of expression still under attack as six journalists killed
22 May 2012, 09:32AM 1 comment - add yours
Six journalists have been killed in less than a month in Mexico, highlighting the authorities’ ongoing failure to uphold freedom of expression by protecting media workers from threats and violence for carrying out their work.
Ukraine: First-ever Kyiv pride cancelled in face of ultra-right threat
21 May 2012, 09:31AM 1 comment - add yours
The Ukrainian authorities should take action to protect the rights of LGBT people and ensure they are able to exercise their human rights without fear of attacks, Amnesty International said after the first ever pride parade had to be cancelled on Sunday.
Obama must speak up about repression and human rights abuses in Ethiopia
19 May 2012, 10:10AM Be the first to comment
Amnesty International has urged President Barack Obama and fellow G8 leaders to speak up about Ethiopia’s appalling human rights record when he and the group meets with Prime Minister Meles Zenawi at Camp David.
‘Virulent’ homophobic attacks put South Caucasus activists at risk
19 May 2012, 10:05AM 1 comment - add yours
Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan must do more to protect lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people, Amnesty International said after a spate of attacks on activists.
Syria: Deported Palestinian journalist speaks out about torture in custody
18 May 2012, 09:58AM Be the first to comment
A prominent journalist has told Amnesty International how Syrian government forces tortured and detained him in deplorable conditions before deporting him to Jordan on Monday.
Greece must stop the criminalisation and stigmatisation of alleged sex workers found to be HIV posit
18 May 2012, 09:39AM 1 comment - add yours
Amnesty International is seriously concerned by the decision of Greek authorities involving the arrest, forced HIV testing, and pressing of criminal charges against 31 alleged sex workers.
Tunisian authorities must investigate new torture allegations
17 May 2012, 11:28AM Be the first to comment
The Tunisian authorities must launch an independent and impartial investigation into recent reports of torture and other ill-treatment against protesters in detention.
Bogotá bomb attack ‘reprehensible’
17 May 2012, 11:24AM Be the first to comment
The perpetrators of car bomb attack on 15 May, which killed two people and injured more than 50 in the Colombian capital Bogotá, demonstrated a complete and reprehensible disregard for human life and must be brought to justice, Amnesty International has said.
Accountability for violations needed despite Palestinian prisoner deal
17 May 2012, 11:12AM 1 comment - add yours
Two thousand Palestinians held in Israeli prisons suspended a month-long hunger strike after Israel agreed several measures to improve prison conditions – a move seen by Amnesty International as a step toward compliance with Israel's human rights obligations.
Azerbaijan: Opposition activist freed as pre-Eurovision hunger strike begins
17 May 2012, 10:59AM Be the first to comment
Seventeen Azerbaijani prisoners of conscience must be released immediately, Amnesty International said as 11 people jailed for their role in anti-government protests last year launched a hunger strike on Tuesday.
Bahrain must commit to accountability at Universal Periodic Review
17 May 2012, 10:52AM Be the first to comment
The Bahraini government must commit to releasing prisoners of conscience and ensuring true accountability for the human rights violations committed since February 2011.
Mali’s worst human rights situation in 50 years
16 May 2012, 11:13AM Be the first to comment
Hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced by fighting in northern Mali and dozens have been subjected to arbitrary detention, extra-judicial executions or sexual violence including rape, Amnesty International said today.
Ukraine: Authorities must start to implement police criminality law ahead of Euro 2012
16 May 2012, 11:03AM Be the first to comment
A new law which paves the way for independent investigations into allegations of police violence in Ukraine must be enforced in order to curb widespread police criminality in the country ahead of Euro 2012, Amnesty International said.
Sudan must end clampdown on media
16 May 2012, 10:58AM Be the first to comment
The Sudanese authorities must halt the ongoing harassment of independent media, Amnesty International said after a prominent journalist was re-arrested and copies of a national newspaper seized in Khartoum on Tuesday.
Azerbaijan: Police violently disperse peaceful rallies ahead of Eurovision
15 May 2012, 10:18AM 1 comment - add yours
Azerbaijan must immediately halt the police use of violence to suppress freedom of expression, Amnesty International said after two separate peaceful protests were broken up by police in the capital city Baku on Monday.
Kuwait: Blasphemy death penalty law would violate international law
15 May 2012, 10:16AM Be the first to comment
Amnesty International is urging the Amir of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al Sabah, to reject a bill recently passed by Kuwait’s parliament that would make blasphemy punishable by death.
Iranian cartoonist Mahmoud Shokraye sentenced to 25 lashes
12 May 2012, 09:57AM 1 comment - add yours
"Mahmoud Shokraye's brutal sentence, just for drawing a harmless cartoon, sends a chilling message to all Iranians that they cannot freely and peacefully express their views without the fear of facing harsh reprisals from the Iranian authorities."
Brazil: Uncovering the past; President Dilma names Truth Commission members
12 May 2012, 09:54AM Be the first to comment
The announcement by President Dilma Rousseff of the seven members of a Truth Commission to investigate past human rights crimes is a landmark event.
Romania: Roma in Baia Mare face threat of forced eviction and harassment
11 May 2012, 09:56AM Be the first to comment
Amnesty International and Bucharest-based organisation Romani CRISS are deeply concerned at the threat of forced eviction of Roma from settlements in Baia Mare, in north-western Romania. Representatives of the two organisations visited the city this week to assess the situation following news reports that the relocation of Romani families from the settlements of Craica and Pirita would commence this week.
China must end clampdown on media as Al-Jazeera reporter is expelled
10 May 2012, 10:45AM 1 comment - add yours
Al-Jazeera English has been forced to close its Beijing bureau after reporter Melissa Chan was expelled from China, prompting Amnesty International to call on the authorities there to immediately renew her visa and press credentials.
North Carolina: Same-sex marriage ban ‘setback’ for human rights
10 May 2012, 10:39AM Be the first to comment
North Carolina’s ban on same-sex marriage is a setback for human rights, Amnesty International said after voters in the south-eastern state approved a state constitutional amendment prohibiting same-sex marriages and civil unions.
Singapore authorities urged to save Malaysian man from execution
10 May 2012, 10:36AM Be the first to comment
A young Malaysian man under threat of imminent execution in Singapore for drug trafficking should be granted clemency.
Nigeria: Child prisoner free after 17 years
10 May 2012, 10:32AM 1 comment - add yours
A Nigerian 31-year old man who was sentenced to death as a juvenile has expressed his happiness at being released from prison and reunited with his family after such a long time, following a relentless global campaign by Amnesty International.
Bahrain: Activist arrested over ‘insulting’ tweets must be freed
9 May 2012, 10:48AM
Nabeel Rajab, the director of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights, was arrested on Saturday evening and has been charged with "insulting a national institution".
China: Chen pledge ‘empty’
5 May 2012, 10:36AM
A pledge by China that it will allow Chen Guangcheng to go abroad with his family so he can study seems empty as long as the Chinese state keeps the activist’s wider family in detention and retaliates against his supporters, Amnesty International said.
Georgian authorities must allow peaceful forms of expression by opposition supporters
5 May 2012, 10:32AM
Georgian authorities must allow opposition activists to peacefully exercise their right to freedom of expression and assembly, Amnesty International said today.
Russia urged to reconsider anti-gay laws as activist fined
5 May 2012, 10:28AM
A prominent Russian LGBTI rights activist has become the first person to be fined for spreading “gay propaganda” under a new St Petersburg law after he picketed the city hall with a poster that said “homosexuality is not a perversion”.
A policeman's job is to protect all citizens, even those he or she doesn't like. I'd have thought that a pretty basic concept.
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21 May 2012, 03:59PM