

Belarusian musician and activist Igor Koktysh was released from detention in Ukraine where he has been held for two and a half years.

Amnesty International has learnt that Kuwaiti journalist Muhammad ‘Abd al-Qader al-Jasem was released on bail in December 2009.

Thousands of people in Zimbabwe's capital, Harare, are no longer facing eviction from their market stalls and homes as the threat of forced evictions has been withdrawn.
The President of Burkina Faso has committed to lifting all financial barriers to emergency obstetric care and access to family planning, as part of a strategy to fight maternal mortality in the country.
In a bold move for the protection of human rights, Mongolia has declared an official moratorium on executions. We welcome this important development as a key step toward full abolition of the death penalty.
Amnesty International has welcomed the release of a Mexican Indigenous man detained for almost 10 years following an unfair trial for murder. Ricardo Ucán Ceca, from Yucatán, was released on 31 December having been imprisoned since June 2000.
Amnesty International has welcomed proposed legislation that confirms Australia’s opposition to torture and the death penalty.
Our supporters have funded full page ads in major newspapers today, asking readers to see that beyond the headlines about asylum seekers, real human beings are involved.

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