In Australia and around the world, Amnesty supporters have taken action time and time again and proved that people power changes lives. Here’s the difference you’re making:
Mahmoud Khalil freed following international pressure
After more than three months of unjust detention, Mahmoud Khalil was finally released on bail by a U.S. District Court Judge in June. He is now free to return home, embrace his wife, and hold his newborn child.
On March 8, Mahmoud was unlawfully detained by U.S. Department of Homeland Security agents while walking home from an Iftar celebration with his pregnant wife. He was targeted for his role in peaceful student protests at Columbia University, where he was exercising his right to freedom of expression in support of Palestinian rights.
Thousands of Amnesty International supporters here in Australia helped apply the public pressure to secure his release. To everyone who took action, thank you.
Mahmoud’s detention is emblematic of the growing pattern of authoritarian practices by the Trump administration that undermine human rights to silence protest and chill public debate. Freedom of speech is not a privilege. It is a right that must be respected, without exception, both in the United States and around the world. We will continue to monitor Mahmoud’s case and push for an end to politically motivated targeting of students and activists everywhere.
Palestinian child prisoner Ahmad Manasra released after years of torture
After nearly a decade behind bars, Ahmad Manasra was finally released from Israeli prison in April 2025.
Arrested at just 13 years old, Ahmad was interrogated without the presence of a lawyer or parent and subjected to nearly two years of solitary confinement – a practice that amounts to torture under international law. Despite repeated warnings about his deteriorating mental health, Israeli authorities refused to release him on medical grounds.
“Ahmad Manasra’s release today is a huge relief for him and for his family, but nothing can undo the years of injustice, abuse, trauma and ill-treatment he endured behind bars.”
Heba Morayef, MENA Regional Director
Thousands around the world raised their voices in support of Ahmad Manasra, whose case has become emblematic of the broader pattern of systematic human rights violations faced by Palestinian children in Israeli detention.
Here in Australia, more than 18,000 of you signed our petition calling for Ahmad’s immediate release. He now faces a long and difficult road to recovery, but his release is a vital step forward, and a reminder of what people power can achieve.
South Australia moves one step closer to protecting human rights
Following a sixteen-month inquiry, the Social Development Committee of the South Australian Parliament recommended in May that the state take a major step toward protecting human rights by legislating a Human Rights Act.
A total of 147 submissions, of which Amnesty was a contributor, were sent to the Committee during the inquiry – 88% of which supported legislating a Human rights Act.
Presenting at the inquiry, Tim Green, President of Amnesty International Australia’s Activist Leadership Committee in South Australia, said the impact of the government taking a stand on human rights “can’t be understated,” in how it signals a genuine interest welfare in groups who have “historically disregarded in a lot of cases”; refugee communities, people with disabilities, residents in aged care, and the queer community.
A Human Rights Act would help make South Australia a place where everyone’s rights are protected by law. It is now up to the South Australian Government to accept the Committee’s recommendations and take this crucial step toward stronger human rights protections.
Thousands join history making Walk for Truth as Yoorrook delivers landmark report
After four years and thousands of survivor testimonies, Australia’s first Indigenous-led truth-telling inquiry has delivered its final report.
The Yoorrook Justice Commission found that since colonisation, First Peoples in Victoria have endured crimes against humanity and genocide, and made 100 recommendations across key systems including justice, health, education, and child protection, to support truth, healing, and real change.
In a powerful show of solidarity, more than 3,000 people joined the final day of the historic 500km Walk for Truth on June 18, led by Commissioner Travis Lovett, Kerrupmara Gunditjmara man and Deputy Commissioner of Yoorrook, marking the close of the Yoorrook Justice Commission.
Joined by Elders and community members, Commissioner Lovett delivered a message stick and submission letters to the Victorian Parliament, now held in care by the State Library of Victoria.
This final report is a landmark in the ongoing struggle for truth, justice, and healing. Amnesty activists proudly stood in solidarity at the Walk for Truth, and we join the Commission in urging the Victorian Government to act on all 100 recommendations and take meaningful steps toward justice and self-determination for First Peoples.
“This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to get it right…Yoorrook was built on our stories, our truths. Now, it’s time to act.”
Commisioner Lovett
Amnesty International is a global movement of more than 10 million people who take injustice personally. We are campaigning for a world where human rights are enjoyed by all – and we can only do it with your support.
Act now or learn more about our human rights work.
