Security with Human Rights

Amnesty International will insist that states must respect human rights in any actions they take in the name of national security or countering terrorism. Where states fail to respect human rights, governments and individuals responsible must be held to account. We will also work for the rights of victims of terrorism and other violence by armed groups, supporting them in their struggle for truth, justice and reparation.

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News and Updates

USA must address Omar Khadr rights violations following plea deal

25 October 2010

US authorities urged to address human rights violations committed against Canadian national in spite of him pleading guilty to the charges against him at a Guantánamo military commission.

USA must investigate detainee abuse claims in Wikileaks files

22 October 2010

Amnesty International calls on the USA to investigate how much US officials knew about the torture of detainees held by Iraqi security forces after new evidence emerged in files released by the Wikileaks organization.

Deadly bomb attack in North Ossetia condemned

9 September 2010

Authorities urged to conduct a thorough investigation after a car bomb in the capital Vladikavkaz killed at least 16 civilians and injured dozens more.

Yemen abandons human rights in the name of countering terrorism

25 August 2010

The Yemeni authorities must stop sacrificing human rights in the name of security as they confront threats from al-Qa’ida, Zaidi Shi'a rebels in the north, and address growing demands for secession in the south.

UK violates rights of terror suspects with ‘unfair’ control orders

12 August 2010

Amnesty International accuses the UK government of developing a "shadow justice system" that imposes severe restrictions on the rights of individuals suspected of terrorism-related activity.

Video and Audio

Turkey: All Children Have Rights

22 November 2010

Since 2006, thousands of children in Turkey, some as young as 12, have been prosecuted under anti-terrorism legislation for their alleged participation in demonstrations. The demonstrations were focused on issues of concern to members of the Kurdish community and often involved violent clashes with the police.

Living without rights in northwest Pakistan

Civilians tell how they are abused by the Taleban and how they feel abandoned by the government.

Video: Obama's first 100 days

20 January 2009

We are not expecting the impossible from President Obama's first 100 days in office. Watch this video and take action.

Video: Protest launches tour against enforced disappearance in Pakistan

3 September 2008

Amnesty International called on the Pakistan government to reveal the fate and whereabouts of hundreds of disappeared people, amid international protests to mark the

Video: Observing Guantánamo's hearings

6 August 2008

Matthew Pollard, Amnesty International's legal advisor, observed the first trial to take place before a military commission at Guantánamo Bay. 

Video: Torture can never be justified

26 June 2008

Don’t let arguments for torture go unchallenged. Watch this video where former US President Carter, the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture and others raise their v

Video: Manfred Nowak, UN Special Rapporteur on Torture

24 June 2008

In May 2008, Manfred Nowak spoke to Amnesty International about the role of European states in the US-led programmes of rendition and secret detention.

Video: Abu Omar, victim of rendition and secret detention

24 June 2008

Abu Omar was rendered by US agents, via Germany, to Egypt, where he was held for nearly four years, including 14 months in secret detention.

Video: Murat Kurnaz, former detainee at Guantánamo and Afghanistan

16 June 2008

Murat Kurnaz was detained in Afghanistan and Guantánamo without charge or trial for nearly five years.

Video: Andrew Motion reads Poems from Guantánamo

12 December 2007

Andrew Motion, poet laureate, discusses the work of Abdur Rahim Muslim Dost.