Press releases
Singapore: Defamation case threatens press freedom - 18 November 2009
The Singaporean parliament should enact new legislation protecting freedom of expression, Amnesty International said today, after a magazine and its editor agreed to pay S$405,000 (Approximately US$290,000) following a fine by the country’s highest court for alleged defamation.
The Dow Jones Company-owned Far Eastern Economic Review (FEER) magazine and its editor Hugo Restal had published an article critical of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and his father, former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew.
The 2006 article entitled "Singapore's 'Martyr', Chee Soon Juan", contained allegations against the two leaders, including of corruption, which the Singapore Court of Appeal ruled as defamatory.
Dow Jones Company denied any wrongdoing but said they had to pay the fine.
Afghanistan: President Karzai must commit to human rights - 18 November 2009
Amnesty International urges Afghanistan’s newly re-elected President Hamid Karzai to prioritize human rights and the rule of law in his second term in order to strengthen the country’s stability and security.
“Afghans from around the country continue to tell us that they suffer from poor governance, endemic corruption, a weak and inept justice system and lack of respect for human rights and rule of law,” said Sam Zarifi, Amnesty International’s Asia-Pacific director. “All these factors weaken support for the government and its international allies.”
Haiti: Government must eradicate child slavery - 18 November 2009
Authorities in Haiti must enact legislation to protect children working as domestic help in conditions that amount to slavery, said Amnesty International ahead of Universal Children’s Day.Future of Guantánamo detainees must be resolved - 18 November 2009
The US government must redouble efforts to resolve the future of detainees still held at the military facility in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, Amnesty International said after President Barack Obama acknowledged his administration would not meet his deadline for its closure.Egypt: Cairo’s poorest risk being buried alive in their homes - 17 November 2009
The Egyptian authorities must take immediate and inclusive steps to protectMozambique: No justice for grieving victims of police killings - 16 November 2009
Amnesty International today urged the authorities in Mozambique to properly investigate and prosecute police officers suspected of unlawful killings, with families continually obstructed from getting justice over the deaths of their relatives.US: Reform Afghanistan Detention Policy as New Facility Opens, Prisoner Rights Still Lacking - 15 November 2009
(London November 15, 2009) –The Obama administration should revise its detention policies in Afghanistan to make them consistent with international law, Amnesty International, Human Rights First, and Human Rights Watch said today.Iran: Authorities must stop imminent execution of Kurdish man - 13 November 2009
The Iranian authorities must halt the imminent execution of Sherko Moarefi, a Kurdish man convicted of “enmity against God” over his alleged membership of a proscribed Kurdish organization, Amnesty International said today.Macedonia: Guarantee the right to freedom of peaceful assembly - 13 November 2009
Amnesty International today welcomed the commitment by the Macedonian authorities to ensure that the International Day for Tolerance march in Skopje goes ahead on 16 November without hindranceChina: Obama must press China to uphold human rights - 13 November 2009
President Obama must use his first official visit to China to urge the authorities to reverse the sharp rise in human rights violations in the country, Amnesty International has said.
The organisation reminded President Obama in an open letter that he has a responsibility to publicly push for an improvement in China’s poor human rights record during his scheduled visit to China next week.
Thousands of Chinese activists and human rights lawyers continue to face arbitrary detention, harassment and imprisonment following unfair trials while the authorities continue to execute more people than the rest of the world combined.
“The Chinese government has stepped up efforts to silence any internal criticism or challenge, despite the country’s massive economic growth. President Obama must take this opportunity to show that the US views human rights as a central plank of its relationship with China,” said Sam Zarifi,Amnesty International’s Asia Pacific Director.
