Press releases
Amnesty International visits Honduras to assess human rights situation - 18 November 2009
An Amnesty International delegation will be travelling to Honduras between 24 November and 4 December to assess the human rights situation in the context of the political crisis facing the Central American nation.
Australia: Government must end state-sponsored racially discriminatory measures - 18 November 2009
Slamming decades of failure by Australian governments to address the dire living conditions, disempowerment and discrimination faced by many of the country’s Indigenous peoples, Amnesty International’s Secretary General Irene Khan warned that the government of Prime Minister Rudd must not squander its unique opportunity to right these historic wrongs.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.”
