News

Itakyry Indigenous communities on their ancestral land.

Paraguay indigenous community threatened by illegal eviction and pesticide attack

10 November 2009

Amnesty International has condemned the use of apparently toxic pesticides to intimidate an indigenous community after they resisted being forcibly evicted from their ancestral lands.
Waste removal experts work to remove hazardous black sludge from a garbage dump, Abidjan, 18 September, 2006.

Côte d’Ivoire toxic waste dump victims reflect on "small victory"

10 November 2009

Victims of the 2006 toxic waste dumping scandal in Côte d’Ivoire told Amnesty International on Monday that a ruling protecting their compensation was a "small victory".
Iranian scholar Dr Mohammad Maleki

Iran must release scholar held for peaceful criticism of election

27 October 2009

Dr Mohammad Maleki has been held incommunicado since his arrest in August. Amnesty International has expressed grave concern for his health as he is suffering from serious illnesses.

Peru one step closer to legalising abortion

23 October 2009

The Peruvian Congress' has decided to stand by its proposal to decriminalize abortion in cases where women and girls become pregnant as a result of rape or incest.

Migrant workers treated as 'disposable labour' in South Korea

21 October 2009

Many migrant workers in South Korea are beaten, trafficked for sexual exploitation and denied their wages for long periods despite the introduction of rules to protect their rights.

Ugandan 'anti-homosexuality' bill threatens liberties and human rights defenders

16 October 2009

The draft "Anti-Homosexuality Bill" introduced on Wednesday in Uganda's parliament would violate human rights and should be withdrawn immediately.
Children waiting in line for kanchchi, a type of gruel, the Wanni, Sri Lanka

Displaced Sri Lankans trapped between the military and the impending monsoon

8 October 2009

A quarter of a million Sri Lankans now being held in de facto detention camps are facing a humanitarian disaster as monsoon rains threaten to flood camps.
A woman in Freetown, Sierra Leone, supporting Amnesty International's campaign

Thousands unite to end maternal mortality in Sierra Leone

23 September 2009

Over 4,000 people gathered in Freetown, Sierra Leone, on Tuesday to attend the launch of Amnesty International's campaign to end maternal mortality in the country.

VIDEO: Maternal mortality in Sierra Leone

22 September 2009

A woman faces a higher risk of dying in child birth in Sierra Leone than almost anywhere in the world.
Irene Khan, Amnesty International Secretary General, speaks to doctors in Freetown, Sierra Leone, September 2009

Maternal death rate in Sierra Leone is a "human rights emergency"

21 September 2009

In Sierra Leone, one in eight women risk dying during pregnancy or childbirth - one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world.