News & Updates

Sheperds stand beside a cistern in the village of Umm al-Kheir, in the southern West Bank (OPT), September 2009.

Israel rations Palestinians to trickle of water

27 October 2009

Amnesty International has accused Israel of denying Palestinians the right to access adequate water by maintaining total control over the shared water resources and pursuing discriminatory policies.
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.

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 said on Friday.

Indigenous teacher missing in Brazil after violence over ancestral lands

13 November 2009

Brazilian and Paraguayan authorities must redouble their efforts to find an indigenous teacher who has been missing since 30 October.

Iranian 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.

Macedonia must guarantee the right to freedom of peaceful assembly

13 November 2009

Amnesty International has welcomed the commitment by the Macedonian authorities to ensure that the International Day for Tolerance march in Skopje goes ahead on 16 November without hindrance.

Fair trials needed in Bangladesh to ensure justice for victims of mutiny

12 November 2009

To ensure justice for the victims of the Bangladesh Rifles mutiny in February, all suspects must receive a fair trial, Amnesty International says in its new report.

Italian authorities forcibly evict another Roma community

12 November 2009

Amnesty International has condemned the forced eviction of a community of about 400 Roma people in the Italian capital, Rome.

Jailed Azerbaijani bloggers adopted as prisoners of conscience

12 November 2009

Youth activists Emin Abdullayev and Adnan Hajizade have been sentenced to 30 and 24 months' imprisonment respectively on charges of 'hooliganism' and 'inflicting minor bodily harm'.

Ukraine must release Belarusian prisoner of conscience

11 November 2009

Musician and activist Igor Koktysh has been detained for over two years for the peaceful expression of his beliefs. If forcibly returned to Belarus, he could face the death penalty.

Saudi Arabian and Yemeni forces must protect civilians in Sa’da conflict

11 November 2009

Amnesty International has called on all parties to the conflict raging in Yemen’s northerly Sa’da region to treat detainees humanely and protect civilians.

Iran executes Kurdish man

11 November 2009

Ehsan Fattahian was hanged in connection with his alleged membership of an illegal opposition group. Two other Iranian Kurdish men also feared to be at imminent risk of execution.