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.

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.

Iran must halt imminent execution of Kurdish man

10 November 2009

Ehsan Fattahian is to be executed on Wednesday, for his alleged membership of an illegal opposition group. Two other Iranian Kurdish men are also feared to be at imminent risk of execution.

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".

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.

Hasty executions in China highlight unfair Xinjiang trials

10 November 2009

Following the execution of eight Uighurs and one Han Chinese individual, charged with offences committed during the July riots, the authorities have prosecuted a further 20 suspects.

European governments must act on human rights 20 years after the Berlin Wall

9 November 2009

On the anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, Amnesty International has called for urgent action to tackle abuses against migrants, asylum seekers, detainees and minorities.

Amnesty International welcomes decision to not transfer Côte d'Ivoire toxic waste compensation

6 November 2009

Amnesty International has welcomed the decision of a Côte d’Ivoire court not to transfer $45 million in compensation owed to victims of the toxic waste dumping in Abidjan in 2006 to the account of an organization which was falsely claiming to represent all 30,000 of them.

UN vote on Goldstone report a defining step for accountability

6 November 2009

The vote adopting key recommendations of the report on the conflict in Gaza and southern Israel earlier this year, is vitally important for ensuring that those who committed war crimes will be held accountable, said Amnesty International.