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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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".

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.

Nicaragua's Constitutional Court must decide on legality of new abortion law

6 November 2009

Amnesty International has expressed concern that the Nicaraguan Supreme Court continues to delay its judgment on the legality of new criminal laws on abortion which entered into force in 2008.