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  • News
  • Belarus
  • Children

Belarus: Release minor pending appeal of five-year prison sentence

Ahead of the appeal hearing of Mikita Zalatarou, a 17-year-old Belarusian protester who was sentenced to five years in a corrective colony in a trial marred with irregularities, Marie Struthers, Amnesty International’s Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, said: “Mikita Zalatarou’s case is another stark reminder of the violence that awaits people in Belarus, including minors, when they come face to face with this repressive state.

Date:
22 April 2021
  • News
  • Americas
  • Human Rights Defenders and Activists

Colombia: Amnesty International publishes a ‘letter from the world’ demanding protection for defender Jani Silva

Today, on Earth Day, Amnesty International launched its “A Letter from the World” campaign to demand that Colombian authorities immediately take effective measures to guarantee the safety of environmental defender Jani Silva. Last year, as part of Amnesty’s global campaign Write for Rights, the planet’s largest human rights event, more than 415,363 people from dozens of countries around the world took action calling for the protection of Jani Silva, who is at risk of being killed for defending the Amazon and the rights of more than 1,200 people living in the Perla Amazonian Farming Reserve Area in Putumayo.

Date:
22 April 2021
  • News
  • Middle East and North Africa
  • Censorship and Freedom of Expression

Algeria: Islamic scholar sentenced to three-year prison term for “offending Islam"

Today’s sentencing of Said Djabelkheir, a well-known Islamic expert, to three years in prison for “offending” Islam in comments he posted on Facebook, is a chilling setback for freedom of expression in Algeria, said Amnesty International. In three online posts on Facebook in January 2020, Said Djabelkheir drew comparisons between Eid al-Adha and the Berber New Year celebrations; referred to some stories in the Qur’an as ‘myths; and said he considered some hadiths ‘apocryphal’.

Date:
22 April 2021
  • News
  • Russian Federation
  • Detention

Russia: Human rights crisis deepens as Navalny supporters arrested en masse

Russian authorities unleashed a crackdown on peaceful protesters demanding the release of Aleksei Navalny, arresting at least 1,700 and using excessive force, including tasers, at demonstrations around the country. Amnesty International calls for the immediate release of all those who have been detained for exercising their rights to freedom of expression and assembly, and for the immediate release of Aleksei Navalny who is being arbitrarily detained and denied access to independent healthcare.

Date:
22 April 2021
  • News
  • Hungary
  • Freedom of Association

Hungary: LexNGO repealed but replacement very concerning

Hungary: LexNGO repealed but replacement very concerning The Hungarian government has announced that it will repeal ‘LexNGO’, a dangerous law which stigmatizes and places restrictions on the independent work of non-governmental organizations (NGOs). In February the European Commission launched an infringement procedure against Hungary, after finding that the Act breached EU law. Responding to the announcement, the Director of Amnesty International Hungary, Dávid Vig, said:  “While we welcome its withdrawal, we can’t drop our guard yet.

Date:
22 April 2021
  • Campaigns
  • Americas
  • Human Rights Defenders and Activists

Venezuela: NGOs and survivors under threat

As of 1 May 2021, all Venezuelan civil society organisations must comply with abusive registration measures or face criminal prosecution, according to new regulations under counterterrorism and organised crime legislation, announced by the government on 30 March. These measures include disclosing details on their beneficiaries, such as victims of human rights violations and humanitarian relief recipients, as well as information on their funding, staff, and governance.

Date:
22 April 2021
Ref:
AMR 53/4013/2021
  • Article
  • Technology and Human Rights

EUROPE: Proposed legislation too weak to protect us from dangerous AI systems

Responding to a new European Union proposal for regulating the use of artificial intelligence technologies, Rasha Abdul Rahim, Director of Amnesty Tech, said:    “The EU’s proposal falls far short of what is needed to mitigate the vast abuse potential of technologies like facial recognition systems. Under the proposed ban, police will still be able to use non-live facial recognition software with CCTV cameras to track our every move, scraping images from social media accounts without people’s consent.

Date:
21 April 2021
  • News
  • South Korea

South Korea: Disappointing Japan ruling fails to deliver justice to ‘comfort women’

Responding to today’s South Korean court ruling that dismissed claims against the Japanese government to pay damages to women and girls who were forced into sexual slavery by Japan’s military before and during World War II, Amnesty International’s East Asia Researcher Arnold Fang said: “Today’s ruling is a major disappointment that fails to deliver justice to the remaining survivors of this military slavery system and to those who suffered these atrocities before and during World War II but had already passed away, as well as their families.

Date:
21 April 2021
  • News
  • Death Penalty

Death penalty in 2020: Facts and figures  

Global figures Amnesty International recorded 483 executions in 18 countries in 2020, a decrease of 26% from 657 recorded in 2019. This figure represents the lowest number of executions that Amnesty International has recorded in the past decade. Most known executions took place in China, Iran, Egypt, Iraq and Saudi Arabia – in that order. China remained the world’s leading executioner – but the true extent of the use of the death penalty in China is unknown as this data is classified as a state secret; the global figure of at least 483 excludes the thousands of executions believed to have been carried out in China.

Date:
21 April 2021
  • News
  • Middle East and North Africa

Death penalty 2020: Middle East and North Africa dominates list of world’s top executioners

Iran, Egypt, Iraq, Saudi Arabia accounted for 88% of known global executions in 2020 Egypt tripled number of yearly executions Iran accounted for 56% of all recorded executions in MENA 85% drop in executions recorded in Saudi Arabia Oman and Qatar resumed executions for first time in several years Lowest number of executions globally in a decade for third consecutive year Countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) ruthlessly persisted with executions, defying the unprecedented challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, making them some of the world’s most prolific executioners of 2020, said Amnesty International in its annual global death penalty report today.

Date:
21 April 2021
  • News
  • Death Penalty

Death penalty 2020: Despite Covid-19, some countries ruthlessly pursued death sentences and executions  

Egypt tripled number of yearly executions China pursued the death penalty to crack down on offences related to Covid-19 prevention efforts Former US administration executed staggering 10 people in less than six months in 2020 Lowest number of executions recorded in a decade for third consecutive year The unprecedented challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic were not enough to deter 18 countries from carrying out executions in 2020, Amnesty International said today in its annual global review of the death penalty.

Date:
21 April 2021
  • Research
  • Eswatini
  • Censorship and Freedom of Expression

Eswatini: Broken promises: Amnesty International submission for the UN Universal Periodic Review

This submission was prepared for the third Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Eswatini on 8 November 2021. In it, Amnesty International evaluates the implementation of recommendations made to Eswatini in its previous UPR, including in relation to removing the restrictions which prevent the full enjoyment of fundamental freedoms and eliminating all forms of discrimination against women. It also assesses the national human rights framework with regard to land governance, restrictions to fundamental freedoms and death penalty.

Date:
21 April 2021
Ref:
AFR 55/3980/2021
  • News
  • Middle East and North Africa
  • Censorship and Freedom of Expression

Tunisia: Rescind ministerial order censoring health workers over Covid-19

Tunisian authorities should immediately withdraw a ministerial order imposing sanctions on doctors and health workers who make unauthorized declarations about the Covid-19 situation in Tunisia, said Amnesty International today. On 16 April 2021, the Tunisian Ministry of Health issued a directive stating that only a specified list of representatives from the health sector are authorized to make statements to the media or on social media in relation to the pandemic.

Date:
20 April 2021
  • News
  • Americas
  • Justice Systems

Conviction of Derek Chauvin a measure of accountability; police reform still needed

In response to Derek Chauvin being found guilty of murder in the death of George Floyd, Amnesty International USA (AIUSA) released the following statement:  “Today a jury held Derek Chauvin accountable for actions emblematic of a broken policing system. No one should expect an encounter with law enforcement to end in death. And yet for George Floyd — and far too many others — that’s exactly what happened.

Date:
20 April 2021
  • Article

Response from Amnesty International's Secretariat to the Guardian article

Background On Tuesday 20 April 2021, The Guardian ran a story in relation to racism at the International Secretariat and at Amnesty International UK. Statement Amnesty International's Secretariat wholeheartedly apologises to any of our staff who have experienced discrimination or been hurt by individual, structural or systemic racism in the confines of our movement. These accounts are unacceptable for an organisation whose mandate is to ensure human rights for all are upheld around the world.

Date:
20 April 2021