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  • News
  • Belarus
  • Detention

Belarus: Amid vicious crackdown on peaceful protesters, authorities arrest workers planning strike

In response to the latest police violence in Belarus and the arrest of hundreds of people in peaceful protests on 25 October and at the start of today’s national strike, Denis Krivosheev, Amnesty International's Acting Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia said: “In response to the Lukashenka government’s crackdown on peaceful protests, opposition leaders called for a national strike beginning today.

Date:
26 October 2020
  • News
  • Cameroon

Cameroon: Killing of eight schoolchildren is a new low in devastating Anglophone crisis

Following the killing of eight schoolchildren in the town of Kumba in the Anglophone region of Cameroon, Tity Agbahey, Amnesty International’s Central Africa Campaigner, said: “The killing of eight schoolchildren inside their classroom is an atrocity that underscores the urgency of protecting ordinary people from the ongoing violence in Cameroon’s Anglophone regions. This horrific attack shows how badly the situation is deteriorating and we call on Cameroon’s authorities to immediately take all possible measures to protect the population.

Date:
26 October 2020
  • News
  • Russian Federation
  • Prisoners of Conscience

Russia: Release activist jailed for satirical street action with Putin’s mannequin

Aleksandr Shabarchin, an activist who was jailed over a satirical video featuring a homemade mannequin of President Vladimir Putin, will have his appeal heard by Perm Krai Court tomorrow. Amnesty International is calling for the immediate and unconditional release of Aleksandr Shabarchin, and also calls for the conviction of his fellow activist Danila Vasiliev to be quashed. Aleksandr Shabarchin and Danila Vasiliev were arrested in November 2018 after they taped a mannequin wearing a mask of President Putin to a lamp post in Perm’s city centre.

Date:
26 October 2020
  • News
  • Guinea
  • Press Freedom

Guinea: Witness testimony, videos and satellite imagery confirm security forces fired live bullet at protesters

They used weapons of war in Conakry and Labé Satellite imagery geolocates shooting scene in a suburb of the capital African Union and ECOWAS still silent in front of this crackdown behind closed-door Witness testimonies, satellite imagery and videos analysed and authenticated by Amnesty International confirm that defense and security forces in Guinea have used live ammunition against protesters after the 18 October disputed presidential election.

Date:
25 October 2020
  • News
  • Thailand
  • Censorship and Freedom of Expression

Thailand: Drop unjustified charges and release peaceful protesters

84 people charged since 13 October, usually on vague and politically motivated charges Use of arbitrary charges are “merely tactics to scare the whole movement” As peaceful protests in Thailand grow, the authorities continue to use vague, overly restrictive laws to harass and silence people, said Amnesty International today. The organization calls on the authorities to immediately drop all charges against peaceful protesters and release those still detained.

Date:
24 October 2020
  • News
  • Asia and The Pacific
  • Armed Conflict

Afghanistan: Mounting casualties as parties to peace talks fail to protect civilians

Despite ongoing peace talks, civilians continue to pay the price for the conflict in Afghanistan, said Amnesty International, following a spate of bloody attacks that have killed at least 50 people in the past week alone. On Thursday 22 October, four people were killed and around 10 injured in the Shareen Tagab district of Faryab Province, after Taliban forces fired a rocket into a market. Later the same day, 12 children died and at least 18 people were injured after an airstrike by the Afghan military hit a school in the province of Takhar.

Date:
23 October 2020
  • News
  • Saudi Arabia
  • International Organizations

B20 Saudi Arabia: With women activists jailed, “empowerment” summit is a sham

With women’s empowerment topping the agenda at next week’s B20 Summit, hosted by Saudi Arabia, Amnesty International is reminding business leaders that many of the country’s bravest women’s rights activists are languishing in prison for daring to demand reforms. Loujain al Hathloul, Nassima al-Sada, Samar Badawi, Maya’a al-Zahrani, and Nouf Abdulaziz spearheaded women’s rights campaigns, including calling for the right to drive and an end to the repressive male guardianship system.

Date:
23 October 2020
  • News
  • Americas
  • Demonstrations

USA: Police failing to protect protesters from violence, as volatile elections near

Law enforcement agencies across the USA are failing to facilitate people’s fundamental right to freedom of peaceful assembly, and to protect protests and counter-protests from violent disruption by armed groups among others, Amnesty International said today in a new report, Losing the Peace: US Police Failures to Protect Protesters from Violence. Since the police killing of George Floyd in May 2020, there have been thousands of peaceful anti-racism and political protests and counter-protests across the USA.

Date:
23 October 2020
  • News
  • Madagascar
  • Justice Systems

Madagascar: President Rajoelina must deliver on his promise to decongest prisons

One year after President Andry Rajoelina pledged to decongest prisons, detainees in Madagascar are still suffering in overcrowded prisons at nearly three times their capacity, Amnesty International said today. Thousands of people are languishing in Malagasy prisons without having been convicted of any crime, due to Madagascar’s excessive use of pre-trial detention. “President Andry Rajoelina has broken his promise to decongest Madagascar’s alarmingly overcrowded prisons.

Date:
22 October 2020
  • News
  • Poland

Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal Rolls Back Reproductive Rights

The Polish Constitutional Tribunal’s ruling to invalidate the constitutionality of access to abortion on the ground of “severe and irreversible fetal defect or incurable illness that threatens the fetus’ life” (1) will further harm women and girls and violates their human rights, Amnesty International, the Center for Reproductive Rights and Human Rights Watch said today. Amnesty International, the Center for Reproductive Rights and Human Rights Watch sent independent expert monitors to observe the hearing of the Polish Constitutional Tribunal and to analyze the decision.

Date:
22 October 2020
  • News
  • Turkey

Turkey: Hopes of justice for assassinated human rights lawyer as three police officers go on trial

Turkey: Hopes of justice for assassinated human rights lawyer as three police officers go on trial  Spokespeople available at the court  The trial of three police officers accused of killing prominent human rights lawyer Tahir Elçi presents a long overdue chance for justice, Amnesty International said today. On 28 November 2015, Tahir Elçi was shot in the head shortly after giving a statement at a press conference in the city of Diyarbakır, where the first trial hearing of three of the accused begins today.

Date:
21 October 2020
  • News
  • Morocco and Western Sahara
  • Justice Systems

Morocco and Western Sahara: Human rights component critical to UN Mission

Effective human rights monitoring must be a central component of any future UN peacekeeping presence in Moroccan-controlled Western Sahara and in the Sahrawi refugee camps in Algeria, Amnesty International said today in a detailed statement. On 28 October, the UN Security Council is due to vote on the renewal of the mandate of the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) which has thus far not included a human rights component.

Date:
22 October 2020
  • News
  • Americas
  • Justice Systems

Honduras: Authorities must guarantee transparency in trial of man accused of plotting the murder of Berta Cáceres

Given the lack of publicity around this morning’s pre-trial hearing against David Castillo, the only person accused of masterminding the murder of the Lenca leader and environmental defender Berta Cáceres, Amnesty International reminds the Honduran authorities of their obligation to comply with due process. Prior to the beginning of the oral and public debate, a hearing was scheduled on 22 October to examine the proceedings against David Castillo, the former manager of the company Desarrollos Energéticos (DESA), who was in charge of the Agua Zarca hydroelectric project.

Date:
22 October 2020
  • News
  • Central African Republic
  • Armed Conflict

Central African Republic: While many ‘people are hungry for trials’ some warlords still walk free

New Amnesty report takes stock of latest developments in the fight against impunity Two years on, the Special Criminal Court needs to show more transparency in its judicial activities Justice system needs stronger efforts to prosecute, in fair trials, those who have killed, raped and abducted civilians Despite a few investigations and trials these past few years, many perpetrators of horrendous human rights violations and abuses in the Central African Republic (CAR) have not been brought to justice two years after the inauguration of the country’s Special Criminal Court (SCC), Amnesty International said today.

Date:
22 October 2020
  • News
  • Sudan
  • International Justice

Sudan: The ICC is presently the best option for justice for Darfur crimes

Following the historic visit of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to Sudan, Amnesty International urged Sudanese authorities to prioritize the ICC route to justice and immediately transfer individuals indicted on charges of crimes against humanity, genocide and war crimes to the court. Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda visited Khartoum earlier this week to set the stage for constructive cooperation with Sudan and discuss options for the trial of former President Omar al-Bashir and others indicted over crimes committed in Darfur.

Date:
21 October 2020
  • News
  • Africa
  • Killings and Disappearances

Nigeria: Killing of #EndSARS protesters by the military must be investigated

At least 12 people killed at Alausa and Lekki Toll Gate Lagos  Hundreds severely injured  CCTV dismantled to cover murder   An on-the-ground investigation by Amnesty International has confirmed that the Nigerian army and police killed at least 12 peaceful protesters yesterday at two locations in Lagos. The killings took place in Lekki and Alausa, where thousands were protesting police brutality as part of the #EndSars movement.

Date:
21 October 2020