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  • Malaysia
  • Censorship and Free Speech

Malaysia: End unprecedented crackdown on hundreds of critics

As we mark World Day Against Cyber Censorship, Malaysia is spiralling into a dark era of repression. Over the past two years, the government has launched an unprecedented crackdown to silence, harass and lock up hundreds of critics. Critical Crackdown: Freedom of expression under attack in Malaysia shows how the use of the Sedition Act – which gives authorities sweeping powers to target those who oppose them - has skyrocketed since the Barisan Nasional coalition government narrowly won the 2013 general elections, with around 170 sedition cases in that period.

Date:
11 March 2016
  • News
  • Europe and Central Asia
  • Censorship and Free Speech

Russia: Brazen assault on journalists and human rights defenders in North Caucasus illustrates official failures

The violent assault on human rights defenders (HRDs) and journalists in the Russian Republic of Ingushetia is further evidence of the authorities’ abject failure to protect those who work to safeguard human rights, said Amnesty International today. Human rights defenders from the Joint Mobile Group (JMG) in the Russian North Caucasus, along with journalists from Russian, Swedish and Norwegian media, were beaten up and had their vehicle set ablaze on Wednesday evening.

Date:
10 March 2016
  • News
  • Americas
  • Killings and Disappearances

Mexico: Prosecution of marines over enforced disappearance must signal policy change

The prosecution of five Mexican marines accused of the enforced disappearance of a man who was found dead weeks after his arrest in 2013 is a long awaited positive step that must herald a new official approach to tackling Mexico’s relentless wave of disappearances, said Amnesty International. “These arrests bring a ray of hope to the relatives of Armando del Bosque Villarreal and to the families of the tens of thousands of people whose whereabouts are still unknown across Mexico to finally obtain truth, justice and reparations,” said Erika Guevara-Rosas, Americas Director at Amnesty International.

Date:
10 March 2016
  • News
  • South Sudan
  • War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity

South Sudan: Government forces deliberately suffocated dozens and dumped bodies in open pits

South Sudanese government forces deliberately suffocated more than 60 men and boys who were detained in a shipping container before dumping their bodies in an open field in Leer town, Unity State, according to new evidence gathered by Amnesty International. The organization’s researchers recently visited the grounds of the Comboni Catholic Church where the October 2015 killings took place. They also visited the site, about one kilometer from Leer town, where the bodies were dumped.

Date:
10 March 2016
  • News
  • North Korea
  • Unlawful Detention

North Korea: Tightened controls on communications with the outside world leave families devastated

Ordinary North Koreans caught using mobile phones to contact loved ones who have fled abroad, risk being sent to political prison camps or other detention facilities as the government tightens its stranglehold on people’s use of communication technology, reveals Amnesty International in a new report published today. Connection Denied: Restrictions on Mobile Phones and Outside Information in North Korea, documents the intensified controls, repression and intimidation of the population since Kim Jung-un came to power in 2011.

Date:
9 March 2016
  • News
  • Gambia
  • Press Freedom

Gambia: Free ailing journalist arbitrarily detained

Gambia should free an ailing journalist who has been arbitrarily detained since July 2015 and drop all charges against him, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Alagie Abdoulie Ceesay, the managing director of the independent radio station Teranga FM, has been charged with sedition and “publication of false news. ” He has been hospitalized twice since the beginning of 2016.

Date:
9 March 2016
  • News
  • Zimbabwe
  • Killings and Disappearances

Zimbabwe: Abducted pro-democracy activist – no answers one year on

The absolute failure of the police to account for the enforced disappearance of Itai Dzamara, a pro-democracy activist and critic of President Mugabe’s government, highlights the culture of impunity for human rights violations in Zimbabwe, said Amnesty International on the anniversary of his abduction. “It has been a year since Itai Dzamara was disappeared without a trace, leaving his family in agonizing uncertainty about his fate and whereabouts.

Date:
8 March 2016
  • News
  • Americas
  • Censorship and Free Speech

Honduras: Deep failures in investigation into activist’s killing put many at risk

The catalogue of failures in the investigation into the death of a prominent Indigenous leader last week exposes the Honduran government’s absolute lack of willingness to protect human rights defenders in the country, said Amnesty International after a visit to the Central American country. “Authorities in Honduras are saying one thing and doing another. They have told us they are committed to finding those responsible for Berta Cáceres’ death yet they have failed to follow the most basic lines of investigation, including the fact that Berta had been receiving serious death threats related to her human rights work for a very long time,” said Erika Guevara-Rosas, Americas Director at Amnesty International.

Date:
8 March 2016
  • News
  • Turkey
  • Refugees

EU Turkey Summit: EU and Turkish leaders deal death blow to the right to seek asylum

The persistent preoccupation with shipping people back to Turkey instead of making unconditional efforts on resettlement and offering other safe and legal ways to Europe shows an alarmingly short-sighted and inhumane attitude to handling this crisis, said Amnesty International after European Council talks with Turkey today. Prime Minister of Turkey Ahmet Davutoğlu, President of the European Council Donald Tusk and President of the European Commission Jean Claude Juncker shared the outline of the plan for a final agreement between the EU and Turkey, in advance of the European Council meeting on 17 and 18 March.

Date:
8 March 2016
  • News
  • Burkina Faso
  • Right to Health

Burkina Faso: Photo exhibition highlights women and girls’ fight to claim their rights

On 8 March Amnesty International is launching a photo exhibition telling the stories of women and girls in Burkina Faso who have shown courage and determination in their battle to triumph over violence, abuse and violations of their rights. The exhibition captures twelve portraits, some of which include pictures taken by photographer Leila Alaoui, who tragically died alongside her driver, Mahamadi Ouédraogo, following the Al Qaeda attack in Ouagadougou last January.

Date:
7 March 2016
  • News
  • Bahrain
  • Human Rights Defenders and Activists

Bahrain: Alarming spike in expulsion of citizens arbitrarily stripped of their nationality

Eleven people could face imminent expulsion from Bahrain tomorrow if their deportation orders are upheld in two separate appeal hearings, as Bahrain’s authorities increasingly resort to the extreme measure of banishing individuals after revoking their citizenship, said Amnesty International. Two people were already forced to leave Bahrain last month, while a court confirmed a third deportation order yesterday on 6 March.

Date:
7 March 2016
  • News
  • Honduras
  • Women and Girls

Americas: Lottery approach to health care for women putting thousands of lives at risk

The lives of millions of women and girls across Latin America are at the mercy of “lottery-style” health care systems that prioritize religious doctrine and stereotypes over the lives of patients, Amnesty International said in a new report. The study explores access to sexual and reproductive health care for women in eight countries. It reveals that access to basic rights such as contraception, safe abortions or sterilizations usually depends on the wealth of the patient and the personal and religious views of the health professionals or public officials.

Date:
7 March 2016
  • News
  • Turkey
  • Refugees

EU-Turkey Summit: Don’t wash hands of refugee rights

European leaders’ attempts to use Turkey as their border guard to stop refugees and asylum-seekers heading to the EU is a dangerous and deliberate ploy to shirk their responsibilities to people fleeing war and persecution, warns Amnesty International ahead of the EU and Turkish leaders’ meeting today in Brussels. EU efforts to address the refugee crisis have focused on ensuring that refugees and asylum-seekers remain in Turkey, instead of sharing the responsibility for their protection and assistance.

Date:
7 March 2016
  • News
  • Ireland
  • Women and Girls

Irish public want expanded access to abortion to be a political priority for incoming government

People in Ireland have made clear that the incoming government must make expanding access to abortion a priority, Amnesty International said today as it published the results of an opinion poll on attitudes to abortion in Ireland. The poll, carried out by RED C Research and Marketing, shows that a considerable majority of people in Ireland (63%) believe that Irish politicians should show leadership and deal proactively with widening access to abortion in Ireland.

Date:
4 March 2016
  • News
  • Europe and Central Asia
  • Censorship and Free Speech

Turkey: Zaman newspaper taken over as government steamrolls press freedom

Updated at 16:10 GMT. Today’s government takeover of Zaman newspaper is the latest deeply troubling episode in the Turkish authorities’ ongoing onslaught on dissenting media, Amnesty International said today. According to the state news agency Anadolu, at the request of the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, a court appointed trustees to take over the newspaper's management. “By lashing out and seeking to rein in critical voices, President Erdogan’s government is steamrolling over human rights,” said Andrew Gardner, Amnesty International’s Turkey expert.

Date:
4 March 2016