Human rights defenders were intimidated, harassed and arbitrarily arrested. The independence of the judiciary remained under attack from the executive. Prisons were overcrowded and conditions poor. Attacks against people with albinism continued.

By Mandipa Machacha and Sasha Middleton Across Southern Africa, millions of people, predominantly women and girls, engage in informal cross-border trade, shouldering heavy burdens and navigating bureaucratic hurdles just to make ends meet. This trade, estimated at $17.6 billion by the African...

The governments of Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe have failed to protect women participating in Informal Cross-Border Trade (ICBT) from gender-based violence and economic exploitation, which has impeded the women’s ability to exercise their human rights in the context of decent work, Amnesty...

Last year witnessed a surge in discriminatory legislation directed against LGBTI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex) persons across Africa, said Amnesty International today.   In a new briefing looking at 12 African countries, Amnesty International documents how legal systems were...

African leaders attending this year’s Conference of the Parties (COP28) to the UNFCCC must avoid mistakes made during the inaugural Africa Climate Summit, where leaders adopted the Nairobi Declaration on Climate Change and Call to Action (Nairobi Declaration), which in many ways failed to...

Authorities across East and Southern Africa escalated their attacks against journalists and press freedom across the region to suppress reporting of corruption and human rights violations throughout 2022, the Media Institute of Southern Africa and Amnesty International said today to mark World...

Responding to the devastating impact of Tropical Cyclone Freddy, which has claimed more than 120 lives in Mozambique and Malawi, and injured almost a hundred people after strengthening into one of the strongest storms ever recorded in the southern hemisphere, Tigere Chagutah, Amnesty...

The killing of a three-year-old girl shows the urgent need to better protect people with albinism following a series of attacks over recent weeks. Amnesty International calls on the authorities to improve the protection of persons with albinism across the country after the killing of this week of...

In response to the conviction of 12 men over the 2018 killing of MacDonald Masambuka, a person with albinism,Amnesty International’s Director for East and Southern Africa, Deprose Muchena, said: “These convictions represent a victory for justice, human rights and the rule of law. The fact that 12...

Following confirmation of the killing of Ian Muhamba, a 20-year-old man with albinism, Amnesty International’s Director for East and Southern Africa, Deprose Muchena, said: “This brutal murder is the latest reminder that Malawi remains a dangerous place for persons with albinism. The Malawian...

The resurgence of killings and abduction of persons with albinism in Malawi, with the attempted abduction of a 12-year-old and the killing of 26-year-old last week, shows  a dangerous escalation for the safety of this vulnerable group, Amnesty International and the Association of Persons with...

Southern African governments must ensure the protection and well-being of persons with albinism, who are increasingly vulnerable amid the COVID-19 crisis as lockdowns across the region hinder access to healthcare facilities and skin cancer clinics as well as vital sunscreen, Amnesty International...

By Oluwatosin Popoola, Legal Adviser at Amnesty International As the world battles the deadly COVID-19 virus, countries across sub-Saharan Africa have taken a number of measures aimed at stopping the spread of the virus in their territories. However, while efforts to address the COVID-19 pandemic...