The government response to COVID-19 raised human rights concerns, including in relation to the right to health, the enactment of emergency legislation without parliamentary oversight, and police use of spit hoods. Increased numbers of people accessed abortion services under the 2018 law, but gaps...

Ahead of a discussion in the Oireachtas (Irish parliament) today on a proposed amendment to a bill that would allow the Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) to label all matters before it as confidential, Rasha Abdul-Rahim, Programme Director at Amnesty Tech, said: “The government’s attempt to...

Amnesty International welcomes the publication on 12 May of a report by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) concerning the joint military operation conducted by the Malian army, together with members of private military company the Wagner Group, in the...

A 2017 law purportedly designed to protect human trafficking victims and sex workers from exploitation is instead facilitating the targeting and abuse of sex workers, and the state is failing to protect them from violence, said Amnesty International in a report published today. The report, “We live...

As the European Court of Human Rights considers a landmark case on climate change brought by six young people from Portugal against 33 European countries, Amnesty International and other human rights organizations and academics have intervened in the case today. They have provided the Court with...

People’s rights are being violated by governments in Europe and Central Asia, who are cracking down on protests and seeking to erode the independence of the judiciary to avoid accountability, Amnesty International said today as it published its annual review of human rights in the region. The...

With inequality, injustice and hate speech seemingly ever more prevalent across the globe, you’d be forgiven for thinking 2019 has been a bad year for human rights. Yet, we have also seen some significant wins. Activists the world over have been galvanised to stand up and fight for our human rights...

Responding to news that Google has agreed to pay a record US$170 million to settle a complaint filed by US regulators, alleging that Google illegally harvested personal data of children on its YouTube platform, Joe Westby, Big Data and AI Researcher at Amnesty Tech, said: “Today’s record fine...

One year on since Ireland’s vote to end its abortion ban, Amnesty International is paying tribute to the brave campaigners who spoke out for reproductive rights and sending messages of hope to people in Northern Ireland who are still subject to one of the strictest abortion bans in the world. Today...

Historic day for women as Ireland ratifies Istanbul Convention Spokespeople available In an important step forward in the fight against gender-based violence against women, the Irish government has ratified the Istanbul convention today, to ensure better protection and support for victims of such...

Amnesty International welcomes legislative efforts in Ireland to prohibit certain economic activities with illegal settlements in territories deemed occupied under international law, such as the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Business activities in or with illegal settlements, such as the trade...

I am an international human rights lawyer with two decades experience working on sexual and reproductive rights globally, including as a consultant for the World Health Organisation and other UN agencies. I tend to work in countries with restrictive abortion laws, like Ireland. I have found...

Women and girls in Ireland finally have a once in a generation opportunity to have their right to decide what happens to their bodies recognised, said Amnesty International ahead of Friday’s referendum on abortion. The long fought-for referendum will give Irish people a chance to vote on removing a...