Wednesday, December 30, 2020

IRAN: Nasrin Sotoudeh Receives Prize for Human Rights Work - NEWS

IRAN INTERNATIONAL, December 29, 2020

The American Bar Association awarded Iranian political prisoner Nasrin Sotoudeh with the Eleanor Roosevelt Prize for global human rights advancement, for her “stalwart courage and effectiveness in pursuit of a just rule of law in Iran.”


Nasrin Sotoudeh is an Iranian human rights lawyer who was recently sentenced to prison and 148 lashes because of her work defending human rights and protesting against Iran’s forced hijab laws.


In a video message to the American Bar Association, Sotoudeh said receiving the award is a great honor, and she is happy to see there is solidarity between attorneys across the world.

 CLICK HERE to LEARN MORE

Friday, December 18, 2020

TURKEY: Investigate Prisoner Torture - URGENT ACTION

Amnesty International, USA, Dec. 17, 2020

On 1 December, Mehmet Sıddık Meşe was allegedly subjected to a severe beating by guards in a prison in the Turkish city of Dıyarbakır. He was denied access to urgent medical care and to examination by medical forensic staff. On 9 December, the prosecutor decided not to prosecute the suspected perpetrators based on the prison doctor’s report. Mehmet Sıddık Meşe requires access to adequate medical care and a prompt, independent and impartial investigation into the

allegations of torture and other ill-treatment must be launched.


CLICK HERE to TAKE ACTION

Tuesday, December 8, 2020

IRAN: Free Nasrin Now - ONLINE ACTION


Amnesty International, USA, 12-7-2020.

After just three weeks of temporary release, renowned Iranian human rights lawyer and mother of two Nasrin Sotoudeh has been ordered to return to Shahr-e-Ray “Gharchak” prison by Iranian authorities. She was serving a cruel and unjust sentence of 148 lashes and 38 years simply for defending women’s rights.

Nasrin spent her time outside of prison trying to recover from COVID-19. During this time, she was unable to hug her children. A medical examiner has informed her that she is still sick and contagious with COVID-1.

CLICK HERE to TAKE ACTION


Monday, December 7, 2020

IRAN: Authorities Plan to Amputate Fingers of 6 Men - NEWS


Amnesty International, 12-6-2020.

The Iranian authorities must immediately halt imminent plans to amputate the fingers of six men convicted of robbery following unfair trials and torture-tainted “confessions”, said Amnesty International in a detailed analysisreleased today.

The analysis reveals horrific figures, provided to the organization by a human rights group, Abdorrahman Boroumand Center, that over the past two decades, on average, the Iranian authorities have amputated the fingers of at least one person every two months and flogged at least two people every week. 

CLICK TO LEARN MORE

Saturday, November 28, 2020

GUINEA: Activist Gets Jail Sentence - URGENT ACTION

Amnesty International, US, 11-17-2020.

On 16 November, Saïkou Yaya Diallo, the legal coordinator of the National Front for the Defense of the Constitution (FNDC), was sentenced by Dixinn Court to one year imprisonment with five months suspended on fabricated ‘assault, violence, threats and public insults’ charges. 


He must be immediately and unconditionally released as his conviction stems from his peaceful protesting against President Alpha Condé’s running for a third term in office.

 CLICK HERE to LEARN MORE

Tuesday, November 24, 2020

IRAN: Iranian-Swedish Physician at Immediate Risk of Execution - URGENT ACTION

Amnesty International, November 24, 2020

Responding to news that Ahmadreza Djalali, an Iranian-Swedish specialist in emergency medicine, has been transferred to solitary confinement in Evin prison and told by the prosecution authorities that his death sentence will be carried out imminently, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa, Diana Eltahawy, said:

“We were horrified to learn that the authorities have instructed the office in charge of implementing sentences to transfer Ahmadreza Djalali to solitary confinement and implement his death sentence no later than a week from 24 November.


“It is appalling that despite repeated calls from UN human rights experts to quash Ahmadreza Djalali’s death sentence and release him, the Iranian authorities have instead decided to push for this irreversible injustice. They must immediately halt any plans to execute Ahmadreza Djalali and end their shocking assault on his right to life.


CLICK HERE to TAKE ACTION



Friday, November 20, 2020

EGYPT: Human Rights Researcher Health in Jeopardy - URGENT ACTION

Amnesty International, USA, 11-20-2020.

On 31 October 2020, the pre-trial detention of human rights researcher Ibrahim Ezz el-Din was renewed for 45 days. His health has been deteriorating since his arrest on 11 June 2019 and his 167 days of enforced disappearance. Ibrahim’s poor health puts him at increased risk of the effects of COVID-19 that has reportedly been spreading in Egypt’s notoriously overcrowded and unhygienic prisons.

CLICK HERE to TAKE ACTION


Monday, November 16, 2020

IRAN: Human Rights Abuses - ONLINE EXPERT PANEL


Amnesty International, 11-16-2020.

To mark the one-year anniversary of a deadly crackdown on nationwide anti-establishment protests in Iran, ARTICLE19, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch are hosting an online expert panel on Tuesday 17 November 2020. The event will shed light on the litany of serious human rights violations committed by Iran’s security forces and discuss the international mechanisms urgently needed to hold those responsible to account.  

 

The nationwide November 2019 protests were met with a brutal campaign of mass repression - facilitated by a near total Internet shutdown - with hundreds of protestors and bystanders unlawfully killed and many more injured and thousands arbitrarily arrested.  To this date, no independent, impartial and transparent investigation into these serious human rights violations has been carried out by the Iranian authorities. Those responsible continue to enjoy absolute impunity while victims, survivors and the society as a whole are denied truth and justice.

 

On 17 November, Agnes Callamard, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, will join experts from ARTICLE19, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch to examine the human rights violations committed during and in the aftermath of the November 2019 protests, including the violations of the rights to life, liberty and security of person, freedom of peaceful assembly and expression. The event aims at expanding the discussion on how Iran can be held to account through the UN mechanisms.

 

For further details attached and copied below please find a joint statement by Amnesty International, ARTICLE 19 and Human Rights Watch about this upcoming panel event titled “Victims of Iran’s November 2019 Bloodshed Denied Justice: Pathways to Accountability”. This is also available on the Amnesty International website at the following link:


CLICK to LEARN MORE


Wednesday, November 11, 2020

IRAN: Nasrin Sotoudeh Temporarily Released - ONLINE PETITION


Amnesty International, 11-10-2020.

Amnesty International welcomes the temporary release of unjustly jailed human rights lawyer and women human rights defender Nasrin Sotoudeh from prison in Iran. She should never have been imprisoned for defending human rights.



 

Monday, November 2, 2020

PARAGUAY: Indigenous Leader Assaulted - URGENT ACTION


Amnesty International, USA, 11-2-2020.

Qom Indigenous leader Bernarda Pesoa was physically assaulted on her community lands in Benjamín Aceval municipality, Paraguay, on 27 October by a group of approximately 9 women and men after she opposed development of a eucalyptus plantation in the community’s territory. 


The communities have not been properly consulted by the project developers to ensure their free, prior and informed consent. State authorities must urgently investigate the attack against Bernarda and provide her with protection.


CLICK HERE to TAKE ACTION


Tuesday, October 27, 2020

QATAR: Citizen Detained - URGENT ACTION


Amnesty International, USA, 10-27-2020.

On 4 October 2020, Mohammed al-Sulaiti, a Qatari citizen, was arbitrarily detained after vocally criticizing his government on Twitter. 


This is the second time he has been arbitrarily detained, having spent five months in detention in 2018 with no charges. 


He was then put under travel ban with no legal justification. After protesting the ban on Twitter, he has again been detained without charge.


Saturday, October 24, 2020

MALASIA: Five Activists Granted Discharge - GOOD NEWS


Amnesty International, USA, 10-21-2020.

On 2 October 2020, five activists who were charged for “unauthorized gathering” were granted a discharge not amounting to acquittal (DNAA) by the Ipoh Magistrate. 


The charges stemmed from the activists’ participation in a peaceful picket on 2 June 2020 by a government hospital cleaners’ union against a cleaning services company. 


During the picket, they called out the alleged unfair treatment of union members and insufficient personal protective equipment for cleaners. 

CLICK TO LEARN MORE

Tuesday, October 13, 2020

SAUDI ARABIA: Women's Rights Advocate Imprisoned - ONLINE PETITION

Amnesty International, Australia, Oct 12, 2020.

Nassima is in prison for her work defending women’s rights in Saudi Arabia. She goes months without seeing her children or lawyer. 


Nassima has dedicated her life to campaigning for human rights, including the rights of women and minorities in Saudi Arabia. She has bravely campaigned for an end to the male guardianship system and the driving ban on women. 


CLICK to TAKE ACTION

 

"The Coming Good Society" Book Launch - Thursday, October 15

 

JOIN US THIS THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15 FOR A BOOK LAUNCH! 
Amnesty International USA cordially invites you to a discussion with William F. Schulz and Sushma Raman, the authors of new book entitled The Coming Good Society: Why New Realities Demand New Rights.
Drawing on their vast experience as human rights advocates, William Schulz and Sushma Raman challenge us to think hard about how rights evolve with changing circumstances and what rights will look like ten, twenty, or fifty years from now. The authors argue that those who would hold that rights are static and immutable must adapt to new realities or risk being consigned to irrelevance.
Sign up now to join this important conversation and share the event invitation! Tickets available now for this online event.
William F. Schulz, a Senior Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Carr Center for Human Rights Policy and a former President of the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations, was the Executive Director of Amnesty International USA from 1994 to 2006.
Sushma Raman is Executive Director of the Harvard Kennedy School’s Carr Center for Human Rights Policy. She was a Program Officer with the Ford Foundation and the Open Society Foundation focused on human rights, philanthropic collaboratives, and social justice initiatives.
We look forward to having you join us!

Saturday, October 10, 2020

Virtual Activism Conference 2020: Activism is the Art of Disruption - Register Now!

 

For more than 40 years, Amnesty International USA has hosted regional conferences in cities across the country. This year, given the pandemic, we will be hosting one virtual Activism Conference over 3-days, November 13 — 15, 2020.
This year’s conference theme, Activism is the Art of Disruption, is a call to action. As we continue to challenge bad public policies that violate human rights, we need to increase our activism and build people power!
We will disrupt human rights abuse. We will disrupt unjust systems. And, we will win!
Our program is full of transformative human rights education and skills-building sessions alongside virtual networking opportunities. We’re so excited to have you join us! Take a look at our agenda, register for our conference and join us on the right side of history.

Click Here to Register!

Thursday, October 8, 2020

IRAN: Narges Mohammadi Released from Prison - GOOD NEWS!

RADIO FREE EUROPE, RADIO LIBERTY, 10-9-2020.

Iran has released Narges Mohammadi, a prominent human rights activist who campaigned against the death penalty.

Mohammadi, arrested in May 2015, was freed late on October 7 after her 10-year prison sentence had been reduced.

Judiciary official Sadegh Niaraki was quoted by the semiofficial ISNA news agency as saying that Mohammadi was released based on a law that allows a prison sentence to be commuted if the related court agrees.

CLICK to READ MORE

Wednesday, October 7, 2020

GOOD NEWS: 2020 Right Livelihood Laureates Announced


The 2020 Right Livelihood Laureates are:

- Imprisoned human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh from Iran - Civil rights lawyer Bryan Stevenson from the US - Indigenous rights and environmental activist Lottie Cunningham Wren from Nicaragua - Pro-democracy activist Ales Bialiatski and the non-governmental organization Human Rights Centre “Viasna” from Belarus. The Right Livelihood Award, widely known as the “Alternative Nobel Prize,” has been honoring courageous changemakers since 1980.

USA: Free Families from ICE Detention


Amnesty International, USA, 10-4-2020.

As COVID-19 runs rampant in USA family detention centers, immigration authorities continue to lock up nearly ninety families who travelled to the US seeking safety from violence and persecution in their home countries. 


As of 6 August, at least 130 detained family members and facility staff tested positive for COVID-19. In July, a judge ordered authorities to release children because of COVID-19, but she did not have jurisdiction over parents. 


Authorities refused to release them together. Releasing children but continuing to detain parents constitutes family separation. We demand authorities release all families together immediately to protect them from the pandemic.


CLICK to TAKE ACTION

Monday, October 5, 2020

Bangladesh: Protect Rohingya Refugees in Camps - ONLINE PETITION

Amnesty International, Australia, 10-4-2020.

The situation in the refugee camp at Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh is bad. Really bad.


Nearly one million Rohingya refugees are living in threadbare camps after they fled their homes in Myanmar due to the military’s crimes against humanity. 


Conditions have always been bad at the camp, and COVID-19 has made them worse. These conditions will only improve when Bangladeshi authorities give the Rohingya a voice in the decisions that affect them.


CLICK HERE to SIGN PETITION



 

Wednesday, September 30, 2020

INDIA: Amnesty International halts India operations after 'freezing' of its bank account

 


Amnesty International has halted its operations in India after the "complete freezing" of its bank accounts by the Indian government, the not-for-profit human rights organization said in a statement Tuesday.

Staff have been laid off, and campaign and research work in the region paused, the statement said.

Amnesty called it the "latest (move) in the incessant witch-hunt of human rights organizations" by the Indian government over "unfounded and motivated allegations."

USA: Yuri Orlove Death - PRESS RELEASE


Amnesty International, USA, 9-30-2020.

“The death of Yuri Orlov is a genuine loss not only for Russia but the entire world, and all those who stand for justice and human rights. 


A true icon to many, he founded the Moscow branch of Amnesty International and later helped create the Moscow Helsinki Group to help monitor whether the actions of Soviet leaders were in compliance with the Helsinki Accords to respect human rights and fundamental freedoms. I


n honor of his lifetime commitment to freedom for all, he was the first recipient of the Andrei Sakharov Prize, recognizing outstanding leadership and/or achievements of scientists in upholding human rights.


CLICK to READ COMPLETE PRESS RELEASE



Sunday, September 27, 2020

IRAN: Demand Release of Nasrin Sotoudeh - URGENT ACTION


Amnesty International, USA, 9-2020.

Jailed human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh’s health is at serious risk after the Iranian authorities returned her to prison from hospital, even though a doctor said she needed a heart-related medical procedure. She had been hospitalized when her health severely deteriorated on a hunger strike, which she is doing in protest at the Iranian authorities abuses in the criminal justice system, including their refusal to release eligible prisoners held on politically motivated charges. She is a prisoner of conscience who must be released immediately and unconditionally.


CLICK HERE to TAKE ACTION

IRAN: UN Demands Release of Nasrin Sotoudeh - Report

United Nations:  GENEVA (25 September 2020) – UN independent experts expressed alarm at human rights lawyer and woman human rights defender Nasrin Sotoudeh’s return to Evin Prison in Iran this week despite her deteriorating health condition, and called for her immediate release.


“It is unfathomable that the Iranian authorities would return Ms. Sotoudeh to prison where she is at heightened risk to COVID-19, as well as with her serious heart condition,” the experts said. 


“We urge the authorities to immediately reverse this decision, accept her requests to recuperate at home before undergoing a heart procedure, and allow her to freely choose her own medical treatment,” they added. 


As well as raising their deep concerns for her health, the experts stressed that Ms. Sotoudeh’s current detention is again allegedly arbitrary. In 2011, after previously being imprisoned, the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention found she had been arbitrarily deprived of her liberty and called for her immediate release. Ms. Sotoudeh’s current imprisonment comes after she was sentenced in March 2019 to a combined prison sentence of over 30 years and 148 lashes on seven charges. Iranian law requires that she serve 12 years, the harshest of her seven sentences.


“Ms. Sotoudeh is a recognised human rights lawyer who fearlessly defends the rights of Iranians despite constant State harassment for over a decade,” the experts said. “She continues to raise her voice to defend human rights despite being imprisoned and in poor health.”


“The evidence suggests Ms. Sotoudeh’s imprisonment, both now and in the past, is State retaliation for her tireless work defending human rights. She is one of many Iranian human rights lawyers who are currently imprisoned for defending fundamental freedoms. Her convictions and sentences, as well as those of all other lawyers arbitrarily detained in Iran, should immediately be quashed and her case reviewed consistent with fair trial standards,” the experts added.


On 23 September 2020, the Iranian authorities returned Ms. Sotoudeh to Evin Prison from Taleghani Hospital, where she was admitted on 19 September for a serious heart condition. While in hospital, she was under the surveillance of State security officials, who reportedly obstructed her treatment, blocked family contact and mistreated her. She is also in a weakened condition after refusing food for over 40 days in protest  against poor hygiene measures in Iran’s prisons during COVID-19 and the authorities’ refusal to temporarily release detained human rights defenders, lawyers, political prisoners and prisoners of conscience under official COVID-19 directives.  


The experts echoed Ms. Sotoudeh’s call for the Iranian authorities to grant temporary release to human rights defenders, lawyers, dual and foreign nationals, prisoners of conscience, political prisoners and all other individuals detained without sufficient legal basis during the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

Friday, September 25, 2020

IRAN - Men in Danger of Amputation of Fingers - PRESS RELEASE


Amnesty International, USA, 9-24-2020.

The international community must do everything in its power to stop Iranian authorities from amputating the fingers of four men convicted of robbery following forced “confessions” and grossly unfair trials, said Amnesty International today.

 

According to information obtained by the organization, the sentences against the four men, Hadi Rostami (33), Mehdi Sharfian (37), Mehdi Shahivand (42) and Kasra Karami (40), have been upheld by Iran’s Supreme Court and referred to the Centre for the Implementation of Sentences. The sentences may be carried out at any moment.

 

The four men, currently held in Urumieh prison in West Azerbaijan province, are sentenced to “have four fingers on their right hands completely cut off so that only the palm of their hands and their thumbs are left”, as per the punishment stipulated for certain types of robbery under Article 278 of Iran’s Islamic Penal Code.

 

“Carrying out such unspeakably inhumane punishments is not justice and underlines the cruelty of Iran’s criminal justice system. Amputation constitutes torture, which is a crime under international law, and an abhorrent assault on human dignity,” said Diana Eltahawy, Deputy Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International.

 

“We call on the Iranian authorities to immediately and unconditionally stop such shocking acts of cruelty. The international community must urgently act to ensure the sentences are quashed. The prosecution and judicial authorities responsible for ordering and executing such practices should know that they are liable to face criminal prosecution under international law.”


CLICK to READ COMPLETE PRESS RELEASE

 


Sunday, September 20, 2020

IRAN: Free Nasrin - PETITION


PEN AMERICA, September 19, 2020.

As the United Nations marks the opening of its 75th anniversary General Assembly, Iranian activist and writer Nasrin Sotoudeh will mark the 42nd day of her hunger strike. Sotoudeh, Iran’s leading women’s rights lawyer, is demanding the release of political prisoners during the COVID-19 pandemic. Who is the woman described as Iran’s Mandela? Why does the situation of Sotoudeh and Iran’s political prisoners matter? And why must the world’s leaders, gathered at the UN, defend the UN Charter—principles of law, rights, dignity, and freedom—reflected in the plight of one woman? Join PEN America and Convisero for our panel on Sotoudeh’s urgent and dire situation, and the importance of her case and her advocacy in a global context. 

This event is in support of PEN America’s petition demanding Sotoudeh’s immediate and unconditional release, signed among many others by Ayad Akhtar, Kwame Anthony Appiah, Hillary Clinton, Geralyn Dreyfous, Khaled Hosseini, Kweku Mandela, Azar Nafisi, Samantha Power, and Gloria Steinem.


Tuesday, September 15, 2020

IRAN: Secret execution of wrestler Navid Afkari a ‘travesty of justice’ - NEWS


Amnesty International, Sept 13, 2020.

The secret execution this morning of wrestling champion Navid Afkari, without prior notice to him, his family or lawyer, after a grossly unfair trial, is a horrifying travesty of justice that needs immediate international action.


Before his secret execution Navid Afkari, 27, was subjected to a shocking catalogue of human rights violations and crimes, including enforced disappearance; torture and other ill-treatment, leading to forced “confessions”; and denial of access to a lawyer and other fair trial guarantees.


“This young man desperately sought help in court to receive a fair trial and prove his innocence. Leaked voice recordings of him in court expose how his pleas for judges to investigate his torture complaints and bring another detainee who had witnessed his torture to testify were unlawfully and cruelly ignored,” said Diana Eltahawy.


Before his execution, another voice recording from inside prison was released, in which he said: “If I am executed, I want you to know that an innocent person, even though he tried and fought with all his strength to be heard, was executed.”


“Given the impunity which prevails in Iran, we urge the international community, including UN human rights bodies and EU member states, to take strong action through public and private interventions,” said Diana Eltahawy.“We deplore the Iranian authorities’ repeated use of the death penalty, which has earned it the shameful status of consistently being among the world’s most prolific executioners. There is no justification for the death penalty, which is the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment, and we urge the Iranian authorities to abolish it.”



Saturday, September 12, 2020

CHINA: Urghur Jailed in Secret Trial - URGENT ACTION


Amnesty International, Sept 11, 2020.

Maiwulani Nuermaimaiti, an internet technician, was sentenced to nine years in prison for “separatist activities” in August 2017. Taken away in January 2017, his family members only found out about the sentencing in December 2019. 


No evidence against him or information about a trial has ever been made public, but his family members believe that he was charged merely for having visited Turkey to study Turkish between 2012 and 2014. There are grave concerns for Maiwulani Nuermaimaiti’s wellbeing. 

CLICK to TAKE ACTION

Wednesday, September 9, 2020

USA: Act now - Tell your Senators to fund gun violence prevention


This Labor Day weekend, there were more than 57 shootings in Chicago. Already this year, there have been more shootings in New York City than in all of 2019.

Horrifically, shootings have notably risen in other cities across the country with seemingly no end in sight, and no substantial action by our policymakers.

Exacerbated by COVID-19, gun violence is killing hundreds of people each month — and just like the pandemic, it is disproportionately harming Black communities and communities of color.

Say it with me: gun violence is a human rights crisis in the United States. And if we are going to address — and solve — it, we MUST address the underlying causes, exactly how we would any other crisis.

Amnesty has been fighting tooth-and-nail to apply pressure on Congress to invest $150 million in community-based prevention and intervention programs and pass into law substantive reforms, like the Break the Cycle of Violence Act. This July, in part due to pressure from Amnesty members like you, the House passed an appropriations bill containing an increase in funding for these programs — but the fight isn’t over. We need the Senate to do the same before it’s too late. Demand your two senators support increased funding for gun violence prevention programs this year.

Communities of color in the U.S. have suffered generations of marginalization and disinvestment, contributing further to the disparate impact of gun violence. But the solution isn’t more policing. Instead, we need to invest in the programs that have already been proven to work: supporting individuals most at risk of being involved in gun violence through street outreach programs, group violence intervention strategies, and other community-led approaches.

These approaches are evidence-based ways to save lives — but right now, many of the community organizations that champion this work are struggling to keep afloat because of the pandemic. What’s worse, even when these programs have been most successful, they’ve been defunded, leading to a resurgence of violence. If Congress fails to make a long-term commitment to violence-reduction, we will lose even more people to the crisis of gun violence.

Urge your senators: prioritize investing in gun violence prevention and intervention programs now.

Thanks to the relentless advocacy of activists like you, the House of Representatives just increased funding for community-based gun violence prevention in July. But that’s not the end of the fight. Now, we’re turning our sights to the Senate — your senators need to know where their constituents stand.

This is literally a matter of life and death for so many. Thank you for your voice in this fight.

BANGLADESH: Migrant Workers Detained - URGENT ACTION


Amnesty International, 9-8-2020.

The arbitrary arrest and detention of 81 Bangladeshi migrant workers in September after they arrived in Bangladesh from Vietnam having been trafficked brings a total of more than 300 Bangladeshi workers arrested and detained upon their return from various countries since May 2020. 

Detained for “tarnishing the image of the country” by allegedly engaging in criminal activities, no credible evidence concerning their alleged crimes has yet been provided in any case. Their arrest and detention violate Bangladesh’s obligations under international human rights law including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. They must be freed immediately unless they are promptly charged with a recognizable offense.

CLICK to TAKE ACTION

Tuesday, September 8, 2020

NIGERIA: Singer at Risk of Execution - URGENT ACTION

Amnesty International, USA, 9-7-2020.

Yahaya Sharif-Aminu, a 22-year old singer detained in Kano prison, Kano State, in northern Nigeria, is at risk of imminent execution after an Upper Shari’a Court sentenced him to death by hanging for circulating a song via WhatsApp considered blasphemous. Influential individuals and religious leaders are mounting pressure on the authorities to carry out the judgement as soon as possible. Yahaya Sharif-Aminu is now appealing the sentence. He must be immediately and unconditionally released. 

CLICK HERE to TAKE ACTION

Thursday, September 3, 2020

IRAN: Trampling Humanity: Report


Amnesty International, USA, 9-2-2020.

Today, Amnesty International has published a new report titled Trampling humanity: Mass arrests, disappearances and torture since Iran’s 2019 November protests. The report documents the human rights violations committed against protesters and others arrested in connection with the nationwide protests that took place in Iran between 15 and 19 November 2019 and which were brutally suppressed by the authorities. Following Amnesty International’s documentation of unlawful killings carried out during the protests, the organization has investigated the actions of the Iranian authorities since then and concluded that they have committed further widespread patterns of serious human rights violations, including arbitrary detention, enforced disappearance, torture and other ill-treatment, and flagrant breaches of the right to a fair trial. Given the gravity of the violations perpetrated and the systematic impunity prevailing in Iran, the report renews Amnesty International’s call on member states of the UN Human Rights Council to mandate a UN-led inquiry into the violations committed with a view to ensuring accountability and guarantees of non-repetition.

 

The report is attached to this email and is available in both English and Persian on the Amnesty International website at the following link:

 CLICK HERE to LEARN MORE

Sunday, August 30, 2020

CHINA: Uyghyr Model Held Incommunicado - URGENT ACTION


Amnesty International, USA, August 24, 2020.

Merdan Ghappar has not been seen or heard from since March 2020, after his messages and photos describing his poor detention conditions were shared on social media. 


Detained since January 2020, the authorities only recently disclosed that Merdan Ghappar is under “compulsory measures” on suspicion of assaulting health care workers. There are serious concerns for Merdan Ghappar’s wellbeing, as it is feared he is at risk of torture or other ill-treatment. 

https://www.amnestyusa.org/urgent-actions/urgent-action-uyghur-model-held-incommunicado-for-months-china-ua-106-20/


Monday, August 24, 2020

CHINA: Human Rights Lawyer Tortured - URGENT ACTION

Amnesty International, August 24, 2020.

Held incommunicado for over 18 months, human rights lawyer Yu Wensheng was finally allowed to meet his lawyer on 14 August. According to his lawyer, Yu was tortured in detention and his health has drastically deteriorated. 


Charged with “inciting subversion of state power”, Yu was sentenced on 17 June 2020 to four years’ imprisonment and deprivation of political rights for three years. He is a prisoner of conscience, detained solely for peacefully exercising his right to freedom of expression, and must be immediately and unconditionally released.


https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/asa17/2897/2020/en/.


 

Saturday, August 15, 2020

NIGER: Journalist/Blogger Freed - GOOD NEWS

Amnesty International, USA, Aug 11, 2020

Samira Sabou, a journalist and President of the Niger bloggers association, was freed from Niamey pris-on on 28 July after the judge dismissed all charges of defamation against her. 

She had been arbitrarily detained for 48 days, in pre-trial detention, after a defamation complaint, filed by the son of the President, was made against her following a Facebook user’s mention of the President’s son’s name in a comment on a post made on Samira Sabou’s Facebook page. 

The 26 May post related to allegations of corruption in the procurement of military equipment on. 

https://www.amnestyusa.org/victories/urgent-action-victory-niger-journalist-samira-sabou-has-been-freed-niger-ua-117-20/

Monday, August 10, 2020

IRAN - Quash Death Sentences - ONLINE ACTION

Amnesty International, Australia, August 9, 2020

There has been an alarming rise in the use of the death penalty against protesters and members of minority groups in Iran. Right now, three protesters face execution after grossly unfair trials.

Amirhossein Moradi, Mohammad Rajabi and Saeed Tamjidi were sentenced to death in connection with protests that took place in November 2019. Iranian authorities have accused them of being “riot leaders”. 

https://www.amnesty.org/en/get-involved/take-action/iran-stop-execution-of-protesters/.

Wednesday, August 5, 2020

IRAN: Free Iranian Kurd from Execution - URGENT ACTION

Amnesty International, USA, 8-3-2020.

Arsalan Khodkam, from Iran’s Kurdish minority, is at risk of execution in West Azerbaijan province. He was sentenced to death for “spying” after a grossly unfair trial that lasted about 30 minutes and relied on “confessions” he says were obtained under torture. He has never been allowed access to a lawyer of his own choosing. The use of the death penalty for “espionage” violates international law.


https://www.amnesty.org/en/countries/middle-east-and-north-africa/iran/





Monday, July 27, 2020

Palestine: Free Anti-Corruption Activisits - URGENT ACTION

Amnesty International, USA, 7-25-2020.

On 19 July 2020, the West Bank-based Palestinian forces arrested 19 anti-corruption activists during a peaceful protest held in the city of Ramallah. While three were released, 16 of these activists have been charged, 10 of which remain in detention. 

All 10 are on hunger strike in protest of their detention. Authorities must immediately drop all charges and release these activists. Their next court hearing is on 5 August 2020.

Saturday, July 18, 2020

IRAN: Stop Death Penalty - ONLINE PETITION

Amnesty International USA, 7-17, 2020.

Amirhossein Moradi, Mohammad Rajabi and Saeed Tamjidi were sentenced to death in connection with the nationwide protests that took place in November 2019. Iran’s judiciary spokesperson accused them of being “riot leaders”.

Mohammad Rajabi and Saeed Tamjidi have said they were kicked, hung upside down and repeatedly beaten. Amirhossein Moradi has said that interrogators tortured him through beatings, electric shocks and standing on his chest. He also reported painful kidney problems as a result of the torture. Despite this, he has been denied medical care. His “confessions”, which he has said were given under torture, were used as evidence by the court to convict all three.

These death sentences form part of a wider trend of arrests and the death penalty being used against dissenting voices in Iran.

Tuesday, July 14, 2020

IRAN - Human Rights Defender at Risk for COVID-19 - URGENT ACTION

Amnesty International, USA, July 13, 2020.

Imprisoned Iranian human rights defender Narges Mohammadi, who suffers from serious pre-existing health conditions, is showing suspected COVID-19 symptoms. The authorities are putting her health and life at risk by denying her health care and holding her in inhumane conditions. 

She is held solely for her peaceful human rights work and must be released immediately and unconditionally.


Saturday, July 11, 2020

COLOMBIA - Human Rights Defender in Danger - URGENT ACTION

Amnesty International, USA, 7-10-2020.

On 2 July, the Inter-Ecclesiastic Commission of Justice and Peace received confidential information about an ongoing plan to kill the Human Rights Defender Jani Silva. 

The plan is allegedly run by an armed group called “La mafia” because of the voluntary crops substitution program that Jani Silva is promoting in the Putumayo region (South West), Colombia. 

According to NGOs, “La Mafia” is behind the killings of 14 persons in the Putumayo region since the COVID-19 lockdown started. We are urging the National Protection Unit to increase protection measures for Jani Silva.

Thursday, July 9, 2020

IRAN: Women's Rights Actiivist Prison Sentence Increased - URGENT ACTION

Amnesty International, USA, 7-8-20.

Iranian women’s rights defender Saba Kordafshari, 22, learned in May 2020 that judicial authorities had unlawfully and secretly increased her prison sentence from nine to 24 years by altering an appeal verdict from November 2019, which had quashed her conviction for a charge that carried 15 years in prison. 

She must be immediately and unconditionally released as she is held solely for her human rights work including campaigning against Iran’s discriminatory forced veiling laws.