Tuesday, January 28, 2020

VENEZUELA: Prisoner's Life at Stake - URGENT ACTION

Amnesty International, USA, January 27, 2020.

Since his arbitrary arrest on 29 November 2018, Venezuelan labor rights activist Rubén González, 60, has suffered a series of health crises, but has never received adequate care. On 19 January 2020, Rubén González began experiencing a grave peak of hypertension, putting his life at risk unless he receives urgent medical attention. He is a prisoner of conscience and must be released immediately and unconditionally.



Friday, January 24, 2020

IRAN: Kurdish Man Faces Execution - URGENT ACTION

Amnesty International, USA, January 23, 2020.

Houshmand Alipour, from Iran’s Kurdish minority, was sentenced to death on 29 December 2019 following an unfair trial on 31 October 2019.  The court relied on a false “confession” which he says was extracted from him under torture and other ill-treatment, to convict him. 

He was tried before Branch 1 of the Revolutionary Court in Sanandaj, Kurdistan province, and was convicted of “armed rebellion against the state” (baghi). He was also convicted of several other charges including “spreading propaganda against the system” and “membership of a group with the purpose of disrupting national security”, for which he received a total of 16 years in prison. 

Mohammad Ostadghader, who faced trial alongside Houshmand Alipour, was sentenced to 11 years’ imprisonment for multiple charges including “spreading propaganda against the system”. Under Iran’s Islamic Penal Code, he will be required to serve five years in prison.

Sunday, January 19, 2020

USA: Basic Kindness is Not Criminal - GOOD NEWS

Amnesty International, USA, January 18, 2020.


Amnesty Supporters are the backbone of everything Amnesty does. And thanks to our relentless campaigning, we’ve achieved some incredible human rights wins last year.

Amnesty has been advocating for families who are seeking asylum in the United States and have been stuck in limbo at the U.S. southern border.

We have also documented several cases of prosecution and harassment against humanitarian aid workers — like Dr. Scott Warren pictured above — who assist migrants and asylum-seekers with food, water and medical attention.

After facing ten years in prison for his efforts, Dr. Warren was found not guilty by a court in Arizona. His case sets a precedent that providing humanitarian aid is not a crime.


Saturday, January 18, 2020

EQUATORIAL GUINEA: Human Rights Defender Incommunicado- URGENT ACTION

Amnesty International, USA, January 16, 2020.

Human rights defender Joaquín Elo Ayeto continues to be detained in Black Beach Prison, in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea. 

He has been detained since 25 February 2019, when he was arrested in his home in Malabo. Joaquín was tried for defamation and threats against the President on 21 November 2019. 

Almost two months later, the sentence has not yet been read. On 2 January 2020, without any official notification or apparent cause, Joaquín was transferred to an incommunicado cell of the prison.


Thursday, January 16, 2020

UZBEKISTAN: Human Rights Defender Freed - GOOD NEWS

Amnesty International, January 15, 2020.

Uzbekistani blogger and human rights defender Nafosat Olloshkurova was released from a psychiatric institution on 28 December. 

She was violently detained by police on 23 September 2019 while monitoring and reporting about a peaceful protest. On 26 September she was placed in a psychiatric institution and subjected to medical treatment without her consent. 

Nafosat Olloshkurova should have never been deprived of her freedom in retaliation for her legitimate human rights work.

MILWAUKEE - Women's March - EVENT

ACTION NETWORK

Three years of marching, training, organizing, and building power – it’s all been leading up to this. In 2020, we have a chance to finish what we started three years ago and remove Trump from office.

If you’re ready to join millions of women and allies on the streets, sign up to join our sister action on January 18, 2020.

While thousands march and put their bodies on the line in D.C., we need millions of people to rise up together in cities and towns across the country on January 18th to show that our resistance against Trump is strong in every corner of the country.

Sunday, January 12, 2020

BAHRAIN: Stop Upheld Executions - URGENT ACTION

Amnesty International, January 10, 2020.

On 8 January 2020, the High Criminal Court of Appeal in Bahrain upheld the convictions and death sentences of Mohamed Ramadhan Issa Ali Hussain and Hussain Ali Moosa Hussain Mohamed. On 22 October 2018, Bahrain’s Cassation Court had overturned their death sentences which it had confirmed in 2015 and returned their cases to the Appeal Court for re-examination, based on new evidence. The case will now go again before the Cassation Court.


Please Take Action before February 21, 2020

Thursday, January 9, 2020

MEXICO: Justice for Adrian - ONLINE PETITION

Amnesty International, USA, January 9, 2020.

Adrián was 14 when his life changed: on his way home from school in Yucatan, Mexico, police jumped him and beat him. He had done nothing wrong. So far, no one has been held to justice for Adrián’s beating.


YOUNG PEOPLE UNDER THREAT - ONLINE PETITION

Amnesty International, USA, January 9, 2020.

It’s often said that young people are our future leaders. We say they’re here now, and they’re already fighting some of the biggest crises we face worldwide. From calling out climate injustice to calling for women’s rights, from tackling homelessness to exposing police brutality, children and young people are a leading force for change. But adults in charge try to sweep them away, harassing, attacking and jailing young people.

Wednesday, January 8, 2020

COLOMBIA: Human Rights Defender Threatened - URGENT ACTION

Amnesty International, January 6, 2020.

Human Rights Defender Leyner Palacios has been vocal about the presence of illegal armed groups in the territories of the communities of Bojayá. On December 31, 2019, 300 members of the Autodefensas Gaitanistas de Colombia placed four communities of Bojayá under forced confinement. 

On January 3, 2020, the AGC threatened Leyner Palacios and gave him two hours to leave the territory of Bojayá or they would kill him. 

We urge the Colombian government to take immediate action to guarantee his protection.


Take Action before February 14, 2020.

Saturday, January 4, 2020

RWANDA: Pastor's Daughter Arrested - URGENT ACTION

Amnesty International, USA, December 2019.
Jackie Umuhoza, daughter of exiled pastor Deo Nyirigira, was arrested on the morning of 27 November 2019 in Kigali, Rwanda. On 28 November, after her family and friends raised the alarm on social media, the Rwanda Investigation Bureau confirmed on Twitter that Jackie Umuhoza had been arrested on 27 November on suspicion of treason and espionage. She remains in detention without having been brought before a judge.

Please Take Action before January 30, 2020.