Below is a list of all current actions pertaining to human rights advocacy, violations and abuses that have been posted so far in 2006. They are listed in the chronological order in which they were published.
Mexico: Human Rights Defenders Face Reprisals
Posted: 22 December 2006
Yesica Sánchez Maya and Aline Castellanos Jurado, two Mexican human rights defenders who have been documenting and publicising human rights violations in Oaxaca since the beginning of widespread protests in June, are now apparently facing arrest on charges which appear to be baseless. Other human rights activists arrested during the Oaxaca protests have been reportedly tortured and ill treated in custody, and it is feared that these two women could face the same treatment ... Take Action!
Chad: Conflict from Darfur spills over border
Posted: 19 December 2006
The conflict and and human rights crisis in Darfur has now also become a fact of life for the people in eastern Chad. Attacks by the Sudanese government backed Janjawid militias - including some fighters based in Chad itself - have spread some 150 kilometers into the country. Despite direct attacks on civilians, the Chadian military and police have refused to protect their own citizens. Janjawid fighters are apparently capitalizing on this failure to act. According to survivors, they even taunt their victims during attacks: why isn't anyone here to protect you?... Take Action!
South Korea : Protect the rights of all migrants
Posted: 18 December 2006
Migrant workers in South Korea are often subjected to human rights abuses by unscrupulous employers as well as by the government. They are denied rights at work, freedom of association, freedom of movement and the right to liberty and security of person. Those who have attempted to form a migrant workers’ trade union have been detained and forcibly returned to their country of origin. This is despite the fact that South Korea is a state party to international covenants recognizing the right to freedom of association.... Take Action!
Zimbabwe : Stop the intimidation of women activists
Updated: 15 December 2006
Activists belonging to the women’s rights organization Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) have been subjected to intimidation, harassment, and ill-treatment by police officers. The women have been arrested while taking part in peaceful protests in response to the worsening social, economic and human rights situation in the country ... Take Action!
Colombia: Mother of Trade Union Leader Threatened
Posted: 14 December 2006
On 4 December Marqueza Arrieta was stopped in the street by two men on a motorbike, who told her "we are going to kill you, you have been warned (la vamos a matar, está advertida)". She reported this to the local Attorney General's office in her home municipality of Corozal, Sucre Department, in northern Colombia. This was apparently the latest and most serious of a string of threats she has received over the last few years ... Take Action!
Argentina: Human rights defenders threatened for role in prosecution of former security forces
Updated: 13 December 2006
Milagros Demiryi has a long history of defending human rights. For the past twenty years, she has been a member of Argentina’s Ecumenical Movement for Human Rights (Movimiento Ecumenico por los Derechos Humanos, MEDH). Recently, Milagros raised her voice for human rights again. She agreed to testify as a witness in one of a number of court cases that have been opened against those responsible for human rights abuses and crimes against humanity during the brutal military government that ruled Argentina from 1976 to 1983 ... Take Action!
Speak out to "Close Guantánamo" now!
Posted: 7 December 2006
On January 11, 2002, US authorities transferred the first "war on terror" detainees - hooded and shackled - to the US Naval Base in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. Five years later, over four hundred people of around 30 nationalities remain there in legal limbo. Guantánamo Bay exists outside the law: torture and ill-treatment, indefinite detention, a presumption of guilt and the absence of fair trials. Detainees designated "enemy combatants" are not allowed even the basic right to challenge the lawfulness or conditions of their detention. ... Take Action!
Occupied Territories: Take action on behalf of human rights defenders
Posted: 6 December 2006
A 19-year old Swedish human rights defender has been assaulted by Israeli settlers as she accompanied Palestinian school children in the West Bank . Human rights defenders working in the Occupied Territories have become targets, as they seek through their presence to afford protection to Palestinians and to bear witness to the abuses perpetrated against them by Israeli settlers in the area ... Take Action!
Mexico: Defend the rights of protestors and detainees
Updated: 30 November 2006
The capital of Mexico’s southern state of Oaxaca is known to many Canadian tourists as a charming get-away. But for the people who live there, Oaxaca City has become the battleground for a violent conflict where protestors have been killed and others have been tortured in detention ... Take Action!
Argentina: Human rights defenders threatened for role in prosecution of former security forces
Updated: 13 December 2006
Milagros Demiryi has a long history of defending human rights. For the past twenty years, she has been a member of Argentina’s Ecumenical Movement for Human Rights (Movimiento Ecumenico por los Derechos Humanos, MEDH). Recently, Milagros raised her voice for human rights again. She agreed to testify as a witness in one of a number of court cases that have been opened against those responsible for human rights abuses and crimes against humanity during the brutal military government that ruled Argentina from 1976 to 1983 ... Take Action!
Colombia : Women human rights defenders at risk
Posted: 29 November 2006
Two prominent women human rights defenders with the Organización Femenina Popular (OFP), remain in danger after receiving death threats from army-backed paramilitaries in Barrancabermeja, Colombia. Amnesty International is seriously concerned that authorities have failed to find and prosecute those responsible for the threats, which appear aimed at deterring the women and other members of the OFP from continuing their human rights work.... Take Action!
Democratic Republic of Congo: Stop the use of child soldiers
Posted: 13 November 2006
Under international law, the forced recruitment and use of children under 18 in armed forces is illegal. The recruitment of children under the age of 15 is considered a war crime. In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), it is estimated that at least 30,000 children have been part of the government forces and armed groups during the conflict that began in 1996. Children made up to 40% of some forces, and girls represent up to 40 % of these child soldiers ... Take Action!
Iran continues to execute children
Posted: 13 November 2006
According to AI figures, Iran executed eight child offenders in 2005. It carried out its first child execution of 2006 on May 13 with the hanging of an unnamed 17-year-old boy. He was executed along with an unnamed 20-year-old man, in Khorramabad, the capital of Lorestan province. They had reportedly been sentenced to death for the rape and murder of a 12-year-old boy. Iran shows little sign of curbing its use of the death penalty on child offenders. Nazanin Fatehi, aged 18, remains at risk of losing her life after being sentenced to death in 2005 for killing a young man. The man, along with others, allegedly attacked and tried to rape her and her niece ... Take Action!
Russian Federation : Ratify the Optional Protocol
Posted: 13 November 2006
On February 12, 2002, the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child came into force. This Protocol raises the minimum age for direct participation in conflict to 18 years, from the previous minimum age of 15 years. It prohibits forced recruitment by government forces of anyone under 18 years of age. In the case of non-state armed groups, the treaty prohibits all recruitment, voluntary or forced, under the age of 18. The Russian Federation signed the Protocol on February 15, 2001 and has supported many Security Council resolutions that urge states to ratify it. However, despite these positive actions, the Russian Federation has yet to ratify it and to incorporate the Protocol into national law. ... Take Action!
Zimbabwe : Fear for the safety of Mrs. Felistus Chinyuku
Updated: 6 November 2006
Amnesty International is gravely concerned for the safety and well-being of Mrs Felistus Chinyuku, who has been a courageous defender of the human rights of her community for many years. As the former chairwoman of Porta Farm residents’ committee, Felistus Chinyuku has spoken out against the forced evictions that took place there in 2004 and 2005 ... Take Action!
Canada: Give refugees the right to appeal - Support Bill C-280
Posted : This action has expired
The Canadian refugee system does not allow refugees to appeal a negative decision from the Immigration and Refugee Board on the merits of the claim. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees have identified the lack of an appeal on the merits as a major flaw in the Canadian refugee system. Send an email message online to your Member of Parliament. Ask them to respect the rights of refugees and the will of Parliament and vote in support of Bill C-280.
Sierra Leone : Women Face Barriers to Justice
Posted: 31 October 2006
In Jamaica, it is estimated that only 25 percent of sexual violence is reported. Many women fear reporting sexual violence to the police, as they think they will not be believed. Often, juries, the police, families and sometimes even the women themselves believe that they are partially responsible for the violence committed against them. Killings, threatening and extortion of witnesses by gang members is common ... Take Action!
Haiti: Evel Fanfan subjected to death threats
Updated: 27 October 2006
Evel Fanfan, a lawyer and president of a human rights organization, has received death threats. This follows the murder of a fellow human rights activist, who witnessed a massacre allegedly perpetrated by an armed group with the help of police officers. Amnesty International is gravely concerned for his safety and that of his family. Members of his organization as well as residents of the local community may also be in serious danger ... Take Action!
Georgia: Violence Against Women not a 'Family Matter'
Posted: 26 October 2006
As in other countries around the world, thousands of women in Georgia experience domestic violence on a regular basis. Violence against women by their partners and former partners can include withholding access to resources, verbal and psychological abuse, physical violence, sexual violence and death. Because the government does not keep full statistics on the investigation and prosecution of cases of domestic violence, it is unknown how many cases of violence against women in the family actually go to court ... Take Action!
Guatemala: Impunity for killings of women and girls
Posted: 26 October 2006
On July 27 2005, 20-year-old university student Cristina Hernández was forced into a grey car outside her home. When her father went to the police, they refused to start a search for 24 hours, stating that many young girls run off with boyfriends. The next morning, Cristina’s body was found. Soon after, her family went into hiding in fear for their own safety. Over a year later, no further investigations have been carried out. ... Take Action!
Jamaica: Sexual Violence is not "just a little sex"
Posted: 26 October 2006
In Jamaica, it is estimated that only 25 percent of sexual violence is reported. Many women fear reporting sexual violence to the police, as they think they will not be believed. Often, juries, the police, families and sometimes even the women themselves believe that they are partially responsible for the violence committed against them. Killings, threatening and extortion of witnesses by gang members is common ... Take Action!
India : Clouds of Injustice - Bhopal disaster 22 years on
Updated: 23 October 2006
Despite more than two decades having passed, the site of the toxic gas leak at a Union Carbide plant remains unremediated. Thousands have died as a result of this tragedy, and over 100,000 continue to suffer, yet Dow Chemical Corporation, the parent company of Union Carbide, has refused to accept any responsibility. Keep the pressure on! ... Take Action!
Canada : Stolen Sisters - Help break the silence
Updated: 3 October 2006
"When will the Canadian government finally recognize the real dangers faced by Indigenous women?," says Darlene Osborne. "Families like mine all over Canada are wondering how many more sisters and daughters we have to lose before real government action is taken." Sign our electronic petition to add your voice to the call to stop the violence against Indigenous women ... Take Action!
Sudan: Protect the people of Darfur
Updated: 2 October 2006
War remains a daily reality for the people of Darfur. Despite ongoing peace talks and ceasefires, the conflict which escalated three years ago shows no signs of letting up. All parties to the conflict have committed serious abuses, including obstructing much needed humanitarian aid. Those responsible for the worst crimes in Sudan must be held accountable. The people of Darfur have lived in fear for too long ... Take Action!
Sudan : No end in sight for Darfur conflict
Updated: 2 October 2006
War remains a daily reality for the people of Darfur. Despite ongoing peace talks and ceasefires, the conflict which escalated three years ago shows no sign of letting up. Four hundred thousand people are dead. Some were killed during armed attacks. Many others died from disease and malnutrition. Thousands of women and girls have been systematically raped. Villages throughout the region have been burnt to the ground ... Take Action!
Kosovo : Trafficking of Women and Girls
Updated: 21 September 2006
Despite some positive measures, trafficking of women and girls remains a disgraceful human rights abuse in Kosovo. The international community is responsible for the growth of a sex-industry based on the abuse of trafficked women. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) noted that following the arrival of the international peacekeeping force (KFOR) in June 1999, there was a significant increase in organized prostitution close to these troops. Some members of KFOR were also involved in the trafficking process ... Take Action!
UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples - It's time for progress
Updated: 24 September 2006
In June 2006 the Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples was adopted overwhelmingly by the new UN Human Rights Council. Now it needs to be adopted by the UN General Assembly. Canada has played a vital role in bringing the Declaration to this stage. It is vital that Canada continues to be its champion ... Take Action!
China: Husein Dzhelil (known as Huseyin Celil) aged 37, Canadian citizen
Updated: 14 September 2006
According to unconfirmed reports, Husein Dzhelil has been sentenced to 15 years' imprisonment and is currently being held in Baijiahu prison in Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region (XUAR). Some accounts suggest that he is going to appeal against his conviction. Amnesty International fears he is at risk of torture or ill-treatment ... Take Action!
Zimbabwe: no home, no work, no justice
Posted: 7 September 2006
During May-July 2005, an estimated 700,000 people lost their homes, their livelihoods, or both when the Zimbabwe government forcibly evicted them and demolished their homes and businesses as part of Operation Murambatsvina (Drive Out Rubbish).The forced evictions and demolitions were carried out without adequate notice, due process, legal protection, redress or appropriate relocation measures ... Take Action!
Algeria: Stop Torture by the Military Security
Posted: 31 August 2006
In Algeria, people suspected of terrorist activities regularly suffer torture and ill-treatment in detention, at the hands of the "Military Security" (Département du renseignement et de la sécurité- DRS). The DRS is an intelligence agency operating outside of Algerian and international law, and the Algerian authorities have never investigated allegations that DRS has been heavily involved in human rights violations ... Take Action!
China: Bu Dongwei - Prisoner of Conscience
Posted: 29 August 2006
Bu Dongwei, also known as David Bu, was assigned to two-and-a-half years' "Re-education through Labour" (RTL) on 19 June 2006 in connection with his activities as a member of the Falun Gong spiritual movement. He is detained at an undisclosed location, and Amnesty International considers him to be a prisoner of conscience. He is at serious risk of torture or ill-treatment ... Take Action!
Israel/Lebanon: Attacks on civilians need action by the international community
Posted: 23 August 2006
In the early afternoon of 10 August 2006, Israeli planes dropped leaflets in the centre of Beirut, warning the inhabitants of the capital’s neighbourhoods of Hay Sallum, Bourj al-Barajneh and Shyah to leave the areas as these may be attacked by Israeli forces. One of the neighbourhoods mentioned in the leaflets, Shyah, had already been bombarded by Israeli forces three days earlier, on 7 August, killing more than 50 civilians. Amnesty International delegates in Lebanon who visited the area the day after the bombardment found a scene of utter devastation, as bodies of women and children were still being pulled from under the rubble ... Take Action!
Nigeria: Oil, poverty and violence
Posted: 9 August 2006
On 4 February 2005, soldiers fired on protesters at Chevron's Escravos oil terminal on the coast of the western Niger Delta killing one man and injuring at least 30 others. Chevron Nigeria, the subsidiary that operates the terminal, said that the protesters were armed with guns, although none appeared to have been seized by the security forces or captured on video recordings of the incident. ... Take Action!
Israel and the Occupied Territories: Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza
Posted: 31 July 2006
The humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate in Gaza since the hostage taking of an Israeli soldier, 19-year-old Corporal Gilad Shalit, on 25 June 2006. There are critical shortages of food, fuel, and other goods including a very limited supply of electricity. Hospitals and other medical facilities have been particularly hard hit because of the shortage of electricity and medical supplies ... Take Action!
Israel-Lebanon: Civilians at risk
Updated: 21 July 2006
Amnesty International is gravely concerned about continuing and escalating conflict between the Israeli military and Hizbullah in Lebanon and northern Israel and the growing number of civilians who have been killed in attacks in both countries. Attacks against civilians are a blatant breach of international humanitarian law and amount to war crimes ... Take Action!
Japan: "comfort women" - still waiting for justice
Posted: 22 June 2006
2006 marks the 61st anniversary of the end of World War II in the Pacific. Before and during the War, up to 200,000 women and girls were forced to become “comfort women” by the Japanese Imperial Army. The term “comfort women” is a used to describe women and girls who were sexually enslaved in China, Taiwan, Borneo, Philippines, many of the Pacific Islands, Singapore, Malaya, Burma and Indonesia. Women and girls were abducted or deceived and taken to “comfort stations” or confined in places such as garrisons where they were repeatedly raped by Japanese soldiers ... Take Action!
Jamaica: Demanding justice to stop sexual violence
Posted: 22 June 2006
Each year thousands of women and girls in Jamaica are sexually assaulted in their communities, their schools, their workplaces, their homes and in the street. The state is failing to effectively prevent and investigate these abuses and also to punish the perpetrators. Please write to the new Prime Minister of Jamaica, Portia Simpson Miller, calling for urgent reform of existing legislation to combat to sexual violence against women.... Take Action!
Albania: Intimate Partner Violence, 'It's not her shame'
Posted: 7 June 2006
Most of the acts of violence against women in Albania are committed by husbands, former husbands, and partners. These abuses are often overlooked or even allowed by the wider community. Violence against women is tolerated on the grounds of tradition, including by those at the highest levels of government, police and judiciary. Violence against women violates the right of women and girls to liberty and security of the person, freedom of expression, and sometimes, the right to life ... Take Action!
France: Women trafficked and forced to work in the sex trade
Posted: 7 June 2006
In France, women trafficked and forced to work in the sex trade are treated like criminals because it is difficult to tell who has been trafficked and who hasn’t. Trafficked women are often arrested and charged for soliciting, or as illegal immigrants. If the women don’t have full citizenship, they are likely to be deported ... Take Action!
Rape in post-war Rwanda
Posted: 7 June 2006
The Rwandan Genocide officially ended more than a decade ago, but the violence has continued. Women and children continue to be the targets of murder, severe beating and brutal rape. Sexual violence has become considered “normal” which is often the case in the aftermath of conflict. Despite the peace, violence for women in Rwanda continues ...Take Action!
Sudan: Violence against displaced women
Posted: 7 June 2006
The conflict in Darfur has included massive human rights violations by all parties, including extra-judicial executions, unlawful killings of civilians, torture, rape, abduction, destruction of property, and forced displacement. Women have been targeted by all parties to the conflict, and have been raped, abducted, forced into sexual slavery, tortured, and forcibly displaced. They are at risk while fleeing the conflict, and have been victims of rape and other forms of sexual violence during their flight ... Take Action!
Business as Usual: Protecting human rights in the globalized economy of the Americas
Posted: 6 June 2006
The 1979 UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women optimistically states that “the establishment of the new international economic order based on equity and justice will contribute significantly towards the promotion of equality between men and women. Amnesty International is concerned that little attention has been given to the way in which trade and investment policies contribute to increasing economic inequality and the vulnerability of women to violence.” ... Take Action!
Ecuador : Fear for the safety of Human Rights Defenders
Posted: 6 June 2006
On 29 April, Guadalupe de Heredia was driving with her daughter in Quito, Ecuador when a truck attempted to force her car off the road and into a ditch. Express your concern at reports that human rights defender Guadalupe de Heredia and all the members of the legal team have suffered a violent campaign of intimidation ... Take Action!
Colombia: Death threats against human rights defenders
Posted: 6 June 2006
A paramilitary group has sent death threats to 20 human rights organisations. This is thought to be one of the army-backed groups that have supposedly demobilised, but are continuing to operate under new names. Amnesty International believes the members of these organizations are in danger ... Take Action!
Australia: Stop proposals that will punish asylum seekers
Posted: 5 June 2006
The Australian government wants to change its refugee policy. It wants to stop people who arrive by boat and seek asylum in Australia. The new policy proposes that all asylum seekers who arrive in Australia by boat will not be allowed to enter the country. Instead they will be taken to isolated places, such as the tiny island nation of Nauru. ... Take Action!
China: Tiannanmen 17 years on - the victims deserve justice
Posted: 2 June 2006
Seventeen years after the killings of unarmed civilians and demonstrators in Beijing and elsewhere in China in June 1989, the Chinese government continues to deny justice by refusing to conduct an investigation, give a detailed account of the events, identify the people who were killed or injured, and grant compensation to the victims and families. The government also continues to refuse to release the people still detained after all these years, despite the summary and unfair nature of their trials and the excessive length of their detention ... Take Action!
Human Rights Council : Making human rights a reality for all
Updated: 5 May 2006
On 9 May 2006 the U.N. General Assembly will elect the members of the new UN Human Rights Council. Canada, which is standing for election, has a critical role to play in ensuring that the Council's mandate of protecting all human rights for everyone is not a hollow promise. Urge the Canadian government to use this historic opportunity to demonstrate clear leadership in ensuring that international human rights norms and standards are respected and fulfilled ... Take Action!
El Salvador : Silent Justice System
Posted: 5 May 2006
The body of 17-year-old Marian Isabela Rivas Martínez was found on December 4, 2002 in San Bartolo, El Salvador. She had been raped, killed and dismembered. In January 2003 a group of mara (gang) members were arrested on suspicion of their involvement in the crime. However, there was little evidence that supported the charges. In August 2004 the charges against the mara (gang) were dropped. ... Take Action!
Guatemala : Killings of women continue unchallenged
Posted: 5 May 2006
On 12 August 2005, Claudina Isabel Velázquez Paíz, a 19-year-old law student, left her home in Guatemala City to go to university. This was the last time her family saw her alive. Claudina’s body was found on 13 August 2005. She had been raped and shot in the head. Forensic doctors carried out basic tests, but more in-depth testing of key parts of the crime scene was not done. The authorities did not further investigate some important evidence, and reportedly did not follow-up on key witnesses or possible leads. Claudina’s murder remains unsolved.... Take Action!
Afghanistan : Insecure Lives
Posted: 5 May 2006
Afghanistan continues to be a very unsafe place for women to live. Changes to laws and policies have happened, but they have not been adequately implemented to improve the lives of women and girls. Violence against women in many forms continues, particularly violence perpetrated by family or community members (ie. honour crimes, revenge killings, forced marriage) ... Take Action!
Mexico : The Struggle for Justice
Posted: 5 May 2006
In 2003, Amnesty International reported the murders of more than 370 women over the past ten years in Ciudad Juárez and the City of Chihuahua. Most of these cases were not properly investigated, and the killings of women have continued. On 17 February 2006, the Federal Attorney’s Office in Mexico presented the results of its review of the murders and abductions of women in this area from 1993 to 2005. The report recognizes the failure of officials to prevent these crimes, and punish those responsible ... Take Action!
Liberia : Opportunity for Justice
Posted: 5 May 2006
During the civil war, thousands of women and girls were raped, subjected to sexual and other forms of violence by combatants from all sides in the war. Yet these crimes have not been dealt with. Rape and other forms of sexual violence committed by combatants during armed conflict are crimes against humanity and are war crimes under international law. The perpetrators of these crimes must be brought to justice ... Take Action!
China : Uighurs fleeing persecution as China wages
its “war on terror”
Updated: 24 April 2006
Amnesty International has reported for many years on the longstanding repression of the Uighurs, a Turkic, mainly Muslim, people who make up the majority of the population in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region (XUAR) of northwest China . Download and distribute our petition expressing our concerns about the fate of these people ... Take Action!
Canada : CIA flights - Canada's role needs greater scrutiny
Updated: 5 April 2006
Planes owned by private companies contracted to the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) for hundreds of rendition flights since 2001 may be landing in Canada en route. Like Maher Arar, most victims of rendition – transferring detainees from country to country without legal process – have ended up in countries known to use torture in their interrogation ... Take Action!
Brazil : "We have come to take your souls" - The caveirão and policing in Rio de Janeiro
Posted: 6 April 2006
Four years ago, the Brazilian police brought into service a military-style vehicle, colloquially known as the caveirão – “big skull”, a reference to the emblem of Batalhão de Operações Policiais Especiais (BOPE) – which can carry up to 12 heavily armed officers. This marked a new phase for Rio de Janeiro’s favelas (slums) : heavy armoury and equally heavy tactics were now being deployed in the heart of residential areas. ... Take Action!
USA : Stop prisoner transfers and torture
Posted: 5 April 2006
In late 2003, Muhammad Bashmila, Salah ‘Ali Qaru and Muhammad al-Assad “disappeared” after being arrested and handed over to US officials in Jordan and Tanzania. The three men weren’t heard of again until May 2005 when they were returned to their home country of Yemen ... Take Action!
USA : Torture free skies
Posted: 5 April 2006
Richmor Aviation, a company registered in New York, USA, describes itself as “the best kept secret in the aviation industry”. But what is no longer secret is the relationship between Richmor Aviation and an international network of US-run prisons operating outside the law ... Take Action!
Guatemala : Eighteen years of struggle - the case of Soledad Sayaxut community
Posted: 31 March 2006
Soledad Sayaxut is a small community located in the municipality of San Pedro Charchá, of Guatemala. Around 30 Mayan Q’eqchi families used to live there and work the land communally. An eviction order was issued the families were removed, despite the failure of the alleged landowners to confirm their ownership ... Take Action!
Canada : The Rights of the Lubicon Cree
Updated: 28 March 2006
The Lubicon, an Indigenous nation of approximately 500 people living in northern Alberta , have never surrendered their rights to their traditional lands. In the 1970s, the Alberta government initiated a program of massive oil and gas development on what it considered to be Crown land. The rights of these peoples have been violated for decades ... Take Action!
Canada : No Recourse to Fair Appeal
Updated: 21 March 2006
Call on the Canadian government to act immediately to establish the new Refugee Appeal Division of the Immigration and Refugee Board. The Canadian refugee determination system does not currently allow for an appeal of a negative decision on the merits of the claim ... Take Action!
France : Violence against women - A matter for the State
Posted: 6 March 2006
French authorities must make the necessary resources available to ensure that women’s right to be free from violence are truly respected and protected. This means not only punishing the perpetrators of such violence and providing appropriate compensation to the victims but also taking all possible steps to prevent such violence. ... Take Action!
Russian Federation : Nowhere to turn
Posted: 6 March 2006
Every hour a woman in the Russian Federation dies at the hand of a relative, her partner or former partner. Violence against women in the family occurs in all 89 regions of the Russian Federation. It occurs in families of different social spheres and ethnic backgrounds. The Russian Federation has no specific legislation on family violence and there are few mechanisms of protection such as shelters, hotlines, or legal and psychological support for victims ... Take Action!
Honduras : No justice for Indigenous human rights defenders
Updated: 6 March 2006
Prisoner of conscience Feliciano Pineda has been released. Amnesty is calling on the State to ensure his safety and that of his family, and to conduct investigations into his arrest and the intimidation he suffered. Amnesty is also concerned that brothers Marcelino and Leonardo Miranda, also prisoners of conscience, remain in jail ... Take Action!
Canada : Justice and accountability for Canadians detained abroad
Posted: 1 March 2006
The case of Maher Arar – transferred by the US to Syria (via Jordan) where he was interrogated and tortured – is now well known to Canadians.Other cases of Canadians detained without charge and tortured in Syria and Egypt have come to light, however, and the lack of official response has left more questions than answers about wider Canadian policy and practice ... Take Action!
Canada : Zahra Kazemi – The pursuit of justice in Iran and Canada must continue
Updated: 16 February 2006
Disturbing evidence regarding the nature and severity of the torture that Zahra Kazemi was subjected to before her death in custody was presented at the end of March 2005 by Dr. Shahram Azam, an Iranian doctor who examined the body of Zahra Kazemi. Amnesty International is calling for an independent investigation into her death ... Take Action!
Diamonds, Guns and Human Suffering: Let’s Break the Link
Updated: 14 February 2006
Millions of civilians have been killed, mutilated, tortured, enslaved or driven from their homes in armed conflicts in Sierra Leone, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Angola. Diamonds smuggled from these conflict zones have help fuel the fighting and arm the killers ... Take Action!
China : Protect Mao Hengfeng! Defending Her Rights, Defending Women’s Rights
Updated: 9 February 2006
Women Human Rights Defenders, such as Mao Hengfeng, often face marginalization, prejudice, violence and threats to their human rights, safety, and well-being, not only because of their work, but also because they are women challenging societal gender stereotypes and the status of women. They protest against impunity for all forms of violence against women and promote women’s right to live free of gender-based violence ... Take Action!
China : Human Rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng survives attempt on his life
Posted: 6 February 2006
Human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng has survived an apparent attempt on his life which he believes was instigated by the authorities. In recent months, police officers have reportedly threatened him and his family. Amnesty International believes that their lives may be in danger. Urge Chinese authorities to guarantee the safety of Gao Zhisheng and his family, and to conduct a full investigation ... Take Action!
Yahoo's responsibility towards human rights: free Shi Tao from prison in China!
Posted: 31 January 2006
Shi Tao, a Chinese journalist, is serving a ten-year prison sentence in China for sending an email to the USA. He was accused of “illegally providing state secrets to foreign entities” by using his Yahoo email account. According to the court transcript of the evidence that led to Shi Tao’s sentencing, the US internet company Yahoo provided account-holder information on him ... Take Action!
Peru : Bring former president Fujimori to justice
Posted: 30 January 2006
On 7 December 2005 the Spanish Section of Amnesty International launched a web action to collect as many signatures as possible to support a call to the Chilean authorities either to extradite Fujimori to Peru or to investigate him in Chile, according to Chile's obligations under international law. Help them reach 100,000 signatures by the end of February 2006... Take Action!
Bosnia and Herzegovina : Stop ethnic discrimination in the right to employment
Posted: 26 January 2006
"During the war in the 1990s, discrimination led to thousands of workers being unfairly dismissed from their jobs. This was often the first phase of what later came to be called “ethnic cleansing”. Without the right to work and financial security, those who fled their homes cannot hope to return and contribute to rebuilding multi-ethnic communities ... Take Action!
El Salvador: Women in Danger
Posted: 26 January 2006
People who rape and murder women in El Salvador are rarely brought to justice. The absence of justice puts all women in danger, and this situation needs to change.Ask the Attorney General of El Salvador to publicly condemn violence against women and to create a plan to address their brutal deaths ... Take Action!
Malaysia : the "War on Terror's" "forgotten" prisoners
Posted: 25 January 2006
Ahmad Yani Bin Ismail and Abdul Samad Shukri Mohamad are among Malaysia's "forgotten" prisoners. First arrested in December 2001, they are held without charge or trial under the Internal Security Act (ISA) accused of involvement in Jemaah Islamiah (JI), a group that allegedly aims to establish a Pan-Islamic state in Southeast Asia through militant means. Both men deny any connection with JI. ... Take Action!
Nigeria : forced evictions in Lagos State
Posted: 24 January 2006
During three days at the end of April 2005, approximately 3,000 residents of the community of Makoko in Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial capital, were forcibly evicted from their houses. Those evicted claimed that they had neither been given prior notice nor consulted on the planned evictions. Some of them, including children, were beaten up by law enforcement officials and suffered injuries as a result of the force used ... Take Action!
Omar Khadr : young Canadian faces unprecedented trial
Posted: 18 January 2006
Omar Khadr may be the first person put on trial anywhere in the world for “war crimes” allegedly committed when he was a juvenile. Amnesty International is concerned that Khadr – now 19 years old – was granted none of the special protections for children under international law and that his fundamental human rights continue to be denied ... Take Action!
Brazil: Lands and Life of Indigenous Peoples Under Threat
Updated: 12 January 2005
On 16 December 2005 , an Indigenous Guarani-Kaiowá community in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul was violently evicted from their ancestral land in a large-scale operation carried out by the Federal Police with unofficial support from local landowners. The Guarani-Kaiowá are now encamped along the MS-384 highway, with insufficient food, sanitation and shelter ... Take Action!
Guantánamo Bay: 4 years without justice
Posted: 11 January 2006
Four years ago, the USA transferred the first “war on terror” detainees to the detention facility at Guantánamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba. Around 500 people from 35 countries continue to be held without charge or trial in appalling conditions and denied their rights under international law ... Take Action!
Canada : The Rights of the Lubicon Cree
Updated: 6 January 2006
The Lubicon, an Indigenous nation of approximately 500 people living in northern Alberta , have never surrendered their rights to their traditional lands. In the 1970s, the Alberta government initiated a program of massive oil and gas development on what it considered to be Crown land. The rights of these peoples have been violated for decades ... Take Action!
Egypt : Fear of forcible return/fear of torture and ill-treatment:
up to 650 Sudanese nationals
Updated: 5 January 2006
The Egyptian authorities announced on 3 January that they intend to forcibly return up to 650 detained Sudanese nationals to Sudan. The group is believed to include asylum-seekers and refugees recognised by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Some would be at risk of torture if returned to Sudan. ... Take Action!