News releases

There is an urgent need for a new asylum system that is fair, efficient and compassionate said Amnesty International ahead of a mini-Summit of European leaders this Sunday and the European Council meeting next week.

EU heads of state and government are expected to use the events to discuss measures to strengthen further control of the EU external borders and the reform of the Dublin Regulation.

“Instead of concentrating on striking an agreement on Dublin reform, some EU leaders have come up with a last-minute pitch of having docking platforms for refugees and asylum-seekers – a notion as irresponsible as it is dangerous,” said Iverna McGowan, Director of Amnesty International’s European Institutions Office.

The European Court of Human Rights has found that Romania and Lithuania violated the human rights of Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri and Zayn al-Abidin Muhammad Husayn, also known as Abu Zubaydah, with their complicity in the ill-treatment of the pair while they were held in US secret detention facilities in the two countries. 

The judgments are a key milestone in holding European governments accountable for their involvement in illegal CIA activities in the aftermath of the 11 September 2001 attacks.

“The US could not have operated the rendition and secret detention programme without its European allies. Today’s landmark rulings break the conspiracy of silence that has surrounded the presence of these secret sites in Lithuania and Romania, and publicly underlines European governments’ widespread complicity,” said Julia Hall, Amnesty International’s expert on counter-terrorism and human rights.

“The rulings are an important milestone of accountability for victims of these flagrantly illegal practices.”

The release of long-time Malaysian opposition leader and Amnesty International prisoner of conscience Anwar Ibrahim is a landmark moment for human rights in the country, the organization said today. 

Anwar, who has twice been imprisoned on politically motivated “sodomy” and corruption charges, received a royal pardon following last week’s election win for the Pakatan Harapan coalition led by Mahathir Mohamad. Amnesty International has campaigned on Anwar’s case for 20 years. 

“Anwar should never have been jailed in the first place, and his long overdue release is an important step towards the restoration of justice and human rights in Malaysia after so many years of political persecution by previous governments,” said Salil Shetty, Amnesty International’s Secretary General. 

Responding to the Algerian authorities’ decision to close the offices of two prominent women’s rights organizations, FARD (Femmes Algériennes Revendiquant leurs Droits) and AFEPEC (Association Féministe pour l'Épanouissement de la Personne et l'Exercice de la Citoyenneté), Amnesty International’s North Africa Campaigns Director, Najia Bounaim, said:

“The targeting of these women’s groups is a shameless attack on the right to freedom of association and participation. This is just another example of the disturbing recent clampdown on civil society organisations by the Algerian authorities that must stop now.

“Both organizations must be allowed to resume operations immediately and without fear of reprisal. Such tactics are reminiscent of a by-gone era and are contrary to Algeria’s obligations under international law.

United Nations peacekeepers in South Sudan (UNMISS) must shore up efforts to protect civilians, Amnesty International said ahead of a 31 July to 2 August country visit by the UN Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix. 

According to UNMISS, Lacroix will meet with political leaders, humanitarian actors, and internally displaced people (IDPs) – including those sheltering in UNMISS-run sites in Malakal and Bentiu.