January 1999

At a time when Libya seeks to end its isolation and develop its international diplomatic, cultural and commercial ties, it has yet to take steps to improve its human rights record, Amnesty International said today on the 30th anniversary of Colonel MuÃŒammar al-Gaddafi coming to power. Posted: 31 Jan 1999

(Honiara, Solomon Islands, 30 September 1999) -- A 20-day Amnesty International mission to Guadalcanal and Malaita Provinces has documented serious human rights abuses in the context of the country's worst ever ethnic unrest. Posted: 30 Jan 1999

Amnesty International today expressed concern for the safety of the hundreds of thousands of Burundians who have recently been moved from their homes by the military in the area around the capital, Bujumbura. Posted: 30 Jan 1999

London -- The case for extradition or prosecution in the UK is now stronger than ever, Amnesty International said, as the hearings to determine whether Augusto Pinochet will be extradited to Spain closed today in London. Posted: 30 Jan 1999

Darwin -- Amnesty International is concerned about reports of lack of co-operation by the Indonesian authorities into on-going investigations of killings in East Timor , including that of murdered Dutch journalist Sander Thoenes. Posted: 29 Jan 1999

'It is ironic that the East Timorese people, who voted for independence from Indonesia, are now at the mercy of a government that has forced them into its own territory, only to continue terrorizing them' - Amnesty International Posted: 29 Jan 1999

Amnesty International has written to the Egyptian government to express its concern over the arrest and detention, earlier this month, of 20 Egyptian professionals for their alleged affiliation with the banned Muslim Brothers organisation. Posted: 29 Jan 1999

One of the main architects of the international system of refugee protection is systematically violating the basic rights of asylum-seekers , Amnesty International said today, in a new report which strongly criticises the USA's treatment of those seeking protection in its territory. Posted: 29 Jan 1999

Wednesday's executions in Saudi Arabia bring the total number of people put to death by the state this year to 100, Amnesty International said today. Posted: 29 Jan 1999

As the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) prepares to celebrate its 50th anniversary on 1 October, many people in China are still being denied their fundamental human rights. Posted: 28 Jan 1999

"I saw the most terrible thing that will stay in my memory forever. I saw a man being executed. He was a Timorese man.... His back was facing me and I could see that his hands were tied. He was naked and being pulled backwards by a piece of wire towards a flagpole. When he arrived at the flagpole, I saw his head being cut off with a machete or a sword. I saw his head fall off onto the ground. I could not see the person who cut off his head because my vision was obstructed by one of the TNI's legs in the truck." (eyewitness testimony from a 17-year old East Timorese girl) Posted: 28 Jan 1999

Following the adoption of a resolution on East Timor by the Commission on Human Rights at its special session in Geneva , Amnesty International said that it was now the UN Secretary-General's responsibility to ensure that any Commission of Inquiry into suspected crimes against humanity and war crimes is independent, credible and effective. Posted: 28 Jan 1999

With two days before the East Timorese people are able to make their voices heard, the human rights situation in East Timor has worsened further, threatening not only the lives of the East Timorese people but the entire popular consultation process being carried out by the United Nations, Amnesty International said today. Posted: 27 Jan 1999

The British authorities have only two legal avenues open to them in the Pinochet Posted: 27 Jan 1999

"...Don't let wrongly directed patriotism land you with his Milo-evic's crimes." Posted: 27 Jan 1999

The consideration of Cameroon's third periodic report by the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Committee (HRC) on 27 and 28 October in Geneva provides an important opportunity for serious scrutiny of Cameroon's human rights record which has shown little improvement since its previous report was considered in 1994. Cameroon has continued to blatantly violate its commitments under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). Posted: 26 Jan 1999

Today's release of Lim Guan Eng -- a leading opposition figure and former parliamentarian -- after serving two-thirds of an 18 month sentence for "exciting public disaffection with the administration of justice" and "publishing false news" is welcomed by Amnesty International. Posted: 26 Jan 1999

Last week was National Non-Violence Week in the USA. This week, five men are scheduled to be executed in five states -- bringing the year's total to 86. "These two approaches to confronting violence are irreconcilable," Amnesty International said today, and urged the country to reject the cruelty of the death penalty . Posted: 26 Jan 1999

As the international peace-keeping force arrives in East Timor , tens of thousands of forcibly displaced East Timorese are at risk of serious human rights violations throughout Indonesia, Amnesty International said in a report released today. Posted: 24 Jan 1999

On the occasion of the referendum on 26 September 1999 confirming President Hosni Mubarak in office for the fourth time, Amnesty International calls for the implementation of effective safeguards against human rights violations in Egypt. Posted: 24 Jan 1999