April 2000

Amnesty International today called on the Iranian Government to release immediately the journalist Akbar Ganji who was arrested and interrogated on 22 April 2000. He was questioned by the Tehran Press Court and later taken to Evin prison. The organisation considers him a prisoner of conscience and fears he may be ill-treated. Posted: 28 Apr 2000

People who stand up for human rights in India are being subjected to threats, harassment, false criminal cases and in somecases torture, ill-treatment, ''disappearances'' and even political killings, Amnesty International said today in a new report on human rights defenders. Posted: 27 Apr 2000

Those responsible for crimes against humanity, including the systematic practice of enforced disappearances, must not enjoy immunity, Amnesty International said as hearings to lift Augusto Pinochet's immunity as a Senator for life start today in Santiago. Posted: 26 Apr 2000

The two latest deaths of opposition party members in Zimbabwe only confirm the pattern which shows that the on-going violence in Zimbabwe is largely targeted at real or perceived opponents of the government, Amnesty International said today. Posted: 26 Apr 2000

Meetings in London between a ministerial delegation from Zimbabwe and Foreign Secretary Robin Cook and UK Government officials, scheduled for Thursday 27 April, must table urgent discussion of ñ and remedies for - the politically motivated violence that lies behind current serious disturbances in Zimbabwe, Amnesty International said on the eve of the talks. Posted: 26 Apr 2000

Six years after the 1994 genocide which claimed as many as one million lives in Rwanda, around 125,000 detainees are still languishing in inhuman conditions, Amnesty International said in its report, Rwanda: The troubled course of justice, published today. Posted: 26 Apr 2000

The UN Commission on Human Rights today passed a resolution which failed to call for an international investigation. Posted: 26 Apr 2000

On the anniversary of Zimbabwe's independence Amnesty International wrote to President Robert Mugabe urging him to ensure the protection of human rights in Zimbabwe. Posted: 24 Apr 2000

The findings of the inquest into the death of Victor Bourne at the hands of security forces should be published in full, Amnesty International said today. On 14 April 2000, a four member jury returned the verdict that no one could be held criminally responsible for his death and that the officers involved had acted in self defence. Posted: 20 Apr 2000

Following unconfirmed reports that two teachers held hostage in the Philippines were beheaded yesterday, Amnesty International is appealing to the Islamic opposition group Abu Sayyaf to release the remaining hostages, the majority of them schoolchildren. Posted: 20 Apr 2000

The recent reversal of the death sentence passed last year on a young musician is a significant move forward. The Uzbekistan authorities should now continue further down the road to total abolition by commuting all other pending death sentences, Amnesty International urged today. Posted: 20 Apr 2000

Amnesty International is urging the Foreign Secretary Robin Cook to raise grave concerns during his visit to Nepal (20-21 April) about human rights abuses during the four-year-long Maoist ìpeopleís warî conflict between the Nepali government and the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist). Posted: 20 Apr 2000

The unprecedented mass trial of 143 ethnic Albanian men in the court of Nis, southern Serbia, can hardly escape being unfair, Amnesty International said today. Posted: 19 Apr 2000

The State of Tennessee will be taking a step back into the past if it carries out its first execution since November 1960, Amnesty International said today. Posted: 19 Apr 2000

During 1999 over 1,813 people were executed in 31 countries, Amnesty International said today. Releasing its statistics for the number of worldwide executions carried out during 1999, Amnesty International called on the United Nations Commission on Human Rights to take a strong stand against the death penalty at its annual session, currently in progress in Geneva, and to establish a moratorium on executions. Posted: 18 Apr 2000

Violence may be returning to Ogoniland, southeast Nigeria, Amnesty International said today after receiving reports that police shot dead at least one person - possibly more - and burned down homes. More police have been sent into the area and access to journalists barred. Posted: 17 Apr 2000

The ongoing detention of dozens of peaceful demonstrators and reported beatings in custody following Saturday's protest in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, is a flagrant violation of the rights to freedom of expression and assembly, Amnesty International said today. The Malaysian authorities should immediately release the demonstrators who are at risk of further police brutality. Posted: 17 Apr 2000

In under three months time, the people of Trinidad and Tobago will have had a major international human rights protection mechanism removed with barely any discussion or debate. Posted: 17 Apr 2000

The state of siege should not be used as a justification for arresting people for their legitimate trade union and social activities, Amnesty International said today in light of the detentions which have taken place in Bolivia both before and since a state of siege was declared on 8 April. Posted: 17 Apr 2000

Belize's ratification of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (Rome Statute) indicates the country's commitment to deterring and ending impunity for the worst crimes known to humanity, Amnesty International said today. Posted: 13 Apr 2000