July 2002

Amnesty International has written to the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Digvijay Singh, asking for an inquiry into an incident in the adivasi village of Khedi Balwadi, district Dhar, on 20 July 2002. Posted: 31 Jul 2002

The UK government's power under Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 (ATCSA) to detain, potentially indefinitely, non-UK nationals deemed by the Secretary of State to be "suspected international terrorists" was found to be discriminatory today by the Special Immigration Appeals Commission. Posted: 31 Jul 2002

Amnesty International today announced that it is to send an observer to the hearing to determine the circumstances of the deaths of seven young men in Braeton last year. Posted: 30 Jul 2002

Amnesty International condemned today's sentencing of human rights defender Dr. Saad Eddin Ibrahim to seven years' imprisonment based on politically motivated charges. Posted: 30 Jul 2002

In a new report issued this week, Amnesty International expresses concern at an apparent emerging international consensus that Afghanistan is 'safe' for returning refugees. Posted: 26 Jul 2002

In a new report issued today on the impoverished and closed country Laos, Amnesty International describes how prisoners in Laos are stripped of their most basic human rights - with prisoners subjected to widespread detention for years or even decades without charge, torture and the denial of medical treatment. Posted: 26 Jul 2002

The recent wave of intimidation against human rights defenders in the state of Espírito Santo - which has seen over fifty people receive death threats over the last week - is yet another stark reminder of the urgent need for a thorough investigation of long-standing human rights abuse, organised crime and corruption, and for those responsible to be finally brought to justice, Amnesty International said. Posted: 25 Jul 2002

Amnesty International welcomed the appointment of Sergio Vieira de Mello as the new United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, as somebody who brings to the post the invaluable experience of a long and distinguished career at the UN, including during major humanitarian and political crises. Posted: 25 Jul 2002

Human rights groups welcomed the adoption by the UN Economic and Social Council of a new protocol on torture, despite opposition from the United States and other governments. Posted: 25 Jul 2002

The UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) is due to approve the text of a new treaty which aims to prevent torture: the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment (the Optional Protocol). Posted: 24 Jul 2002

As President Arroyo declared war on criminality in her State of the Nation address yesterday, Amnesty International warned of an accompanying risk of vigilantism, unlawful killings and the use of torture against criminal suspects. Posted: 24 Jul 2002

Amnesty International expressing its profound disappointment that representatives of the Gambian government failed to attend a session of the United Nations Human Rights Committee (HRC) in Geneva to discuss the human rights situation in the country. Posted: 24 Jul 2002

Following recent Chinese government calls for a strengthening of the 'Strike Hard' campaign against crime, Amnesty International today called on the government to refrain from executing more people. Posted: 23 Jul 2002

One month after Israel reoccupied villages and towns in the West Bank more than 800,000 Palestinians still suffer the effects of prolonged curfews and closures. Israeli soldiers continue to carry out unlawful killings of Palestinians with impunity. Posted: 23 Jul 2002

Amnesty International condemns the air strike by the Israeli Defence Forces last night in Gaza reportedly killing at least 15 people, including nine children, and wounding more than 80 others, many seriously. Posted: 23 Jul 2002

Amnesty International expressed its deep regret at the de facto refusal of the Indian government to allow its delegates access to the state of Gujarat. The delegation planned to carry out investigations into recent massacres and other human rights violations, and monitor the progress made in bringing perpetrators to justice. Posted: 23 Jul 2002

Early on the morning of the 19th July Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) arrested 21 male relatives of Palestinians suspected of having been involved in recent attacks against Israelis. The IDF threatens to transfer them from the West Bank to Gaza. Posted: 22 Jul 2002

In the wake of arrests of suspected '17 November' members in Greece, Amnesty International called on the Greek authorities to ensure that the respect for human rights is not put into question. Posted: 19 Jul 2002

Six years on from the signing of the Peace Accords that officially ended the conflict in Guatemala, the country's human rights community is still living under siege, Amnesty International said today, calling on the international community to insist on the implementation of the human rights component of the Accords. Posted: 19 Jul 2002

As Colombia's President-elect Dr Alvaro Uribe Vélez visits Europe before taking office on 7 August, Amnesty International representatives met with him and the ministers designated for Defence and Foreign Affairs in London to discuss the country's human rights crisis and the organisation's concerns about the potential effects of some of his announced policies. Posted: 18 Jul 2002