News stories - 2006

Amnesty International deplored the execution today of Saddam Hussein following the confirmation of his sentence by the Iraqi Appeals Court on 26 December 2006. Posted: 30 Dec 2006

Amnesty International has condemned as 'cruel, inhuman and degrading' the flogging of a woman charged with adultery after she was allegedly forced into prostitution by her husband. Posted: 22 Dec 2006

Resorting to collective punishment, the Eritrean government has arrested over 500 relatives, mostly parents, of young men and women who have either deserted the army or avoided conscription. Posted: 21 Dec 2006

Amnesty International has issued a new 'urgent action' appeal over unexploded cluster bombs in Lebanon following the Israel/Hizbullah conflict. Latest reports show the death toll rising while Israel fails to provide up-to-date maps detailing the location of unexploded munitions. Posted: 20 Dec 2006

Amnesty International condemned the decision of a Libyan court today to sentence to death five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor after convicting them of knowingly infecting hundreds of Libyan children with HIV in a hospital in Benghazi. Posted: 19 Dec 2006

Amnesty International has welcomed the establishment by the Government of the Northern Ireland Bill of Rights Forum, which has its preliminary meeting today at Parliament Buildings, Stormont. Posted: 18 Dec 2006

Amnesty International welcomed the resolution adopted by the UN Human Rights Council on Wednesday (13 Dec) to create a mission to assess the human rights situation in Darfur, but regrets that the mission will not report to the Council sooner given the urgency of the crisis on Darfur. Posted: 15 Dec 2006

Amnesty International today called on the Chilean authorities to ensure that the recent death of Augusto Pinochet is not used as an excuse to further delay legal proceedings against others suspected of torture, 'disappearances' and killings under his rule. Posted: 14 Dec 2006

Amnesty International called on the Chilean authorities to ensure that the recent death of Augusto Pinochet is not used as an excuse to further delay legal proceedings against others suspected of torture, 'disappearances' and killings under his rule. Posted: 14 Dec 2006

Today, the High Court of England and Wales dismissed the legal challenge brought by the family of Jean Charles de Menezes against the prosecuting authorities' decision not to bring criminal charges against any individuals in connection with his killing in London in July 2005. Posted: 14 Dec 2006

Amnesty International has called on the Singapore government to stop using restrictive laws and defamation suits to muzzle critics and opposition party members. Posted: 14 Dec 2006

Reacting to today's ruling by the Law Lords that police did violate the right to freedom of movement and lawful assembly of protesters near RAF Fairford in March 2003, Amnesty International commented: Posted: 13 Dec 2006

The killing of three children yesterday by gunmen in the Gaza Strip was an appalling act and one that Amnesty International utterly condemns. Posted: 12 Dec 2006

Reacting to the news of the death of former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet, Amnesty International UK Director Kate Allen said: 'Pinochet's death must not be the end of the story. Amnesty International urges the Chilean authorities to declare void the amnesty law, and to permit thorough investigations and prosecutions of all those others who were involved in the thousands of cases of 'disappearances', torture and extra-judicial executions during his rule. Posted: 11 Dec 2006

Amnesty International's Secretary General Irene Khan has published an open letter to European Union leaders calling on them to urgently address the 'downward spiral of human rights abuses' in Israel and the Occupied Territories. Posted: 11 Dec 2006

Demonstrators will set off hundreds of rape alarms outside Downing Street today (10 December), as part of a Global Day of Action for Darfur (1) which will see events in more than 40 countries around the world demanding an end to rape and sexual violence in Darfur. The London event is organized by a diverse coalition of organizations including Amnesty International, the Aegis Trust, the National Union of Students, the Mother's Union and the Women's Institute. Posted: 10 Dec 2006

A multi-faith vigil will be held for the people of Darfur on the steps of St Anne's Cathedral, Sunday 10th December at 12.15pm. Posted: 10 Dec 2006

Responding to reports that the US military authorities at Guantanamo Bay have moved a group of detainees into a new maximum-security prison block at the camp, Amnesty International UK Campaigns Director Tim Hancock said: Posted: 8 Dec 2006

Despite growing anger in Pakistan at the practice of enforced disappearances, the government has still not acknowledged its responsibility for hundreds of people arbitrarily detained in secret locations, said Amnesty International today (8 December, as it released a fresh report on the issue. Posted: 8 Dec 2006

Work on an international Arms Trade Treaty will begin immediately following a historic vote in the UN General Assembly today, which saw 153 governments supporting the proposed Treaty to prevent international arms transfers that fuel conflict, poverty and serious human rights violations. Only the United States voted against the proposal, and 24 governments abstained. Posted: 7 Dec 2006