July 2007

On 30 July 2007 the Court of Appeal of England and Wales gave judgment in an important test case concerning the appeals of three Algerian men against their deportation to Algeria on 'national security' grounds. The judgment is in two parts: an open judgment, and a closed, i.e. secret, judgment not disclosed to the appellants, their lawyers of choice or the public. Posted: 31 Jul 2007

Amnesty International announces the launch of its Edinburgh Festival programme today (30 July) with the release of the first in a series of Festival video podcasts (vodcasts) and podcasts. Free to download from www.amnesty.org.uk/scotland today and featuring exclusive interviews, sketches, backstage gossip, clips from The Secret Policeman's Ball, as well as content from world class comedians performing at Amnesty's Stand Up For Freedom shows this August, the vodcasts and podcasts promise to deliver a top-notch comedy experience throughout the festival to audiences in Edinburgh and all over the world. Posted: 30 Jul 2007

Younis Masih, a Pakistani Christian, has been sentenced to death for blasphemy in Pakistan. His family have been threatened and forced to flee their home, and are now living in hiding. Mr Masih's lawyer has survived an apparent attempt on his life. Posted: 25 Jul 2007

Amnesty International has condemned the UK government's proposal to extend the period for which people can be detained by the police under terrorism legislation to 56 days. Posted: 25 Jul 2007

Women who have organised and demonstrated against human rights abuses, forced evictions and food shortages in Zimbabwe have been subjected to arbitrary arrest, beatings and in some cases torture in police custody. Posted: 24 Jul 2007

Amnesty International welcomes the release of 38 Ethiopian opposition party officials, a human rights defender and four journalists, who had been detained since November 2005. They were pardoned four days after most were sentenced to life imprisonment, and others to prison terms of up to 15 years. Posted: 20 Jul 2007

Amnesty International has expressed dismay at the life sentences handed down yesterday (16 July) to 30 Ethiopian opposition party leaders, journalists and one of the country's most prominent human rights defenders. Posted: 17 Jul 2007

Amnesty International has just learned that 18-year-old musician Sina Paymard, who was sentenced to death in Iran for a crime committed when he was just 16 years old, may be executed within the next few hours. Posted: 17 Jul 2007

A year on from the start of last year's 34-day war between Hizbullah and Israel, Amnesty International today condemned the complete absence of any steps in the two countries affected or internationally to prosecute those responsible for war crimes and other grave violations committed during last summer's conflict. Posted: 12 Jul 2007

Amnesty International, the AIRE Centre, The International Commission of JURISTs, Interights and REDRESS are warning that, in a hearing today, the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights is being asked to reconsider the absolute ban on torture and other ill-treatment. Posted: 11 Jul 2007

Amnesty International has issued an 'urgent action' appeal on behalf of a woman in Iran who is facing imminent death by stoning for adultery. This comes days after a man, described as the woman's partner, was reportedly stoned to death. Posted: 10 Jul 2007

A Sri Lankan teenager in Saudi Arabia faces beheading within days after being convicted of murder, despite having had no legal representation at her trial and reportedly being only 17 at the time of the alleged crime. Posted: 6 Jul 2007

As the Law Lords begin hearing a case today (5 July) concerning the UK counter-terrorism control order regime, Amnesty International calls on the UK authorities to commit themselves to prosecuting rather than persecuting anybody suspected of involvement in terrorism. Posted: 5 Jul 2007

A sham paramilitary demobilisation process, combined with thousands of cases of threats and killings, and a chronic lack of investigations and prosecutions makes Colombia one of the most dangerous places in the world for trade unionists, according to a new report published by Amnesty International today (3 July). Posted: 3 Jul 2007

GoodStorm, a US-based e-commerce and digital music company, has joined forces with Amnesty International to launch a viral music campaign in support of a new John Lennon music project called Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur. Posted: 2 Jul 2007

Amnesty International today (2 July) called for all the evidence and circumstances to be considered as the trial of 18 people accused of involvement in the killing of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink begins in Istanbul. Hrant Dink was shot on 19 January 2007. The case will be heard in closed session at Besiktas Heavy Penal Court No.14, because one of the defendants is under 18 years of age. Posted: 2 Jul 2007