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Zimbabwe: Women forced to flee their homes for refusing to reveal their vote

Women political activists in rural Zimbabwe have told Amnesty International they have been threatened with violence and forced to flee with their children for refusing to reveal their vote to supporters of Robert Mugabe's party during harmonized elections. Posted: 6 Aug 2013

Zimbabwe: New report documents alarming clampdown on basic freedoms ahead of elections

Zimbabwean police are continuing to target and intimidate human rights defenders ahead of elections later this month according to a new report published by Amnesty International today. Posted: 12 Jul 2013

Response to Jimmy Mubenga inquest

Responding to the finding of an inquest jury today that the death of the Angolan man Jimmy Mubenga during his removal from the UK in 2010 was the result of an unlawful killing, Amnesty International called for root-and-branch overhaul of the immigration removal system. Posted: 9 Jul 2013

Zimbabwe: Whatever election date, human rights monitors vital

Zimbabwes government must ensure there is no repeat of the violence that marred the presidential elections in 2008, Amnesty International warned today as the countrys leaders publicly disputed the date the 2013 vote should be held. Posted: 13 Jun 2013

Zimbabwe: Prominent human rights lawyer must be released immediately

Prominent human rights lawyer Beatrice Mtetwa must be immediately and unconditionally released, Amnesty International said after she was denied bail in a court appearance today. Posted: 20 Mar 2013

Zimbabwe: Amnesty warns of 'game playing' ahead of Saturday's referendum

Amnesty International has warned of game playing by the Zimbabwean authorities ahead of Saturdays referendum and has said that the way in which this referendum is conducted will serve as a litmus test ahead of elections in the country later in the year. Posted: 15 Mar 2013

Zimbabwe: Prominent human rights defender hunted down through the media

An alert issued last night by the Zimbabwe police on state television which implied a prominent human rights defender, Jestina Mukoko, was on the run from the law is a new low in the recent crackdown on dissent ahead of next Saturdays referendum, Amnesty International said. Posted: 8 Mar 2013

South Africa: death of man after police vehicle dragging incident 'shocking'

Media reports and cell phone footage apparently showing South African police tying a Mozambican man to the back of a police vehicle and dragging him down the road are shocking, Amnesty International said today. Posted: 28 Feb 2013

Zimbabwe: Eight women arrested after handing out teddy bears and roses in peaceful protest

Eight members of Zimbabwean womens social justice movement, Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA), were arrested outside the Zimbabwean parliament in Harare on Wednesday after they handed out roses and teddy bears during their annual Valentines Day demonstration. This attack on peaceful protesters has sparked fears that Zimbabwe may not be able to hold a credible constitutional referendum and election this year, warned Amnesty International. Posted: 14 Feb 2013

Zimbabwe: Appointment of new hangman raises grim spectre of imminent executions

Reports by Zimbabwean state media that a new hangman has been appointed raises grave fears that the country may be preparing to start executions again after a seven-year hiatus, Amnesty International said today. Posted: 8 Feb 2013

Zimbabwe: Detention of key activist part of

Leading human rights activist in Zimbabwe, Okay Machisa, was arrested and denied bail earlier this week as part of what Amnesty International said is an ongoing crackdown on freedom of expression in the country ahead of this year's presidential, parliamentary and local government elections. Posted: 18 Jan 2013

United Nations vote on death penalty moratorium welcomed

Amnesty International has welcomed an increase in global support for abolition of the death penalty, after the UN General Assembly yesterday voted overwhelmingly in favour of a moratorium on the use of the death penalty. Posted: 21 Dec 2012

Mozambique: Thousands unlawfully held in substandard prisons - new report

Filthy, overcrowded prisons cells common Many people arrested and detained without having ever committed a crime Child detainees held in same cell as convicted adults Posted: 22 Nov 2012

South Africa: Marikana mine killings inquiry must be 'robust and visibly impartial'

The powers of the Commission of Inquiry appointed to investigate the deaths of 44 people near Lonmins Marikana mine last month must be clarified to ensure justice and redress for all those affected, Amnesty International said today. Posted: 26 Sep 2012

South Africa: Judge must oversee probe into mine protest deaths

Amnesty International has called on the South African authorities to ensure that any investigation into the deaths of the 34 people who died after South African police opened fire at the Marikana mine complex must be overseen by a judge. Posted: 20 Aug 2012

Landmark legal ruling says South Africa cannot deport people at risk of death penalty

A ruling by South Africas highest court has confirmed that the deportation of two individuals to Botswana cannot go ahead because if deported they face a real risk of the death penalty in what Amnesty International has hailed as a principled stance. Posted: 30 Jul 2012

Olympic Games: Amnesty's global overview

The Olympic Games start in a weeks time and will see representatives of hundreds of different nations taking part. Amnesty Internationals annual report details the human rights situation in 155 different countries and provides a unique insight. Posted: 20 Jul 2012

South Africa: arrests are a positive step in the fight against impunity

The arrests in South Africa of members of a police unit allegedly linked to numerous unlawful killings and incidents of torture is a breakthrough in fighting impunity for grave human rights violations in the country, said Amnesty International. Posted: 22 Jun 2012

Amnesty International Report 2012: No longer business as usual for tyranny and injustice

Strong arms trade treaty needed as UN Security Council increasingly looks unfit for purpose Posted: 24 May 2012

Zimbabwe: sentence a setback for human rights

Ruling instils fear in anyone defending human rights in Zimbabwe - Erwin van der Borght Posted: 22 Mar 2012