May 2000

Amnesty International UK called today on the international community to ensure that it does not repeat in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) the mistakes made in Sierra Leone by brokering an unstable peace that gives immunity to war criminals. Posted: 31 May 2000

Amnesty International today called upon leading diamonds producer De Beers to allow an independent audit performed by recognised industry experts and government officials to allay concerns at the international trade in diamonds from rebel-held areas of Sierra Leone. Posted: 31 May 2000

Eleven years later, the Chinese Government continues to deny justice to the victims of the 1989 crackdown and steadfastly refuses to bring the perpetrators to justice, Amnesty International said in a new report released today. Posted: 31 May 2000

Amnesty International is concerned there will be a further escalation of war in Afghanistan resulting in further human rights violations following a recent warning from Russia's Defence Minister and other senior officials that Russia will resort to aerial bombing of Aghanistan to crush suspected Chechen armed opposition training camps. Posted: 30 May 2000

Five years after the disputed death in police custody of Osmo Vallo, no one has been found responsible and held accountable for his treatment, Amnesty International said today. Posted: 30 May 2000

Two boxes containing Amnesty International's report on Chechnya "For the Motherland" were confiscated by Russian customs officials on 28 May as Mariana Katzarova, the organisation's researcher on the Russian Federation, including Chechnya, arrived at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport. Posted: 30 May 2000

Renowned international lawyer, Michael Mansfield QC, will host Amnesty Internationalís ninth annual Media Awards ceremony at BAFTA, Piccadilly, London, at 7.00pm on Thursday 22 June 2000. Amnesty International is also pleased to announce the shortlisted entries for this yearís awards, which the judges deemed to be of an exceptionally high standard. Posted: 26 May 2000

Amnesty International UK today urged the UK government to establish a programme of action to end the use of child soldiers by pro-government forces in Sierra Leone and to ensure that arms reach only pro-government military groups with a clean record on human rights. Posted: 26 May 2000

Ending the use of child solders must be a priority of the UK Government's £20 million programme to train and arm the Sierra Leonean army, Amnesty International UK said today. Posted: 25 May 2000

Amnesty International is to send out a team of observers to monitor the human rights situation in southern Lebanon following the rapid withdrawal of Israeli forces this week, the organisation said today. Posted: 25 May 2000

Amnesty International today welcomed the liberation of 144 Lebanese detained as hostages for up to 15 years in Khiam Detention Centre by Israel and its proxy militia, the South Lebanon Army (SLA). Posted: 24 May 2000

A bureaucrat's rubber stamp rather than a judge's gavel appears to have been used to dispense justice in Nis, Amnesty International said as 143 Kosovo Albanians were sentenced to between seven and 13 years' imprisonment in a blatantly unfair trial. Posted: 24 May 2000

Two months ago, Indian officials announced that inquiries would be set up to investigate a series of recent killings in Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir. Amnesty International today wrote to the Government of Jammu and Kashmir urging that these investigations be prompt, thorough, public and impartial. Posted: 24 May 2000

Any moves by the UK Government to arm and train the Sierra Leone Army must be accompanied by rigorous safeguards to ensure that British equipment is not used to commit human rights violations, Amnesty International UK said today. Posted: 24 May 2000

Since the military's violent suppression of the 1988 pro-democracy movement, the women of Myanmar have been arrested, tortured, and subjected to forced labour and relocations, Amnesty International said today in a new report. Posted: 24 May 2000

The safety of those investigating past human rights violations must be guaranteed, Amnesty International said today commenting on death threats received by Federal Judge MarÃŒa Romilda Servini de CubrÃŒa and member of her judicial team. Posted: 22 May 2000

The highly controversial trial of former Prime Minister Mikhail Chigir has once again brought into question the independence of the judiciary in Belarus, Amnesty International said at the conclusion of a 6-month trial. Posted: 22 May 2000

The leaders of the so-called "coup" in Fiji must guarantee the life and physical integrity of everyone in their control. Posted: 19 May 2000

19 May 1997 - Human rights activists Elsa Alvarado and Carlos Mario CalderÛn were shot dead in their flat in Bogot · by masked gunmen. 19 May 2000 - Although four people have been arrested and charged with involvement in the killing and two prominent paramilitary leaders identified as having masterminded the crime, none of them has faced justice yet. Posted: 19 May 2000

The precise circumstances of Wednesday's bomb attack which killed 29 people, including 22 civilians, in Batticaloa town in eastern Sri Lanka remain sketchy as witnesses have alleged that members of the security forces opened fire after the bomb exploded, killing and injuring people, Amnesty International said today. Posted: 19 May 2000