March 2001

On the eve of the tenth anniversary of the arrest of 106 Shi'a clerics and students from the southern city of al-Najaf by the Iraqi authorities, Amnesty International expresses its deepest concern about their whereabouts. Posted: 30 Mar 2001

Amnesty International is concerned that recent statements made by President Sam Nujoma of Namibia may lead to the persecution of individuals identified as lesbian or gay and to further attacks on human rights groups advocating support for lesbian and gay rights. Posted: 30 Mar 2001

Peter Leth, a forensic pathologist from Denmark, will today be observing the autopsies of seven men shot and killed by members of the Crime Management Unit in Braeton, Kingston, on 14 March 2001. Posted: 30 Mar 2001

As the UN Commission on Human Rights is scheduled to open its discussions on Chechnya today, Amnesty International is urging the Commission to demand accountability for the grave and persistent human rights violations committed in the region. Posted: 29 Mar 2001

Amnesty International today condemned the kidnapping of several humanitarian aid workers in Somalia's capital Mogadishu, and expressed concern for the safety of those still held by a local militia. Posted: 29 Mar 2001

Amnesty International today is calling for an independent inquiry into the repeated use of pepper spray on Native American children at a Montana juvenile facility during the past two years. These incidents only became public earlier this year. Posted: 28 Mar 2001

Amnesty International today issued a report on January's massacre of over 300 unarmed men and a number of civilian women and children by Taleban forces in Yakaolang, in Bamiyan province. Posted: 28 Mar 2001

The human rights violations committed during the military governments have stayed as open sores on Argentinian society and have held back reconciliation in the country for a quarter of a century, Amnesty International said on the twenty-fifth anniversary of the military coup. Posted: 28 Mar 2001

After almost a quarter of a century, the impunity protecting the human rights violations committed in the past has received a serious blow and the perseverance of the relatives of victims is being rewarded by an important step towards truth and justice. This statement was made by Amnesty International in response to Judge Gabriel Cavallo's decision to declare unconstitutional and void the Due Obedience and Full Stop Laws which until now have obstructed the investigation of such violations in Argentina. Posted: 28 Mar 2001

Australian senators must take responsibility for the protection of human rights by rejecting the Administrative Decisions Bill (1997), known as the "Teoh bill", due before the Upper House this week, Amnesty International said. Posted: 28 Mar 2001

Amnesty International today challenged Congo's new President Joseph Kabila to publicly demonstrate his commitment to human rights and the rule of law by putting an immediate end to the torture and killing of opponents, and to account for alleged government opponents who were reportedly executed in late 2000 or whose whereabouts remain unknown. Posted: 28 Mar 2001

On the eve of a major speech on Wednesday 28 March by Foreign Secretary Robin Cook, Amnesty International UK is appealing to the UK government to press ahead with a human rights commitment in its foreign policy - particularly over legislation to create tough new arms export controls and ratification of the International Criminal Court (ICC) treaty. Posted: 27 Mar 2001

The group of NGOs today calls on the international community to "turn principles into practice", as Mary Robinson highlighted in her opening statement to the UN Commission on Human Rights. The case of Togo, which has systematically violated international human rights standards, will be a test case for whether the Commission on Human Rights can put effective action before political interests. Posted: 27 Mar 2001

Recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world. [Preamble of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights] Posted: 26 Mar 2001

The continuing failure of the Government of Jammu and Kashmir to bring to justice those responsible for the death of human rights lawyer Jalil Andrabi five years ago sends a signal that human rights protection is not its priority, Amnesty International said today. Posted: 26 Mar 2001

The security of judges and witnesses involved in the judicial proceedings around the murder of Bishop Gerardi must be guaranteed, Amnesty International said today after a bomb attack against the home of Guatemalan judge Iris Yassmrn Barrios. The attack took place last night, the eve of the reopening this morning of the Gerardi trial in Guatemala City. Posted: 23 Mar 2001

"The authorities should immediately take effective measures to stop the severe wave of politically motivated violence that Haitians are facing." Amnesty International said today, in the light of the recent outbreak of violence in Port-au-Prince which has reportedly left at least three people wounded and one person dead. Posted: 23 Mar 2001

Liberian security officers responsible for torture and ill-treatment of students should be immediately investigated and brought to justice, said Amnesty International today. Posted: 23 Mar 2001

As arrests of political activists in Lahore and neighbouring towns continued for a fourth day, Amnesty International said that human rights protection had taken a plunge. Posted: 23 Mar 2001

In a report published today, Amnesty International appealed to all parties in Burundi's civil war to immediately halt deliberate killings of unarmed civilians and to act responsibly to prevent a slide into human rights catastrophe. Posted: 22 Mar 2001