January 2003

Amnesty International delegates visiting the Sudan in the first official mission allowed for 13 years welcomed the growing openness in the country, but expressed concern at continuing arbitrary and incommunicado detention, unfair trials as well as the forced recruitment of children and displacement of civilians by all sides in the armed conflict. Posted: 31 Jan 2003

Amnesty International is calling on British Prime Minister Tony Blair to ask for South African President Thabo Mbeki's commitment in bringing pressure to bear on the situation in Zimbabwe. Posted: 31 Jan 2003

In response to the cease-fire announced by the government of Nepal and the leaders of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) on 29 January 2003, Amnesty International today urged both parties to make human rights an integral part of the agenda for peace negotiations, which are reportedly due to start soon. Posted: 31 Jan 2003

Amnesty International is calling on US President George W. Bush and UK Prime Minister Tony Blair to acknowledge the responsibility of the international community to protect the human rights of the Iraqi people when they meet this week to discuss the possibility of a military attack on Iraq. Posted: 30 Jan 2003

Amnesty International is concerned about the continued ill-treatment of 23 Islamist activists allegedly involved in clashes with the Lebanese security forces in the Dhinnyah plateau in February 2000. The men have been held in detention since early 2000, and were reportedly tortured while held incommunicado. Posted: 30 Jan 2003

"No one should have impunity for the worst crimes known to humanity" Amnesty International said today, submitting a petition to all governments urging them not to enter into impunity agreements with the USA. Posted: 29 Jan 2003

"The US Supreme Court's refusal to reconsider the constitutionality of executing people who were children at the time of their crimes places a renewed responsibility on state legislators and clemency authorities to prevent any more of these internationally illegal executions from occurring in the USA," Amnesty International said today. Posted: 28 Jan 2003

Amnesty International today expressed dismay at recent comments on asylum policy and international human rights standards by Prime Minster Tony Blair and leader of the Conservative Party Iain Duncan Smith. Posted: 28 Jan 2003

Posted: 27 Jan 2003

Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights are calling on the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe to address human rights issues in Chechnya during its Plenary Session in Strasbourg, January 27-31, 2003. In a joint statement, the three human rights organisations urge the Assembly to include in the upcoming resolution on Human rights in the Chechen Republic the following five specific areas of concern: Posted: 27 Jan 2003

Amnesty International today expressed dismay at reports that Lobsang Dhondup was executed yesterday following his conviction in a secret trial for involvement in a series of bombings in Sichuan province. Posted: 27 Jan 2003

How does the threat which Iraq poses today weigh against the threat that American military action poses for human rights and innocent lives in the Middle East?, Amnesty International's Secretary General asked Colin Powell today. Posted: 26 Jan 2003

Posted: 26 Jan 2003

Amnesty International is concerned at a recent reported decision by the Cambodian authorities to sue Eva Galabru, local representative for the environmental Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) Global Witness. Posted: 24 Jan 2003

Posted: 24 Jan 2003

Having discovered evidence of a renewed clampdown on opponents of the Zimbabwe authorities, Amnesty International is calling on the international community to redouble its efforts to protect human rights in Zimbabwe. Posted: 24 Jan 2003

In a new report released yesterday at the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland, Amnesty International called on businesses - including British firms - to raise human rights standards in their operations in Russia. Posted: 24 Jan 2003

Amnesty International is deeply concerned by recent press reports that Fazal Wahab Wahab was shot dead by unidentified individuals on 21 January 2003 allegedly because of his writings on political issues. Posted: 24 Jan 2003

Amnesty International has documented ongoing police ill-treatment and torture in Macedonia with the publication today of a new report. Posted: 23 Jan 2003

Davos/Porto Alegre - As representatives of the world's civil society gather in Porto Alegre and political and business leaders meet in Davos, Amnesty International delivered today its own, alternative, globalisation message: Globalise respect for human rights, globalise justice and globalise accountability for those who abuse rights.c Posted: 23 Jan 2003