On 25 August, the Governor of Arkansas announced his intent to commute the death sentence of Jason McGehee, who had been scheduled for execution on 27 April, when he received a stay from a federal judge, and the parole board recommended clemency. The governor has now accepted that recommendation.
Six activists who were criminally detained in July 2017, after taking part in a seaside memorial for Liu Xiaobo in Jiangmen, Guangdong province, have all been released on bail. While still subjected to some restrictions, they have all been returned to their respective hometowns.
After being arbitrarily detained on 17 August, Yulier Perez, a graffiti artist known for painting dilapidated walls in Havana, is at risk of being imprisoned again, after months of intimidation and harassment from authorities.
Dr. Mohamed Yasin Abdalla, the chairperson of the Central Committee of Sudanese Doctors (CCSD), has been released without charge. He was arrested on 22 April in Khartoum by National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) agents and detained at the office of the NISS Prosecutor of Crimes against the State in Khartoum.
Elwaleed Imam Hassan Taha and Alaa Aldin al-Difana have been released from the custody of the National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) without charge. A third activist, Elgassim Mohamed Seed Ahmed, remains in detention pending further investigations into his online activities.
Formally arrested for “inciting subversion of state power” in December 2016, Liu Feiyue, founder and director of Hubei-based human rights website “Civil Rights and Livelihood Watch” (www.msguancha.com), is to face an additional charge of “leaking state secrets”. He could face a sentence of life imprisonment if convicted of this additional charge.
On 22 August, the governor of Missouri issued a stay of execution for Marcellus Williams who was due to be put to death later that day. The governor will appoint a Board of Inquiry to review the case and make a recommendation on clemency.
Chile’s Constitutional Tribunal has ruled in favour of decriminalizing abortion under three specific circumstances. This is an important step toward ensuring the protection of women and girls’ human rights across the country.
Crimean Tatar protestor Server Karametov was released from police custody in Simferopol, Crimea on 19 August after serving his full 10-day sentence. He was arrested on 8 August while engaging in a peaceful protest outside Crimea’s Supreme Court.
University professor Ahmad Qatamesh was released from administrative detention by the Israeli authorities on 13 August. His three-month detention order was not renewed after it expired. He is now back home in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank with his family. Ahmad Qatamesh was a prisoner of conscience.