We’ve reached the midway point of 2022 and, as ever, it’s been a busy year for Amnesty International. With the world facing human rights challenges on so many fronts, one can easily lose sight of the many positive changes that have taken place across the globe over the past six months. Thanks to the tireless commitment of our supporters, Amnesty International has helped to free the wrongfully imprisoned, rewrite unjust laws, and hold the powerful to account.  Here’s a round-up of human rights victories to celebrate so far this year…

Dear President of the Senate and Honorable Chair of the Extraordinary Committee,

In response to the news that at least 50 people have been found dead in a trailer in San Antonio, Texas, and a dozen others who were onboard have been hospitalized, Erika Guevara-Rosas, Americas director at Amnesty International, said:

Recent footage of police in India attacking protesters and detainees with batons highlights the urgent need for law enforcement agencies worldwide to tackle the rampant misuse of batons and other striking weapons, Amnesty International said today. Ahead of the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, the organization has published a new briefing setting out how and when these weapons can be deployed in accordance with international human rights law, highlighting the guiding principles of legality, necessity, proportionality, and accountability.  

In response to today’s court ruling in Japan that upheld the government ban on same-sex marriage, Amnesty International’s East Asia Researcher Boram Jang said:

Today (4 June 2022), Amnesty International Thailand, the Cross Cultural Foundation (CrCF) and the Suan Kru Angoon organized an event to commemorate the 2nd anniversary of the disappearance of Wanchalearn Satsaksit. Title “A bit of gossip from friends of Wanchalearm”, it invites friends and colleagues of ‘Wanchalearm’ to share their friendship and fraternity and features an exhibition of exclusive photos and a roundtable of fellow activists. Demands are being made toward the authorities in Thailand and Cambodia to fathom the truth and restore justice for him and his family. The event will be ended with a candle vigil to beam the ray of hope and to express our faith in human rights.

2021 saw a worrying rise in executions and death sentences as some of the world’s most prolific executioners returned to business as usual and courts were unshackled from Covid-19 restrictions, Amnesty International said today in its annual review of the death penalty.

As leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meet in the United States for a two-day summit, Amnesty International urges them to spotlight the violence and human rights violations in Myanmar. 

Responding to the execution of Malaysian national Nagaenthran Dharmalingam in Singapore, Amnesty International’s Asia-Pacific Regional Director Erwin van der Borght said:

Myanmar’s brave activists are still pursuing peaceful protests despite grave danger and numerous challenges, Amnesty International said today, one year after the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) adopted a Five-Point Consensus that has abjectly failed to stop the violence in the country. 

Subject: Invitation to attend the Annual General Meeting 2022 (AGM 2022)

5 April 2022