Responding to the news that Nobel Peace Prize Winner Liu Xiaobo has passed away, Salil Shetty, Secretary General of Amnesty International commented:

Activists in more than 30 countries will join protests outside Turkish embassies today demanding the release of Amnesty International Turkey’s Chair and Director as well as other prominent human rights defenders behind bars amid a spiralling crackdown.

On the occasion of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Mr. Filippo Grandi’s visit to Thailand, Amnesty International joins 12 other organisations urging the Thai government to demonstrate its commitment to protecting refugees by ending abusive practices as well as instituting and implementing laws that guarantee the rights of refugees in Thailand. These rights should be guaranteed without discrimination on the basis of race, religion, nationality or national origin, or membership of a particular social group or political opinion.

South Korea’s military must immediately end a bigoted hunt to root out gay personnel, Amnesty International said, after a serving soldier was convicted of having a same-sex relationship.

On the 30th anniversary of the United Nations Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (UNCAT) – marked on June 26 as the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture – Amnesty International (AI) and the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) welcome the commitments made by the Royal Thai Government to prevent torture and other ill-treatment and urge authorities to ensure no further delay in implementing these undertakings.

Gregory Porter, Hot Chip, Jessie Ware, Kate Tempest, The Naked and Famous, The National, Oh Wonder, POLIÇA and Zero 7 will be among a thousand musicians performing in people’s homes in more than 200 cities globally for a first-of-its-kind day of concerts to unite people in welcoming refugees, Amnesty International and Sofar Sounds announced today, marking World Refugee Day.  

“Refugee” is a person who is oppressed and risks persecution in their own country because of their race, ethnicity, nationality, religion or political views. They are therefore forced to leave their home to seek safety in neighbouring countries. They are often seen as ‘asylum seekers’ until they are recognized and gain refugee status from either the UNHCR or a government.

On World Refugee Day 2017, Amnesty International acknowledges the role the Royal Thai Government has played in hosting and supporting large refugee populations over several decades and welcomes its recent commitments to improve the protection of the rights of refugees and asylum seekers in the country. However, despite these undertakings, Thailand has failed to consistently protect the rights of refugees and asylum seekers, who lack domestic legal status in Thailand and are vulnerable to arbitrary and indefinite detention and forcible returns.

Albert Einstein

Activists in more than 30 countries will join protests outside Turkish embassies today demanding the release of Amnesty International Turkey’s Chair and Director as well as other prominent human rights defenders behind bars amid a spiralling crackdown.

Liu Jian-Shin, Acting Secretary to the President of Taiwan, submitted the letter to Amnesty International Thailand thanking Amnesty Thailand for the enthusiastic support in passing the same-sex marriage legislation.

Cambodia’s government is using its courts to silence human rights defenders and political activists, Amnesty International says today in a new report.