Today (18 September 2019), Amnesty International Thailand and Malongdu Theatre are organizing a short theatrical play to show solidarity with the demonstrators in Hong Kong. Entitled “A Hand for HK: The Street Performance”, the event cum performance takes place in the space in front of the Bangkok Art & Culture Centre, Pathumwan, Bangkok. Members of the public are invited to write a message to show solidarity with the people in Hong Kong and to assert that the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association are fundamental rights to which people are entitled regardless where they live.

Climate change activist Greta Thunberg and the Fridays for Future movement of school-children have been honoured with Amnesty International’s Ambassador of Conscience Award for 2019, the human rights organization announced today.

John Sato, a 95-year-old World War Two veteran, took four buses to join an anti-racism march in central Auckland after the March 2019 Christchurch shootings. His story made headlines across the world, proving how ordinary people are capable of extraordinary things. Here, he tells Amnesty International why love, hope and compassion inspired him to make that journey.

The announcement that the remains of Pholachi “Billy” Rakchongcharoen, a Karen rights activist, have been located, brings a sad end to years of uncertainty for his family. This development should lead to a renewed focus on identifying the perpetrator(s) of his apparent enforced disappearance and bringing them to justice, said the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) and Amnesty International today.

Thanks to a combination of fierce campaigning and people power, 2019 has seen some major human rights wins so far!

The Thai government must urgently pass a draft law to address the heinous crimes of torture and enforced disappearances, after amending it to comply with Thailand’s international law obligations, Amnesty International said today, the International Day of the Disappeared. 

Responding to the news of the wildfires that have been raging in the Amazon rainforest for several weeks, Kumi Naidoo, Secretary General of Amnesty International said:

With the threat of returns to Myanmar once again looming over Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, Amnesty International warned that Rakhine State remains unsafe while those responsible for atrocities continue to evade justice.

Hong Kong police must exercise extreme caution in any deployment of water cannons in upcoming protests, Amnesty International said, warning that the use of these powerful weapons in the city’s densely populated streets could cause serious injuries and further enflame tensions.

The unilateral decision of the Government of India to revoke the special status of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) under the Constitution of India without consulting J&K stakeholders and amidst a complete clampdown on civil liberties and communications blackout is likely to inflame prevailing tensions, alienate the people in the state and increase the risk of further human rights violations, said Amnesty International India today.

The Honorable Mike Pompeo

It was the scandal which finally exposed the dark side of the big data economy underpinning the internet. The inside story of how one company, Cambridge Analytica, misused intimate personal Facebook data to micro-target and manipulate swing voters in the US election, is compellingly told in “The Great Hack”, a new documentary out today.