Cambodia: World Heritage Committee must not ignore ‘mass forced evictions’ around Angkor Wat

Hong Kong: Same-sex marriage ruling a moment of hope for LGBTI rights

Meta should immediately pay reparations to the Rohingya for the role that Facebook played in the ethnic cleansing of the persecuted minority group, Amnesty International said today, on the sixth anniversary of the Myanmar military’s brutal operation during which they raped Rohingya women and girls, burned down entire villages, and killed thousands.

The human rights situation in Cambodia has severely deteriorated since the last national election in 2018, Amnesty International’s interim Deputy Regional Director for Research Montse Ferrer said today, ahead of Sunday polls expected to be dominated by the ruling Cambodian People’s Party after the sole viable opposition group was blocked from participating. 

Ahead of the expected verdict on Thursday (20 July) against Noppasin ‘Sainam’ Treelayapewat, a young activist who faces up to 15 years imprisonment, accused of lèse-majesté – or insulting the monarchy – for taking part in a mock fashion show when he was 16 years old, Amnesty International’s Regional Researcher for Thailand Chanatip Tatiyakaroonwong said:

Saving lives, changing laws and protecting human rights – Amnesty International and its supporters have been busy racking up the wins this year…

Human rights under the UDHR, as for my country, clearly haven’t been used in practice. Although Thailand is one of the countries that drafted the UDHR after the Second World War, the people in the country still experience major human rights violations from the moment we enter school as children; school still spanks students, and they are forced to cut their hair in the military style. 

The decision by a Turkish court to overturn baseless convictions of Amnesty International Türkiye’s Honorary Chair and three other human rights defenders is a huge relief, yet also highlights the politically motivated nature of the prosecutions, Amnesty International said today. 

The horrific misuse of tear gas by security forces during brutal crackdowns on protests in Iran, Peru and Sri Lanka last year are among many new incidents detailed in Amnesty International’s updated Tear Gas: An Investigation.

4 June, 1989 is etched into history as the day the Chinese authorities ruthlessly stamped out peaceful protest.

In response to news on 17 May 2023 of the fatal shooting of Bounsuan Kitiyano, a 56-year-old Lao human rights defender and a refugee recognized the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), in a border town in northeastern Thailand, we, the ten undersigned organizations, urge the government of Thailand to independently, effectively and promptly investigate this incident and ensure effective remedy to the victim’s family and loved ones.  We also call on the Lao and Thai governments, together with diplomatic communities in Laos and Thailand and UN bodies, to address human rights violations faced by Lao human rights defenders who have sought asylum in Thailand.

Recorded executions in 2022 reached the highest figure in five years, as the Middle East and North Africa’s most notorious executioners carried out killing sprees, Amnesty International said today as it released its annual review of the death penalty.