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<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\nThe Moroccan parliament voted unanimously to change its rape law, so that rapists can no longer escape punishment by forcing their victims to marry them. It followed tireless campaigning for the family of Amina Filali (pictured), who killed herself in March 2012 after being forced by law to marry a man she said had raped her. Similar laws still exist in Tunisia and Algeria, and we continue our fight to change them through our My Body My Rights campaign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2. We defended human rights before the Sochi Winter Olympics<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n In the lead-up to the Winter Olympics in Sochi on 7 February, more than 336,000 Amnesty supporters from 112 countries stood up for human rights in Russia. Together, we called on President Vladimir Putin to stop the crackdown on freedom of speech and expression in the country<\/p>\n\n\n\n 3. We said \u2018No\u2019 to Uganda\u2019s anti-homosexuality bill<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Amnesty supporters took part in a global day of action to protest Uganda\u2019s discriminatory Anti-Homosexuality Bill. Over 86,000 people signed a petition calling on President Yoweri Museveni to veto the bill. It was declared null and void in August \u2013 a significant victory for activists. We hope this step forward translates into real improvements for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people in Uganda. For too long, they have been trapped in a vicious circle of discrimination, threats, abuse and injustice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 4. We were all #WithSyria<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Thousands of activists gathered in more than 40 countries to mark the third anniversary of the conflict in Syria. We lit candles, released red balloons (pictured) and demanded aid for all Syrians in need. In April, Amnesty presented UN Security Council members with over 140,000 petition signatures calling for an immediate end to the suffering of besieged people in Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 5. We got closer to the truth in Sri Lanka<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The UN voted for an independent investigation into crimes committed by state forces and armed groups at the end of the war in Sri Lanka. It followed years of campaigning by Amnesty supporters, including through our #TellTheTruth campaign. The UN investigation brings new hope to thousands of survivors of torture, abduction and other abuses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 6. Hakamada Iwao was released after 45 years in prison<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Hakamada Iwao, 78, was released from prison in Japan following intense campaigning by Amnesty International and other organizations. He had spent most of his life waiting to be executed after being convicted of murder in 1968. In March, the court revoked his death sentence and ordered a retrial, suggesting that evidence against Iwao had been falsified. His case is a vivid reminder of the urgent need for the abolition of the death penalty worldwide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 7. We all said \u201cit\u2019s My Body My Rights\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n In April, an incredible 280,000 people worldwide called on their governments to protect young people\u2019s sexual and reproductive rights, as part of our new My Body My Rights campaign. Amnesty Secretary General Salil Shetty handed your signatures to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, ahead of a UN session in New York.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 8. We gave Brazil a yellow card<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n More than 100,000 Amnesty supporters gave Brazil a yellow card ahead of the football World Cup in July, to remind its government that protest is not a crime. It followed huge public demonstrations against the cost of hosting the tournament, which had been met by police with excessive force, tear gas and rubber bullets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 9. We kept up the pressure in the Central African Republic<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n More than 67,000 people signed our petition to protect civilians in the Central African Republic. We were standing up for the family of Constant Yaonomo (pictured in a photo held by his father), who was killed in a grenade attack. We delivered all your signatures to the US authorities in May, urging them to support a strong UN peacekeeping mission. Throughout the year, we focused on the country\u2019s human rights crisis, including war crimes and crimes against humanity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 10. Activist Ales Bialiatski was released in Belarus<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Ales Bialiatski, a Belarusian human rights activist featured in our 2013 Write for Rights campaign, was released in June after almost three years in prison. Ales said the support of Amnesty campaigners led to his release: \u201cThe thing that made a real difference were the letters I got from ordinary people, and I want to say a special thank you to your activists for that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n 11. We started Stop Torturek<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Amnesty supporters across the world took to the streets on the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture in June. It was all part of our Stop Torture campaign, which launched with the revelation that 44% of people worldwide still fear they will be tortured if they\u2019re taken into custody. To kick off, nearly 350,000 people from 117 countries signed a petition demanding justice for torture survivor Claudia Medina from Mexico.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 12. We helped indig<\/strong>enous communities get justice in Paraguay<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n On 11 June, Paraguay\u2019s President Cartes signed into law a bill that returned more than 14,000 hectares of traditional land to the Sawhoyamaxa indigenous community. It marked a huge victory for families (pictured) who have been fighting for their rights for more than 20 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 13. Meriam Ibrahim was saved from execution<\/strong> Meriam Ibrahim, a Christian who had been sentenced to death in Sudan, was finally released in June and landed in Europe in July. More than a million people worldwide supported Amnesty\u2019s call for her release. Meriam had been charged with \u2018apostasy\u2019 for saying she was Christian while her father was Muslim, and with \u2018adultery\u2019 after marrying a Christian man. She was eight months pregnant when she was charged, and was forced to give birth in chains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 14. We stood up for democracy protestors in Hong Kong<\/strong> An estimated 510,000 people took part in a protest march on 1 July marking the 17th anniversary of Hong Kong\u2019s handover to China. Hundreds were arrested and 25 protesters involved in organising the \u2018sit in\u2019 were investigated. Amnesty supporters across the world put pressure on the Hong Kong government to stop pursuing charges against peaceful protesters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 15. Bolotnaya Square protestor was released in Russia<\/strong> Mikhail Kosenko was released from a closed psychiatric unit, two years after being jailed for his role in largely peaceful anti-government protests in Moscow, Russia. It followed intense campaigning by Amnesty supporters. But because Mikhail\u2019s conviction was not overturned, he could be locked up again for any transgression, real or fabricated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 16. Li Yan\u2019s death sentence was overturned in China<\/strong> In a landmark decision, the Supreme Court in China overturned the death sentence of Li Yan for the murder of her violent husband after enduring months of domestic abuse. The decision followed intense pressure from campaigners across the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 17. We demanded an arms embargo on Israel and Gaza<\/strong> People in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories suffered terribly during the 50-day conflict in Gaza. Many of the weapons fuelling the violence and destruction were from foreign suppliers. That\u2019s why we called on the UN to immediately impose an arms embargo on Israel, Hamas, and Palestinian armed groups in Gaza. In 2015, we\u2019re focusing on making both sides accountable for any violations of international law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 18. We fought to end El Salvador\u2019s anti-abortion law<\/strong> Women and girls from rural El Salvador joined Amnesty campaigners worldwide to demand an end to the country\u2019s total ban on abortion. Local youth groups staged theatre events, made impassioned speeches and played music dedicated to 17 women jailed for pregnancy-related issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 19. Torture survivor \u00c1ngel Col\u00f3n was released<\/strong> \u00c1ngel Col\u00f3n was released in October, nearly six years after he was tortured and wrongly imprisoned in Mexico. Thousands of Amnesty supporters demanded his release as part of our Stop Torture campaign. \u201cMy message to all those who are showing me their solidarity, and are against torture and discrimination, is don\u2019t drop your guard,\u201d he said. \u201cA new horizon is dawning. I feel happy about what is happening.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Education rights campaigner and Amnesty ambassador of conscience Malala Yousafzai and Indian children\u2019s rights activist Kailash Satyarthi were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. \u201cThe work of Kailash Satyarthi and Malala Yousafzai represents the struggle of millions of children around the world,\u201d said Salil Shetty, Amnesty International\u2019s Secretary General. \u201cThis is an award for human rights defenders who are willing to dedicate themselves entirely to promoting education and the rights of the world\u2019s most vulnerable children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n 21. We made a giant leap for arms control<\/strong> By mid December, 60 countries had ratified a global Arms Trade Treaty. These life-saving rules on the international sale of weapons will now come into force on 24 December 2014. It followed more than two decades of tireless campaigning from Amnesty supporters like you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 22. We demanded justice for victims of the Bhopal factory disaster<\/strong> December marked 30 years since nearly 10,000 people died within three days of a toxic gas leak at a pesticide factory in Bhopal, India. Amnesty supporters around the world stood in solidarity with the communities of Bhopal, who marched for justice on the day of the anniversary. We still need the Indian government to clean up the site and make sure the companies responsible are held to account.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 23. Our words changed lives<\/strong> Amnesty supporters young and old wrote more than two million messages, emails and letters as part of Write for Rights, our global letter writing marathon. Campaigners in more than 100 countries organised all kinds of activities, including letter writing in the Netherlands (pictured), a 24-hour pyjama party in Chile, an all-night human rights event in Burkina Faso, and a live interview with Edward Snowden in France. Together, these actions will build pressure for human rights change across the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 24. We took a first step to stop torture in the Philippines<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n 3 January 2015 It\u2019s been an incredible year for human rights. Here are just a few of our biggest moments \u2013 none of them would have been possible without the tireless work of Amnesty campaigners like you. 1. Together, we changed the rape law in Morocco The Moroccan parliament voted unanimously to change its rape […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":2492,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image-id":0,"_yoast_wpseo_twitter-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image-id":0,"_hero_title":"","_hero_content":"","_hero_cta_text":"","_hero_cta_link":"","_hero_alignment":"","_hero_background":"","_hero_size":"","_hero_show":"","_hero_type":"","_hero_embed":"","_hero_video_id":0,"_hero_hide_image_caption":true,"_hero_hide_image_copyright":false,"_nav_style":"","_disable_share_icons":false,"_disable_sidebar":false,"_display_author_info":false,"_hide_featured_image":false,"_hide_featured_image_caption":true,"_maximize_post_content":false,"_reduce_content_width":false,"_sidebar_id":0,"_stretch_thumbnail":false,"byline_context":"","byline_entity":"","byline_is_author":false,"disable_related_content":false,"download_id":0,"download_text":"","show_published_date":true,"show_updated_date":true,"term_slider":"","amnesty_index_number":"","recipients":"","recipients_refresh":"","recipients_refreshed":"","amnesty_umbraco_data":"","document_ref":"","amnesty_updated":"","footnotes":""},"category":[1584],"location":[1588,1587,1589],"resourceType":[],"topic":[],"class_list":["post-2491","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","location-southeast-asia","location-thailand","location-world"],"datePosted":"January 3, 2015","mlpRelationships":{"1":2134,"2":2491},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.amnesty.or.th\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2491","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.amnesty.or.th\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.amnesty.or.th\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.amnesty.or.th\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.amnesty.or.th\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2491"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.amnesty.or.th\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2491\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.amnesty.or.th\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2492"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.amnesty.or.th\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2491"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.amnesty.or.th\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/category?post=2491"},{"taxonomy":"location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.amnesty.or.th\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/location?post=2491"},{"taxonomy":"resource-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.amnesty.or.th\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/resourceType?post=2491"},{"taxonomy":"topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.amnesty.or.th\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/topic?post=2491"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.amnesty.or.th\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2015\/01\/image-32.png\")
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20. Malala Yousafzai is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize<\/strong>
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