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Amnesty International

All articles tagged with #amnesty international

Amnesty International demands abolition of ICE after documenting systemic rights abuses
world14 days ago

Amnesty International demands abolition of ICE after documenting systemic rights abuses

Amnesty International has called for the complete abolition of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency, citing a new report that details widespread human rights violations during recent immigration enforcement operations. The report, titled 'We Had Whistles, They Had Guns,' is based on over 150 testimonies gathered in four major U.S. cities and concludes that ICE's practices are fundamentally broken and cannot be fixed through reform. Key findings include racial profiling, unlawful use of lethal force, and cruel detention conditions, with the organization arguing that the agency's current structure is incompatible with international human rights law.

Rights group Links Rwanda-Backed M23 to DRC Gold and Coltan Pillage
world18 days ago

Rights group Links Rwanda-Backed M23 to DRC Gold and Coltan Pillage

Amnesty International reports that Rwanda-backed M23 forces committed serious abuses against artisanal miners in eastern DRC, including killings, torture, beatings, detention, and forced recruitment, while facilitating trafficking of gold and coltan to Rwanda; evidence suggests M23 used the mines as coercive sites and minerals were shipped via smuggling routes to Rwanda, prompting calls for accountability, a halt to mining deals with Rwanda, and independent oversight of the minerals supply chain.

Turkey widens LGBTQ crackdown as arrests mount and protests surge
world23 days ago

Turkey widens LGBTQ crackdown as arrests mount and protests surge

Turkey expanded its crackdown on LGBTQ+ groups, with police raids leading to at least 60 arrests and dozens of protesters detained outside an Istanbul courthouse; authorities also blocked or restricted LGBTQ-related social pages and sites. Justice Minister Akin Gürlek said the move aims to protect children and family values, as activists and supporters call for the release of those detained.

Iran’s 2022 protest crackdown framed as crimes against humanity, urging international justice
world23 days ago

Iran’s 2022 protest crackdown framed as crimes against humanity, urging international justice

Amnesty International’s new report concludes that Iranian authorities systematically used lethal force to crush the 2022 Woman Life Freedom protests, detailing a command chain and naming 87 officials to be investigated for crimes against humanity. It highlights disproportionate violence against Kurdish and Baluchi communities, calls for an international criminal justice mechanism via the UN General Assembly, and urges universal or extraterritorial investigations alongside possible ICC referral, all set against ongoing hostilities and concerns about impunity within Iran’s security state.

Amnesty: Iran crackdown involved coordinated killings, torture and sexual assaults during protests
world23 days ago

Amnesty: Iran crackdown involved coordinated killings, torture and sexual assaults during protests

Amnesty International says leaked state documents and interviews show Iranian security forces carried out a coordinated crackdown on the 2022 protests sparked by Mahsa Amini’s death, with 377 protesters and bystanders killed (including 56 children) and 16 people allegedly raped in detention; the report details a command structure and names 87 officials linked to crimes against humanity, linking the crackdown to later actions in January 2026.

DHS watchdog flags cramped cages at Florida detention site dubbed 'Alligator Alcatraz'
investigations25 days ago

DHS watchdog flags cramped cages at Florida detention site dubbed 'Alligator Alcatraz'

A Department of Homeland Security inspector general report finds that detainees at Florida’s former Alligator Alcatraz detention site were confined in outdoor cages roughly 4-by-4 feet (16 square feet) and indoor cages around 18 square feet for up to about two hours each. The facility, opened in 2025 under a 287(g) agreement and closed in 2026, cost taxpayers more than $1 billion to operate; Amnesty International previously described the conditions as torture, triggering congressional probes. The IG’s findings label the use of such spaces as highly unconventional and not aligned with humane standards, and note that ICE did not have a day-to-day contract to run the facility, complicating oversight.

Irkutsk region pays record 1.5 million rubles to recruit foreigners into Russian military
world26 days ago

Irkutsk region pays record 1.5 million rubles to recruit foreigners into Russian military

Irkutsk region in Siberia has set a record 1.5 million rubles ($17,800) per foreign national enlisted into the Russian military, quadrupling the prior pay; foreign citizens and stateless people are treated separately, while recruiters enlisting Russians from other regions get 800,000 rubles. The policy is part of a broader regional race to meet recruitment quotas, though Amnesty International warns recruitment abuses may amount to human trafficking.

Amnesty labels Russia's foreign recruitment for Ukraine war as human trafficking
world28 days ago

Amnesty labels Russia's foreign recruitment for Ukraine war as human trafficking

Amnesty International says Russia illegally recruits foreign nationals into its military for the Ukraine war using deception, confiscation of documents, coercion, and deportation threats, with contracts signed without informed consent; the practices meet the UN Palermo Protocol definition of human trafficking. The report cites interviews with prisoners of war from numerous countries and notes international protests and repatriation efforts as thousands of foreign fighters have been identified in Russia’s forces.

China jails satirical Mao artist, rights groups warn of crackdown
world1 month ago

China jails satirical Mao artist, rights groups warn of crackdown

A Chinese court sentenced artist Gao Zhen to up to three years in prison for satirical Mao Zedong sculptures, accusing him of defaming historical figures; Amnesty International and the UN condemn the retroactive use of defamation laws and say the case signals a broader crackdown on artistic expression. Gao has been detained for two years, with the possibility of serving the full term until August 2027 if upheld.

Lebanon Abolishes Death Penalty, Becomes Middle East Benchmark
world1 month ago

Lebanon Abolishes Death Penalty, Becomes Middle East Benchmark

Lebanon's parliament voted to end the death penalty, replacing sentences with life imprisonment with aggravated hard labour, making it the first Middle Eastern country to do so; the country has had an unofficial moratorium since 2004 and had 85 people on death row by end-2025. Globally, Amnesty International says about three-quarters of countries have abolished or ceased executions, with 2025 executions at 2,707, driven largely by Iran.

Pentagon Pete Faces Fire Over Alleged Yemen Civilian-Casualty Cover-Up
politics2 months ago

Pentagon Pete Faces Fire Over Alleged Yemen Civilian-Casualty Cover-Up

The Daily Beast reports that NBC sources say three April Yemen airstrikes, part of Operation Rough Rider, likely killed around 150 civilians and wounded 200, contradicting the Pentagon’s public denial of civilian casualties. Amnesty International condemns the White House and Pentagon for a lack of transparency as lawmakers press for answers, and leaked documents show casualty tallies being revised or reclassified in a way that could obscure the true toll amid Trump-era military actions. The piece frames Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth as central to the controversy and notes the Pentagon’s ongoing comment requests.

Rights groups condemn crackdown in PoK as protests surge
world2 months ago

Rights groups condemn crackdown in PoK as protests surge

Amnesty International and the Committee to Protect Journalists condemn Pakistan’s crackdown in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir amid ongoing assembly polls, citing state violence, internet and telecom blackouts, and the detention or disappearance of journalists. They call for an independent, transparent investigation, restoration of communications, and media access as casualties rise (about 80 fatalities reported by HRC-PoJK) with protests in Rawalakot, Mirpur, and Muzaffarabad.

Rowling Threatens Legal Action Against Amnesty Over Beira's Place Critique
politics2 months ago

Rowling Threatens Legal Action Against Amnesty Over Beira's Place Critique

JK Rowling threatened to bankrupt Amnesty International UK and even offered to fund lawsuits after Amnesty’s report criticizing Beira's Place—a women-only charity she helped fund—was published and subsequently pulled. Critics say the move undermines free speech and open debate, while supporters argue Amnesty correctly highlighted anti-rights arguments that harm trans rights.

South Africa Faces Wave of Anti-Migrant Protests as 900+ Arrested
world3 months ago

South Africa Faces Wave of Anti-Migrant Protests as 900+ Arrested

More than 900 people were arrested during nationwide anti-migrant protests across South Africa, mostly peaceful but with looting of foreign-owned shops and a fatal shooting; demonstrations were led by civil-society groups demanding stricter border controls, with the Western Cape and Eastern Cape recording the highest arrests. President Ramaphosa urged calm while acknowledging migrants’ grievances, and rights groups condemned violence and xenophobia.