Amnesty International Featured Actions

On 30 September, an international group of mountaineers climbing in the Himalayas witnessed Chinese border control guards shooting at a group of Tibetans, including children, who were trying to flee to Nepal. Current reports suggest that they were tortured in custody. The older teenagers and adults were reportedly beaten with rubber batons and electric-shock prods. The younger children were not beaten, but were interrogated.Take Action

Iraqi national Sajida Rishawi Atrous, who was sentenced to death for involvement in November 2005 suicide bombings, is now in imminent danger of execution. She was reportedly tortured severely to make her confess. An appeal to the Court of Cassation was rejected on 25 January. The death sentence will now be passed to the king for ratification. If he ratifies it, she could be executed at any time. Take urgent action to stop her execution!Take Action

Lawyer and political leader Marie-Thérèse Nlandu and her associates have been put on trial, together with two soldiers, before a military court in the capital, Kinshasa. If convicted they could be sentenced to death. The prosecution appears to be politically motivated, and Marie-Thérèse Nlandu is being targeted for her work as a peaceful political activist.Take Action

19 year-old university student Claudina Velásquez had been studying to become a lawyer when her dead body was found on 13 August 2005. She had been shot and traces of semen were found on her body.Take Action

The President’s State of the Union address is an important opportunity for the Congress to assess the state of human rights in the union and to consider policies that will help restore America’s traditional leadership on human rights. Implementing Amnesty International’s five point agenda to end human rights abuses related to the “War on Terror” is good start.Take Action

Rebiya Kadeer, a vocal advocate of the Uyghur minority in China was held by the Chinese government for six years and considered a prisoner of conscience. In May of 2006, three of her children were placed under arrest.Take Action

The Egyptian authorities are preparing to forcibly return Ayman Hkiri, Ahamed Lahbib, Mohamed Almadiri, and another man, and could do so at any time. If returned to Tunisia they would be in grave danger of torture. Held at the al-Khalifa detention center in Cairo, all were interrogated and allegedly tortured in connection with the activities of a terrorist cell recruiting people in Egypt to go to fight the US-led coalition in Iraq. They have not been charged with any offence.Take Action

For the past five years, the United States has held hundreds of men from over 45 countries in Guantanamo Bay. Not a single person has been convicted of a crime, and three men died of apparent suicides. Today marks five years since the US first transferred men to indefinite and arbitrary detention. Five years of lawlessness is enough – demand that the detention facilities at Guantanamo be closed.Take Action

Taha Yassin Ramadhan, co-defendant of Saddam Hussein, is at risk of execution in Iraq. Originally sentenced to life in prison, former Iraqi Vice President Taha Yassin Ramadhan is now at risk of being sentenced to death and executed. But justice for criminals only comes through fair trials and without use of the death penalty.Take Action

David Hicks, an Australian national, is about to enter his sixth year of detention in Guantanamo Bay. He was one of the first detainees in Guantanamo to be charged, but after almost five years in detention he has yet to be tried. Take action and urge the Australian government to move swiftly and ensure that Hicks is given a fair trial or that he is unconditionally released.Take Action

Yousef al-Shehri, a Saudi Arabian national has been detained at Guantánamo Bay since he was 16 years old. Call on the US and Saudi Arabian authorities to ensure that he is either charged and tried in line with international standards or released, taking into full account his age at the time of his detention.Take Action

Yousef al-Shehri, a Saudi Arabian national has been detained at Guantánamo Bay since he was 16 years old. Call on the US and Saudi Arabian authorities to ensure that he is either charged and tried in line with international standards or released, taking into full account his age at the time of his detention.Take Action

Blood diamonds have fueled wars across Africa, leading to the deaths of more than 4 million people and displacing many millions more. But blood diamonds are not just a problem of the past. Government controls in the United States and in other countries are not strong enough or enforced effectively to stop rebel groups from exploiting diamonds to fuel conflict. Also, the diamond industry has not taken sufficient steps to combat the trade in blood diamonds.Take Action

In a groundbreaking development, Spain's National Court recently issued international arrest warrants against former General José Efraín Ríos Montt and several other former Guatemalan officials accused of genocide, terrorism, torture and illegal detention. Strong international pressure is now needed to ensure that all either face trial in Guatemala or are extradited to Spain without delay.Take Action

11,000 children, the majority girls, are still with armed groups or unaccounted for more than two years after the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) launched a program to reintegrate child soldiers into civilian life. Urge the DRC to protect and support these children.Take Action

Take action to email your Senators to strongly encourage their support for an additional $60 million ($10 million/month) for African Union Mission (AMIS) funding for Darfur. Six months additional AMIS funding will ensure that civilians in Darfur will not be left unprotected after January—while we continue to push to get UN peacekeepers on the ground.Take Action

Turkey has limited free speech by prosecuting individuals for peacefully expressing their dissenting opinion. Under Article 301 of Turkey’s Penal Code, Turkey has criminalized views that are deemed to have insulted Turkishness or the government. Article 301 is being arbitrarily used to harass and threaten people with imprisonment and is severe threat to freedom of expression. It must be abolished immediately.Take Action