The 2024 News Feed for Amnesty International

• Mon, 07 Oct 2024 19:26:08 +0000: Israel/OPT: One year on from 7 October: Ceasefire and hostage release is more pressing than ever - Press Releases | Amnesty International UK
  Israel/OPT: One year on from 7 October: Ceasefire and hostage release is more pressing than ever

  Monday 7 October 2024 marks a year since the horrific attacks by Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups in southern Israel, in which some 1,200 people were killed and around 250 abducted.

  It also marks one year since the start of an ongoing devastating Israeli onslaught that has killed more than 41,500 people and forcibly displaced 1.9 million in the occupied Gaza Strip.

  To mark the date, Amnesty International’s Secretary General, Agnès Callamard, said:

  “7 October marks a day of mourning for the Israelis whose loved ones were killed and abducted and for thousands who continue to be displaced ever since the heinous attacks by Hamas and other armed groups.

  “7 October also marks a year since the start of the horrifying Israeli forces’ onslaught in Gaza that has killed tens of thousands, forcibly displaced 90% of the population and triggered an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe, placing Palestinians in Gaza at risk of genocide, as stated by the ICJ. 

  “As the war rages on with no end in sight, the need for a ceasefire, respect for international law and for the rights of all victims to truth, justice and reparation, is more pressing than ever.

  “It is shameful and a collective failure of humanity that one year on still there is no ceasefire, still no release of hostages. Such atrocities should never have been committed let alone be allowed to continue.  

  “This anniversary is a sobering reminder of the urgent need to address the root causes, cut the supply of arms to all parties and end longstanding impunity that have seen Israeli forces, Hamas and other armed groups, flout international law for decades without fearing any consequences. 

  “The world must never forget the victims and the anguish of the affected families. Humanity must prevail. Amnesty International calls for an immediate ceasefire and the unconditional immediate release of civilian hostages held by Hamas and other armed groups and all Palestinians unlawfully detained by Israel.”

  Background

  The crimes committed by Hamas and other armed groups, which the ICC’s Prosecutor is investigating as crimes against humanity, are horrific and completely unjustifiable. A year on, around 100 hostages remain held in Gaza. While some are confirmed dead, those still alive are at risk of death, torture and other abuse. Fears for their safety have grown since Israeli forces retrieved in August the bodies of six hostages and a subsequent Israeli forensic examination concluded they had been shot dead shortly before retrieval. Civilian hostages must be released immediately and reunited with their families.

  Meanwhile in Gaza entire families have been decimated with many people yet to dig the remains of their loved ones from the rubble of their destroyed homes, including children. Hundreds of families in Gaza are still seeking information about loved ones detained in Israeli jails without charges or trial, with many subjected to torture.  

  Amnesty International has conducted in-depth investigations into the crimes committed on 7 October and thereafter. Amnesty International has called for Hamas and other armed groups to be held accountable for the deliberate killings, abductions and indiscriminate attacks, including rocket attacks on Israel.

  Amnesty International has repeatedly called for the immediate release of all civilian hostages held in Gaza. Amnesty International has also investigated Israel’s multiple war crimes, including direct attacks on civilians and civilian objects or indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks, as well as other unlawful attacks and collective punishment of the civilian population. Amnesty International has called for a ceasefire and urged the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court to expedite its investigation into the situation in the State of Palestine.

  The violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel began long before the 7 October attacks. Amnesty has investigated and denounced Israel’s cruel system of apartheid and an unlawful occupation, which was also the object of UN Security Council Resolutions.  

   

  top hat 07 Oct 2024, 8:26pm
• Mon, 07 Oct 2024 14:10:00 +0000: COP29: States must press Azerbaijani authorities to end assault on freedom of expression - Press Releases | Amnesty International UK
  COP29: States must press Azerbaijani authorities to end assault on freedom of expression

   

  Critics of the Government have been locked up in an intensified crackdown 

  Amnesty is concerned that any critics seeking to voice their dissent in the run-up to or during COP29 face the risk of severe reprisals 

  “The Azerbaijani government’s attempt to hide its abysmal human rights record behind a global climate summit is blatant greenwashing.” - Agnès Callamard 

    

  In the leadup to next month’s COP29 climate summit in Baku, Amnesty International urges every delegation to press the Azerbaijani government to end its clampdown on civil society and take meaningful action to reverse the deterioration of human rights in the country.  

  Delegates should take every opportunity to press Azerbaijan to put a stop to the reprisals against human rights defenders, activists, journalists, and government critics and immediately release all those arbitrarily imprisoned in retaliation for their human rights work and dissenting views. 

   Since Azerbaijan was announced as the host of COP29 last December, the authorities have intensified their crackdown on the rights to freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly. 

  Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General, said:  

  “Azerbaijan is hosting an international conference on climate justice while actively undermining the main pillars of climate activism – repressing all forms of critical expression and protests and dismantling local civil society. The Azerbaijani authorities have locked up hundreds of people on politically motivated charges for daring to speak out. The list includes journalists, activists, and human rights defenders critical of the government who remain in arbitrary detention, in violation of due process and with no guarantee of fair trials,” 

  “The authorities are also subjecting dissenters’ relatives to reprisals while passing repressive laws to inhibit the work of NGOs and the media. The Azerbaijani government’s attempt to hide its abysmal human rights record behind a global climate summit is blatant greenwashing.” 

   

  Detained activists: 

   Azerbaijani human rights defenders estimate that approximately 300 people remain in detention on politically motivated charges. These include human rights defenders, journalists, and environmental, political, and other activists prosecuted under fabricated and/or politically motivated charges in retaliation for their criticism of the authorities.  

  Prominent human rights defender and climate advocate Anar Mammadli has been in pre-trial detention since 30 April 2024 on bogus charges of conspiracy to bring illegal foreign currency into the country. 

  Economist and political activist Gubad Ibadoghlu was moved to house arrest on 22 April 2024 after 274 days in detention. Opposition figure Tofig Yagublu has been in pre-trial detention since 15 December 2023 on spurious fraud and forgery charges.  

  Among the detained are: Ulvi Hasanli, Ilhamiz Guliyev, Mahammad Kekelov, Sevinj Vagifgyzy, Elnara Gasimova, Nargiz Absalamova Hafiz Babali, Imran Aliyev, Shamo Eminov, Teymur Karimov, Arshad Ibrahimov, Ibrahim Humbatov, Alasgar Mammadli, Mushfig Jabbar, Akif Gubanov, Ruslan Izzatli, Ramil Babayev Ali Zeynalov, Afiaddin Mammadov and Bakhtiyar Hajiyev. 

    

  The threat of reprisals after COP29: 

   Amnesty is concerned that critics seeking to voice their dissent in the run-up to or during COP29 face the risk of severe reprisals. It will continue monitoring the Azerbaijani authorities’ policing of protests, their treatment of environmental activists and human rights defenders, and any reprisals against them before, during, and after COP29. 

  Concerns for the safety of participants are heightened by the lack of human rights protections and transparency around previous Host Country Agreements (HCAs). The COP29 HCA should include such protections and be made public swiftly after signing. 

    

  COP crackdown   

  The Azerbaijani authorities have faced international criticism for their alleged torture and other ill-treatment of some government critics. In some cases, individuals suffering from worsening health in prison are denied access to adequate health care. In addition, relatives and family members of government critics have also been targeted, either by smear campaigns or by the freezing of their assets through financial sanctions. 

  Azerbaijan has also adopted restrictive laws that excessively regulate the work of media and NGOs in recent years, while peaceful protests have been severely restricted for over a decade. 

   Azerbaijan: The Human Rights Situation in Azerbaijan ahead of COP29 (Research, 11 July 2024) https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/eur55/8314/2024/en/ 

  Amnesty has documented how previous COP climate summits, including those in Poland, Spain, the United Kingdom, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates, have involved restrictions on the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. Amnesty has also recorded severe violations of these and other rights in Azerbaijan, raising concerns about the safety and security of participants at this year’s COP. 

  sarah.dickinson 07 Oct 2024, 3:10pm
• Fri, 04 Oct 2024 19:17:03 +0000: UK: Covert surveillance of Belfast journalists case concludes in London  - Press Releases | Amnesty International UK
  UK: Covert surveillance of Belfast journalists case concludes in London 

  Judgment expected before end of year from court investigating claims Northern Ireland journalists were secretly monitored by UK authorities  

  Police Service of Northern Ireland and Metropolitan Police admit they broke the law when they secretly accessed journalist’s phone data  

  Case tests legal safeguards for all UK journalists against unwarranted surveillance and right to protect sources  

  ‘The police rode roughshod over the human rights protections which are supposed to safeguard journalists’ – Patrick Corrigan, Amnesty International  

  The Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT) has concluded its hearing investigating a complaint by two Belfast journalists, Trevor Birney and Barry McCaffrey, who asked it to find out whether police used unlawful intrusive surveillance powers against them. The four-day hearing took place at the Royal Courts of Justice in London. Judgment is expected before the end of the year.

  Amnesty International attended the hearing and is working to ensure full disclosure of the extent of spying on journalists, lawyers and others by the police.

  Patrick Corrigan, Northern Ireland Director of Amnesty International, said:

  “The evidence laid before the Investigatory Powers Tribunal this week makes clear that the police rode roughshod over the human rights protections which are supposed to safeguard journalists.

  “Instead of respecting the important role of the media in a free and democratic society, the police have treated journalists and their lawyers as criminal suspects.

  “It has now been admitted by the Police Service of Northern Ireland and the Metropolitan Police that they broke the law when they secretly spied on journalist Barry McCaffrey in 2013.

  “We now need answers to wider questions about the full extent of police use and misuse of secret surveillance powers against journalists, lawyers and others in Northern Ireland. And, crucially, we must see an end to these practices once and for all.”

  Patrick Corrigan 04 Oct 2024, 8:17pm
• Fri, 04 Oct 2024 12:26:00 +0000: Singapore: unlawful execution despite ongoing legal appeal raises fears of more to come - Press Releases | Amnesty International UK
  Singapore: unlawful execution despite ongoing legal appeal raises fears of more to come

  Responding to the news that the Singapore authorities executed a man for a drug-related offence today (4 October), Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for Research, Kate Schuetze, said:

  “Azwan bin Bohari’s execution was clearly unlawful under international law and standards. It is especially concerning that this hanging took place in spite of a pending legal application.

  “Executing people while they have ongoing appeals before the courts is a violation of international safeguards protecting the rights of people facing the death penalty. This execution calls into serious question the protections in the Singapore justice system to prevent the arbitrary deprivation of life.

   “With numerous others on death row, coupled with Singapore’s pursuit of executions even when there are appeals pending, there are grave fears that many more are at imminent risk of hanging. Most have been sentenced to death for drug-related offences in violation of restrictions limiting the death penalty’s use to ‘the most serious crimes’.

  “We urge the Singapore government to immediately end its unlawful resort to the death penalty and immediately establish a moratorium on executions as a first critical step towards abolition. The majority of the world’s countries have already abolished the death penalty in full and several governments in the Asia-Pacific region have taken steps in that direction. It is high time Singapore followed suit.” 

  Azwan bin Bohari

  Singapore national Azwan bin Bohari was executed on 4 October 2024 after being found guilty in 2019 of possession of 26.5 grams of diamorphine (heroin) for the purpose of trafficking.

  Azwan’s execution was previously stayed in April due to ongoing legal proceedings. His execution went ahead despite his legal application, which he is party to together with 30 others, remaining pending before the Supreme Court.

  Azwan was convicted of drug trafficking, one of numerous criminal offences that carry a death penalty in Singapore, despite raising concerns regarding the right to a fair trial. 

  Amnesty, alongside partner organisations in Singapore such as the Transnational Justice Collective, has previously documented the many ways in which the country’s ongoing use of the death penalty violates international law and standards. Amnesty opposes the death penalty unconditionally, in all cases and under any circumstances.

  ella.berny 04 Oct 2024, 1:26pm
  

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  Singapore: unlawful execution despite ongoing legal appeal raises fears of more to come
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• Thu, 03 Oct 2024 11:07:59 +0000: UK: Response to annual statutory homelessness figures - Press Releases | Amnesty International UK
  UK: Response to annual statutory homelessness figures

   

  Responding to the latest Government statistics on homelessness, Jen Clark, Economic and Social Rights Lead at Amnesty International UK, said: 

   

  “The latest statistics show that 178,560 households experienced homelessness across 2023-2024, which is an alarming annual increase of 12.3% and a fifth of households who are homeless with children have been trapped in temporary accommodation for five years or more. 

  “The Government must move beyond blaming inherited policies and relying on their repeated promise of new housing as a magic future solution to this crisis. 

  “The homelessness emergency is already upon us. Urgent action is needed to protect human rights as people will be facing a life-or-death situation this winter without safe and secure housing.  

  “The Government must rapidly implement a crisis action plan, including addressing the appalling quality of emergency and temporary accommodation, lack of secure funding for services, inadequate hostel systems and barriers to access adequate healthcare.  We can no longer tolerate the fact that children's health is perilously affected because of inertia in political decision making. 

  Housing and homelessness dominated the Labour Party conference conversations but there were glaring omissions regarding what will be done to help those people most at risk.  

  “Moves to increase renters' rights, housing supply or affordability are welcome but with winter on the horizon the Government cannot afford to wait for new buildings or strategy planning processes to be completed to protect people who are homeless now.  

  “Behind each number is a human being in real crisis and policymakers are failing to fulfil their obligations to protect human rights under international law. 

  We need urgent and immediate action to address the homelessness crisis holistically and make home a protected right by law”. 

  sarah.dickinson 03 Oct 2024, 12:07pm

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