On 15 May 2018, a number of prominent Saudi women’s human rights activists were arrested. They had been peacefully advocating for years for the right of women in the kingdom to drive, as well as broader reforms related to the repressive male guardianship system
A woman who has three children and whose family was displaced twice in the past eight months told Amnesty International: “My daughter, who’s in first grade, is always afraid… She asked me [after we were displaced]: Why doesn’t God kill us?… Nowhere is safe for us.’”
According to a communique released by the Amnesty International, all individuals detained solely for peacefully expressing their views are prisoners of conscience and must be immediately and unconditionally released. Such actions by the authorities during a pandemic puts these individuals at an increased risk. The Palestinian authorities must fulfil Palestine’s obligations under intentional law and ensure that international human rights law and standards are at the centre of all responses to COVID-19
The organisation confirms that at least one prisoner has tested positive for the virus at the “Kondengui” central prison in Yaoundé and has been taken to a health facility outside the prison. While authorities have not confirmed or denied the presence of the virus in detention facilities, Amnesty International received information stating the number of current and former detainees tested positive could be much
According to the authorities in Bole District, the demolitions, which started mid-February, were targeting illegal structures in the area. Victims, however, told Amnesty International they had built their homes on land they bought from farmers in 2007. The authorities however do not recognize this purchase and insist the families are squatters because they did not purchase the land from the Addis Ababa municipality.
According to a communique released by the International human rights organization on 27 April, the case has been adjourned until 4 May at which time a new schedule will be agreed. The judge signaled that November 2020 may be the first date where a large enough block of time can be secured to continue the proceedings
Amnesty’s figures do not include China, where the number of executions, believed to be in the thousands, remains classified. Other major executing countries, including Iran, North Korea and Viet Nam, continued to hide the full extent of their use of the death penalty by restricting access to death penalty information
The organization is calling on governments to urgently put in place social protection measures to uphold the right to food. The measures to address food insecurity could include food subsidies for those living in poverty, and directly providing food to those who are unable to provide for themselves
Afghanistan faces particular challenges in dealing with the COVID-19 outbreak given the continuing conflict in the country, poor health infrastructure with just 300 ventilators, a shortage of doctors and other trained health workers, and a lack of testing facilities
In recent days, thousands of prisoners in at least eight prisons around the country have staged protests over fears of contracting the coronavirus, sparking deadly responses from prison officers and security forces