Amnesty International may be best known to American audiences for bringing to light horror stories abroad such as the disappearance of political activists in Argentina or the abysmal conditions inside South African prisons under apartheid. But in a new report on pregnancy and childbirth care in the U.S., Amnesty details the maternal-health care crisis in this country as part of a systemic violation of women’s rights.
Tag Archives: amnesty
A Compromise Plan on Immigration
With the Senate headed toward a final vote on an immigration bill this week, a leader of House conservatives is asking his colleagues to support a free-market plan aimed at bridging the gulf between the versions in the two chambers. The proposal by Rep.
Morocco’s Revolutionaries: The Crazy Kids Have Grown Up
“What if we offered a prayer for the soul of bin Laden?” The question was tossed into the meeting of the February 20 Movement like a hand grenade.
Syria’s Machinery of Repression: Can Fear Be Overcome?
To the untrained ear, Syrian President Bashar Assad’s Tuesday offer of amnesty for “all members of political movements” may sound resoundingly generous. But his opponents know that anything sugarcoated offered by the Syrian regime has had a violent and bitter follow-through.
Amnesty calls on Nigeria to arrest Sudanese president
The human rights group Amnesty International is calling on Nigeria to arrest Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir if he attends an African Union Summit there on Thursday.
Taser makers say don’t aim at chest
The maker of Taser stun guns has advised law enforcement agencies to avoid hitting suspects in the chest, partly “to minimize controversy.” “Taser has long stood by the fact that our technology is not risk free and is often used during violent and dangerous confrontations,” Taser International spokesman Steve Tuttle said in a memo referring to an October 12 training bulletin. “The issuing of a preferred target zone is a prime example of training advice based on best practices and field results to minimize controversy, increase effectiveness and provide enhanced risk management,” he said.
Rights groups calls on Iran to probe detainee abuse allegations
Iran is spending more time investigating the victims of torture and rape behind bars than investigating those who committed such abuses, a human rights group claimed Thursday. Amnesty International has been monitoring reports about the treatment of detainees arrested in the bloody fallout over the Islamic republic’s disputed June 12 presidential election.
Trial begins for woman facing flogging for wearing pants
The trial of a woman who wore clothing that Sudan deemed indecent got under way Monday. Throngs of people waited outside the courthouse in the Khartoum as Lubna al-Hussein made her way in
Nigeria hails rebel amnesty amid ‘charade’ claim
The crowd of young men gathered around as police officers unloaded a small arsenal from the bed of a truck: buckets of bullets, boxes and boxes of machine guns and rocket launchers. The scene played out to cheers over the weekend as 1,000 militants and their commanders in the oil-rich Niger Delta region laid down their arms in exchange for a government amnesty program that promises them a pardon and a job. The program has been in place since August 6.
Police brutality rampant in Honduras, amnesty report says
In the seven weeks since the military-backed bloodless coup in Honduras, several hundred people protesting against the de facto government have been arbitrarily arrested and beaten by government forces, a new Amnesty International report says. The report, released Wednesday, said the beatings were meant to punish those who opposed the ouster of President Manuel Zelaya in June. It includes testimony from, and photographs of, several people who were baton-whipped and detained by police officers who sometimes wore no visible identification and hid their faces behind bandanas as they broke up demonstrations.