Topic: Amnesty International

All Content

J. K. Rowling: 10 quotes on her birthday

Here are quotes from "Harry Potter" author J. K. Rowling on her birthday.
Focus Mongolia strikes it rich, but at what cost?

Vast mineral deposits are bringing wealth to this country of 3 million. Now Mongolia is in a race to stem the threat of corruption.
Inside Sudan's prisons: Sudanese protesters speak out

Sudan's National Intelligence Security Service, blamed for the arrests and detention of some 2,000 protesters in the past month, are using torture, activists say.
More prison for feminist punk rockers riles liberal Russians

A Russian court refused to grant bail on Monday to three alleged members of the controversial feminist rock band Pussy Riot for alleged hooliganism.
The Monitor's View The Internet needs its own ‘declaration of independence’

A new ‘Declaration of Internet Freedom’ should spark a much-needed discussion about online rights and privacy.
Rio+20 earth summit: Why Hillary Clinton won applause for statement on women

The UN's Rio+20 earth summit set only modest goals, but sparked controversy over the Vatican's successful effort to remove reference to 'reproductive rights' from the final document. Hillary Clinton vowed the US would ensure 'those rights are respected.'
What Europe can learn from Aung San Suu Kyi's visit

During the next 16 days, Burmese Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi is visiting Norway, Ireland, Britain, and France, where some say she is an example of turning weakness into strength.
Dalai Lama's envoys to China resign in frustration

Two high-profile resignations and an increasing number of self-immolations within the Tibetan community highlight a desperate effort to attract attention to the Chinese government's crackdown in Tibet.
Taylor's 50-year sentence draws mixed reactions in Liberia (+video)

Human rights groups welcomed the sentence for Liberia's former president Charles Taylor for his role in Sierra Leone civil war. Some Liberians argued he didn't get fair treatment.
Change Agent Inshah Malik is trying to rebuild Kashmir with a different weapon – her pen

Young writer Inshah Malik tells the stories of Kashmiri women and the often brutal effects on them from decades of conflict.
In China, public outcry softens sentence for Wu Ying

China's Twitter users went wild Tuesday after a court overturned the most controversial death sentence here in recent memory.
At NATO summit on Afghanistan, few women's voices heard

Afghan women and international rights advocates are growing increasingly concerned that a decade-long focus on expanding Afghan women’s rights will go when US and NATO forces leave.
Chen Guangcheng comes to the US, but what about other dissidents?

Chen Guangcheng’s flight to New York Saturday marks a major step in difficult and delicate negotiations between Beijing and Washington. But it also spotlights the difficulty other activists face under a government regime and a system of local authority many view as repressive.
Keep Calm West African group mulls intervention in Mali

ECOWAS, a West African regional group, reimposes sanctions and considers military intervention after Mali's coup leaders renege on promise to cede power to civilian rulers.
North Korean women sold into 'slavery' in China

Like the thousands of women who fled North Korea before her, Kim Eun-sun made it into China and paid a woman to help her, only to discover she'd traded one form of captivity for another.
Will Charles Taylor ever face justice for crimes in Liberia?

A week after a Special Tribunal for war crimes in Liberia found Liberian President Charles Taylor guilty for aiding war crimes in Sierra Leone, Liberians ask if he will face justice at home.
Clinton arrives in Beijing, but blind lawyer's case casts shadow

Human rights lawyer Chen Guangcheng escaped from house arrest and is presently being sheltered in the US embassy; his status is sure to impact Secretary Clinton's arrival for high-level talks.
Backchannels Adel Imam, Egypt's favorite funnyman, dodges a bullet

Adel Imam, arguably Egypt and the Arab world's most famous comedic actor, had his conviction for 'insulting Islam' overturned today. But another was upheld earlier this week.
Detentions display UN's impotence in Ethiopia

Ethiopia's government has held one United Nations employee in jail without charges for well over a year, while another is facing prosecution under a notorious anti-terrorism law.
Tunisia debate turns personal: 'Pray more and turn down that Metallica'

Tensions between Tunisia's secularists and newly empowered Islamists are playing between brothers and sisters, mothers and daughters, as the country drafts a new constitution.
Breivik wants freedom or death in Norway massacre

The accused killer said that the maximum of 21 years he could face in prison is "pathetic."
Child brides: Will Saudi Arabia set age limit for marriage?

Saudi Arabia Justice Ministry is considering setting a minimum age for marriage. In 2009, Saudi courts refused to nullify the marriage of an 8-year old girl to a 58- year old man.
Escape from Camp 14

This true story of life in a North Korean prison camp may be the most disturbing book that you will ever read.
Why Syria's Assad could hang on for a decade or more (+video)

Despite defiant talk from fighters vowing to oust him, Syria's Assad is in a much stronger position than was Libya's Qaddafi.
Backchannels Ominous signs in Homs amid reports that Syrian tanks are rolling in

Following yesterday's reports of the Syrian government's massacre of civilians seeking to flee the assault on Homs, a large armored column appears to be closing on the city.