Amnesty International today urged US President-elect Barack Obama to show true leadership by making human rights central to his new administration. The organisation is calling on the new government to take concrete steps in its first 100 days which would show genuine commitment to bring the USA into line with its international obligations. 

05/11/2008 – In view of the EU-Yemen Troika meeting that will take place on 29 October, Amnesty International would like to draw your attention to the human rights situation in Yemen, in particular regarding discrimination against women and against members of the Baha’i community, and use of death penalty. We urge you to raise these concerns during the meeting with your Yemeni counterparts.

05/11/2008 – In view of the upcoming EU-Tunisia Association Council on 11 November, Amnesty International would like to bring to your attention the following key human rights concerns in Tunisia, and we hope you will take the opportunity to raise them with your Tunisian counterparts.

The awarding of the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought is a significant acknowledgement of the work of Hu Jia, said Amnesty International as the prize was announced  by the European Parliament.

(Brussels, 23 October) Given the rare opportunity to sit down with representatives of Myanmar’s military junta, Amnesty International strongly urges the French EU Presidency to use the occasion presented by the ASEM summit taking place in Beijing, to raise concerns about the severe human rights situation in the country. In a letter to the French Presidency (available here) Amnesty International said that along with other human rights concerns in the region, the EU should address the violations in Myanmar where around 2,100 political prisoners are currently being detained. In accordance with the EU’s guidelines on human rights defenders, the French Presidency should take advantage of this opportunity to inquire about the prisoners, many of whom are at risk of torture.

17/10/2008 – Ahead of the ASEM summit on 24th October, in Beijing, Amnesty International calls on the EU Presidency to show leadership within ASEM in calling for an end to human rights violations in Myanmar. Letter to Mr. Kouchner, Foreign Minister of the Republic of France

(Brussels, 10 October) As EU Foreign Ministers prepare to review relations with Uzbekistan, Amnesty International urged them to pursue a clear, consistent and assertive human rights policy. The mass killings of Andizhan of May 2005, in particular, remain a core unresolved issue that the EU cannot ignore at next week’s General Affairs and External Relations Council. (Click here to access the post seminar joint statement.

Poverty eradication is a major human rights challenge of the 21st Century. A decent standard of living, adequate nutrition, health care, education decent work and protection against calamities, are not just development goals – they are also human rights – UN Human Development Report 2000

07/10/2008 – A review of EU development policies launched today in Brussels finds that core EU development policies, including the European Consensus on Development, fail to coherently reflect the applicable international human rights framework and other core legal principles required of human rights based development, as outlined in 2003 in the UN Common Understanding regarding human rights based approaches (HRBA).