Benutzerspezifische Werkzeuge
Amnesty Urgent Actions
Startseite Urgent Actions 2018 02


Health fears for detained Hong Kong bookseller
Gui Minhai was on a train headed to Beijing with two Swedish diplomats to seek formal diagnosis for a neurological condition when he was suddenly seized by approximately ten plainclothes officers. His current whereabouts are unknown, further increasing the risk of torture and other ill-treatment and concerns for his health.
Bombing near indigenous territory in Chocó
While carrying out operations against the National Liberation Army (ELN), the Colombian Security Forces bombed near the Wounaan Indigenous reservation of Chagpien Tordó, in the municipality of Litoral de San Juán in Chocó, injuring a minor. Nearby communities are currently forcibly displaced as fear of new operations threaten the population.
Two men sentenced to death
Two men were sentenced to death in Belarus on 20 January after their sentences of life imprisonment were quashed on appeal. They are the first two people to be sentenced to death in 2018, bringing the total number of people on death row in Belarus, according to the Belarusian authorities, to seven.
Arbitrary arrests following state of emergency
Five people have been arrested since the Government of Maldives declared a State of Emergency on 5 February 2018, following a recent Supreme Court decision to release and re-try imprisoned opposition leaders. This appears to be an act of repression by the government to silence political opposition.
Diagnosed with cancer, execution scheduled
Doyle Hamm, due to be executed in Alabama on 22 February after 30 years on death row, has received a stay of execution, but the state has appealed. He has been diagnosed with lymphatic cancer. The state of his veins may render his lethal injection unconstitutional.
Azeri activist conscripted despite ill-health
Azeri activist Ulvi Hasanli has been conscripted for military service, despite being in ill-health, and sent to the zone of the unresolved conflict around Nagorno-Karabakh. Following a medical examination in September 2017, he was exempted from military service until 2019 on grounds of ill-health; an ultrasound showed he had inflamed kidney and kidney stones. However late in October the decision was reversed and he was detained and taken to a military base to begin his military service. Amnesty International believes he is being targeted because of his peaceful activism.
Palestinian prisoner of conscience on trial
Palestinian human rights defender Munther Amira is facing trial before an Israeli military court for peacefully participating in protests. He is facing a prison sentence for exercising his rights to freedom of expression and of assembly. His trial is due to start on 21 February.
21-year old man arrested at 16 at risk of execution
A 21-year old Iranian man Abolfazl Naderi is at risk of execution in Arak’s prison, Markazi province. Abolfazl Naderi was 16 years old at the time of his arrest and was sentenced to death after a grossly unfair trial, based on «confessions» which he claims were made under torture.
Prisoner of conscience needs urgent treatment
Ethiopian prisoner of conscience Bekele Gerba has been denied access to specialised medical treatment that he urgently needs. He has high blood pressure which is affecting his sight, leaving his left eye operating at 25% capacity. He was sentenced to a year in prison after being held in contempt of court twice.
Activist immediately jailed after forcible return
Sam Sokha, a UNHCR recognised refugee, was arrested and detained by Cambodian authorities when forcibly returned from Thailand on 8 February. She had been convicted in absentia of «incitement» for her peaceful political activism and sentenced to over two years imprisonment plus a fine. Amnesty International considers her a prisoner of conscience.
Members of NGO wrongly accused, facing trial
Emmanuel Nshimirimana, Aimé Constant Gatore and Marius Nizigiyimana are on trial for «threatening state security» and using fake documents. A verdict is expected on 26 February. They are members of the Burundian non-governmental organization Words and Actions for the Awakening of Consciences and the Evolution of Mentalities (PARCEM). Amnesty International considers them to be prisoners of conscience.
Human rights defender’s trial starts
Burundian human rights defender, Germain Rukuki, is being prosecuted for «threatening state security» and «rebellion» on account of his human rights work. Amnesty International considers him to be a prisoner of conscience.
Criminalization of peaceful protesters
Peaceful protesters in Thailand are at risk of arrest and up to eight years’ imprisonment as authorities seek to silence calls for authorities not to delay promised elections.
Father appeals for son’s life to be spared
Thomas Whitaker, aged 38, is due to be executed in Texas on 22 February . He was convicted in 2007 of the murder of his mother and brother in a shooting in which his father was badly wounded but survived. The father is appealing for clemency for his son.
Hundreds arrested, whereabouts unknown
At least 140 opposition party members, human rights defenders, students and women rights activists were arrested and detained by the Sudanese National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) between 6 January and 10 February. This is in connection with sporadic protests around Sudan over the rise in the cost of food and medicines. Their whereabouts are unknown.
Pro-democracy activists arbitrarily detained
Pro-democracy activists Rachel Pilipili, Francois Kahombo Hangi, Justin Mutabesha, Benjamin Kamuntu and Parfait Muhani have been in arbitrary detention since 21 January. They have alleged that they were beaten in the first five days of their detention by security officers. The five were arrested during a peaceful demonstration in Goma.
Oromo civilians killed, wounded by the military
At least 22 members of the Ethiopian Oromo community have been killed or wounded by military officers in two separate incidents.
Activist in prison for «crimes against state security»
Environmental activist Heri Budiawan, known as Budi Pego, was sentenced to 10 months in prison on 24 January 2018 for «crimes against state security». The first conviction under a provision which criminalises spreading communist ideology since the downfall of Soeharto in 1998, it sets a dangerous precedent for other activists. Heri Budiawan is a prisoner of conscience and must be immediately and unconditionally released.
12 assumed transgender people publicly tortured
Individuals assumed to be transgender women by the North Aceh Police Force were arbitrary arrested, humiliated and tortured on 27 January. Although released without charge the next day, the individuals remain deeply traumatized, with some having lost their jobs and others being forced to flee due to concerns for their safety.
Man at risk of torture if extradited to Russia
Aslan Yandiev was detained by the Slovakian authorities on 20 January 2011, shortly before the Prosecutor General’s office of the Russian Federation submitted a request for his extradition. He is now at risk of imminent extradition to Russia following the Minister of Justice’s decision on 7 February to authorise it. If extradited to Russia, Aslan Yandiev would be at risk of torture and other ill-treatment.
Kashmiri photojournalist faces life in prison
Kamran Yousuf has been charged with several criminal offences including «waging war against the government of India». The charges are based on the allegation that he only covered violent protests in Kashmir rather than other «developmental activities». In pre-trial detention for over five months, he faces life imprisonment if convicted.
Detained Chadian youth activist alleges torture
Alain Didah Kemba, spokesperson of the Chadian youth movement IYINA, was arrested on 19 February for allegedly attempting to burn a tire on the street. He is being detained at the Police Headquarters without charge. Alain has reported that he was beaten on his legs and the soles of his feet during an interrogation and his lawyer says he can barely stand on his feet as a result.
Oppose detainee transfers to Guantánamo
The US authorities are preparing for possible detainee transfers to the US naval base at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. President Trump has ordered the Secretary of Defense to make policy recommendations by 30 April. The last detainee transfer to the base was in 2008.
Young human rights defenders at risk of torture
Young Iranian human rights defenders Shima Babaee, who is campaigning against compulsory veiling, and her husband Dariush Zand are at risk of torture and other ill-treatment. Both have been detained in Tehran’s Evin prison, without access to family and lawyer following their arrest by the Ministry of Intelligence on 1 February in connection with their peaceful human rights work. They are prisoners of conscience.