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NEW DELHI, INDIA - MARCH 28: Indians travel on a horse drawn vehicle on a deserted road as a nationwide lockdown continues in an attempt to stop the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) on March 28, 2020 in New Delhi, India. India is under a 21-day lockdown to fight the spread of the virus while security personnel on the roads are enforcing the restrictions in many cases by using force, the workers of country's unorganized sector are bearing the brunt of the curfew-like situation. The lockdown has already disproportionately hurt marginalized communities due to loss of livelihood and lack of food, shelter, health, and other basic needs. The lockdown has left tens of thousands of out-of-work migrant workers stranded, with rail and bus services shut down. According to international labour organisations 90 percent of India's workforce is employed in the informal sector and most do not have access to pensions, sick leave, paid leave or any kind of insurance. The closing of state borders has caused disruption in the supply of essential goods, leading to inflation and fear of shortages. Reports on Thursday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government is preparing a massive bailout for the underprivileged sections of the country and will hand over the aid through direct cash transfers. (Photo by Yawar Nazir/Getty Images)

Press Release

Battle Against COVID-19 in India Must Not Leave Behind the Poor and Marginalized

The three-week nation-wide lockdown to battle the COVID-19 pandemic in India have left millions of migrant workers stranded and the…

March 28, 2020

Bangladeshi volunteer sprays disinfectant inside vehicles on the street during a government-imposed lockdown as a preventive measure against the COVID-19 coronavirus in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on March 28, 2020. (Photo by Mamunur Rashid/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Press Release

As COVID-19 spreads in South Asia, fears rise for people at higher risk

As cases of COVID-19 escalate in South Asia, one of the world’s poorest and most populous regions, Amnesty International calls…

March 26, 2020

man wears a face mask, walks past a closed shops in India — KASHMIR, INDIA - MARCH 19, 2020 : A man wears a face mask, walks past a closed shops during restrictions imposed by the authorities following the first positive case of the coronavirus in Srinagar, Kashmir. - PHOTOGRAPH BY Saqib Bhat / Barcroft Studios / Future Publishing (Photo credit should read Saqib Bhat/Barcroft Media via Getty Images)

Press Release

India: Mitigate Risks Of COVID-19 for the People of Jammu and Kashmir by Immediately Restoring Full Access to Internet Services

In wake of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the Government of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir must restore full…

March 19, 2020

Demonstrators form a human chain to protest against India's new citizenship law, in Kolkata on February 25, 2020, following clashes over the new citizenship law in New Delhi. - Ten people were killed and more than 130 injured in some of the worst sectarian violence in India's capital in years, as rioters went on the rampage in several parts of the city, setting fire to buildings and vehicles and attacking journalists. Protests against a contentious citizenship law descended on February 25 into running battles between Hindus and Muslims in New Delhi's northeast, with rioters armed with stones, swords and even guns going on the rampage. (Photo by Dibyangshu SARKAR / AFP) (Photo by DIBYANGSHU SARKAR/AFP via Getty Images)

Press Release

Violence Fueled By Hate Speeches Needs Immediate Action By The Indian Government

Political leaders in India who are fuelling hatred and creating a violent environment by making hate speeches must be immediately…

February 25, 2020

Press Release

MODI-TRUMP MEETING HIGHLIGHTS ANTI-MUSLIM SENTIMENT IN BOTH GOVERNMENTS’ POLICIES

As U.S. President Donald Trump meets Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, Amnesty International India and Amnesty International USA issued…

February 24, 2020

KOLKATA, WEST BENGAL, INDIA - 2020/01/21: Muslim women hold poster and shout slogan during a rally to protest against Citizenship Amendment Act or CAA 2019. (Photo by Ved Prakash/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)

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New Study Shows Shocking Scale of Abuse on Twitter Against Women Politicians in India

Women politicians in India face a shocking scale of abuse on Twitter, reveals data from a new study titled “Troll…

January 23, 2020

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Generation Z Ranks Climate Change Highest as Vital Issue of our Time in Amnesty International Survey

Climate change leads as one of the most important issues facing the world, according to a major new survey of…

December 9, 2019

Press Release

Statement From Amnesty International India on Government Raids

Over the past year, a pattern of harassment has emerged every time Amnesty International India stands up and speaks out…

November 15, 2019

HAMBURG, GERMANY - MARCH 01: Teenage Swedish activist Greta Thunberg demonstrates with high school students against global warming at a Fridays for Future demonstration on March 01, 2019 in Hamburg, Germany. Fridays for Future is an international movement of students who, instead of attending their classes, take part in demonstrations demanding for action against climate change. The series of demonstrations began when Thunberg staged such a protest outside the Swedish parliament building. (Photo by Adam Berry/Getty Images)

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Climate activists Greta Thunberg and the Fridays for Future movement honored with top Amnesty International award

Climate change activist Greta Thunberg and the Fridays for Future movement of school-children have been honored with Amnesty International’s Ambassador…

June 7, 2019

Press Release

Amnesty and Sofar Sounds partner for Write for Rights concert and letter writing event

On Saturday, December 8, human rights organization Amnesty International USA in partnership with live music events startup Sofar Sounds will…

November 30, 2018

Nawal Benaissa, 36 yeards-old, is a mother of 4 who joined Hirak early on and became one of its main female leading voices. She took part to several protests with her husband and children and has been very active on social media. Her Facebook profile gained more than 80 000 followers, before authorities asked her to shut down during one of her detention in custody. She was arrested and held in custody for few hours four times between June and September 2017. This last time she was sued and on mid-February 2018, she was sentenced to 10 months suspended sentence and a fine of 500 hundred dirhams for inciting to commit an offence (by speech, cries or threats made in the places where public meetings, either through posters exposed to the public or by any means fulfilling the condition, advertising, including electronically, on paper and by audio-visual channel, if the provocation has not been followed by effect. Article 299 of the penal code). Her lawyer has appealed the sentence, the Court of Appeal has yet to rule. Benaissa responded to the court's decision on her Facebook page by expressing her continued support for the Rif protests. "I am proud to take part in the protests in the region and I denounce the imprisonment of Hirak activists. I demand their immediate release," she wrote. Few weeks ago, she moved from the northern city of Al Hoceima to another Moroccan city in order to flee harassment from authorities.

Press Release

Amnesty International launches world’s biggest human rights campaign

Women human rights defenders around the world are facing unprecedented levels of abuse, intimidation and violence, said Amnesty International as…

November 28, 2018

Press Release

Amnesty India latest target of government crackdown

Amnesty India is the latest target of the Modi government’s assault on civil society. On Thursday, the Enforcement Directorate, an agency that…

October 26, 2018