Amnesty International Belgium held a fantastic public event in front of the European Parliament in Brussels on June 26.

Activists lobbied with European parliamentarians to pressure governments on the issue of rendition, with over ten parliamentarians in attendance- one from every party, representing various states. Also present at the event were several media outlets reporting from Al Jazeera, Associated Press and Reuters to name a few.

The notable parliamentarians - Edward McMillan-Scott (UK) and Luisa Morgantini (Italy), Vice-Presidents of the European Parliament were also in attendance with Helene Flautre, Chairwoman of DROI, Subcommittee of Human Rights, European Parliament who spoke at the event.

Watch a slideshow on the website of the Italian newspaper La Reppublica

View additional pictures of this event and more actions to mark International Day of Victims of Torture

Visit the Amnesty International Belgium website

Amnesty International continues to campaign for Binyam Mohamed, an Ethiopian national, and a former resident of the United Kingdom. Binyam has been detained at Guantanamo Bay since September 2004, and before that was held at various secret US detention sites since his capture in April 2002.

Binyam was formally charged for trial by military commission in 2008, and due to his fragile mental and physical health, Amnesty International UK is urging members and supporters to write to Foreign Secretary David Miliband to get Binyam Mohamed moved out to a less harsher environment.

Also click here to ‘Digg’ Binyam out of danger, and spread the word on this urgent action.

The Amnesty International cell tour replica made its way to Washington DC on June 25, and will stay across the street from the Washington Monument till June 30.

The cell tour is an interactive approach aimed at highlighting the harsh realities of illegal detention across the United States of America, and allows visitors to experience a taste of what its like at Guantanamo Bay.

On the eve of the International Day of Victims of Torture, Amnesty International hosted a special visual message and a free sunset concert!

Watch more pictures of this and other actions to mark International Day of Victims of Torture

Visit Amnesty International USA’s website to learn about about the celltour
Visit the cell tour video vlog

Activists in Sydney, Australia, organized an action to demand that governments reaffirm that torture is never acceptable.

Watch more pictures of this and other actions to mark International Day of Victims of Torture

Visit the website of Amnesty International in Australia

Amnesty International New Zealand marked International Day in Support of Victims of Torture on June 26 by seeking signatures on orange jump-suited petitioners in central Auckland today. The walking petition started at noon from the corner of Karangahape Road and Queen Street and continued down Queen St and throughout the CBD until 2pm.

The orange jumpsuit has become synonymous with Guantnamo Bay and the torture inflicted upon detainees there. This is why Amnesty International was urging Aucklanders to sign the jumpsuits in support of closing Guantanamo, and for a fair trial, or release of Canadian detainee Omar Khadr. (more…)

Amnesty International report “In the name of security - Routine abuses in Tunisia” was internationally launched in Paris on June 23rd.

The report details Amnesty International’s concerns regarding serious human rights violations being committed in connection with the government’s security and counter-terrorism policies. In their efforts to prevent the formation of what they call “terrorist cells” inside Tunisia, the authorities have been responsible for arbitrary arrests and detentions which breach Tunisian law, and have forcibly disappeared detainees, used torture and other ill-treatment and tried, convicted and sentenced people using unfair proceedings. In addition, they have tried civilians before military courts and produced little evidence to substantiate the charges.

Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui - Deputy Director Middle East and North Africa Programme - and Said Haddadi - Researcher - represented Amnesty’s International secretariat.

Denys Robiliard - former President of Amnesty International France - also presented Amnesty’s concerns, linked to his trial observations in Tunisia.

Anouar Kousri and Samir Dilou - lawyers and Human Rights Defenders from Tunisia - shared their testimonies and brought perspective from tunisian civil society.

On 10 June 2008, the Daily Show featured Amnesty International on TV. John Oliver visited the replica cell in Philadelphia and spoke to Larry Cox, the director of Amnesty International in the USA.

Footage includes a comedic renovation of the Guantánamo replica cell now travelling to various locations across the USA.

Since it’s official release on 22 April 2008, The Stuff of life film has been showcased on some 50 UK theatre screens, and has been viewed on YouTube over 1 million times.

Produced by Amnesty International UK, this 90 second video exposes the horrors of the interrogation technique known as “waterboarding”. This technique was used by the CIA and authorised by US President, George W. Bush.

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On May 8, 2008 AI Northern Ireland celebrated the book launch of Murat Kurnaz’s best-seller Five years of my life: A report from Guantánamo at the Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival in Belfast at a sold-out Black Box.

Murat Kuraz is a Turkish national who was born in Germany in 1982. His prolonged detention in Guantánamo had been complicated by his status – lacking German citizenship, the German authorities had refused his return to Germany. The Turkish authorities had shown little interest in his case. It was only after intense lobbying from his family, lawyers and AI members around the world, including in his home town of Bremen, that the German authorities began to act on his behalf, finally paving the way for his return.

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