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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After having launched the mini site Terrorairlines, Amnesty International France produced t-shirts to support activists actions on renditions.

The design imitates barbed wire with planes and goes with the catch up phrase “Air Torture - Taking you to places you never dreamt of” on the front and “Stop illegal transferts for a torture free sky” on the back.

More information through Amnesty France e-shop (text in French) here

Amnesty International France used the release in France of the movie “Renditions” (by Gavin Hood) to do the promotion of Amnesty’s declaration to end illegal detention.

AI France organised a premiere in Paris, in a movie theatre located on Les Champs Elysées in early January, a debate took place after the movie.

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En partenariat avec huit ONGs de defense des Droits Humaines au Maroc, la section marocaine a organise un sit-in le vendredi 11 janvier 08 de 17h a 17h30 devant le siege des Nations Unies a Rabat.

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