Latest news with #Amnesty
Straits Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
Human rights groups challenge Hungary's anti-Pride law in court
BUDAPEST - Five human rights groups including Amnesty International challenged in court Hungary's legislation that created a legal basis for police to ban Pride marches by the LGBTQ community, the groups said in a statement on Friday. Hungary's parliament, where the ruling Fidesz party has a big majority, passed legislation in March that creates a legal basis to ban LGBTQ marches and lets police use facial recognition cameras to identify people who attend. It also approved constitutional changes in April stipulating that Hungary recognises only two sexes, male and female. Activists say the measures amount to a de-facto ban on Pride marches. Prime Minister Viktor Orban - whose ruling party has a Christian conservative agenda - has said organisers "should not even bother" organising Pride in Budapest this year. Orban, who has been in power since 2010, faces elections in 2026 where a new opposition party is mounting a serious challenge to his rule. Five groups including Amnesty and leading LGBTQ rights groups Hatter Tarsasag and the group that organises Pride, said in their statement that the march planned for June 28 will go ahead in Budapest irrespective of the court ruling, which is expected next week. "Organisers are preparing for the biggest Pride march Hungary has ever had," their statement said. Government spokesman Zoltan Kovacs did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. The groups launched the legal challenge on Thursday after police banned a smaller march planned for June 1. They said when police banned the event, it cited the new legislation, which says assemblies that are considered harmful to children cannot be held, and that protecting children would supersede the right to assemble. "Police did not provide evidence on why the (June 1) march or the Pride march that is considered similar could amount to a violation of children's rights," the statement said. On Tuesday, seventeen European Union countries accused Hungary of contravening fundamental EU values by passing laws that target LGBTQ+ people, as tensions deepen between Budapest and a majority of member states. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Amnesty says over 10,000 killed in two years in north, central Nigeria
Amnesty says over 10,000 killed in two years in north, central Nigeria (Photo: AFP) The number of people killed in violence committed by jihadist groups and criminal gangs topped over 10,000 in two years in central and northern Nigeria, Amnesty International said Thursday. In a report, the global rights group blamed the government of President Bola Tinubu for failure to protect people in swathes of the country hit by raids by jihadists, and criminal gangs known as "bandits" who attack villages, killing and kidnapping residents. However, on Thursday Tinubu insisted that troops deployed in the flashpoints have succeeded in restoring order and tackling threats posed by the militant groups. Massacres also occur in central Nigeria's so-called Middle Belt where herders and farmers often clash over land access, with the attacks often taking on a religious or ethnic dimension. Amnesty's investigation showed that "in the two years since the current government has been in power, at least 10,217 people have been killed in attacks by gunmen". Benue state, which lies in the central region, suffered the heaviest death toll of 6,896, followed by Plateau state, where 2,630 people were killed, Amnesty said in a report released to coincide with Tinubu's first two years in office. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 2025 Top Trending local enterprise accounting software [Click Here] Esseps Learn More Undo Of the seven states Amnesty investigated, Borno, the epicentre of jihadist violence which has raged in northeast Nigeria since 2009, was not included. When Tinubu came to power two years ago, he vowed that dealing with insecurity was one of the main challenges for his government. "Instead, things have only gotten worse, as the authorities continue to fail to protect the rights to life, physical integrity, liberty and the security of tens of thousands of people across the country," said Isa Sanusi, director of Amnesty International Nigeria. Northern states that jihadists and other criminal groups have targeted for several years have seen an upsurge in attacks in recent months. Sanusi said the "recent escalation of attacks by Boko Haram and other armed groups shows that the security measures implemented by President Tinubu's government are simply not working". In his second year anniversary speech, Tinubu said Nigerian troops have "restored order, reducing and eliminating threats to lives and livelihoods" in violence-wracked regions". "With the successes achieved, farmers are back tilling the land to feed us. Highways hitherto dangerous for travellers have become safer," he added. His government is also facing simmering separatist tensions in the southeast.
The Sun
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Sun
Amnesty says over 10,000 killed in two years in north, central Nigeria
LAGOS: The number of people killed in violence committed by jihadist groups and criminal gangs topped over 10,000 in two years in central and northern Nigeria, Amnesty International said Thursday. In a report, the global rights group blamed the government of President Bola Tinubu for failure to protect people in swaths of the country hit by raids by jihadists, and criminal gangs known as 'bandits' who attack villages, killing and kidnapping residents. Massacres also occur in central Nigeria's so-called Middle Belt where herders and farmers often clash over land access, with the attacks often taking on a religious or ethnic dimension. Amnesty's investigation showed that 'in the two years since the current government has been in power, at least 10,217 people have been killed in attacks by gunmen'. Benue state, which lies in the central region, suffered the heaviest death toll of 6,896, followed by Plateau state, where 2,630 people were killed, Amnesty said in a report released to coincide with Tinubu's first two years in office. Of the seven states Amnesty investigated, Borno -- the epicentre of jihadist violence which has raged in northeast Nigeria since 2009 -- was not included. When Tinubu came to power two years ago, he vowed that dealing with insecurity was one of the main challenges for his government. 'Instead, things have only gotten worse, as the authorities continue to fail to protect the rights to life, physical integrity, liberty and the security of tens of thousands of people across the country,' said Isa Sanusi, director of Amnesty International Nigeria. Northern states that jihadists and other criminal groups have targeted for several years have seen an upsurge in attacks in recent months. Sanusi said the 'recent escalation of attacks by Boko Haram and other armed groups shows that the security measures implemented by President Tinubu's government are simply not working'. Amnesty estimates that the attacks in Benue and Plateau states have displaced hundreds of thousands of people. Tinubu two weeks ago said his 'administration is committed to addressing insecurity'. 'The security forces have fresh marching orders to deal decisively with all criminal activities,' he was quoted as saying in a statement from his office during talks with Christian clergy.
The Sun
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Sun
Amnesty says over 10,000 killed in two years in Nigeria
LAGOS: The number of people killed in violence committed by jihadist groups and criminal gangs topped over 10,000 in two years in central and northern Nigeria, Amnesty International said Thursday. In a report, the global rights group blamed the government of President Bola Tinubu for failure to protect people in swaths of the country hit by raids by jihadists, and criminal gangs known as 'bandits' who attack villages, killing and kidnapping residents. Massacres also occur in central Nigeria's so-called Middle Belt where herders and farmers often clash over land access, with the attacks often taking on a religious or ethnic dimension. Amnesty's investigation showed that 'in the two years since the current government has been in power, at least 10,217 people have been killed in attacks by gunmen'. Benue state, which lies in the central region, suffered the heaviest death toll of 6,896, followed by Plateau state, where 2,630 people were killed, Amnesty said in a report released to coincide with Tinubu's first two years in office. Of the seven states Amnesty investigated, Borno -- the epicentre of jihadist violence which has raged in northeast Nigeria since 2009 -- was not included. When Tinubu came to power two years ago, he vowed that dealing with insecurity was one of the main challenges for his government. 'Instead, things have only gotten worse, as the authorities continue to fail to protect the rights to life, physical integrity, liberty and the security of tens of thousands of people across the country,' said Isa Sanusi, director of Amnesty International Nigeria. Northern states that jihadists and other criminal groups have targeted for several years have seen an upsurge in attacks in recent months. Sanusi said the 'recent escalation of attacks by Boko Haram and other armed groups shows that the security measures implemented by President Tinubu's government are simply not working'. Amnesty estimates that the attacks in Benue and Plateau states have displaced hundreds of thousands of people. Tinubu two weeks ago said his 'administration is committed to addressing insecurity'. 'The security forces have fresh marching orders to deal decisively with all criminal activities,' he was quoted as saying in a statement from his office during talks with Christian clergy.
Al-Ahram Weekly
3 days ago
- Politics
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Over 10,000 killed in two years in north, central Nigeria: Amnesty - Africa
The number of people killed in violence committed by jihadist groups and criminal gangs topped over 10,000 in two years in central and northern Nigeria, Amnesty International said Thursday. In a report, the global rights group blamed the government of President Bola Tinubu for failure to protect people in swaths of the country hit by raids by jihadists, and criminal gangs known as "bandits" who attack villages, killing and kidnapping residents. Massacres also occur in central Nigeria's so-called Middle Belt where herders and farmers often clash over land access, with the attacks often taking on a religious or ethnic dimension. Amnesty's investigation showed that "in the two years since the current government has been in power, at least 10,217 people have been killed in attacks by gunmen". Benue state, which lies in the central region, suffered the heaviest death toll of 6,896, followed by Plateau state, where 2,630 people were killed, Amnesty said in a report released to coincide with Tinubu's first two years in office. Of the seven states Amnesty investigated, Borno -- the epicentre of jihadist violence which has raged in northeast Nigeria since 2009 -- was not included. When Tinubu came to power two years ago, he vowed that dealing with insecurity was one of the main challenges for his government. "Instead, things have only gotten worse, as the authorities continue to fail to protect the rights to life, physical integrity, liberty and the security of tens of thousands of people across the country," said Isa Sanusi, director of Amnesty International Nigeria. Northern states that jihadists and other criminal groups have targeted for several years have seen an upsurge in attacks in recent months. Sanusi said the "recent escalation of attacks by Boko Haram and other armed groups shows that the security measures implemented by President Tinubu's government are simply not working". Amnesty estimates that the attacks in Benue and Plateau states have displaced hundreds of thousands of people. Tinubu two weeks ago said his "administration is committed to addressing insecurity". "The security forces have fresh marching orders to deal decisively with all criminal activities," he was quoted as saying in a statement from his office during talks with Christian clergy. His government is also facing simmering separatist tensions in the southeast. Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
