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Woman on trial for allegedly aiding displaced: A Syrian woman, Yara Faris, was arrested by Syrian State Security officers on 8 December 2013. She is held in ‘Adra Prison, waiting to be tried by the Anti-Terrorism Court for allegedly assisting in the distribution of food and aid to displaced people.
Jailed cleric seriously ill, denied treatment: The health of jailed Iranian cleric Sayed Hossein Kazemeyni Boroujerdi, a prisoner of conscience held in Tehran’s Evin Prison, is worsening. He is in urgent need of medical treatment.
Female activist detained for exposing RTL: Anti-corruption activist Liu Hua, a woman who exposed abuses in China’s Re-Education Through Labour (RTL) system, has been criminally detained on the charge of «picking quarrels and making troubles». It is widely believed that she is being punished by the authorities for appearing in a documentary that exposed the torture and other ill-treatment of the RTL system. She is a prisoner of conscience and should be immediately and unconditionally released.
Street protest may become a crime: A draft law, which will make repeated violation of the already restrictive rules governing public assemblies a criminal offence, has been tabled in the Russian parliament.
Men face extradition, at risk of torture: Nine men, most of whom are originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), face extradition to the DRC where they could be tortured or sentenced to death. They were arrested in Angola on suspicion of attempting to destabilise the government of the DRC.
Ill-health concerns for detained journalist: Detained journalist Lu Maw Naing is in ill-health in a Myanmar prison. He and four others are on trial in connection with their journalistic activities, and are facing lengthy prison sentences. Amnesty International considers them to be prisoners of conscience.
Al Jazeera journalists on trial: Al Jazeera-English staff Mohamed Fahmy, Peter Greste and Baher Mohamed are on trial in Egypt, charged with broadcasting false news and involvement with the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood movement. They are prisoners of conscience and must be released immediately and unconditionally.
Man feared disappeared after sending tweets: Yusuf Siyaka Onimisi has been missing since 30 March, when he tweeted photos of an alleged attempted jail break-in at the State Security Service in Abuja, Nigeria. Twenty-one detainees died during the incident. If he is in detention Yusuf is at risk of extra-judicial execution.
Iranian woman at risk of execution: The death sentence of Iranian woman Reyhaneh Jabbari has been sent to the Office of Implementation of Sentences in Tehran, Iran. Once death sentences have gone to this body, they may be carried out at any time.
Two men re-detained for critical articles: On 9 April respected magazine editor, Bhekithemba Makhubu, and human rights lawyer, Thulani Maseko, were re-detained in Swaziland after irregular court proceedings against them. The two had been released from custody on 6 April after a high court judge overturned their previous arrests and detentions as unlawful. They had spent 20 days in detention for criticising a powerful public official.
Fear for safety of human rights defender: On 2 April Pierre Espérance, a prominent Haitian human rights defender, received a letter containing a bullet and death threats related to his work. Amnesty International fears for his safety and that of other human rights defenders in the country.
Migrants and defenders’ safety at risk: Migrants and migrants’ rights defenders were shot at in the vicinity of Lechería shelter, Mexico State, Mexico. There are concerns that the authorities are not taking the threat to migrants and defenders working with them seriously due to a delay in investigating the incident and in implementing effective protection mechanisms.
Trade unionist punished for hunger strike: Iranian trade unionist Shahrokh Zamani, a prisoner of conscience, has ended a hunger strike after 38 days, which has left him in poor health. He is facing reprisals for demanding prisoners’ rights inside Raja’i Shahr Prison.
Texas again set to execute for crime at age 18: Robert Campbell, aged 41, is due to be executed on 13 May . He has been on death row for 22 years, over half of his life. This would be the third Texas execution in three months of a prisoner who was 18 years and three months old at the time of the crime.
Threatened with death after torture: Two men were reportedly tortured while in police custody in the Dominican Republic on 12 April. Since then, the men and their relative Ana Patricia Fermín have faced intimidation and death threats after she denounced the torture to the media.
Honduran media worker murdered in his home: On 11 April Carlos Mejía was stabbed to death in his home, in El Progreso municipality, Honduras. He had been threatened in the past in apparent connection with his work on projects for the promotion of human rights and social justice.
Three women jailed on trumped-up charges: The Egyptian authorities have detained three female students on trumped-up charges. The women are prisoners of conscience, held solely for the peaceful exercise of their rights to freedom of expression and assembly.
Evin prisoners at risk after report of riot: Reports of prison guards raiding Section 350 of Tehran’s Evin Prison, where many political prisoners are held, have emerged raising fears about the safety of prisoners. The unrest appears to have resulted in prisoners sustaining injuries, including broken ribs. It has been reported that at least 32 individuals from Section 350 have been transferred to solitary confinement in Section 240 of the prison.
Vital vote on indigenous land claim imminent: On 24 April the Paraguayan Senate votes on a bill to return 14,404 hectares of traditional land to the Sawhoyamaxa indigenous community. A positive result is crucial to ensure compliance with the 2006 judgment of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.
Hunger striking Uighur prisoner critically ill: Religious leader and ethnic Uighur, Abdukiram Abduveli, has been on hunger strike since mid-February in protest against being given an additional five year prison sentence. Despite having been initially sentenced to 12 years in prison, he has since been given additional sentences on five separate occasions and has been in custody for nearly 24 years. He is in critical ill-health and in need of urgent medical attention.
Man to return to prison where he was beaten: A Turkmen citizen of Baloch origin faces imminent transfer to Ovadan-Depe prison in Turkmenistan. During his previous time at the prison he was regularly beaten.
Human rights lawyer arrested during trial: Saudi Arabian human rights lawyer Waleed Abu al-Khair was detained on 15 April following a court hearing of his ongoing trial. He is a prisoner of conscience, at risk of torture and other ill-treatment.
Threat of forcible exile and statelessness: A number of Bahraini citizens, who had their nationality revoked in 2012, are now at risk of being forced to leave Bahrain. One of them was expelled on 23 April, most have been rendered stateless.
Journalist jailed after reporting on protest: Journalist Abdallah Elshamy has been detained without charge or trial for over eight months in Egypt. He began a hunger strike on 21 January and his health is deteriorating. He is a prisoner of conscience, detained solely for his journalistic work.
Human rights activist detained incommunicado: Saudi Arabian human rights activist Abdulrahman al-Hamid has been detained incommunicado since his arrest on 17 April. He may be a prisoner of conscience.
Human rights activist missing: A prominent human rights activist has been missing in Thailand since 17 April 2014. It is feared that Pholachi Rakchongcharoen, also known as “Billy,” has been subjected to enforced disappearance in response to his activism.
Death threats received in ‘humanitarian zone’: Three human rights defenders have been threatened by paramilitaries in the port city of Buenavenutra, southern Colombia, following the creation of the Humanitarian Zone of Puente Nayero, a civilian initiative to protect the mainly Afro-descendant community.
Call for inquiries into two killings in Rio: A man was shot dead during a protest in the Pavão-Pavãozinho community in Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro on 22 April. The community was protesting in reaction to the death of another man earlier that day during a police operation in the favela.

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