Taiwan: Police should avoid using excessive force at upcoming protests

Amnesty International has urged Taiwan's police force to comply with international guidelines on the use of force and crowd control at the planned student protests on Sunday 7 December.The organization also joins calls for the Control Yuan, the body mandated by the Taiwan Constitution with supervisory power over the Executive branch, to conduct an independent inquiry into alleged excessive police force during November's protests.

By Amnesty International, USA.

Humanitarian Intervention Policy Resource.

Spain: Amnesty International condemns killing of Ignacio Uría Mendizábal

(London/Madrid) Ignacio Uría Mendizábal, joint owner of one of the construction companies involved in the high speed train route connecting key towns in the Basque Country with Madrid, was shot dead today outside a restaurant in Azpeitia. Initial reports indicate the killing was most likely carried out by members of the armed Basque group Euskadi Ta Askatasuna (ETA). Amnesty International unreservedly condemns this killing and reiterates its call on ETA to put an immediate and permanent end to its campaign of killings, kidnappings, hostage-taking and other gross abuses of human rights.

By Amnesty International,, USA.

Humanitarian Intervention Policy Resource.

Human Rights Organization Hails the Return to the Rule of Law; Urges the U.S. Government to Respect Judge’s Decision

Larry Cox, executive director of Amnesty International USA, issued the following statement following the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia decision to grant the release of five detainees held at the U.S.-controlled detention facility at Guantanamo Bay based on insufficient evidence to consider them enemy combatants. The sixth detainee was determined to be an enemy combatant due to additional corroborating evidence.

By Amnesty International,, USA.

Humanitarian Intervention Policy Resource.

African Commission: Amnesty International welcomes resolution on moratorium on executions

Amnesty International welcomes the recent adoption by the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights (African Commission) at its 44th Ordinary Session in Abuja, Nigeria, of a resolution calling on African States that still retain the death penalty to "observe a moratorium on the execution of death sentences with a view to abolishing the death penalty."The resolution, adopted just days after the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly voted for a similar resolution on moratorium on executions, is an important step towards making the African Union (AU) a totally death penalty-free zone.

By Amnesty International, USA.

Humanitarian Policy Resource.

Research on Understanding DNA Transfer Earns Top Award for Young Life Scientists

For his research of DNA segregation, assembly and regulation of bacterial actin-like proteins, and cytoskeleton, Ethan Clark Garner, a regional winner from North America, has been named the Grand Prize winner for the GE & Science Prize for Young Life Scientists.The competition, which includes a grand-prize award of $25,000, is supported by GE Healthcare and the journal Science.

By AAAS, USA.

Technology Policy Resource.