UA: 56/10 Index: AFR 47/001/2010

Rwandan politician Deogratias Mushayidi has been detained since 5 March. He has been allowed no contact with his lawyer, and he is at risk of ill-treatment.
Deogratias (usually known as Deo) Mushayidi is the Chairman of a political party, the Pact for People's Defence (PDP). It was founded in Belgium, and is active with Rwandans living abroad, but not registered in Rwanda. He was head of the Rwandan Journalists' Association from 1996 to 2000. He is an outspoken critic of the Rwandan government. [ Lire la suite » ]

UA: 52/10 Index: AMR 41/018/2010

Oaxacan political activist Juan Manuel Martínez and his lawyer, Alba Cruz, have been threatened. Juan Manuel Martínez, who was recently released from prison, is in danger of being arrested and charged a second time with the same crime on the basis of the same evidence. [ Lire la suite » ]

UA: 231/09 Index: Iran MDE 13/026/2010

Hengameh Shahidi, a female journalist, was rearrested on 25 February to begin serving a six-year prison sentence. An appeal court upheld her conviction for charges related to her political and journalistic activities. She is held in Evin Prison, Tehran, and Amnesty International considers her to be a prisoner of conscience [ Lire la suite » ]

Further information on UA: 316/09 Index: MDE 17/002/2010

Amnesty International has learnt that Kuwaiti journalist Muhammad ‘Abd al-Qader al-Jasem was released on bail on 4 December 2009, 12 days after being detained. He had been held at the Interior Ministry’s Criminal Investigation Department in the Kuwaiti capital, Kuwait City, after criticizing the Kuwaiti Prime Minister, Sheikh Nasser Al Sabah, during a private meeting in October 2009. [ Lire la suite » ]

Further information on UA: 305/09 Index: EUR 50/003/2010 Issue Date: 04 February 2010

On 2 February, Belarusian musician and activist Igor Koktysh was released from the pre-trial detention centre in the Ukraine where he has been held for two and a half years. He has thanked Amnesty International for its support. [ Lire la suite » ]

UA: 26/10 Index: MDE 24/001/2010

Four Kurdish political activists were detained on 26 December in Syria, and have been held incommunicado since then. They are at risk of torture and other ill-treatment. [ Lire la suite » ]

Further information on UA: 278/09 Index: ASA 17/005/2010 Issue Date: 21 January 2010

PLEASE SEND APPEALS BEFORE 4 MARCH 2010. Please check with your section office if sending appeals after the above date

On 15 January, Chinese pro-democracy activist Zhou Yongjun was sentenced to nine years' imprisonment for fraud. Amnesty International believes that his conviction is politically motivated. According to his lawyer, Zhou Yongjun is planning to appeal against his sentence.

His sentence was handed down by the Shehong County People's Court, in Sichuan province. [ Lire la suite » ]

Further information on UA: 246/09 Index: MDE 31/003/2010 Issue Date: 19 January 2010.

PLEASE SEND APPEALS BEFORE 2 MARCH 2010 .
Please check with your section office if sending appeals after the above date.

Yemen's Minister of Information has announced that the Yemeni authorities are holding journalist Muhammad al-Maqalih. However, the authorities are still refusing to give any information about him, including his whereabouts. He is at risk of torture or other ill-treatment. [ Lire la suite » ]

UA: 02/10 Index: AMR 37/001/2010

An academic who ran for parliament has received death threats, days after another activist was abducted and killed. Rafael Cáceres had spoken out against the coup that installed a new government in Honduras in June. [ Lire la suite » ]

UA: 346/09 Index: AMR 53/009/2009 Issue Date: 23 December 2009

PLEASE SEND APPEALS BEFORE 3 FEBRUARY 2010 .
Please check with your section office if sending appeals after the above date.

Richard Blanco, a male local government official from Caracas, the capital of Venezuela, is being detained in a prison in Caracas without any evidence of him having committed a crime. His detention appears to be politically motivated. [ Lire la suite » ]