Leaders at the COP28 climate summit in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) must place human rights at its heart by agreeing to rapidly phase out fossil fuels, ensure civil society’s full and free participation in the meeting, and press the Emirati government to release dissidents from jail, said Amnesty International, ahead of its Secretary General Agnès Callamard’s participation at the conference.

An elderly white woman was murdered in a predominantly Black neighbourhood. Rocky, who is Black, lived across the street. Despite no evidence linking him to the scene of the murder, except for a video cassette recorder belonging to the victim which Rocky maintains he found abandoned in the street, Rocky was convicted of the crime.  

As general secretary of Abahlali baseMjondolo (AbM), a vibrant and courageous grassroots movement, Thapelo has dedicated his life to fighting for the rights of people across South Africa, particularly in areas suffering economic hardship.  

The Myanmar military unleashed ethnic cleansing against the Rohingya – an ethnic minority who have faced decades of severe state-sponsored discrimination in Myanmar. Thousands of Rohingya were killed, raped, tortured, and their villages burned.  

In his short life, Pedro Henrique achieved a lot. An activist and advocate of racial justice and human rights, Pedro Henrique organized “Walks of Peace” in Tucano, Bahia, Brazil. These annual marches brought people together to speak out about police abuses primarily against Black communities.  

Rising sea levels are causing more destruction each year by eroding beaches, destroying sacred cultural sites and cemeteries where ancestors are buried, wrecking food gardens, and putting the island’s’ infrastructure at risk. 

Activists across the globe will mark this year’s Human Rights Day by taking part in the world’s biggest human rights event: Amnesty International’s Write for Rights campaign. Held annually since 2001, Write for Rights sees people in more than 200 countries and territories take millions of actions in support of people whose human rights are under attack.

A brilliant student from a top university, Chow could have pursued all sorts of high-flying careers. Instead, she has dedicated her life to fearlessly protecting people’s rights as a human rights lawyer and activist.  

A big cricket fan, Shahnewaz has been playing since childhood. He also has a passion for writing and uses the written word to speak out about the struggles faced by people in his region of Banshkhali, a low-lying coastal area in the south-east of Bangladesh, vulnerable to the impact of climate change.  

Dorgelesse has always dreamt of owning a thriving beauty institute. Two years ago, the single mother and hairdresser was just starting to expand her hairdressing business to include manicures.  

Aleksandra (or Sasha for short) fills her life with music and art. In better times, she loved playing the piano, guitar, mandolin and flute, and hosted jams for anyone who wanted to play together.  

Yren and Mariana want to live their lives freely and do things they love, like playing volleyball, dancing and going to the theatre. However, as trans women, Yren and Mariana are busy defending themselves against discrimination. They’ve been bullied, physically attacked and prevented from speaking out about the issues they face in their daily lives.