Ali Aarrass has been held in prolonged solitary confinement since his transfer to Tifelt II Local Prison on 10 October 2016. His health has sharply deteriorated as a result.

Children are the only refugees in our asylum system who do not have the right to ask that close family members, such as their parents, join them in the UK. In contrast adult refugees in the UK do have the right to apply for their immediate family to join them. This is known as family reunion. Amnesty thinks children should also have the right to family reunion and is asking the UK government to change the current immigration rules.

British-Algerian freelance journalist Mohamed Tamalt, 41, died in custody, on 11 December 2016, in Mohamed Lamine Debaghine University Hospital in Bab El Oued, Algiers, over 5 months after his arrest.

Transgender lawyer Samantha Seijas was threatened by a police officer from the Aragua Police Force, in central Venezuela, while filing a complaint in a police station accompanied by his daughter. Fears exist for their safety.

Algerian journalist Hassan Bouras was released on 17 January after his sentence was reduced to a six-month suspended prison term on appeal.

Saudi Arabian writer Nazeer al-Majed has been held in incommunicado detention since 18 January after being sentenced by the Specialized Criminal Court in Riyadh to seven years in prison. He is a prisoner of conscience at risk of torture and ill-treatment.

Kuwa Shumal A. Zumam was set free by the court on 2 January after the prosecution failed to provide sufficient evidence to sustain the charges against him. Petr Jezek was sentenced to life imprisonment on 29 January, while Hassan A. Kodi and Abdulmonem Abdumawla were sentenced to 12 years’ imprisonment.

Hiskia Meage, Emanuel Ukago, Panus Hesegem and William Wim, detained for peaceful political demonstrations on 19 December 2016 in Manado, North Sulawesi, have been released by the police. They are still being charged with rebellion (makar) and could face life imprisonment.

Fashion designer and LGBTI activist Barbaros Şansal remains in pre-trial detention since 3 January for allegedly ‘inciting the public to hatred or hostility’, despite a court rejecting the indictment drawn up in his case. He must be freed immediately and unconditionally.

Human rights lawyer Emil Kurbedinov was released on 5 February in Simferopol, Crimea, having served 10 days in administrative detention to which he was sentenced as reprisal for his human rights work. Kurbedinov vowed to continue his work.