Below you’ll find breaking news as well as reports, updates on our campaigns, and victories.
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Press Release
Anniversary marks two-year detention of women human rights defenders in Saudi Arabia
Amnesty International is calling on King Salman bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia to release several notable women’s rights defenders, two years after they were detained. On May 15, 2018, a number of prominent Saudi women’s human rights activists were arrested. They had been peacefully advocating for years for the right of women in the kingdom to drive, as well as broader reforms related to the repressive male guardianship system.
May 14, 2020
Press Release
GOVERNMENT MUST TAKE STEPS IN TURKEY TO COMBAT RISING HOMOPHOBIA AND TRANSPHOBIA
Ahead of the May 17 International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia (IDAHOTB) Amnesty International calls on the government of Turkey to take urgent action to counter the increasing number of discriminatory statements and policies by state officials against LGBTI people. The authorities must instead promote equality both in their statements and actions. On April 24, a senior state official at the Religious Affairs Directorate (Diyanet) blamed homosexuality and people in relationships outside marriage for the spread of HIV, urging followers to combat this “evil” in a Friday sermon focusing on the Covid-19 outbreak. These homophobic statements were publicly supported…
May 13, 2020
Press Release
Judge to government: promptly and safely release kids from detention centers
Responding to a decision by Judge Dolly M. Gee of the United States District Court directing the government to make every effort to promptly and safely release children currently being held in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) custody, including children subjected to the so-called “Remain in Mexico” program, or the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), Denise Bell, researcher for refugee and migrant rights at Amnesty International USA said: “It is well past time that children were released. No child should ever be detained because of their immigration status and the continued detention of children as…
April 24, 2020
Press Release
Failures to guarantee safe access to abortion in Europe endangers health of women, girls amid COVID-19
European governments should urgently guarantee safe and timely access to abortion care for women and girls in the region during the COVID-19 pandemic, 100 nongovernmental organizations said today. Many women and girls in Europe are struggling to safely access abortion care during the pandemic as barriers caused by highly restrictive abortion laws and onerous administrative requirements to access abortion services make safe access to this essential health care extremely difficult. The call comes as Poland’s parliament prepares to debate a draconian new law that would make one of the region’s most highly restrictive abortion laws significantly more stringent. “European governments must act urgently to guarantee safe and timely…
April 8, 2020
Press Release
COVID-19 Pandemic Doesn’t Give States The Right to Limit Abortion Access
As Texas announces plans to aggressively roll back abortion rights to halt the spread of COVID-19, Amnesty International USA released the following statement in response:Â
March 25, 2020
Press Release
U.S. Border Closure is Cruel, Short-sighted, and Opportunistic
Responding to the United States announcement that the country will imminently close its border with Mexico and Canada, Charanya Krishnaswami, the Advocacy Director for the Americas at Amnesty International USA, said: "It's hard to imagine travel more essential than the journey an asylum-seeker makes to flee persecution. Yet today's restrictions, which empower the US to push back people who lack proper documentation, may inexcusably prevent asylum-seekers and unaccompanied children - two of the populations at greatest risk of danger - from accessing safety. "This is cruel, short-sighted, and opportunistic. Every person has the right to seek safety. Full stop." To schedule…
March 20, 2020
Press Release
State Department’s Human Rights Report Highlights Trump Administration’s Anti-Human Rights Policies
In response to the U.S. State Department releasing its third human rights report compiled under the Trump administration, Joanne Lin, national director of advocacy and governmental relations at Amnesty International USA, said:
March 11, 2020
Press Release
Decision Not to Decriminalize Abortion in Colombia is a Missed Opportunity
The decision by the Constitutional Court of Colombia not to take action to decriminalize abortion represents a missed opportunity for the realization of the sexual and reproductive rights of women and other people who can become pregnant in the country, said Amnesty International.
March 3, 2020
Report
Countries cracked down on asylum and the right to protest in the Americas in 2019
As millions took to the streets to protest rampant violence, inequality, corruption and impunity, or were forced to flee their countries in search of safety, states across the Americas clamped down on the rights to protest and seek asylum last year with flagrant disregard for their obligations under domestic and international law, Amnesty International said today upon launching its annual report for the region. “2019 brought a renewed assault on human rights across much of the Americas, with intolerant and increasingly authoritarian leaders turning to ever-more violent tactics to stop people from protesting or seeking safety in another country. But…
February 27, 2020
Press Release
New Study Shows Shocking Scale of Abuse on Twitter Against Women Politicians in India
Women politicians in India face a shocking scale of abuse on Twitter, reveals data from a new study titled “Troll Patrol India: Exposing Online Abuse Faced by Women Politicians in India." The study was conducted using crowdsourcing, machine learning and data science. It reviewed hundreds of thousands of tweets sent to 95 women politicians — an analysis on an unprecedented scale in India, said Amnesty International India today.
January 23, 2020
Press Release
Why Amnesty Will Not Attend Sham C20 Meetings in Saudi Arabia
The global C20 civil society forum hosted this year by Saudi Arabia is a farcical attempt by the new G20 hosts to whitewash their dire human rights record, Amnesty International said.
January 13, 2020
Press Release
Final 2020 Congressional Funding Bills Fall Far Short of Making Human Rights a Priority
Responding to the final funding bills for Fiscal Year 2020, Amnesty International USA urges that the U.S. government must step up its contribution to global efforts to protect human rights. Earlier this week, Amnesty International USA welcomed efforts to secure $25,000,000 to aid in research around gun violence after recommendations from 160 medical, public health, and research organizations. Although Amnesty International USA acknowledges that these funds are a long overdue step in the right direction, the overall 2020 spending bill does little to restrict the human rights abuses to which the administration has subjected asylum seekers.  “We are deeply…
December 19, 2019