Below you’ll find breaking news as well as reports, updates on our campaigns, and victories.
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Press Release
Amnesty International Calls on Governor Abbott to Grant Clemency to Rodney Reed
Amnesty International members around the world are making a plea for Texas Governor Greg Abbott to grant clemency to Rodney Reed and stop his and any further executions. For several weeks, Amnesty International members worldwide have written to the governor’s office to raise concerns about Rodney Reed’s case prior to his scheduled execution date on November 20, highlighting that forensic experts dispute the time of death as stated at trial, questioning the timeline implicating Reed, and pointing to the fact that Texas courts have repeatedly denied requests for DNA testing of key evidence. International safeguards guaranteeing the rights of those…
November 15, 2019
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Press Release
Amnesty International USA Stands With Santa Clarita Community in School Shooting, Calls for Meaningful Gun Violence Prevention
Responding to reports of a school shooting today in California, Ernest Coverson, campaign manager for the End Gun Violence Campaign at Amnesty International USA said: "No child should ever go to school with the fear of never coming home again. The gun violence in this country is a human rights crisis, which our leaders continue to ignore at the expense of all our children. We stand today with the Santa Clarita community in their pain. "A whole generation of children in the U.S. are growing up afraid to go to school for fear of being shot: this is shameful. This country's…
November 14, 2019
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Press Release
Decision to Re-Arrest Writer Ahmet Altan in Turkey a Scandalous Injustice
Following a court decision to re-arrest writer Ahmet Altan just a week after he was released from jail following more than three years in pre-trial detention, Amnesty International’s Europe Director, Marie Struthers said:
November 12, 2019
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Press Release
Categorizing Feminism, Atheism, Homosexuality as Crimes Exposes Saudi Arabia’s Dangerous Intolerance
Responding to an official announcement and a promotional video published by Saudi Arabia’s state security agency which categorizes feminism, homosexuality and atheism as ‘extremist ideas,’ Heba Morayef, Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa Director, said:
November 12, 2019
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Press Release
Death Of Student “Fleeing Tear Gas” in Hong Kong Must Be Investigated
Responding to the death of Chow Tsz-lok, a student protester who fell from a car park on November 4 while reportedly fleeing clashes with police, Man-Kei Tam, Director of Amnesty International Hong Kong said:
November 8, 2019
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Press Release
The U.S. should drop abusive criminal charges against humanitarian volunteer Scott Warren
The United States Department of Justice should immediately drop the spurious criminal charges against humanitarian volunteer Dr. Scott Warren in the state of Arizona on the U.S.–Mexico border, said Amnesty International in a letter to U.S. authorities ahead of his retrial next week. “The Trump administration’s second attempt to prosecute Scott Warren is a cynical misuse of the justice system, intended to criminalize compassion and lifesaving humanitarian aid,” said Kumi Naidoo, Secretary General of Amnesty International. “This is a dark hour for the USA when the government is seeking to send a man to prison for 10 years simply for providing…
November 7, 2019
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Press Release
Iranian Tear Gas Grenades Among Those Causing Gruesome Protester Deaths in Iraq
Amnesty International has conducted further research into the 40mm “less lethal” grenades killing protesters during the recent violence in Baghdad. The new analysis showed that, in addition to the Serbian Sloboda Ĉaĉak M99 grenades already identified, a significant portion of the deadly projectiles are in fact M651 tear gas grenades and M713 smoke grenades manufactured by the Defense Industries Organization (DIO) of Iran.
November 7, 2019
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Press Release
In SCOTUS Hernández Hearing: Justice is Not a Privilege, It is a Right
As the Supreme Court of the United States prepares to hear arguments on November 12 in the case of Hernandez v. Mesa, which concerns the killing of fifteen-year-old Sergio Hernández, by Jesus Mesa, Jr., a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent, Amnesty International USA, along with the Center for Constitutional Rights, Human Rights First, and the Rutherford Institute, submitted an amicus brief in support of the Hernández family. Justin Mazzola, deputy director of research at Amnesty International USA said: "This case concerns the very cornerstone of fundamental human rights: access to justice. No family should suffer the killing of a child and live with the pain of impunity, as Sergio’s family has been forced…
November 7, 2019
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Press Release
A Dark Day for Press Freedom in Turkey After Politically Motivated Trial Injustice
Following trial court’s decision to sentence Nazlı Ilıcak and Ahmet Altan to 10-and-a-half, and 8 years and 9 months in prison, on ludicrous charges of “knowingly and willingly assisting a terrorist organization,” Sara Hall, Deputy Regional Director of Campaigns for Amnesty International, said:
November 4, 2019
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Press Release
Inter-American Commission on Human Rights Will Examine Gun Violence in the U.S.
Amnesty International USA announced today that the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) will be conducting a hearing on November 12, focusing on survivors of gun violence in the United States.
November 4, 2019
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Press Release
Investigate Excessive Use of Force Including Use of Live Ammunition to Disperse Protests in Lebanon
The Lebanese army used excessive force, including live fire, to disperse protests in northern Lebanon, seriously injuring at least two people according to eyewitness testimony and analysis of verified video footage, Amnesty International said today.
November 1, 2019
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Report
Hundreds in Turkey Arrested in Crackdown on Critics of Military Offensive in Syria
Hundreds of people have been detained in Turkey for commenting or reporting on Turkey’s recent military offensive in northeast Syria and are facing absurd criminal charges as the government intensifies its crackdown on critical voices, said Amnesty International in a report published today.
November 1, 2019