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Press Release
Gruesome String Of Fatalities in Iraq As New Tear Gas Grenades Pierce Protester’s Skulls
The Iraqi authorities must ensure anti-riot police and other security forces in Baghdad immediately stop using two previously unseen types of tear gas grenade to kill rather than disperse protesters, Amnesty International urged today after its investigation found they caused at least five protester deaths in as many days.
October 31, 2019
Update
Statement: The Human Rights Impact of Turkey’s Policies – Helsinki Commission Hearing (10/31/2019)
On October 31st, 2019 the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (Helsinki Commission) held a hearing on the human cost of the Government of Turkey's policies at home and abroad. Amnesty International USA submitted the following statement for the record detailing Turkish authorities concerning human rights abuses both in Turkey and in the territory of Northern Syria where Turkish armed forces and their proxies are conducting military operations. The statement is available for download here: TurkeyHelsinki_Statement_AIUSA_2019_10_31. October 31, 2019 The Hon. Alcee L. Hastings …
October 31, 2019
Press Release
Scores of Activists Targeted with NSO Spyware on WhatsApp
Responding to a statement by WhatsApp on Tuesday that spyware produced by the Israeli firm NSO Group was used to target more than 100 human rights activists, Danna Ingleton, Deputy Director of Amnesty Tech, said:
October 29, 2019
Press Release
CHS Contract Is Not Renewed at Homestead, But Children Should Not Be Stuck There
Responding to reports that the Department of Health and Human Services will not renew its contract with Comprehensive Health Services in the Homestead detention center in Florida, Denise Bell, researcher for refugee and migrant rights, said: "While this is a step in the right direction, no child should be held in detention because of their immigration status. The Office of Refugee Resettlement has argued that unaccompanied children don’t need to released within 20 days – the national standard for detention. This is unacceptable. A child is a child and children deserve to be free and with their families." Background In July,…
October 28, 2019
Press Release
Turkey Illegally Deported Syrians Into War Ahead of Anticipated ‘Safe Zone’
Turkey spent the months leading up to its military incursion into northeast Syria forcibly deporting refugees to the war-torn country, in advance of attempting to create a so-called “safe zone” on the Syrian side of the border, new Amnesty International research has revealed.
October 24, 2019
Press Release
Amnesty International Global Delegation to Brief Press During Mission to U.S. Southern Border
A global delegation of Amnesty International country directors will brief press on its mission to monitor the impact of anti-asylum policies at the border, including the so-called 'Remain in Mexico' policy, and its recent expansion through the construction of secretive tent courts that hear hundreds of asylum cases remotely each day. The delegation will be in Brownsville, TX on Friday, October 25, taking questions and briefing press by conference call at 11AM CT. They will have previously met with the consul general of Mexico in San Diego, the National Commission of Human Rights in Tijuana, visited shelters in Tijuana and San Diego…
October 24, 2019
Press Release
Military Atrocities ‘Relentless and Ruthless’ in Myanmar’s Northern Shan State
Amnesty International has gathered fresh evidence that the Myanmar military is continuing to commit atrocities against ethnic minorities in the north of the country, with civilians bearing the brunt of offensives against multiple armed groups. The conflicts show no sign of abating, raising the prospect of further violations.
October 23, 2019
Report
Comprehensive Health Services Contributing to the Violation of Children’s Rights by Operating the Homestead Facility in Florida
Amnesty International USA today called on U.S. government contractor, Comprehensive Health Services, to end its operations at the Homestead detention center in Florida. A new briefing, No Home for Children: End the Contract to Operate the Homestead ‘Temporary Emergency’ Facility, exposes how Comprehensive Health Services is contributing to the U.S. government’s violations of the rights of unaccompanied children, who are held in prolonged and indefinite detention at Homestead. The briefing concludes that, by running the center and providing core services, the for-profit company is enabling the government to detain children at Homestead. “Children should never be detained because of their…
October 18, 2019
Press Release
Release of Journalist Jailed in Morocco After Being Accused of Having an Abortion
Responding to the news that journalist Hajar Raissouni, sentenced to one year in prison over an “unlawful” abortion, was released last night, after she, her fiancé and the three members of medical staff involved in the case received a royal pardon, Heba Morayef, Amnesty International's Middle East and North Africa Director, said:
October 17, 2019
Update
Human Rights on Capitol Hill Newsletter – October Edition (10/17/2019)
To view PDF version click here: Human Rights on Capitol Hill - October 2019 Human Rights on Capitol Hill published by Amnesty International USA October 17, 2019 In this edition of Human Rights on Capitol Hill: 1) This Month’s Feature Refugees – Amnesty International USA Protests Trump Administration’s Drastic Cuts to Refugee Admissions Program 2) Major Human Rights News a) Turkey/Syria - Turkish Military Offensive Could Pose Devastating Humanitarian Consequences in northern Syria b) Venezuela – Amnesty Venezuela Urges Senate to Pass Temporary Protected Status (“TPS”) for Venezuelans c) U.S. - Amnesty International Briefing Examines the Climate Crisis and Displacement…
October 17, 2019
Press Release
18 Leaders Arrested Today at the Capitol While Protesting Trump Administration’s Destruction of the Refugee Resettlement Program
In response to the Trump Administration’s continued assault on the U.S. refugee resettlement program, 18 leaders from the nation’s leading faith and human rights organizations, as well as a former State Department official, were arrested on Capitol Hill as part of the first ever act of civil disobedience in the name of refugee resettlement. Those 18 arrested represented the 18,000 refugee cap set by the Trump administration - the lowest in the history of the resettlement program. Those arrested were joined by supporters holding 95 photographs of refugees, a nod to the historic average refugee cap of 95,000 per year.…
October 15, 2019
Press Release
Faith Leaders, Human Rights Groups, and Former Assistant Secretary of State Stage Civil Disobedience for Refugees
On Tuesday, October 15th, 18 protestors--including heads of Amnesty International USA, America’s Voice, CAIR, and Church World Service, as well as a former Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration--will risk arrest on the steps of the U.S. Capitol. The leaders will wear life vests symbolizing the life-saving refugee resettlement program. Faith communities, human rights groups, clergy, refugees, and refugee agencies will hold a major action on Capitol Hill as Secretary Pompeo meets with Congress to finalize the administration’s 80% cut to the refugee admissions program. WHAT: Protest and Civil Disobedience Responding to Decimation of Refugee Resettlement …
October 11, 2019