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Press Release

Amnesty International’s Secretary General, Kumi Naidoo, has written a personal plea to more than 27,000 schools around the world today urging them to allow children to take part in the unprecedented wave of global climate strikes planned for September 20 and 27.

September 10, 2019

Update

September 10, 2019 The Honorable Mark T. Esper United States Secretary of Defense 1010 Defense Pentagon Washington, DC 20301-1010 Dear Secretary Esper: We are a coalition of human rights, civil liberties, and faith-based organizations writing to express our grave concern over the recent suicide attempt by Sharqawi Al Hajj, who was taken into custody in 2002, tortured by the CIA and U.S. partner forces until 2004, then transferred to Guantanamo Bay, where he has spent the last 15 years.i Mr. Al Hajj urgently needs an examination by an independent, civilian medical expert that he trusts. The consequences of failing to…

September 10, 2019

Press Release

In advance of this week’s markup of several critical gun violence prevention bills by the House Judiciary Committee, Amnesty International USA urged Congress to prioritize passing the following gun legislation in a letter sent to the Chairman and Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee: the Keep Americans Safe Act, the Disarm Hate Act and the Extreme Risk Protection Act. Amnesty International USA’s deputy director of advocacy and government relations, Adotei Akwei, said the following: “Everyone deserves to go about their life in this country, free from fear and the constant threat of gun violence. Members of Congress need to do the…

September 10, 2019

Press Release

Responding to news that Israeli spyware firm NSO Group, whose malicious technology has been used by governments to target activists, has announced it will respect human rights and take steps to prevent its tools being used to commit abuses in future, Danna Ingleton, Deputy Director of Amnesty Tech, said:

September 10, 2019

Update

For PDF version, click here.         September 10, 2019   Rep. Albio Sires Chair   Rep. Francis Rooney Ranking Member   House Foreign Affairs Committee Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere, Civilian Security, and Trade   Re: Amnesty International Statement for Hearing on “Preserving the Amazon: A Shared Moral Imperative”     On behalf of Amnesty International USA and our members and supporters throughout the United States, we hereby submit this statement for the record. Amnesty International is an international human rights organization with offices in more than 70 countries, including national offices in the United States and Brazil…

September 10, 2019

Press Release

Alejandra Barrera, a transgender Salvadorian activist who had been held in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention since November 2017, was released late Friday, September 6, 2019, as a result of international advocacy efforts, spearheaded by Amnesty International, the Translatin@ Coalition, National Immigrant Justice Center, and dozens of members of the United States Congress. "Through letters of support, people from around the world gave me the strength to continue in this struggle that was so hard for me. I’m here to keep fighting" said Alejandra in response to advocacy efforts on her behalf. Denise Bell, researcher for refugee and…

September 9, 2019

Press Release

A district court has reinstated the nationwide scope of its decision halting a Trump administration policy which would make people who have transited through other countries ineligible from seeking protection in the United States. Amnesty International USA advocacy director for the Americas Charanya Krishnaswami released the following statement in response: “Before today’s decision, entire parts of this country had essentially become asylum-free zones, where people in search of safety would be arbitrarily barred from asylum based on where they happened to cross the border. The court’s decision correctly recognizes that the right to asylum exists across the United States. "The…

September 9, 2019

Press Release

Responding to reports of a Revolutionary Court’s decision on September 7 to hand four journalists and three labor rights activists between six and 18 years in prison and, in one case, 74 lashes on bogus national security charges, Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa Research and Advocacy Director, Philip Luther, said:

September 9, 2019

Press Release

The on-going uncertainty around Brexit poses serious human rights issues, Amnesty International said today.

September 9, 2019

Update

September 9, 2019 The Honorable Jerry Nadler                                   The Honorable Doug Collins Chairman                                                             Ranking Member House Committee on the Judiciary                         House Committee on the Judiciary 2138 Rayburn House Office Building                     2138 Rayburn…

September 9, 2019

Update

For PDF version click here: Human Rights on Capitol Hill September Human Rights on Capitol Hill  published by Amnesty International USA  September 9, 2019  In this edition of Human Rights on Capitol Hill: 1) This Month’s Feature U.S. – In the Wake of Three Mass Shootings in August, Amnesty International USA Demands That Congress Immediately Pass Legislation to Prevent Gun Violence and Save Lives   2) Other Human Rights News a) Venezuela – Amnesty International Urges the Senate to Provide Temporary Protected Status (“TPS”) for Venezuelans b) Central American Children - Congress Must Protect the Flores Settlement to Prevent the…

September 9, 2019

Press Release

In an open letter published today, Amnesty International called on the government of President Evo Morales to suspend the July decree that authorized “controlled burns” to extend the agricultural frontier, until it is certain that the decree has not contributed to the forest fires that are causing an environmental and human rights crisis in Chiquitanía, a region close to the Amazon and the Brazilian border.

September 9, 2019