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Update

Amnesty International Supports Challenge to “Remain in Mexico” Policy, Describing Dangerous Conditions Asylum-Seekers Face in Mexico

Read the brief here: 2019.06.26 Amnesty International Amicus Brief in Innovation Law Lab v. McAleenan Amnesty International, along with other rights groups, filed a brief before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in Innovation Law Lab v. McAleenan supporting the challenge to the so-called “Migrant Protection Protocols.” The brief draws upon Amnesty International’s research on the U.S./Mexico border documenting the grave harms faced by individuals in Mexico attempting to access safety in the United States. In particular, the brief describes: How the policy violates domestic and international law, including international human rights law, by systematically failing to…

June 27, 2019

Update

Human Rights on Capitol Hill late June Edition

To view PDF version click here: Human Rights on Capitol Hill late June Human Rights on Capitol Hill  published by Amnesty International USA  June 26, 2019  In this edition of Human Rights on Capitol Hill: 1) U.S./Mexico - In FY19 Border Supplemental, Congress Must Ensure Safe and Humane Processing of Asylum Seekers 2) Saudi Arabia – Senate Blocks Trump Administration’s Emergency Arms Sales to Saudi-UAE Led Coalition 3) Sudan - Congress Must Hold Sudan Accountable for Brutal Crackdown Against Non-Violent Protesters 4) Myanmar – Congress Must Pass Legislation to Hold Myanmar Military Accountable for Human Rights Abuses 5) Hong Kong…

June 26, 2019

Update

Amnesty International Recommendations re: FY2019 Border Supplemental

For PDF, click here: 06.25.2019 Amnesty International Statement re FY19 Supplemental June 25, 2019 Amnesty International USA Statement Regarding FY2019 Border Supplemental Request On behalf of Amnesty International USA and our two million members and supporters in the United States, we write to share our recommendations for the FY2019 border supplemental measures currently under consideration in both chambers of Congress. A top priority for Amnesty International USA is the protection of asylum-seekers at the U.S./Mexico border. While we recognize the need for funding to ensure the safe, humane, rights-respecting reception of asylum-seekers, including families and children, we are deeply concerned…

June 25, 2019

Photo by David McNew/Getty Images

Press Release

Amnesty International USA Statement on Resignation of Acting CBP Chief

The following can be attributed to Charanya Krishnaswami, advocacy director for the Americas at Amnesty International USA: “Children should never be held in detention at all, let alone in the appalling conditions that were detailed in reports this weekend from a Texas border patrol station. Today’s announcement that the chief of Customs and Border Protection is resigning is an opportunity for steps to be taken, including Congressional hearings and investigations, to provide accountability for these shocking abuses, and compassionate care to children seeking safety in the United States. Any effort to normalize the warehousing of children is unacceptable.”

June 25, 2019

Press Release

Hong Kong: Evidence of police violence against protesters verified

Hong Kong police must end the unlawful use of force against peaceful protesters who have once again taken to the streets on Friday, Amnesty International said, as it published details of verified instances of unnecessary and excessive use of force by police on 12 June.

June 21, 2019

Press Release

US Senate Blocks Trump Administration’s Emergency Arms Sales to Saudi-UAE Led Coalition

Responding to news that the United States Senate has voted to block the $8 billion emergency arms sales intended for the Saudi-UAE led coalition and ordered by the Trump administration, Amnesty International advocacy director for Middle East and North Africa Philippe Nassif issued this statement:

June 20, 2019

Update

Letter to Secretary Pompeo regarding Hong Kong Extradition Bill

Amnesty International USA Letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo regarding the Hong Kong Extradition Bill To view PDF click here: Pompeo letter on Extradition Bill June 18, 2019 The Honorable Mike Pompeo Secretary of State U.S. Department of State 2201 C St. N.W. Washington D.C., 20520 Dear Secretary Pompeo: RE: Protests in Hong Kong calling for withdrawal of extradition bill You would have seen that an estimated 1 million people on June 9, 2019 and almost 2 million on June 16, took to the streets in Hong Kong calling for the government to withdraw its extradition bill, which would…

June 19, 2019

ISTANBUL, TURKEY - OCTOBER 25: People take part in a candle light vigil to remember journalist Jamal Khashoggi outside the Saudi Arabia consulate on October 25, 2018 in Istanbul, Turkey. Jamal Khashoggi, a U.S. resident and critic of the Saudi regime, went missing after entering the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul on October 2. More than two weeks later Riyadh announced he had been killed accidentally during an altercation with Saudi consulate officials, however as investigations continue new information surfaced, pointing to a brutal and planned murder contradicting previous claims. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

Press Release

Saudi Arabia: UN findings on Jamal Khashoggi’s murder highlight need for independent criminal investigation to uncover the truth

Responding to the release of the UN report on the murder of Saudi Arabian journalist Jamal Khashoggi, which concludes that he was the victim of “an extrajudicial killing for which the state of Saudi Arabia is responsible under human rights law,” and that “there is credible evidence, warranting further investigation of high-level Saudi officials’ individual liability, including the Crown Prince’s,” Lynn Maalouf, Amnesty International’s Middle East Director of Research, said:

June 19, 2019

Press Release

Ten Presidential Candidates Respond to Amnesty International USA with Positions on Major Human Rights Issues

Ten candidates in the 2020 presidential race – including the president– responded to  a questionnaire on human rights issues provided by Amnesty International USA.

June 18, 2019

An elderly woman sitting at her small space in the shelter at Jaw Masat IDPs camp in Myitkyina, Kachin State, Myanmar on December 10, 2018.

Sheet of paper Report

“Fleeing my whole life”: Older people’s experience of conflict and displacement in Myanmar

Tens of thousands of older women and men from ethnic minorities across Myanmar who faced military atrocities and were forced to flee their homes are being let down by a humanitarian system that often fails to adequately address their rights and needs, Amnesty International said in a report published today. “Fleeing my whole life”: Older people’s experience of conflict and displacement in Myanmar is the organization’s first comprehensive investigation into the specific ways older people’s rights and dignity are not respected amid armed conflict and crisis, as well in the provision of humanitarian assistance. “For decades, Myanmar’s ethnic minorities have suffered recurrent abuse at…

June 17, 2019

Egypt's ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, wearing a red uniform, gestures from behind the defendant's bars during his trial on espionage charges at a court in Cairo on June 18, 2016. An Egyptian court sentenced Morsi to life in prison in an espionage trial in which six co-defendants were handed death penalties.The court acquitted Morsi of charges of having supplied Qatar with classified documents but sentenced him to life for leading an unlawful organisation. / AFP / MOHAMED EL-SHAHED (Photo credit should read MOHAMED EL-SHAHED/AFP/Getty Images)

Press Release

Authorities in Egypt must order immediate investigation into death of former President Mohamed Morsi

Responding to the news of former Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi’s death in custody today Magdalena Mughrabi, Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa, said: "The news of Mohamed Morsi’s death in court today is deeply shocking and raises serious questions about his treatment in custody. The Egyptian authorities must immediately order an impartial, thorough and transparent investigation into the circumstances of his death, as well as his detention conditions and his ability to access medical care. "Egyptian authorities had the responsibility to ensure that, as a detainee, he had access to proper medical care. “Mohamed Morsi was subjected…

June 17, 2019

Press Release

Saudi Arabia: Decision to spare teenager’s life must be followed by abolition of death penalty for all juveniles

Responding to the news that Murtaja Qureiris, the young man from Saudi Arabia arrested at the age of 13, will not face execution and has been sentenced to 12 years in prison instead, Amnesty International’s Middle East Research Director Lynn Maalouf said the following:

June 17, 2019