Below you’ll find breaking news as well as reports, updates on our campaigns, and victories.
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Press Release
Taiwan becomes first in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage after historic bill passes
Responding to the news that lawmakers in Taiwan have passed a law that will see the island become the first place in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage, effective from May 24, Annie Huang, Acting Director of Amnesty International Taiwan, said: “Taiwan has today made history in the fight for equality for LGBTI people. Love has won over hate, and equality has won over discrimination. This is a moment to cherish and celebrate, but it has been a long and arduous campaign for Taiwan to become the first in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage. “We hope this landmark vote will generate waves across Asia…
May 17, 2019
Press Release
Proposed Immigration Plan Shuts Doors to People in Search of Safety
Reacting to media reports on President Trump’s proposed immigration plan, Joanne Lin, national director of advocacy and government affairs at Amnesty International USA, issued this statement:
May 16, 2019
Press Release
Statement Responding to Toddler’s Death After Detention at Border
Responding to news reports of the death of a Guatemalan toddler who fell ill after being taken into custody at a Customs and Border Protection facility in El Paso, Ashley Houghton, tactical campaigns manager at Amnesty International USA, issued the following statement:
May 16, 2019
Update
The Military Should Collect and Release Key Information on the Stability of Afghanistan
May 9, 2019 Honorable Patrick M. Shanahan Acting Secretary of Defense U.S. Department of Defense 1000 Defense Pentagon Washington, DC 20301 Dear Secretary Shanahan: The undersigned groups write to ask that you reverse the recent decision to stop collecting and releasing important information on stability in Afghanistan. We are deeply concerned that the military will no longer assess insurgent or government control at the district level in Afghanistan, as noted in the latest report from the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) report. This information is vital to the American public’s understanding of the war in Afghanistan. Not tracking…
May 16, 2019
Press Release
Libya: Evidence of possible war crimes underscores need for international investigation
Six weeks on, the offensive to take over Tripoli has resulted in unlawful attacks that could amount to war crimes which must be investigated by international prosecutors, Amnesty International said today, revealing evidence of indiscriminate attacks on civilian areas in the Libyan capital.
May 15, 2019
Update
Crimes Against Humanity in Myanmar
To view PDF click here: Crimes Against Humanity in Myanmar Early in the morning of 25 August 2017, a Rohingya armed group known as the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) launched coordinated attacks on security force posts in northern Rakhine State, Myanmar, killing 12 members of the security forces. In the days, weeks, and months that followed, the Myanmar security forces, led by the Myanmar Army, attacked the entire Rohingya population in villages across northern Rakhine State. In the 10 months after 25 August, the Myanmar security forces drove more than 702,000 women, men, and children—more than 80 per cent…
May 15, 2019
Update
STATEMENT FOR THE RECORD ON THE MAY 15 HEARING “THE CONFLICT IN LIBYA”
Rep. Eliot Engel, Chairman Rep. Michael McCaul, Ranking Member House Foreign Affairs Committee 2170 Rayburn Office Building Washington, DC 20515 Re: May 15 hearing on Libya Dear Chairman Engel, Ranking Member McCaul, and Members of the Committee: On behalf of Amnesty International USA and our more than one million members and supporters nationwide, we urge the Committee to highlight the deteriorating human rights crises in Libya which are being exacerbated by the civil conflict. Deteriorating Human Rights and Conflict in Libya Libya is in an ongoing state of armed conflict and crisis. Both the self-proclaimed Libyan National Army and…
May 15, 2019
Press Release
Deadly Abortion Bans Endanger Pregnant People’s Lives
Responding to the Alabama Senate approving a measure on Tuesday that would outlaw almost all abortions in the state, Tarah Demant, the Director of the Gender, Sexuality and Identity Program at Amnesty International USA said: "Alabama’s vote is the latest in a string of abortion bans specifically designed to strip people’s reproductive rights away. These bans will be deadly, endanger pregnant people’s lives, and criminalize doctors and health care providers for simply doing their jobs and providing care. "These bans reinforce violence against women by victimizing survivors of rape and sexual violence twofold by denying their right to access abortion.…
May 15, 2019
Press Release
Israel’s refusal to grant Palestinian refugees right to return has fuelled seven decades of suffering
Israel’s failure to respect the right to return for Palestinians who were forced to flee their homes in 1948 is a flagrant violation of international law that has fuelled decades of suffering on a mass scale for Palestinian refugees across the region, said Amnesty International, marking 71 years since the Nakba (catastrophe), as it is known to Palestinians.
May 14, 2019
Press Release
Saudi Arabia’s ‘year of shame’: Crackdown on critics and rights’ activists continues
Today marks the first anniversary of the arrests of several prominent women human rights defenders in Saudi Arabia, after a shameful year for human rights in the Kingdom in which activists, journalists, academics, and writers were targeted, Amnesty International said today.
May 14, 2019
Report
Venezuela: Crimes against humanity require a vigorous response from the international justice system
Selective extrajudicial executions, arbitrary detentions, and deaths and injuries caused by the excessive use of force by Nicolás Maduro’s government as part of a systematic and widespread policy of repression since at least 2017 may constitute crimes against humanity, said Amnesty International today in its new report on the events in Venezuela in late January 2019: Hungry for justice: crimes against humanity in Venezuela.
May 14, 2019
Press Release
Omar al-Bashir must face justice for recent and past crimes
Following the announcement by Sudan’s Public Prosecutor that he will charge former president Omar al-Bashir with the recent killing of protestors, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for East Africa, the Horn and the Great Lakes, Seif Magango said: “While this promises to be a first step towards holding al-Bashir accountable for his heinous crimes, the Sudan authorities must hand him over to the International Criminal Court to answer charges of crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide. Al-Bashir must face justice not only for recent crimes, but also for the crimes under international law he allegedly committed while he was in…
May 14, 2019