Below you’ll find breaking news as well as reports, updates on our campaigns, and victories.
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Press Release
Closing of Guantánamo Must be a Priority for President Biden
Responding to the Biden administration approving three more detainees at Guantánamo Bay for release, Daphne Eviatar, the director of the Security With Human Rights program said: “It is not enough for the Biden administration to announce that more detainees are cleared for release when the government has not made any plans for how it will let cleared detainees finally experience freedom. “Nine people are currently cleared for release at Guantánamo and some have been cleared for more than a decade, yet they are still stuck. This is an outrageous and shameful violation of human rights. President Biden cannot have true…
May 18, 2021
Press Release
Biden Administration’s Approval of Weapons Sale to Israel Will Put Civilians at Greater Risk
Responding to reports that the Biden Administration has approved a $735 million sale in weapons to Israel, Philippe Nassif, the advocacy director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International USA, said: “President Biden’s approval of a $735 million offensive arms sale to Israel in the midst of violations of human rights and international humanitarian law perpetrated by Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups directly undermines his commitment to upholding human rights around the world. By supplying weapons that could be used to commit war crimes, the U.S. government is taking the risk of further fueling attacks against…
May 17, 2021
Press Release
Pattern of Israeli Attacks on Residential Homes in Gaza Must Be Investigated As War Crimes
Israeli forces have displayed a shocking disregard for the lives of Palestinian civilians by carrying out a number of airstrikes targeting residential buildings in some cases killing entire families - including children - and causing wanton destruction to civilian property, in attacks that may amount to war crimes or crimes against humanity, said Amnesty International today.
May 17, 2021
Press Release
End Brutal Repression of Palestinians Protesting Forced Displacement in Occupied East Jerusalem
Israeli security forces have used repeated, unwarranted and excessive force against Palestinian protesters in occupied East Jerusalem following four days of violence in which 840 Palestinians were injured, Amnesty International said today. At least 21 Israeli police officers and seven Israeli civilians were also injured, according to Israeli police.
May 11, 2021
Press Release
Iowa Prosecutors Must Drop Criminal Charges Against Journalist Andrea Sahouri
The Polk County attorney in Iowa, USA, should immediately drop the spurious criminal charges against Des Moines Register journalist Andrea Sahouri, who was arrested at a Black Lives Matter protest in 2020 simply for doing her job as a reporter, Amnesty International said today.
March 4, 2021
Press Release
Amnesty International USA Responds to House Passage of the Justice in Policing Act
This evening, the House of Representatives passed the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act (HR 1280), moving the bill, identical to the one in the 116th Congress, immediately to the floor for a vote out of regular order. In response to the vote, Kristina Roth, Senior Advocate for Criminal Justice Programs at Amnesty International USA, released the following statement:
March 3, 2021
Press Release
Amid Surging Death Toll in Myanmar, End Use of Lethal Force Immediately
Responding to the reports that 18 people were killed and many more wounded as police and military forces confronted peaceful protesters across Myanmar, Emerlynne Gil, Deputy Regional Director for Research of Amnesty International said: “It is shocking and deeply alarming that the police and military responded with lethal force against entirely peaceful protesters, leading to a surge in fatalities yesterday. These protesters must be allowed to exercise the right to gather peacefully to express their opinion about the country’s current situation.
March 1, 2021
Report
Eritrean Troops’ Massacre of Hundreds of Axum Civilians May Amount to Crime Against Humanity
Eritrean troops fighting in Ethiopia’s Tigray state systematically killed hundreds of unarmed civilians in the northern city of Axum on November 28-29, 2020, opening fire in the streets and conducting house-to-house raids in a massacre that may amount to a crime against humanity, Amnesty International said today in a new report.
February 25, 2021
Report
Government Tactics to Silence Criticism and Social Demands Deepen Human Rights Crisis in Nicaragua
Since the current human rights erupted in Nicaragua in 2018, the government has clamped down on all forms of dissent or criticism. The authorities have pursued a policy of eradicating, at any cost, activism and the defense of human rights, said Amnesty International in a new report published today.
February 15, 2021
Press Release
Police Deployed Sub-Machine Guns Against Peaceful Protesters in Myanmar, Despite Denials
A young woman was shot in the head by Myanmar’s security forces during protests, Amnesty International has confirmed after investigating footage showing the attack. This evidence also contradicts Myanmar military claims that security forces were not carrying lethal weapons.
February 11, 2021
Press Release
As Biden Ends Support to Conflict in Yemen, Arms Flows Must Also be Stopped
Responding an announcement today from the Biden administration that the United States will cease support to the Saudi/UAE-led coalition engaged in Yemen, Philippe Nassif, the advocacy director for the Middle East and North Africa said:
February 4, 2021
Press Release
Aung San Suu Kyi Reportedly Charged for Having Walkie-Talkies in Myanmar
Responding to news that Aung San Suu Kyi has been charged with breaching import-export laws for having walkie-talkies in her home, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for Research, Emerlynne Gil, said:
February 3, 2021