Newsroom

Press Release

At least 60 people were killed following the January 28 devastating Boko Haram attack on Rann, a border town in Borno state, northeast Nigeria, Amnesty International has confirmed. The organization also analyzed satellite imagery which shows hundreds of burned structures in the town. Many of the destroyed structures only date back to 2017, suggesting they were shelters for internally displaced people who came to Rann seeking protection. “We have now confirmed that this week’s attack on Rann was the deadliest yet by Boko Haram, killing at least 60 people. Using satellite imagery we have also been able to confirm the mass…

February 1, 2019

Press Release

Two judges have been named to the panel of Amnesty International USA’s Media Awards, which will re-launched in New York City on April 3 after a decade-long hiatus.  Tracy Wilkinson, correspondent for the Los Angeles Times, and Alli Maloney, news and politics features editor for Teen Vogue, will serve as judges for the international and student categories, respectively. More judges for the international, domestic, and student categories will be announced shortly.   “In a world where speaking truth to power is as important as ever, the role of journalists cannot be overestimated,” said Margaret Huang, executive director of Amnesty International USA. “An informed public is critical in creating…

January 31, 2019

Press Release

Online booking giants Airbnb, Booking.com, Expedia and TripAdvisor are fueling human rights violations against Palestinians by listing hundreds of rooms and activities in Israeli settlements on occupied Palestinian land, including East Jerusalem, Amnesty International said today. In a new report, ‘Destination: Occupation,’ the organization documents how online booking companies are driving tourism to illegal Israeli settlements and contributing to their existence and expansion.

January 30, 2019

Press Release

Responding to the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold its ruling, again acquitting Asia Bibi of blasphemy charges and ordering her release, Amnesty International’s South Asia Campaigner, Rimmel Mohydin, said: “Asia Bibi must finally get her freedom and an end to her ordeal. After nine years behind bars for a crime she didn’t commit, it is difficult to see this long overdue verdict as justice. But she should now be free to reunite with her family and seek safety in a country of her choice. “The authorities must also resist and investigate any attempts to intimidate the Supreme Court. They have…

January 29, 2019

Report

In 2015, Sri Lanka co-sponsored Resolution 30/1 at the UN Human Rights Council to demonstrate the newly elected government’s commitment to break with impunity for a past marked by serious human rights violations. While the Resolution was welcomed both domestically and internationally, three years on, progress has been slow and political will, dimming. In 2017, the government was granted a two-year extension to implement the Resolution. A detailed report on Sri Lanka’s implementation of Resolution 30/1 will be submitted to the Human Rights Council, by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, during its 40th Session in March…

January 25, 2019

Press Release

Amnesty International and the National Immigrant Justice Center are sending an international delegation of senior leadership to monitor the impact of US policy on asylum seekers and migrants traveling to the US-Mexico border. The delegation will be traveling from January 27 to 31. They will be meeting with Mexican and US authorities, documenting conditions at shelters in Tijuana for families and individuals whom the US had denied access to asylum protections, and meeting with non-governmental organizations directly working with asylum-seekers and migrants in El Paso.

January 24, 2019

Press Release

Amnesty International has obtained new reports of torture and abuse inflicted on a group of Saudi Arabian human rights activists who have been in arbitrary detention since May 2018. These reports follow similar testimonies from November 2018 into the torture of a number of the activists, and highlight the urgent need for an independent investigation into the claims, the organization said today.

January 24, 2019

Press Release

In response to reports that at least a dozen people were killed in the context of the protests in Venezuela, Erika Guevara-Rosas, Americas director at Amnesty International, said: “Since the beginning of the week, thousands of people in Venezuela have taken to the streets to protest the serious institutional and human rights crisis that has gripped the country. Instead of seeking solutions and engaging in dialogue to address their demands, the authorities under the command of Nicolás Maduro have responded by sending military and police officials onto the streets to apply their policy of repression.” “Amnesty International has received complaints…

January 24, 2019

Press Release

The Iranian authorities carried out a shameless campaign of repression during 2018, crushing protests and arresting thousands in a wide-scale crackdown on dissent, said Amnesty International, a year after a wave of protests against poverty, corruption and authoritarianism erupted across the country. The organization has today revealed staggering new figures showing the extent of the Iranian authorities’ repression during 2018. Over the course of the year, more than 7,000 protesters, students, journalists, environmental activists, workers and human rights defenders, including lawyers, women’s rights activists, minority rights activists and trade unionists, were arrested, many arbitrarily. Hundreds were sentenced to prison terms…

January 23, 2019

Press Release

More than three in five people across 26 countries oppose the development of autonomous weapons that could select and kill targets without human intervention, according to a new poll commissioned by the Campaign to Stop Killer Robots.

January 22, 2019

Press Release

In response to recent statements by the government of President Lenin Moreno on the imposition of entry restrictions for Venezuelan people, Erika Guevara-Rosas, Americas Director of Amnesty International, said:

January 22, 2019

Press Release

The president’s proposal fails to provide adequate protection for Dreamers and TPS recipients. A temporary three-year extension of status is not a permanent legislative solution.

January 19, 2019