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Bangladesh and Myanmar authorities must immediately halt plans to send Rohingya refugees back to Rakhine State, Amnesty International said today.

November 14, 2018

Update

    November 12, 2018   The Honorable Michael R. Pence The Vice President Old Executive Office Building 1650 Pennsylvania Ave NW Washington, DC 20520   Re: Human rights priorities to raise with Asian leaders   Dear Vice President Pence:   On behalf of Amnesty International USA (“AIUSA”), and our more than seven million members and supporters worldwide, I am writing to urge you to raise the following human rights issues during your trip to the East Asia Summit and the region. The East Asia Summit presents an opportunity for the United States to articulate an Asia policy that is…

November 13, 2018

Update

Human Rights on Capitol Hill November Human Rights on Capitol Hill published by Amnesty International USA  November 13, 2018  In this edition of Human Rights on Capitol Hill: 1) President Trump’s Proclamation Violates the Rights of Asylum Seekers 2) Saudi Arabia – Amnesty International USA Protests Murder of Jamal Khashoggi and U.S. Arms Sales to Saudi Arabia 3) India – Indian Government Raids Amnesty India Office in Attempt to Halt Human Rights Work 4) Hungary – State Department Should Reinstate Program to Promote Independent Media 5) Amnesty International USA Urges Congress to Adopt Human Rights Defenders’ Cases 6) Myanmar -…

November 13, 2018

Press Release

Responding to the escalation of hostilities between Israel and the Palestinian armed groups in Gaza overnight -  the most serious fighting since the 2014 armed conflict - Saleh Higazi, Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International said: “The alarming escalation in violence overnight in Gaza raises fears we could witness another spike in civilian bloodshed. Under international humanitarian law, all sides in a conflict have a clear obligation to protect the lives of civilians caught up in the hostilities. “Carrying out air strikes against buildings in heavily populated areas endangers civilian lives. Israeli forces must…

November 13, 2018

Press Release

A year after shocking images purporting to show human beings being bought and sold in Libya caused a global outcry, the situation for migrants and refugees in the country remains bleak and in some respects has worsened, said Amnesty International. Findings published by the organization today highlight how EU member states’ policies to curb migration, as well as their failure to provide sufficient resettlement places for refugees, continue to fuel a cycle of abuse by trapping thousands of migrants and refugees in appalling conditions in Libyan detention centres. “One year after video footage showing human beings being bought and sold like merchandise shocked the world,…

November 12, 2018

Press Release

Amnesty International announced today that it has withdrawn its highest honor, the Ambassador of Conscience Award, from Aung San Suu Kyi, in light of the Myanmar leader’s shameful betrayal of the values she once stood for. On 11 November, Amnesty International’s Secretary General Kumi Naidoo wrote to Aung San Suu Kyi to inform her the organization is revoking the 2009 award. Half way through her term in office, and eight years after her release from house arrest, Naidoo expressed the organization’s disappointment that she had not used her political and moral authority to safeguard human rights, justice or equality in Myanmar, citing her apparent indifference to atrocities committed by the Myanmar military and increasing intolerance of freedom of expression. “As an Amnesty International…

November 12, 2018

Press Release

Hundreds of medical workers and patients, including a malnourished woman carrying her daughter in a surgical robe and a man still hooked up to a catheter, fled in terror as a series of large explosions rocked a hospital in central Hodeidah yesterday, according to an eyewitness who spoke to Amnesty International. Just before noon on November 11, an attack reportedly carried out by the Saudi Arabia and UAE-led coalition hit very close to al-Thawra hospital – Hodeidah’s largest public medical facility. The pro-Saudi Arabian media outlet Al Arabiya reported that Coalition warplanes and attack helicopters targeted Huthi positions on November 11, including in…

November 12, 2018

Update

November 9, 2018 President Donald Trump The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, NW Washington, DC 20500 Re: Amnesty International USA urges the White House to call for a UN Investigation into the killing of Jamal Khashoggi Dear President Trump: I am writing on behalf of Amnesty International USA to urge you to immediately call for a timely, credible, and transparent UN investigation into the killing of Jamal Khashoggi. A UN-mandated investigation would facilitate investigators’ travel to relevant locations and their access to potential witnesses or suspects. Khashoggi’s family and the world deserve the full truth about what happened to him,…

November 12, 2018

Update

On November 9, 2018, Amnesty International USA's Executive Director, Margaret Huang, wrote to President Trump calling on him to demand a UN Investigation into the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Over one month earlier, Khashoggi walked into the consulate of Saudi Arabia in Istanbul, Turkey. He hasn't been seen since. Following his disappearance, Saudi officials have a offered a carousel of explanations, all of them contradictory and unsupported by evidence. We strongly urge the administration to call on UN Secretary-General António Guterres to open a timely, credible, and transparent investigation into Mr. Khashoggi’s killing. The U.S. government’s voice can be instrumental…

November 9, 2018

Press Release

In response to President Trump’s Proclamation to limit the rights of people seeking asylum along the Southern border, Amnesty International´s Secretary General Kumi Naidoo said: “President Trump’s Proclamation is yet another attempt to destroy the United States´ long tradition to guarantee the fundamental human right to seek protection from life-threatening fear and persecution. Asylum is not a loophole, it is a lifeline. This policy needlessly places the lives of thousands of people in danger. U.S law states that any individual can seek asylum, whether or not they are at an official point of entry. “Beyond Trump’s dehumanizing rhetoric are mothers,…

November 8, 2018

Press Release

Civilians in Yemen’s western port city of Hodeidah will pay a terrible price amid the battle engulfing their city unless warring parties act immediately to protect them from the fighting, Amnesty International warned today.   In an extremely worrying development, Huthi fighters arrived at a hospital in Hodeidah and recently took up positions atop a hospital roof, placing numerous civilians inside the building in grave danger.   “This is a stomach-churning development that could have devastating consequences for the hospital’s medical workers and dozens of civilian patients, including many children, being treated there,” said Samah Hadid, Amnesty International’s Middle East Director of Campaigns.  “The presence of…

November 7, 2018

Press Release

An initiative that requires police officers to receive training in violence de-escalation, mental health, and first aid so that officers will have greater skills to resolve conflict without the use of physical or deadly force was confirmed by voters this evening. Initiative 940 will require independent investigation when an officer causes serious injury or death and would ensure tribes are notified if a tribal member was injured or killed when interacting with law enforcement. Initiative 940 will also replace a malice intent requirement with the lower threshold to determine when any use of lethal force was unlawful. Reacting to the…

November 7, 2018