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Update

In October 2018, President Trump's National Security Advisor, Ambassador John Bolton, will travel to Azerbaijan to discuss shared security concerns. These conversations cannot distract from the government of Azerbaijan's appalling human rights abuses. In a letter submitted to the National Security Council, Amnesty International USA is calling on the National Security Advisor to demand that Azerbaijani officials end their campaign against the independent judiciary, release imprisoned human rights defenders, and engage in an earnest discussion on their human rights record.   A copy of the letter can be downloaded here. AIUSA_NSABoltonLetter_2018_10_19 (Final) October 19, 2018   The Hon. John R. Bolton…

October 19, 2018

Press Release

Fears of escalating bloodshed are rising ahead of planned protests in Gaza later today after Israeli authorities announced a “zero tolerance” policy towards demonstrations along the Israel/Gaza fence, said Amnesty International.

October 19, 2018

Press Release

The Mexican government must listen to the individual stories of those fleeing Honduras and inform them of their right to seek asylum, said Amnesty International today in response to news that the Mexican government deployed its federal police chief to its southern border to await the arrival of a caravan of over 1,600 people from Honduras, including dozens of families and children.

October 18, 2018

Press Release

Turkey should urgently ask UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to establish a United Nations investigation into the possible extrajudicial execution of the prominent Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the Committee to Protect Journalists, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and Reporters Without Borders said today.  The investigation should determine the circumstances surrounding Saudi Arabia’s role in the enforced disappearance and possible killing of Khashoggi. It should aim to identify everyone responsible for ordering, planning, and executing any operations connected with the case. “Turkey should enlist the UN to initiate a timely, credible, and transparent investigation” said Robert Mahoney, deputy executive director of the…

October 18, 2018

Report

From the beginning of June, the government of President Daniel Ortega intensified its strategy for repression in a so-called “clean-up” operation, targeting protesters with arbitrary arrests, torture, and the widespread and indiscriminate use of lethal force by police and heavily armed pro-government groups, said Amnesty International today in a new report.

October 18, 2018

Press Release

Responding to news of the release of blogger “Mother Mushroom” in Viet Nam, Nicholas Bequelin, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for East and South East Asia, said: “This good news, which comes as a relief after two years behind bars, should also be a reminder of Viet Nam’s worsening record of jailing anyone who criticizes the regime. While Mother Mushroom is no longer imprisoned, the condition for her release was exile and there are over 100 people languishing in jail because they peacefully spoke their mind – in public, on blogs or on Facebook. Mẹ Nấm’s case was chosen as one…

October 17, 2018

Press Release

Responding to the murder of aid worker Hauwa Liman by Boko Haram, Osai Ojigho, Director of Amnesty International Nigeria, said: “With yet another horrific killing of a humanitarian worker, Boko Haram has again demonstrated its brazen disregard for life. Hauwa Liman was providing desperately-needed humanitarian services to people affected by the conflict in the northeast of Nigeria. Her killing is a war crime. Under international humanitarian law, all aid workers must be protected from attack. “Boko Haram must immediately and unconditionally release the remaining health worker, Alice Loksha. As news of these grizzly killings emerge, the Nigerian authorities must re-double…

October 16, 2018

Report

An Amnesty International investigation published today reveals that armored personnel carriers supplied by France were used with deadly effect by the Egyptian security forces to violently and repeatedly disperse protests and crush dissent. The report Egypt: How French Arms Were Used to Crush Dissent draws on analysis of more than 20 hours of open source video footage, hundreds of photographs and 450 gigabytes of further audio-visual material provided by local human rights groups and media. The evidence clearly shows French supplied Sherpas and MIDS vehicles being used during some of the bloodiest incidents of internal repression. “It is appalling that France has continued to…

October 16, 2018

Press Release

Amnesty International will challenge in court the constitutionality of Hungary’s controversial law that criminalizes with up to one year in prison, individuals and organizations working on migration, the organization announced today. The law, which came into effect earlier this year, is a threat to the freedoms of expression, association and peaceful assembly. “The Hungarian authorities’ are persistently intimidating those who challenge their xenophobic policies. This law takes this intimidation campaign a step further by criminalizing their legitimate work to protect the rights of migrants, asylum seekers and refugees” said Clare Algar, Europe Director at Amnesty International. The complaint, which was…

October 15, 2018

Press Release

An Amnesty International researcher sent to observe demonstrations in the Ingushetian capital Magas was abducted, beaten and subjected to terrifying mock executions by men claiming to be members of the security services. Oleg Kozlovsky, a Russian national working as a researcher for Amnesty International, arrived in Magas on October 5 to monitor ongoing peaceful protests against the border agreement recently signed by the leaders of Ingushetia and Chechnya. On the night of October 6, Oleg was lured into a car by a man claiming to be a representative of protest organizers. He was driven to a location outside the city…

October 15, 2018

Press Release

The US-led Coalition’s ongoing failure to admit to, let alone adequately investigate, the shocking scale of civilian deaths and destruction it caused in Raqqa is a slap in the face for survivors trying to rebuild their lives and their city, said Amnesty International a year after the offensive to oust the armed group calling itself Islamic State (IS). On October 17, 2017, following a fierce four-month battle, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) – the Coalition’s Kurdish-led partners on the ground – announced victory over IS, which had used civilians as human shields and committed other war crimes in besieged Raqqa.…

October 14, 2018

Press Release

Reacting to news that the Washington State Supreme Court has ruled the death penalty violates its Constitution, Kristina Roth, Senior Program Officer at Amnesty International USA stated: “This is tremendous news for all who fought to abolish the death penalty in Washington. Now that Washington has become the 20th state to end the ultimate cruel, inhuman, and degrading punishment, other states should follow suit. “The Court ruled that the death penalty is imposed in an arbitrary and racially biased manner and is invalid. The death penalty is the ultimate denial of human rights, it does not deter crime or improve public safety, and it should…

October 11, 2018