Below you’ll find breaking news as well as reports, updates on our campaigns, and victories.
If you are a member of the press, please reach out to [email protected]
Report
Shoot to kill: Nicaragua’s strategy to suppress protest
Nicaraguan authorities have adopted a strategy of repression, characterized by the excessive use of force, extrajudicial executions, control of the media, and the use of pro-government armed groups, to crush protests in which at least 81 people have been killed, Amnesty International said in a new report released today.
May 29, 2018
Press Release
Amnesty International documents armed attack on students in Nicaragua
Students from the National University of Engineering who were defending their campus in Managua, Nicaragua, were attacked with firearms today, confirmed Erika Guevara-Rosas, Americas Director at Amnesty International, in a live broadcast from her Facebook account.
May 28, 2018
Press Release
Historic Ireland abortion referendum victory sends message of hope around the world
Reacting to news of the victory for the “Yes” campaign in Ireland’s referendum on abortion, Colm O Gorman, Executive Director of Amnesty International Ireland said the following.
May 26, 2018
Update
AMNESTY CALLS ON THE STATE DEPARTMENT TO DEFEND CIVIL SOCIETY IN HUNGARY
The Government of Hungary must drop its legislative effort to extinguish civil society organizations, including Amnesty International Hungary, and end the campaign of intimidation aimed at nongovernmental organizations. The State Department must clearly communicate to Hungarian officials that it strongly objects to any legislative attempts to muzzle civil society. On May 25, Amnesty International sent a letter to A. Wess Mitchell, Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, concerning Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's upcoming meeting with Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó on May 30. In recent months, the Hungarian Parliament has moved to consider a group of laws,…
May 25, 2018
Press Release
Pakistan: Historic rights advances for tribal areas and transgender people
Pakistan has secured historic advances for the rights of people in the tribal areas along the Afghan border with the passage of a new constitutional amendment that breaks with disgraceful laws rooted in the colonial era, Amnesty International said today. The passage of the constitutional amendment marks the second time this month that the Pakistani parliament has united across deep political divides on key human rights issues, coming on the heels of the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act. “This is an historic moment that ends more than a century and a half of colonial-era draconian laws for people in…
May 25, 2018
Report
Nigeria: Starving women raped by soldiers and militia who claim to be rescuing them
Thousands of women and girls who survived the brutal rule of the Boko Haram armed group have since been further abused by the Nigerian security forces who claim to be rescuing them, said Amnesty International in a new report released today. "They betrayed us" reveals how the Nigerian military and Civilian Joint Task Force (Civilian JTF) – a militia who work alongside them – have separated women from their husbands and confined them in remote “satellite camps” where they have been raped, sometimes in exchange for food. Amnesty International has collected evidence that thousands of people have starved to death in the camps in…
May 23, 2018
Press Release
Saudi Arabia: More activists arrested in continuing crackdown
Saudi Arabia: More activists arrested in continuing crackdown Responding to news reports that more people have been detained in Saudi Arabia – bringing to 11 the number imprisoned since last week – Samah Hadid, Amnesty International's Middle East Director of Campaigns, said: “Amnesty International is extremely concerned following reports that yet more individuals and activists have been arrested in Saudi Arabia. “Despite the international outcry at last week’s arrests, authorities have responded with even more repression in a desperate attempt to silence dissent and feminist voices speaking up for human rights. “Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman presents himself as a…
May 23, 2018
Update
Amnesty International USA Statement Ahead of Senate Border and Immigration Subcommittee on Unaccompanied Children
Ahead of May 23, 2018 hearing entitled” TVPRA and Exploited Loopholes Affecting Unaccompanied Alien Children, Amnesty International USA submitted a statement for the hearing record. Since 2015 Amnesty International has documented the deepening refugee crisis from the Northern Triangle region of Central America, its push factors and how Mexico and the United States have responded to the regional crisis. In May 2018, Amnesty International staff conducted a three-week research mission along the U.S. southwest border (California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and some adjacent border areas of Mexico). The preliminary findings submits that Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is increasingly forcibly…
May 23, 2018
Report
Myanmar: New evidence reveals Rohingya armed group massacred scores in Rakhine State
A Rohingya armed group brandishing guns and swords is responsible for at least one, and potentially a second, massacre of up to 99 Hindu women, men, and children as well as additional unlawful killings and abductions of Hindu villagers in August 2017, Amnesty International revealed today after carrying out a detailed investigation inside Myanmar’s Rakhine State.
May 22, 2018
Update
An Open Letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo
Amnesty International USA Appropriations Priorities for Fiscal Year 2019 - International Affairs Budget 5/22/2018 In advance of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearings this week on the State Department's Budget request, Amnesty International USA's Executive Director, Margaret Huang, sent an open letter to Secretary Pompeo urging him to ensure that the U.S. Government advocates for the fundamental human rights of all, throughout the world, and that our budget reflects that priority. In the letter she urged that Secretary Pompeo use his power as Secretary to "speak out for human rights defenders and prisoners of conscience, protect…
May 22, 2018
Update
Call Script for Humanitarian Aid
Please use the below sample script to call your Senators and your Representative and ask them to support robust funding for humanitarian assistance for refugees and displaced people! CALL 1-877-892-6897 to be connected to your Member of Congress 1.) Telephone calls are usually initially taken by a staff assistant or an intern. Ask to speak with the aide who handles refugee issues. If they aren’t available, leave a voicemail or direct message with whoever you’re speaking with. You can request a call back. 2.) After identifying yourself as a constituent (say where you’re from in the state/district), tell the…
May 22, 2018
Press Release
Another tragic Manus Island death that should have been prevented
Responding to the news that a Rohingya refugee has reportedly died on Manus Island, Kate Schuetze, Refugee Researcher at Amnesty International said:
May 22, 2018