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Press Release

Women and girls in Ireland finally have a once in a generation opportunity to have their right to decide what happens to their bodies recognized, said Amnesty International ahead of Friday’s referendum on abortion. The long fought-for referendum will give Irish people a chance to vote on removing a constitutional provision which bans abortion in all circumstances other than where there is a risk to the life of the pregnant woman. The provision, known as the Eighth Amendment, has meant that Ireland’s abortion law is amongst the most restrictive in the world. “On Friday, we have a historic opportunity to…

May 22, 2018

Update

Ahead of the May 22 Border and Maritime Security Subcommittee hearing entitled "Stopping the Daily Border Caravan: Time to Build a Policy Wall", Amnesty International USA submitted a statement for the record, addressing refugee protection and asylum seekers. In April and May 2018 AI researchers conducted a multi-week research mission along the entire U.S.–Mexico border, from the Pacific Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico. Our team documented not only the situations of asylum seekers who sought to present themselves at U.S. ports of entry, but also the conduct of U.S. border and immigration authorities in facilitating and processing their asylum…

May 21, 2018

Update

Amnesty’s AI and Human Rights Initiative tackles human rights challenges posed by AI technologies. A core part of the initiative is the development of ethical principles for the development and use of AI. Amnesty International urges policymakers to enshrine such principles into existing human rights standards. Through our large network of human rights defenders and partner organizations worldwide, Amnesty International aims to facilitate dialogue with diverse global civil society voice about the ethics of AI, in order to ensure that the development of ethical and human rights principles for AI is guided by global human rights perspectives. In light of…

May 21, 2018

Press Release

Wikipedia enthusiasts from around the world are joining forces on 19 and 20 May 2018 to take part in a global edit-a-thon to shine a spotlight on extraordinary unsung women human rights defenders who have devoted their lives to fighting injustice. BRAVE:Edit, a collaboration between Amnesty International and Wikimedia (Wikipedia’s non-profit organization), will see hundreds of online activists from over 20 countries taking to the popular website to upload biographies of women human rights defenders. Women human rights defenders are women, in all of their diversity, working on any human rights issue, and defenders of all genders working on rights…

May 18, 2018

Press Release

The following statement can be attributed to Victoria Coy, end gun violence campaign manager at Amnesty International USA:

May 18, 2018

Press Release

Reacting to news that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services may adopt a "domestic gag rule" around Title X, the nation's program for affordable birth control and reproductive health care, Tarah Demant, Director of the Gender, Sexuality, and Identity Program at Amnesty International USA stated: “The proposal is deadly, discriminatory, and a blatant attempt to restrict women’s reproductive rights. “Such a plan defies human rights standards and puts the lives of all people, especially women of color and low-income women, at risk. It restricts people’s sexual and reproductive rights placing all those who may be pregnant in danger.…

May 18, 2018

Press Release

Reacting to news that Gina Haspel was confirmed for the role of Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, Daphne Eviatar, Director of Security with Human Rights at Amnesty International USA stated: “For more than a decade, the United States has failed to ensure truth, accountability, and access to remedy for victims of official US torture and enforced disappearance. But now, the US has gone further. The Senate has now rewarded that atrocious conduct by promoting someone that reportedly administered it to lead one of the government’s most powerful agencies. “We already knew from the 2014 Senate torture report that it…

May 17, 2018

Press Release

The Australian government is attempting to walk away from the human rights crisis it has created for refugees and asylum seekers in Papua New Guinea (PNG) by winding back critical healthcare services, despite the ongoing plight of the people trapped in its offshore detention centers, Amnesty International said today. Over the past six months the Australian government has terminated trauma and counselling services for refugees and asylum seekers in PNG, and moved refugees to new detention centers where they have reduced access to healthcare. “Nearly five years after Australia began implementing its harmful and illegal offshore detention policy, the situation…

May 17, 2018

Press Release

Legislation holding senior level Myanmar military officials accountable for mass atrocities against the Rohingya passed out of the House Foreign Affairs Committee today. The BURMA Act (HR 5819) also urges the Myanmar government to cooperate with the United Nations fact-finding mission, provide access to humanitarian aid groups, facilitate the return of the Rohingya, and release Reuters journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo.

May 17, 2018

Update

On May 16, Amnesty International co-hosted a briefing on human rights and religious freedom in Turkey. The briefing was cosponsored by the Senate Human Rights Caucus co-chairs Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) and Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE). Senators Tillis and Coons gave opening remarks. Amnesty International’s Eurasia Advocacy Director, Daniel Balson, spoke alongside Nate Schenkkan, Project Director at Freedom House and Turkish journalist Amberin Zaman. The event was moderated by Philippe Nassif, Executive Director of In Defense of Christians. Amnesty's remarks focused on Turkey's ongoing crackdown on media and civil society and presented policy makers with options to counter the country's…

May 17, 2018

Press Release

The Lebanese authorities’ disruption of activities planned for Beirut Pride Week is an outrageous attempt to deny the human rights of LGBTI people, Amnesty International said today. The authorities cancelled events within the program launched to commemorate International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHOT), and briefly arrested Beirut Pride Week’s organizer Hadi Damien.

May 17, 2018

Press Release

Yemeni civilians are struggling to stay alive amid fierce ground and air attacks in the raging battle to retake western coastal governorates from Huthi armed group control, and the worst could be yet to come, Amnesty International warned after carrying out a field investigation in the south of the country. The organization interviewed 34 civilians who arrived in Aden after the clashes displaced them from several villages and towns in Hodeidah Governorate between January and early May. They spoke of terrifying mortar attacks, air strikes, landmines and other dangers amid the new offensive as forces loyal to the internationally recognized…

May 16, 2018