Below you’ll find breaking news as well as reports, updates on our campaigns, and victories.
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Press Release
France: New bill fails to address challenges faced by migrants and asylum seekers
Responding to the passing of an asylum and immigration bill that will tighten asylum rules, Cécile Coudriou, President of Amnesty International France, declares: “This bill, and the discussions around its text, fails to address the difficulties faced by migrants and asylum seekers in France and the need to fully respect their rights. Those drafting this bill missed numerous opportunities including putting an end to the detention of children and providing dignified protection for those fleeing war or persecution. “The majority of parliamentarians were aware that the ‘offence of solidarity’ could be wrongfully used to prosecute people providing voluntary assistance to asylum seekers.…
April 23, 2018
Press Release
Athlete and activist Colin Kaepernick honored with top award from Amnesty International
Athlete and activist Colin Kaepernick has been honored with Amnesty International’s Ambassador of Conscience Award for 2018, the human rights organization announced today.
April 21, 2018
Press Release
Trump Administration Undermines State Department’s Human Rights Report
Previous assertions from State Department officials, and reports of directives to remove passages on issues like reproductive rights and discrimination indicate that the department’s annual assessment of human rights around the world will downplay vital reports of violations. Joanne Lin, national director of advocacy and governmental relations at Amnesty International USA, issued this statement: “From the beginning, this Administration has sent the message that the United States will no longer prioritize efforts to hold the global community to account for human rights. Reports of the omission of key passages pertaining to sexual and reproductive rights, women’s rights and the rights…
April 20, 2018
Press Release
Google’s new Chat service shows total contempt for Android users’ privacy
Responding to Google’s launch of a new messaging service for Android phones, Amnesty International’s Technology and Human Rights researcher Joe Westby said: “With its baffling decision to launch a messaging service without end-to-end encryption, Google has shown utter contempt for the privacy of Android users and handed a precious gift to cybercriminals and government spies alike, allowing them easy access to the content of Android users’ communications. “Following the revelations by CIA whistleblower Edward Snowden, end-to-end encryption has become recognized as an essential safeguard for protecting people’s privacy when using messaging apps. With this new Chat service, Google shows a…
April 20, 2018
Press Release
US Citizen Detained in Iraq Must Have Fair Trial, Not Be Sent to Third Country
Rather than be sent to a third country where he may face torture, a U.S. citizen held in for seven months in Iraq as a suspected fighter for the Islamic State must be either formally charged and given a fair trial in U.S. courts, or released if no charges are forthcoming, said Amnesty International today following a hearing on the man’s case. The United States gave notice earlier this week that it intended to send the detainee, who holds both U.S. and Saudi citizenship, to another country, possibly Saudi Arabia. “No one should be held for so long without charge…
April 19, 2018
Report
Trump threat puts European role in lethal US drone strikes under new scrutiny
As the Trump administration prepares to further expand the US’s lethal drone program, increasing the risk of civilian casualties and unlawful killings, Amnesty International is calling on four European countries to urgently overhaul the crucial operational and intelligence assistance they provide to the program. Amnesty International and others have documented cases, under successive US administrations, where US drone strikes have killed people who were not directly participating in hostilities or posed no imminent threat to life, including children. In a new report, Deadly Assistance: The role of European states in US Drone Strikes, Amnesty International uses open source information to map out…
April 18, 2018
Update
25 years after Bosnia’s war, rape survivors still struggle for justice. Congress can help!
The attached document describes how Bosnian authorities have failed to provide justice and recompense for 20,000 survivors of wartime sexual violence. It draws on Amnesty International’s recent report, “We Need Support, not Pity: Last Chance for Justice for Bosnia’s Wartime Rape Survivors”. With the breakup of Yugoslavia, Bosnia descended into a horrifying war. Thousands of women and girls were subjected to rape and other forms of sexual violence by military and paramilitary groups. A quarter century later, women survivors are still piecing together their lives with little access to medical, psychological, and financial assistance from the state. Their attempts to…
April 18, 2018
Press Release
Case of Iraqi Man Cleared for Travel But Stranded in Danger Shows Cruelty of Trump’s Refugee Ban
The situation faced by an Iraqi man stranded in Egypt and in danger for his life despite being cleared to travel to the United States is emblematic of the cruelty of President Trump’s refugee policies, said Amnesty International USA today.
April 18, 2018
Update
Human Rights on Capitol Hill April 17, 2018
In this edition of Human Rights on Capitol Hill: (1) NOMINATIONS: SENATE SHOULD VIGOROUSLY PROBE SECRETARY OF STATE NOMINEE MICHAEL POMPEO’S HUMAN RIGHTS RECORD (2) NOMINATIONS: SENATE SHOULD NOT CONFIRM GINA HASPEL AS CIA DIRECTOR UNLESS THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT (“DOJ”) OPENS A CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION INTO HER ALLEGED ROLE IN HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS. (3) AFRICA: AIUSA WELCOMES HOUSE PASSAGE OF ETHIOPIA RESOLUTION (4) AMERICAS: CONGRESS SHOULD NOT FUND BORDER WALL, BORDER PATROL EXPANSION, OR BORDER OPERATIONS THAT VIOLATE HUMAN RIGHTS. (5) AMERICAS: CONGRESS SHOULD DRAMATICALLY INCREASE FUNDING FOR U.S. IMMIGRATION COURTS IN ORDER TO TACKLE MULTI-YEAR BACKLOGS. (6) AMERICAS: AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL…
April 17, 2018
Press Release
Amnesty International Opposes New Open-Ended War Authority for President Trump
In response to Senator Corker’s proposed authorization for use of military force (AUMF) intended to replace the 2001 and 2002 authorizations, Daphne Eviatar, director of Security with Human Rights for Amnesty International USA, made the following statement: “Since 2001, the U.S. has been operating as if the world is a permanent battlefield, at the costs of thousands of lives, including large numbers of civilians. Despite this, President Trump has reportedly expanded authority for air strikes outside of war zones, and expressed shockingly callous disregard for civilian casualties. The last thing President Trump needs is a renewed open-ended authorization that gives…
April 17, 2018
Update
Statement for the Congressional Record – Senate Hearing on “U.S. Policy in Yemen”
This statement was submitted by Amnesty International USA to the Senate Foreign Relations Hearing on Yemen on April 17, 2017. The statement describes our findings in Yemen, including information about 36 Saudi-led airstrikes that might amount to war crimes, and calls on the Senate to vote on and block future weapon deals to the Saudi-led coalition.
April 16, 2018