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]
Press Release
Amnesty International USA Honors Indigenous Activist Charon Asetoyer
Amnesty International USA will honor Charon Asetoyer, a member of the Comanche nation and a lifelong Native American women’s health advocate and activist, at this year’s Ginetta Sagan Award Reception tomorrow night in San Francisco. The award, named in honor of a WWII resistance fighter who went on to become a powerful advocate for Prisoners of Conscience, is given annually to honor courageous women around the world who stand up for the rights of women and children who face grave human rights violations.
October 10, 2017
Press Release
Outrageous charges against jailed Amnesty staff in Turkey must be rejected
Responding to news that a prosecutor has filed an indictment calling for jail terms of up to 15 years on terror charges for 11 human rights activists including Idil Eser and Taner Kilic, the director and chair of Amnesty International Turkey, John Dalhuisen, Amnesty International’s Europe Director said the following:
October 8, 2017
Press Release
UN downplays Saudi Arabia-led coalition’s crimes against children in Yemen
The international community has caved in to political pressure again, underplaying the suffering of hundreds of Yemeni children, by watering down criticism of the Saudi Arabia-led coalition’s grave violations of international law in the UN Secretary General’s annual Children and armed conflict report (CAAC), said Amnesty International.
October 6, 2017
Report
Forced Back to Danger: Asylum-Seekers Returned from Europe to Afghanistan
European governments have put thousands of Afghans in harm’s way by forcibly returning them to a country where they are at serious risk of torture, kidnapping, death and other human rights abuses, Amnesty International said today in a new report.
October 4, 2017
Press Release
Attack in Las Vegas Shows Utter Contempt for Human Life
CONTACT: Mandy Simon, [email protected] NEW YORK – Following a mass shooting last night in Las Vegas, Margaret Huang, Amnesty International USA executive director, released the following statement: “Last night’s shooting in Las Vegas demonstrated an utter contempt for human life, and our thoughts are with the victims of these attacks and the city of Las Vegas. But thoughts must be backed up with actions to protect people from this kind of violence. No one’s life should be threatened just by walking down the street, going to school or attending a concert. “The U.S. government must uphold its obligations under international law and…
October 2, 2017
Press Release
UN: Breakthrough resolution establishes expert group to investigate violations in Yemen
A resolution passed by the UN Human Rights Council today, mandating a group of international experts to investigate abuses by all parties to the conflict in Yemen, is a momentous breakthrough that will pave the way for justice for countless victims of human rights abuses and grave violations of international law, including war crimes, said Amnesty International.Â
September 29, 2017
Report
Conform or flee: Repression and insecurity pushing Burundians into exile
Thousands of Burundian refugees are under mounting pressure to return to their country where they would be at risk of death, rape and torture, said Amnesty International in a report out today.
September 28, 2017
Report
Between a Rock and a Hard Place
With the world’s fastest growing refugee crisis developing on its doorstep, Thailand must take concrete action to reverse its long-standing failure to offer protection to those most in need, Amnesty International said today as it launched a report revealing gaping holes in the country’s refugee policies.
September 28, 2017
Press Release
Myanmar: UN Security Council must impose arms embargo
The UN Security Council must do everything it can to end the crimes against humanity and ongoing ethnic cleansing against the Rohingya civilian population in Myanmar, including by imposing a comprehensive arms embargo on the country, Amnesty International said.
September 27, 2017
Press Release
Saudi Arabia: Right to drive is a long overdue step forward for women
Responding to the Saudi Arabian government’s announcement that women will be allowed to drive, Philip Luther, Amnesty International's Research and Advocacy Director for the Middle East and North Africa, said:Â
September 27, 2017
Press Release
Supreme Court Stays Death Sentence of Keith Tharpe
The U.S. Supreme Court stayed the death sentence today of Keith Tharpe, a black man who was on death row for 26 years despite the fact that one of his white jurors later recounted the case using slurs when referring to black people and said that “because a black person doesn’t have a soul, giving one the death penalty was no big deal.” Tharpe was scheduled to be executed this evening.
September 26, 2017
Press Release
Thousands of Lives In Danger As Trump Slashes Number of Refugees Admitted to U.S.
CONTACT: Mandy Simon, [email protected] WASHINGTON – Responding to reports that President Trump will slashed the number of refugee admissions to the United States to an all-time historical low number of 45,000 next year, Margaret Huang, executive director of Amnesty International USA, released the following statement: “If these reports are true, this is a devastating betrayal of an American tradition of helping people escape war and horrific violence. President Trump’s heartless decision puts thousands of people’s lives at risk of certain death. Refugees are ordinary people who have lost everything. They deserve our compassion and concern as they rebuild their lives. Instead,…
September 26, 2017