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Press Release
Workshop for media featuring Nazanin Boniadi and the Middle East Institute will examine COVID-19 impact on the Middle East and North Africa
As part of a series of workshops exploring human rights concerns related to the COVID-19 response, Amnesty International USA will be holding a workshop titled “The impact of COVID-19 on the Middle East and North Africa”. The workshop will cover how COVID-19 has disrupted the lives of millions of people living throughout the Middle East and North Africa and discuss ways the impact can be mitigated, ways that the public is coming together during the pandemic, as well as recommendations of how governments can respond. These are extraordinary times, but it’s critical to stress that respect for human rights is…
April 7, 2020
Press Release
Prisoners in Syria Should be Released to Prevent Spread of COVID-19
The Syrian authorities must cooperate fully with UN agencies and humanitarian organizations to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the country’s prisons, detention centers and military hospitals, Amnesty International has warned.
March 31, 2020
Press Release
Moscow Summit Must Prioritize Ending Renewed Attacks on Civilians in Idlib
Ahead of a summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Moscow tomorrow (Thursday, March 5) to discuss the escalating military conflict in Idlib in Syria, Lynn Maalouf, Amnesty International’s Middle East Research Director, said: “The Moscow summit represents an opportunity for Russia and Turkey to prioritize the safety of civilians."
March 4, 2020
Press Release
Targeting Schools Being Properly Used for Educational Purposes in Idlib, Syria is a War Crime
Following reports that 10 schools were hit by shelling in Idlib and Aleppo countryside, Heba Morayef, Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa Regional Director, said:
February 25, 2020
Press Release
Turkey Illegally Deported Syrians Into War Ahead of Anticipated ‘Safe Zone’
Turkey spent the months leading up to its military incursion into northeast Syria forcibly deporting refugees to the war-torn country, in advance of attempting to create a so-called “safe zone” on the Syrian side of the border, new Amnesty International research has revealed.
October 24, 2019
Press Release
Turkish Military Offensive Risks a Humanitarian Catastrophe in SyriaÂ
The military offensive by Turkey in northeast Syria risks devastating humanitarian consequences and a further destabilization of the region, warned Amnesty International’s Europe Director, Marie Struthers, reiterating the call on Turkey to respect international law.
October 11, 2019
Press Release
Civilians at risk in Syria as Turkish military offensive looms
Responding to the Turkish government’s statements that its forces are set to cross into northeast Syria “shortly” as part of an offensive to move US-backed Kurdish forces away from its border, Amnesty International’s Middle East Research Director Lynn Maalouf said: “As the Turkish military gears up to attack Kurdish forces in northeast Syria, it is imperative that all parties to this conflict respect international humanitarian law, including by refraining from carrying out attacks on civilians and civilian objects, as well as indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks. “As in other parts of Syria, scores of civilians in northeast Syria have already suffered…
October 9, 2019
Press Release
Syrian Families Left Alone to Find Answers About Disappeared Relatives
The families of tens of thousands of people who have been forcibly disappeared or abducted since the onset of the crisis in Syria in 2011have suffered years of agony in the face of government denials and insufficient support from the international community, Amnesty International said today.
August 29, 2019
Press Release
UN Secretary General Orders Investigation Into Atrocities in Idlib, Syria
The plans for a UN investigation into attacks targeting hospitals in Idlib, and other buildings clearly identified as civilian objects by the UN, offer hope that perpetrators of war crimes and crimes against humanity can be identified and held accountable.
August 1, 2019
Press Release
Report: Over Two Years Later, Families Still Left in Limbo After Trump’s Muslim Ban Face Impossible Circumstances
When President Trump signed what has become known as the Muslim ban during his first week in office, he set into motion a series of events that continue to leave families in uncertainty and danger to this day, according to a new report by Amnesty International USA. In some cases, these families were cleared to come to the United States in late 2016 and early 2017, only to be stranded in countries where they face restrictive policies, increasingly hostile environments, and often lack the same rights as permanent residents or citizens. The new report, “The Mountain is in Front of…
June 17, 2019
Report
The Mountain is in Front of Us and the Sea is Behind Us: The Impact of US Policies on Refugees in Lebanon and Jordan
When President Trump signed what has become known as the Muslim ban during his first week in office, he set into motion a series of events that continue to leave families in uncertainty and danger to this day, according to a new report by Amnesty International USA. In some cases, these families were cleared to come to the United States in late 2016 and early 2017, only to be stranded in countries where they face restrictive policies, increasingly hostile environments, and often lack the same rights as permanent residents or citizens. The new report, “The Mountain is in Front of…
June 17, 2019
Press Release
U.S.-led Coalition admission of 1,300 civilian deaths in Iraq and Syria
Responding to today’s announcement by the U.S.-led Coalition that at least 1,302 civilians have been unintentionally killed by Coalition strikes in Syria and Iraq between August 2014 and the end of April 2019, Amnesty International’s Senior Crisis Response Adviser Donatella Rovera said: “While all admissions of responsibility by the U.S.-led Coalition for civilian casualties are welcome, the Coalition remains deeply in denial about the devastating scale of the civilian casualties caused by their operations in both Iraq and Syria. “A comprehensive investigation by Amnesty International in partnership with Airwars, launched last month, revealed that more than 1,600 civilians were killed…
May 31, 2019