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Press Release

The protracted politicking and negotiations have finally resulted in a Security Council resolution allowing UN monitors to be sent to Aleppo. The resolution follows a weekend of intense negotiation under the threat of a third Russian veto in three months. “The world is watching how the UN responds to the plight of Aleppo. This important measure has come far too late, with hundreds of thousands of people demanding the Syrian and Russian governments allow a safe evacuation and independent monitoring. But thousands are still trapped in besieged areas of Eastern Aleppo, waiting for hours in sub-zero temperatures to be evacuated,”…

December 19, 2016

Press Release

Saudi Arabia should immediately abandon all use of cluster munitions, destroy its stockpile and accede to the international Convention on Cluster Munitions, Amnesty International said after the Kingdom’s surprise admission today that it used the inherently indiscriminate weapon in Yemen.

December 19, 2016

Update

By Simon Billenness, Business and Human Rights Thematic Specialist and Paz y Miño, Andean Countries Specialist Did you know Amnesty International USA is a long-time shareholder activist? This week, Amnesty International USA joined the New York State Comptroller, Thomas DiNapoli, in filing a shareholder resolution at Chevron Corporation. The resolution asks the company to appoint a board member with expertise in the impact on communities and the environment of its oil and gas extraction operations. For over a decade, Amnesty International USA has retained a small amount of Chevron stock and other corporations for the purpose of engaging in shareholder activism.…

December 16, 2016

Report

The Myanmar security forces are responsible for unlawful killings, multiple rapes and the burning down of houses and entire villages in a campaign of violence against Rohingya people that may amount to crimes against humanity, Amnesty International reveals in a new report today.

December 16, 2016

Press Release

Amnesty International USA will co-sponsor the Women’s March on Washington, which is set for January 21, 2017, the day after the presidential inauguration. “We’re proud to stand with people from all across the country to declare that women’s rights are human rights and to demand that the new administration and Congress protect everyone’s human rights,” said Margaret Huang, Executive Director of Amnesty International USA. “We decided to cosponsor the Women’s March on Washington to help send a loud and clear message that human rights must be respected.” As a co-sponsor, AIUSA is rallying its grassroots members across the country to…

December 16, 2016

Update

Next month Congress will get to interview nominees for the incoming Trump administration. These cabinet nominees are important indicators as to whether his administration will be uphold and protect human rights or whether the inflammatory rhetoric from the campaign will become policy. The implications for human rights - here in the United States and internationally could not be more stark and hard as it may be to remember the incoming administration will have a huge impact globally as well as here in the United States. So far President-elect Trump’s nominees to lead foreign policy raise more alarm than confidence. Rex…

December 15, 2016

Report

The Crimean Tatar community has been subjected to systematic persecution by the Russian authorities since the occupation and illegal annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation, said Amnesty International in a report published today.

December 14, 2016

Press Release

Responding to claims made by Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte that he “personally” killed suspected criminals while serving as mayor of the city of Davao, Rafendi Djamin, Amnesty International's Director for South East Asia and the Pacific, said:    “President Duterte’s claim that he has personally killed suspected criminals takes the meaning of “state-sanctioned” violence to a whole new level. The climate of impunity in the Philippines has intensified even further since President Duterte began his brutal crackdown on suspected drug users and dealers in July, with a wave of unlawful killings claiming more than 5,000 lives across the country. By…

December 14, 2016

Press Release

As fighting resumed in the stricken Syrian city of Aleppo today, Amnesty International called for the deployment of monitors from the United Nations to help protect thousands of fleeing civilians from potential revenge attacks and other human rights violations. Heavy shelling has been reported in eastern Aleppo despite a ceasefire agreed on Tuesday to allow the evacuation of tens of thousands of civilians and thousands of rebel fighters. “It is shameful yet unsurprising that, despite the fact the Syrian government agreed last night to the evacuation, civilians fleeing their homes have come under fire today. We fear that without proper…

December 14, 2016

Press Release

Shocking reports from the UN that scores of civilians have been extrajudicially executed by advancing Syrian government forces in eastern Aleppo point to apparent war crimes, said Amnesty International. The organization is making an urgent plea for all parties to the conflict to protect the civilian population.

December 13, 2016

Press Release

As President-elect Trump undertakes the process of selecting his cabinet members and other high-ranking administration officials, it is imperative that nominees support the U.S. Constitution, embody American ideals of inclusion and respect for all individuals, uphold our democratic processes and institutions, and respect our nation’s human rights obligations. While each of the undersigned organizations has additional priorities and will respond to the incoming administration accordingly, we all believe that potential cabinet members and senior administration appointees should adhere to the following principles.

December 13, 2016

Press Release

With the EU-Turkey deal faltering and more than 16,000 refugees languishing in appalling conditions on the Greek islands, Amnesty International is calling on EU Heads of State and Government to commit to concrete action to save lives and restore dignity as they meet in Brussels this week.    The organization is proposing six concrete steps, beginning with asylum-seekers being moved from the Greek islands to the mainland where their asylum applications can be processed, with further relocation across mainland Europe.    “European leaders want to keep refugees and migrants on the Greek islands - out of sight, and therefore out…

December 13, 2016