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]
Update
DOJ Review of Baltimore Policy Department Indicates Urgent Need for Meaningful Change
Earlier this week, the Department of Justice released findings from a “pattern and practice” review of the Baltimore Police Department. This is an important step towards transparency and accountability.
August 19, 2016
Press Release
UN: Zero tolerance for states who flout Arms Trade Treaty obligations
UN: Zero tolerance for states who flout Arms Trade Treaty obligations · States Parties still engaging in unscrupulous arms transfers, putting lives and human rights at risk · More than a quarter of States Parties are yet to meet the treaty’s reporting obligations · Some States Parties opting to reject public scrutiny of their arms transfers States must ensure the global Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) lives up to its promise to save lives and protect human rights from the devastating effects of the international arms trade by taking concrete, transparent steps towards more effective implementation, Amnesty International said today. The…
August 19, 2016
Press Release
Letter to Milwaukee Police Department on Shooting of Sylville Smith
Amnesty International USA sent the following letter to the Milwaukee Police Department asking for a thorough, independent and transparent investigation into the shooting death of Sylville Smith.
August 19, 2016
Press Release
Obama must offer urgent support to Syrian refugees on Jordan border
Over 80,000 refugees stranded in the desert at the border between Jordan and Syria are facing dire circumstances caused by shortages in food, water, and medical care.
August 18, 2016
Press Release
Amnesty International USA Responds to Announcement that DOJ Will End Use of Private Prisons
“Reports have shown that the federal government has failed to adequately oversee privately operated prisons that do not meet human rights standards, resulting in dangerous conditions for prisoners and staff,” said Pabitra Benjamin, interim campaign director for criminal justice at Amnesty International USA. “This is a welcome step toward much-needed reform in the U.S. criminal justice system. State governments overseeing private prisons should take note and undertake similar reform.”
August 18, 2016
Press Release
Russia declares two more non-profits as ‘undesirable’
The Russian General Prosecutor’s Office Thursday designated two more US–based organizations as “undesirable” under a draconian law adopted last year, as it continued to turn the screw on Russian civil society and cut off potential avenues of foreign funding. The International Republican Institute (IRI), a Washington-based non-profit group funded by the US Congress, and the New York-based Media Development Investment Fund (MDIF) are just the latest in a list of organizations to be blacklisted in this way. “This move is designed to send yet another unmistakable message: Russian NGOs and independent media should steer clear of foreign funders – and…
August 18, 2016
Update
Jeffrey Wood is Scheduled for Execution on August 24th, but he Didn’t Commit Murder
As death sentences and executions dwindle around the country and most states are abandoning the death penalty, a few states are determined to keep executions rolling. Top of the list is Texas, the state that’s now gearing up to execute a man who never killed anyone.
August 17, 2016
Press Release
Australia/PNG: Closure of Manus Island detention only first step to ending offshore nightmare for refugees
Responding to today’s reports that the Australian Government-run refugee detention centre on Manus Island will close Anna Neistat, Amnesty International’s Senior Director for Research, said: “While welcoming the news that the centre will close Amnesty International urges the Australian Government to bring those currently held there to Australia. We must not forget that the Government set up a system of deliberate abuse of and cruelty towards almost two thousand people in two detention centres who are simply looking for a safe place to rebuild their lives.” “Amnesty International calls on Australian Minister for Immigration and Border Protection, Peter Dutton to…
August 17, 2016
Press Release
Yemen: Huthi authorities must release detained Bahá’ís, end crackdown on minorities
The Huthi armed group in control of parts of Yemen must immediately ensure the release of all 27 members of the Bahá’í religion who have been detained in the capital, Sana’a, for a week without charge, in a blatant case of persecution of a minority faith, Amnesty International said today. Armed officers in balaclavas from Yemen’s National Security Bureau (NSB) intelligence agency, which works hand in hand with the armed Huthi authorities, stormed a Bahá’í youth workshop in Sana’a on 10 August and arrested 65 people, including 14 women and six people under 18 without an arrest warrant. Further arrests…
August 17, 2016
Press Release
Ruling to release woman jailed after miscarriage in Argentina, a step forward for human rights
A ruling to release a woman sentenced to eight years in prison after having a miscarriage in Argentina is a step forward for human rights in the country, Amnesty International said. Last night the Supreme Court of Tucumán, a state in north Argentina, said there were not enough reasons to keep Belén, 27, in pre-trial detention. The Supreme Court of Tucumán is yet to issue a final ruling on the eight-year sentence imposed on Belén by the lower court. Belén is expected to be released from jail today. “Belén’s release is extremely positive and long awaited news. What we need…
August 17, 2016
Report
‘It breaks the human’: Torture, disease and death in Syria’s prisons
Harrowing accounts of torture, inhuman conditions and mass deaths in Syria’s prisons The horrifying experiences of detainees subjected to rampant torture and other ill-treatment in Syrian prisons are laid bare in a damning new report published by Amnesty International today which estimates that 17,723 people have died in custody in Syria since the crisis began in March 2011 – an average rate of more than 300 deaths each month. ‘It breaks the human’: Torture, disease and death in Syria’s prisons documents crimes against humanity committed by government forces. It retraces the experiences of thousands of detainees through the cases of…
August 16, 2016
Press Release
South Sudan: One year since peace deal, justice still elusive for victims
Renewed violence underscores the urgency of bringing to account those responsible for crimes under international law committed during South Sudan’s armed conflict, said Amnesty International and FIDH today, a year on from a faltering peace agreement. The peace accord was signed on 17 August 2015 in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa. It requires the African Union (AU) to set up a hybrid court for South Sudan to investigate and prosecute individuals suspected of committing genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity since the conflict began in December 2013. “Last month’s return to violence underscores the need to seek accountability for…
August 16, 2016