Below you’ll find breaking news as well as reports, updates on our campaigns, and victories.
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Press Release
Amnesty International Calls on Governor Abbott to Grant Clemency to Rodney Reed
Amnesty International members around the world are making a plea for Texas Governor Greg Abbott to grant clemency to Rodney Reed and stop his and any further executions. For several weeks, Amnesty International members worldwide have written to the governor’s office to raise concerns about Rodney Reed’s case prior to his scheduled execution date on November 20, highlighting that forensic experts dispute the time of death as stated at trial, questioning the timeline implicating Reed, and pointing to the fact that Texas courts have repeatedly denied requests for DNA testing of key evidence. International safeguards guaranteeing the rights of those…
November 15, 2019
Press Release
In SCOTUS Hernández Hearing: Justice is Not a Privilege, It is a Right
As the Supreme Court of the United States prepares to hear arguments on November 12 in the case of Hernandez v. Mesa, which concerns the killing of fifteen-year-old Sergio Hernández, by Jesus Mesa, Jr., a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent, Amnesty International USA, along with the Center for Constitutional Rights, Human Rights First, and the Rutherford Institute, submitted an amicus brief in support of the Hernández family. Justin Mazzola, deputy director of research at Amnesty International USA said: "This case concerns the very cornerstone of fundamental human rights: access to justice. No family should suffer the killing of a child and live with the pain of impunity, as Sergio’s family has been forced…
November 7, 2019
Press Release
Amnesty International Response to US Government Decision to Resume Federal Executions
The Trump administration’s decision to restart federal executions after a 16-year hiatus is outrageous. It is the latest indication of this administration’s disdain for human rights.
July 25, 2019
Press Release
President’s Call to Revive Death Penalty in the Philippines Will Only Worsen Climate of Impunity
President Duterte’s call to revive the death penalty during his State of the Nation Address (SONA) will only worsen the country’s climate of impunity amid the government’s deadly anti-drugs campaign, Amnesty International said today.
July 22, 2019
Press Release
Saudi Arabia: Decision to spare teenager’s life must be followed by abolition of death penalty for all juveniles
Responding to the news that Murtaja Qureiris, the young man from Saudi Arabia arrested at the age of 13, will not face execution and has been sentenced to 12 years in prison instead, Amnesty International’s Middle East Research Director Lynn Maalouf said the following:
June 17, 2019
Press Release
Sudan: Military authorities must break with al-Bashir’s assault on human rights
Responding to the ousting of Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir in a military coup following months of street protests, Amnesty International’s Secretary General Kumi Naidoo said:
April 11, 2019
Report
Death penalty 2018: Dramatic fall in global executions
Global executions fell by almost one-third last year to the lowest figure in at least a decade, Amnesty International said in its 2018 global review of the death penalty published today. The statistics assess known executions worldwide except in China, where figures thought to be in their thousands remain classified as a state secret. Following a change to its anti-narcotics laws, executions in Iran – a country where the use of the death penalty is rife – fell by a staggering 50%. Iraq, Pakistan and Somalia also showed a significant reduction in the number they carried out. As a result,…
April 9, 2019
Press Release
California Governor Signs Moratorium on Executions
Today the California Gov. Gavin Newsome signed an executive order placing a moratorium on executions. The order will affect over 700 people on death row.
March 13, 2019
Report
Opposition leader and more than a hundred supporters face the death penalty in Cameroon
Opposition leader Maurice Kamto will today be summoned by a military court on charges which carry the death penalty, as the Cameroonian authorities intensify their post-election crackdown on critics. Kamto, the president of the Cameroon Renaissance Movement (Mouvement pour la Renaissance du Cameroun-MRC) is the first of a group of 131 people arbitrarily arrested last month and charged by the military court with rebellion, hostility against the homeland, incitement to insurrection, offence against the president of the republic, Â and destruction of public buildings and goods, to be summoned by an investigating judge. They all face the death penalty which is…
February 20, 2019
Press Release
Amnesty International launches world’s biggest human rights campaign
Women human rights defenders around the world are facing unprecedented levels of abuse, intimidation and violence, said Amnesty International as it launched its global Write for Rights campaign, in a bid to shine a spotlight on brave women who have been harassed, jailed, tortured or even killed for their human rights work. Women continue to face multiple forms of discrimination, targeted because of their gender and other characteristics, as well as for their human rights work. However, women refuse to stay silent and have been at the forefront of the battle for human rights in 2018. “Across the world, women are…
November 28, 2018
Press Release
Washington Becomes the 20th State to Abolish the Death Penalty Â
Reacting to news that the Washington State Supreme Court has ruled the death penalty violates its Constitution, Kristina Roth, Senior Program Officer at Amnesty International USA stated: “This is tremendous news for all who fought to abolish the death penalty in Washington. Now that Washington has become the 20th state to end the ultimate cruel, inhuman, and degrading punishment, other states should follow suit. “The Court ruled that the death penalty is imposed in an arbitrary and racially biased manner and is invalid. The death penalty is the ultimate denial of human rights, it does not deter crime or improve public safety, and it should…
October 11, 2018
Press Release
Iran: Victim of domestic and sexual violence, arrested as a child, is executed after unfair trial
Responding to the horrific news that 24-year-old Iranian Kurdish woman Zeinab Sekaanvand was executed early this morning in Urumieh central prison, West Azerbaijan province, Philip Luther, Amnesty International’s Research and Advocacy Director for the Middle East and North Africa, said: “The execution of Zeinab Sekaanvand is a sickening demonstration of the Iranian authorities’ disregard for the principles of juvenile justice and international human rights law. Zeinab was just 17 years old at the time of her arrest. Her execution is profoundly unjust and shows the Iranian authorities’ contempt for the right of children to life. The fact that her death…
October 2, 2018