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Update
Amnesty Statement for the Record: HFAC Russia War Crimes Hearing
On September 21, 2022, the Europe, Energy, the Environment and Cyber subcommittee of the House Foreign Affairs Committee held a hearing on "Accountability for Atrocity Crimes Committed by Russia in Ukraine". Amnesty International submitted this statement for the record. The statement tracks some of the patterns Amnesty's researchers uncovered in their work on the ground in Ukraine. Throughout the conflict, the Russian military has shown a wanton disregard for international law, used banned weapons such as cluster bombs, intentionally targeted civilians, perpetrated sexual violence and rape against the Ukrainian population, and precipitated a devastating humanitarian crisis. Many of these…
September 21, 2022
Press Release
Amnesty International USA Statement in Response to the Introduction of Federal Abortion Ban Legislation
Responding to the news that Senator Lindsay Graham had introduced a bill in the US Senate that would ban most abortions nationwide after 15 weeks, Tarah Demant, Interim National Director of Programs, Government Relations and Advocacy at Amnesty International USA, said:
September 14, 2022
Update
Amnesty USA and Amnesty South Africa Make Human Rights Asks Ahead of White House Visit
Amnesty International has urged South African President Ramaphosa and United States President Biden to discuss human rights issues facing both countries ahead of their meeting in Washington D.C. this week. In its letters, the organization highlighted ongoing concerns with human rights issues in South Africa such as gender-based violence, right to education and migration and xenophobia, and in the United States which includes access to abortion, gun violence and Covid-19 tests and treatment, which we hope the two presidents will raise with each other during their meeting. You can find the letter to President Ramaphosa here and the letter to…
September 14, 2022
Update
Human Rights on Capitol Hill – September 2022 Newsletter
As part of its “global war on terror” the U.S. government has been using lethal force, including drone strikes, to target suspected members of armed groups around the world.
September 13, 2022
Press Release
As Ukraine Retakes Territory from Russia, Securing Evidence of Alleged War Crimes is Crucial
Reacting to new evidence of alleged war crimes committed by Russian forces following military advances by Ukrainian forces retaking control of Russia-occupied territories, Marie Struthers, Amnesty International’s Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, said:
September 12, 2022
Press Release
AIUSA Statement Ahead of the Anniversary of 9/11 Attacks
Ahead of the 21st anniversary of the attack on the United States on September 11, 2001, Daphne Eviatar, the director of the Security With Human Rights program at Amnesty International USA said:
September 9, 2022
Press Release
‘Filtration’ of Ukrainian Civilians a ‘Shocking Violation’ of People Forced to Flee War
Responding to the news that the UN has verified that Russian soldiers have subjected Ukrainian civilians to a rights-abusing process known as “filtration,” a practice independently verified by Amnesty International as deeply abusive and humiliating, Marie Struthers, Amnesty’s Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, said:
September 8, 2022
Press Release
Russia’s Military Activities at Nuclear Plant in Ukraine Risk Safety in Region
Responding to the International Atomic Energy Agency’s findings that Russia is stationing forces in the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), confirming information that Amnesty International received in August, Denis Krivosheev, Deputy Director for Research in Amnesty International’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia office, said:
September 6, 2022
Press Release
Long-Delayed UN Report Must Spur Accountability for Crimes Against Humanity in Xinjiang
Responding to the long-awaited release of the UN Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights’ report on serious human rights violations in China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, Amnesty International’s Secretary General Agnès Callamard said:
September 1, 2022
Report
Fleeing Afghans Unlawfully Returned After Coming Under Fire at Iranian and Turkish Borders
Iranian and Turkish security forces have repeatedly pushed back Afghans who attempt to cross their borders to reach safety, including by unlawfully opening fire on men, women and children, Amnesty International said today. In a new report, They don’t treat us like humans, the organization also documents numerous instances - mostly at the Iranian border - where security forces have shot directly at people as they climbed over walls or crawled under fences. Afghans who do manage to enter Iran or Turkey are routinely arbitrarily detained, and subjected to torture and other ill-treatment before being unlawfully and forcibly returned.
August 30, 2022
Press Release
Russian Sham Trials of Ukrainian Prisoners of War in Mariupol ‘Illegal and Unacceptable’
Any moves by Russian-backed armed groups to try Ukrainian prisoners of war in a so-called ‘international tribunal’ in Mariupol are illegal and abusive, and a further act of cruelty against a city that has already suffered extensively under Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, Amnesty International said today.
August 26, 2022
Press Release
AIUSA Statement on the US Department of Defense Policy on Civilian Harm Prevention and Response
In response to today’s announcement from the U.S. Department of Defense on its new policy on civilian harm prevention and response, Daphne Eviatar, Security with Human Rights Director at Amnesty International USA, said:
August 25, 2022