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]
Press Release
Kazakhstani Authorities Must Release Arbitrarily Detained Protestors and Respect Human Rights Amid Ongoing Unrest
The Kazakhstani authorities must release journalists and activists who have been arbitrarily detained for their coverage of mass protests across the country over the past week, provide information on all protest-related arrests and ensure human rights of all detainees, said Amnesty International, as the number of individuals arrested since protests began on January 2 reached close to 10,000 according to official government figures.
January 11, 2022
Press Release
Ordering security forces to ‘fire without warning’ a recipe for disaster in Kazakhstan
Reacting to a televised address this morning (January 7) by Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev calling for security forces to “fire without warning” at any further disturbances following the recent mass protests and violence, Marie Struthers, Amnesty International’s Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, said: “The Kazakhstani authorities have a duty to maintain order, but giving blanket approval for police officers and troops to fire without warning is unlawful and a recipe for disaster. It could pave the way for knee-jerk reactions that result in unlawful killings. Unless this order is immediately and clearly revoked, Kazakhstan’s already abysmal human rights…
January 7, 2022
Press Release
20 Years Later, US Government Continues to Perpetuate Grave Human Rights Abuses at Guantánamo Prison
The military prison at Guantánamo Bay continues to facilitate grave violations of human rights by the U.S. Government. Ahead of the 20th anniversary of the military prison’s opening on January 11, 2001, Daphne Eviatar, Director of the Security with Human Rights Program at Amnesty International USA, said: “This is an anniversary that should never have been reached. Since the Bush administration, there has been agreement among national security experts and across the political spectrum that the Guantánamo prison – a notorious site of torture and unjustifiable indefinite detention – should be closed.
January 7, 2022
Press Release
Widespread violation of basic rights spurred unprecedented protests in Kazakhstan
Responding to the ongoing protests in Kazakhstan over soaring energy prices, deteriorating living standards and the repression of peaceful protest, Marie Struthers, Amnesty International’s Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, said: “The protests unfolding in Kazakhstan, which have turned violent, are a direct consequence of the authorities’ widespread repression of basic human rights. For years, the government has relentlessly persecuted peaceful dissent, leaving the Kazakhstani people in a state of agitation and despair.
January 5, 2022
Update
UK: Ambassador Reeker must publicly oppose the UK government’s Northern Ireland legacy proposals
On December 23, 2021, Amnesty International USA and Amnesty International UK wrote to Ambassador Philip T. Reeker to urge him to publicly oppose the UK government’s plans to deal with the legacy of the Northern Ireland conflict. The proposals amount to a de facto amnesty for security forces of the United Kingdom and other perpetrators of human rights violations and will close all paths to justice for victims. These plans have been unequivocally rejected by the Irish government, Northern Ireland political parties, human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, victims’ groups, and many others. Click here to download a copy of…
January 5, 2022
Press Release
Downward spiral for press freedom continues after arrests in Hong Kong
Responding to the arrests of current and former senior executives and board members of Hong Kong media outlet Stand News for alleged “seditious publication” this morning, Amnesty International’s Deputy Secretary General Kyle Ward said: “The relentless campaign against press freedom in Hong Kong continues with the stunning early-morning police raid and arrests of senior executives of outspoken media outlet Stand News.
December 29, 2021
Update
Written Testimony on Accountability and Human Rights in Sri Lanka for Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission
On December 8, 2021, Amnesty International USA’s Asia Advocacy Director Carolyn Nash testified to the House Foreign Affairs Committee’s Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission hearing on “Accountability and Human Rights in Sri Lanka”. Her testimony details the worsening human rights situation in Sri Lanka over the past two years and emphasizes the current government's refusal to provide accountability, making international pressure and US leadership critical. Statement of Carolyn Nash Asia Advocacy Director Amnesty International USA Thank you to Representative Ross, Co-Chairs McGovern and Smith, and members of the Commission for the opportunity to speak with you today. The human rights…
December 23, 2021
Press Release
New evidence of brutal violence from Belarusian forces against asylum-seekers and migrants facing pushbacks from the EU
Asylum-seekers and migrants trying to enter the EU from Belarus and facing pushbacks and other human rights violations on the Polish border, are subjected to horrific torture or other ill-treatment, inhumane conditions, extortion and other abuse at the hands of Belarusian forces, new evidence gathered by Amnesty International reveals.
December 20, 2021
Press Release
Amnesty International Launches a Holidays Solidarity Action in Support of Prisoners of Conscience in Cuba
Today Amnesty International launches “Write a letter of hope”, a global solidarity action inviting the public, during the 2021 holidays, to write individually to five brave human rights defenders detained in Cuba to express support and solidarity with them and all those incarcerated only for exercising their rights.
December 17, 2021
Press Release
U.S. CONTINUES TO VIOLATE INDIGENOUS AND HUMAN RIGHTS AT THE SOUTHERN BORDER
On the occasion of International Migrants Day this Saturday, the #WelcomeWithDignity campaign and the International Mayan League call attention to the U.S. government’s continued human rights violations of Indigenous peoples seeking asylum in the United States. Last week marked the three-year anniversary of the death of Jakelin Caal Maquin, a 7-year-old Maya Q’eqchi’ Indigenous girl who died on the morning of December 8, 2018 under the custody of the U.S. government. Since 2018, there have been five documented cases of Indigenous children dying at the U.S./Mexico border. Last week more than 50 primarily indigenous migrants, including families and children, perished in…
December 17, 2021
Press Release
New wave of atrocities in Ethiopia’s Western Tigray
Amhara security forces are responsible for a surge of mass detentions, killings and forced expulsions of ethnic Tigrayans in the Western Tigray territory of northern Ethiopia, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch said today.
December 16, 2021
Press Release
After Coup, Myanmar Military Puts Chokehold on People’s Basic Needs
The Myanmar military has been carrying out indiscriminate attacks on its civilian populations and obstructing access to necessities critical to their survival since it seized power nearly a year ago on February 1, 2021, Amnesty International said today.
December 16, 2021