Below you’ll find breaking news as well as reports, updates on our campaigns, and victories.
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Press Release
Macedonia: Tear gas and rubber bullets as border tensions mount
Amid increasing tension and violent clashes in the policing of refugees and migrants protesting at the Greek-Macedonian border, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (Macedonia) border police must show restraint and comply fully with international policing standards, said Amnesty International today.
December 3, 2015
Press Release
Southeast Asia: Governments must turn commitments into reality to stem Southeast Asian migrant and refugee crisis
Ahead of a regional meeting hosted by Thailand tomorrow, Amnesty International calls on the governments of Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar and Thailand to prioritise protection of the human rights of migrants and refugees in any action directed at combating human trafficking and managing irregular migration. The government of Thailand is hosting the 2nd Special Meeting on Irregular Migration in the Indian Ocean on 4 December 2015 in Bangkok.
December 3, 2015
Press Release
Eritrea: Refugees fleeing indefinite conscription must be given safe haven
The huge number of young people fleeing indefinite national service in Eritrea is adding to the global refugee crisis. These people have the right to international protection, a new report from Amnesty International has found.
December 1, 2015
Press Release
Turkey: Rounding up of refugees is “a stain on the EU’s conscience”
“Reports of Turkey rounding up and detaining over a thousand refugees in the west of the country are alarming but not surprising. Ever since September, we have seen the Turkish authorities detaining scores of refugees, often completely incommunicado, and forcibly returning them to neighbouring Syria and Iraq. This is as illegal as it is unconscionable. In the wake of this weekend’s EU-Turkey migration talks, it’s a stain on the EU’s conscience too,” said Andrew Gardner, Amnesty International’s Turkey Researcher.
November 30, 2015
Press Release
Congress Should Stop Playing Politics with Refugees’ Lives
In response to today’s vote in the U.S. House of Representatives to erect barriers for Syrian and Iraqi refugees fleeing war, Tarah Demant, Senior Director of the Identity and Discrimination Unit at Amnesty International USA, issued the following statement:
November 20, 2015
Press Release
Refugee Crisis: Balkans border blocks leave thousands discriminated against and stranded in Greece
New border control rules implemented almost simultaneously by the governments of Macedonia, Serbia and Croatia over the past 48 hours have resulted in large-scale renewed human rights violations, including collective expulsions and discrimination against individuals perceived to be economic migrants or refugees on the basis of their nationality, Amnesty International said today.
November 20, 2015
Press Release
Suspending Resettlements of Approved Refugees is Cruel and Shameful
Governor Mike Pence of Indiana has refused to allow entry to two Syrian refugee families that were approved for resettlement in the U.S. and scheduled to arrive tomorrow. Over half of the country’s governors have said they will refuse entry to refugees. Concurrently, the mayor of Roanoke, Virginia, went as far as to cite President Roosevelt’s decision to sequester Japanese foreign nationals after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
November 19, 2015
Press Release
U.S. Leadership Must Address the Global Refugee Crisis
As a nation that prides itself on being built by immigrants and refugees, the United States is uniquely placed to lead the international community by example in effectively addressing the global refugee crisis.
November 17, 2015
Press Release
Refugees endangered and dying due to EU’s reliance on fences and gatekeepers
In the wake of last Friday’s atrocious attacks on Paris the European Union (EU) must resist the urge to further seal off its external borders, which would continue to fuel a range of human rights abuses while doing nothing to enhance security or halt the influx of desperate refugees, said Amnesty International as it published a new report today.
November 16, 2015
Press Release
G20 Summit: Rich countries must pull a U-turn on shameful refugee response
The world’s wealthiest countries must end their shocking inaction and begin to lead a coordinated response to the spiralling global refugee crisis by proposing a concrete plan for resettling the 1.15 million most vulnerable refugees worldwide, and fully fund humanitarian needs, said Amnesty International today ahead of the G20 summit in Antalya, Turkey.
November 13, 2015
Press Release
Dominican Republic: Legal maze leaves thousands stateless in nation of ‘ghost citizens’
The Dominican Republic’s bureaucratic legal maze has left thousands of stateless “ghost citizens”, who are unable to work regularly, enroll in high school or even see a doctor, said Amnesty International in a new report today.
November 11, 2015
Press Release
Russia: Release of Sochi campaigner jailed on absurd charges long overdue
The long overdue release of a campaigner jailed after he protested against the devastating environmental impact of the Sochi Olympic Games is no doubt a great relief for him and his family, but his imprisonment on absurd charges was a prime example of the disturbing tactics used by the Russian authorities to silence critics, said Amnesty International today.
November 10, 2015