Below you’ll find breaking news as well as reports, updates on our campaigns, and victories.
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Press Release
Only a Robust and Coordinated State Response Will Resolve the Situation of Grave Risk Faced by Human Rights Defenders in Colombia
Colombia has failed to comply with its international obligation to guarantee a safe and enabling space for the defense of human rights in the country, but today it has the opportunity to change this, Amnesty International will say at a public hearing in Congress on the situation of human rights defenders in Colombia today.
November 19, 2021
Update
Vote Recommendation: Amnesty International USA Recommends a YES Vote on the Build Back Better Act and Supports Funding for Community Violence Intervention Programs
On November 18, 2021, Amnesty International USA wrote to members of the House of Representatives to urge them to vote YES on H.R. 5376, Build Back Better Act. The bill includes $5 billion funding (over eight years) to support community violence intervention (“CVI”) programs, as requested by President Biden in his American Jobs Plan. Studies have demonstrated the lifesaving value of CVI programs, which include street outreach, community call-ins, and hospital intervention providing gun violence survivors and families with counseling, support, and mediation. H.R. 5376 would transform CVI programs nationwide and would reduce gun violence in Black and brown communities.…
November 18, 2021
Report
Perpetrators Must Face Justice in Nigeria After #EndSARS Panel Confirms Shootings of Protesters at Lekki Toll Gate
Responding to the findings of the Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry on Restitution for Victims of SARS and Related Abuses, set up to investigate the shooting of #EndSARS protesters at Lekki toll gate in Lagos on October 20, 2020, Osai Ojigho Director Amnesty International Nigeria said: “Amnesty International welcomes the panel’s report, which confirms that Nigerian army and police shot peaceful protesters at the Lekki toll gate on October 20, 2020. The panel’s findings reveal the truth about what happened at Lekki toll gate and contradict the blatant denial by the Nigerian government that deadly force was used…
November 16, 2021
Press Release
Biden Administration Must Prioritize Human Rights in US-China Policy
On Monday evening, President Biden will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping to discuss US-China policy. In advance of this virtual summit, Carolyn Nash, Asia Advocacy Director at Amnesty International USA, said: “The Biden administration must decide if they are going to defend human rights, and if President Xi will see clearly that human rights are central to US-China policy.
November 15, 2021
Press Release
Tigrayans Targeted in Fresh Wave of Ethnically Motivated Detentions in Addis Ababa
Security forces in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, have targeted Tigrayans, including children and the elderly, with arbitrary arrests and mass detentions as part of an escalating crackdown, Amnesty International said today. Most detainees are being held without charge or access to a lawyer.
November 12, 2021
Update
Human Rights on Capitol Hill – November 2021 Newsletter
Amnesty International USA is proud to join human rights groups, refugee resettlement agencies, veterans groups, and Afghan-Americans for lobby days on Nov. 9-10 in support of an Afghan Adjustment Act.
November 10, 2021
Press Release
Survivors of TPLF Attack in Amhara, Ethiopia Describe Gang Rape, Looting and Physical Assaults
Sixteen women from the town of Nifas Mewcha in Ethiopia’s Amhara region told Amnesty International they were raped by fighters from the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) during the group’s attack on the town in mid-August 2021.
November 9, 2021
Press Release
#MeToo journalist and labor activist facing ‘subversion’ charge in China must be released
Responding to Chinese #MeToo activist Sophia Huang Xueqin and labor activist Wang Jianbing being officially detained under the charge of “inciting subversion of state power,” Amnesty International’s China Campaigner Gwen Lee said: “The Chinese government’s disdain for human rights has once again been laid bare by these unjustifiable charges for two activists whose only so-called crime has been to peacefully advocate for the welfare of others.
November 9, 2021
Update
Joint Statement: Biden Administration Must Meet With Palestinian NGOs Targeted by Israeli Authorities, Demand Gantz Rescind Appalling “Terrorist” Designations During DC Visit
In a joint statement released today, Amnesty International USA, Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN), and Human Rights Watch call on the Biden Administration to publicly challenge and demand the rescinding of Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz's appalling "terrorist" designation of six Palestinian civil society organizations—a decision based on secretive "evidence" allegedly obtained through torture of detainees—and raise its dangerous impact on both Palestinians and Israelis in any engagement with Israeli authorities. The administration must also urgently meet with the six targeted organizations. The groups are Addameer, al-Haq, Defense for Children Palestine, the Union of Agricultural Work Committees, Bisan…
November 5, 2021
Press Release
Sweeping Emergency Powers and Alarming Rise in Online Hate Speech in Ethiopia as Tigray Conflict Escalates
Ethiopia is teetering on the brink of a human rights and humanitarian catastrophe, Amnesty International warned today, amid worrying developments linked to the escalating Tigray conflict.
November 5, 2021
Press Release
ICC Prosecutor’s Primary Consideration in Opening an Investigation Must Be Timely and Effective Justice for Victims in Venezuela
In response to the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) announcing that it is opening an investigation into alleged crimes against humanity committed in Venezuela, Erika Guevara-Rosas, Americas Director at Amnesty International said: “The International Criminal Court has finally recognized the urgency of investigating the crimes against humanity that multiple human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, have documented and denounced for years in Venezuela. The Office of the Prosecutor must fully investigate the atrocities committed against the Venezuelan people, pursuing cases against those who bear the greatest responsibility for crimes against humanity."
November 4, 2021
Press Release
Release Jailed Wuhan Activist ‘Close to Death’ After Hunger Strike
A Chinese citizen journalist jailed for reporting on the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic in Wuhan is at risk of dying if she is not urgently released to receive medical treatment, Amnesty International said today.
November 4, 2021