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Press Release
Authorities Must Lift Social Media Block Amid Crackdown Ahead of Election in Uganda  Â
Responding to the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) shutting down access to social media services in the run up to the January 14 general election, Sarah Jackson, Amnesty International's Deputy Regional Director for East Africa, the Horn and the Great Lakes, said:
January 13, 2021
Press Release
As Election Season Nears End, New Amnesty International USA Ad Raises Alarm About the Future of the United States
In a new full-page ad in The Washington Post, Amnesty International USA (AIUSA) is sending an open letter to all U.S. federal, local, and state officials raising grave concern over the state of human rights in the country.
October 26, 2020
Press Release
State Department Accusations of Antisemitism Against Amnesty International are Baseless and an Affront to the Human Rights Movement
Responding to reports that the United States Department of State, under Secretary Pompeo’s initiative, may categorize several non-governmental organizations as antisemitic and call on governments worldwide to stop funding them, Bob Goodfellow, the Interim Executive Director of Amnesty International USA, issued the below statement: “Secretary Pompeo’s baseless accusations are yet another attempt to silence and intimidate international human rights organizations. The administration is spreading misinformation and working to undermine those who are working to protect human rights. Amnesty International USA is deeply committed to fighting antisemitism and all forms of hate worldwide, and will continue to protect people wherever justice,…
October 21, 2020
Press Release
Regional human rights bodies struggle to uphold rights amid political headwinds in Africa
For a second consecutive year, Amnesty International has documented how African governments are grossly undermining regional human rights bodies by failing to comply with their decisions, ignoring their urgent appeals, neglecting to report to them on national human rights situations and starving them of resources they desperately need for operations. Governments also neglected the rights of people with disabilities and older persons by failing to ratify treaties relating to their protection. In the second edition of The State of African Regional Human Rights Bodies and Mechanisms 2019-2020, released on the African Human Rights Day, Amnesty International said the mechanisms established to safeguard…
October 20, 2020
Update
Statement from AIUSA for HFAC Hearing on Democratic Backsliding in Sub-Saharan Africa
AIUSA Statement on The Impact of Eroding Human Rights in Sub-Saharan Africa on Democratic Practices 093020 Human Rights are essential for accountability, transparency and respect for the rule of law, even as they are also dependent on them. Adherence to these principles contribute to stability and are arguably core to establishing and sustaining democratic practice. Any discussion of advancing one must include advancing the other. Statement from Amnesty International USA for Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights and International Organization’s Hearing on Democratic Backsliding in Sub-Saharan Africa September 30, 2020 Adotei Akwei and Alagie Jammeh Representative Karen…
September 30, 2020
Press Release
Amnesty International USA Statement on the Passing of Human Rights Activist Yuri Orlov
Amnesty International USA released the following statement from Board Chair Dr. Reza Fakhari following the death of human rights trailblazer and icon Yuri Orlov.
September 29, 2020
Update
Amnesty International USA Memo to Congress on Foreign Policy Human Rights Priorities For Next Congress
August 24, 2020 Dear Representative: On behalf of Amnesty International USA, I am writing to share our top foreign policy and human rights policy recommendations. The list of issues that follows is not meant to be exhaustive but should be high priorities for the next HFAC Chair and Ranking Member’s agenda. Amnesty International’s experts stand ready to provide briefings on any issues outlined below Please do not hesitate to contact me at 202/281-0017 or [email protected]. Sincerely, Joanne Lin National Director Advocacy and Government Affairs Amnesty International USA 202/509-8151 Email: [email protected] Twitter:@joannelindc 1. Protect Persecuted Populations…
September 8, 2020
Press Release
Alleged poisoning of Russian opposition leader Aleksei Navalny must be thoroughly investigated
Amnesty International demands that the Russian authorities fully investigate the circumstances of the unexpected and critical deterioration of the health of opposition leader Aleksei Navalny and allow him to immediately be diagnosed by and receive treatment from doctors that his family trusts. The politician was hospitalized and placed in intensive care in Omsk (Siberia) on his way from Tomsk to Moscow. “The administration of the hospital must provide full access to information about his treatment to his family and doctors of his or their choice. There have already been reports that his chosen doctor was not allowed to see the…
August 20, 2020
Press Release
Virus-hit prisons still full of human rights defenders, as attacks continue
Governments who were lauded for releasing prisoners in response to COVID-19 outbreaks have excluded human rights defenders from the measures and continue to make new arrests of activists, journalists and critics, Amnesty International said today. In a new briefing, “Daring to Stand up for Human Rights in a Pandemic”, which documents attacks on human rights defenders during the pandemic, the organization highlights the hypocrisy of governments including Egypt, India, Iran and Turkey, who have left prisoners of conscience to languish in appalling conditions despite widely publicized prisoner release programs. “COVID-19 has been an added punishment for human rights defenders who are…
August 5, 2020
Press Release
Israel Must Lift Punitive Travel Ban on Amnesty Campaigner
The Israeli authorities must immediately lift the apparently punitive travel ban imposed on Laith Abu Zeyad, Amnesty International’s Campaigner on Israel and Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT), Amnesty International said today ahead of a court hearing this Sunday in a Jerusalem District Court.
May 28, 2020
Press Release
Israeli court sets hearing seeking to lift travel ban on Amnesty campaigner
Laith Abu Zeyad, Amnesty International’s campaigner on Israel and Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT), a Palestinian living in the occupied West Bank, has been barred from traveling abroad by the Israeli authorities since October 2019, for undisclosed “security reasons”. Amnesty International’s previous attempts to repeal the ban through administrative channels have been rejected.
May 15, 2020
Press Release
Anniversary marks two-year detention of women human rights defenders in Saudi Arabia
Amnesty International is calling on King Salman bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia to release several notable women’s rights defenders, two years after they were detained. On May 15, 2018, a number of prominent Saudi women’s human rights activists were arrested. They had been peacefully advocating for years for the right of women in the kingdom to drive, as well as broader reforms related to the repressive male guardianship system.
May 14, 2020