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Almost none of the world’s largest venture capitalist (VC) firms have adequate human rights due diligence policies in place, Amnesty International reveals today in a landmark report.

July 30, 2021

Press Release

The #WelcomeWithDignity campaign condemned Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s executive order GA-37 directing Department of Public Safety officials to stop any vehicle suspected of transporting migrants and return it to a port of entry. Governor Abbott’s executive order is based on shoddy science and racism. Leading public health officials have said time and time again that the United States can welcome people seeking asylum with science-based measures that will mitigate the risk of Covid-19 transmission. 

July 29, 2021

Update

On July 28, 2021, Amnesty International USA’s Middle East and North Africa advocacy director Philippe Nassif and Mustafa Kassem Fellow Amit Dadon submitted the following statement for the record to the House Foreign Affairs Committee’s Middle East and North Africa Subcommittee July 29th hearing on “Lebanon: Assessing Political Paralysis, Economic Crisis and Challenges for U.S. Policy”. In the statement, Amnesty International USA (AIUSA) details our research on and human rights concerns relating to the dire humanitarian crisis in Lebanon, especially as pertaining to the compounding effects of COVID-19, the lack of accountability surrounding the Beirut blast, the collapse of infrastructure,…

July 28, 2021

Press Release

Last evening, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced it would begin using a process of rapid deportations known as “expedited removal” for certain families arriving at the border. Today, the #WelcomeWithDignity campaign responded with deep concern about the administration’s decision to embrace a deterrence-based policy that frequently leads to the unlawful deportation of people seeking asylum, who are often denied the chance to request protection by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers.

July 28, 2021

Press Release

Tunisian President Kais Saied should publicly commit to respecting and protecting human rights, including the rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly, after he suspended parliament and assumed some judicial powers, said Amnesty International. Concerns that human rights are at risk have heightened following an alarming raid by security forces on Al Jazeera’s office in Tunis today and the president’s threats during his speech of resorting to heavy-handed force against “those threatening state security”. “The hard-won freedoms and human rights gains of Tunisia’s 2011 uprising are at risk, particularly in the absence of a Constitutional Court to protect the…

July 26, 2021

Update

On July 23, 2021, Amnesty International USA wrote to President Joe Biden urging him to raise unlawful repression and worrying human rights abuses in Iraq towards peaceful protesters, press, religious minorities, and internally displaced persons on Monday, July 26th's during Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi's scheduled White House visit. Click here to download a copy of the letter, or read below. July 23, 2021 President Joseph R. Biden 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20500 RE: Amnesty International urges President Biden to raise rights abuses against press, protesters, religious minorities, internally displaced persons (IDPs) in visit by Iraqi Prime Minister…

July 23, 2021

Press Release

Yesterday, in a CNN town hall President Biden was asked about his administration’s immigration policy with regards to refugees and people seeking asylum and said: “they should not come.”  The President of the United States knows seeking asylum is a legal right under U.S. law, and a fundamental human right enshrined in international treaties and conventions--telling people seeking protection otherwise is inexcusable. Members of the #WelcomeWithDignity campaign responded: “I was in Nogales, Sonora yesterday and met a 24-year-old single mother with her two young children,” shared Laurie Benson, Founder of Madres e Hijos. “This mother fled Guerrero when her brother was…

July 22, 2021

Update

On July 20, 2021, the Board of Directors of Amnesty International USA wrote to congressional leaders to urge them to swiftly pass the Break the Cycle of Violence Act (S. 2275/H.R. 4118) to provide at least $5 billion in federal funding over eight years for community gun violence prevention programs. With sustained investment into gun violence prevention programs and a national comprehensive strategy aimed at reducing gun violence, particularly in Black and Brown communities, the U.S. can make inroads to reducing gun violence in all communities and ensure the right of everyone to live free from the threat of gun…

July 20, 2021

Update

On July 19, 2021, Amnesty International USA wrote to President Joe Biden urging him to raise key human rights concerns in Jordan regarding refugee rights and discrimination, along with violations against freedom of speech and the press, during today's scheduled White House visit by Jordanian King Abdullah II - who will also be meeting with Secretary of State Antony Blinken on July 20. Click here to download a copy of the letter, or read below. July 19, 2021 President Joseph R. Biden The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20500 RE: Human Rights Concerns to Raise During Jordanian…

July 19, 2021

Press Release

Responding to the Biden administration transferring its first detainee out of Guantánamo Bay, Daphne Eviatar, the director of the Security With Human Rights program said: “The Biden administration’s first transfer out of Guantánamo is a welcome step. Now we need to see the remaining ten detainees already cleared for release transferred quickly. And we need to see clear plans for shuttering this unlawful facility once and for all. “The detention facility has been allowed to stay open for far too long, now holding thirty-nine people for almost two decades, most without charge or trial.” Amnesty International USA continues to campaign…

July 19, 2021

Press Release

NSO Group’s spyware has been used to facilitate human rights violations around the world on a massive scale, according to a major investigation into the leak of 50,000 phone numbers of potential surveillance targets. These include heads of state, activists and journalists, including Jamal Khashoggi’s family. The Pegasus Project is a ground-breaking collaboration by more than 80 journalists from 17 media organizations in 10 countries coordinated by Forbidden Stories, a Paris-based media non-profit, with the technical support of Amnesty International, who conducted cutting- edge forensic tests on mobile phones to identify traces of the spyware. “The Pegasus Project lays bare…

July 18, 2021

Press Release

Today, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said Cubans and Haitians will not be allowed to reach the United States to seek asylum if traveling by boat. Secretary Mayorkas’s remarks come despite both Cubans and Haitians facing acute economic, political, and public health crises in their countries. Administrations in the United States have tried to use cruel deterrence-based policies since President Regan, and not only have they never worked, they often result in family separations. Experts also noted that the United States has a troubling history of interdicting people seeking protection at sea and of sending Haitians to Guantanamo…

July 14, 2021