Below you’ll find breaking news as well as reports, updates on our campaigns, and victories.
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Press Release
The COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act Signals Accountability for Violence Against Asian and Other Communities of Color
Responding to President Biden signing into law the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, which includes the Jabara-Heyer NO HATE Act, Joanne Lin, National Director of Advocacy and Government Affairs at Amnesty International USA, said: “The enactment of the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act is a major step forward to address racial violence by improving hate crimes reporting in order to hold government and law enforcement accountable to the needs of communities of color. The U.S. must confront and uproot the systems of white supremacy that have contributed to the targeting, profiling, and scapegoating of communities of color. Background The new law provides for improved data collection and law enforcement policies on identifying, investigating, and reporting hate…
May 20, 2021
Press Release
UN Human Rights Council Special Session Must Address Violations in Israel/OPT
Welcoming the news that the UN Human Rights Council has today announced it will hold a special session to address the rapidly deteriorating situation across Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) on May 27, Amnesty International’s representative to the UN in Geneva, Kevin Whelan said: “Within a matter of weeks, the situation in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories has escalated from a crackdown by Israeli forces against peaceful Palestinian demonstrators in East Jerusalem to a full-scale armed conflict between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups in Gaza.
May 20, 2021
Press Release
Amnesty International USA Condemns Abortion Bill Passed by the Texas Governor
Responding to Texas Governor Greg Abbott signing into law TX SB8, which bans the right of people to seek an abortion at the six-week mark, before many are aware of their pregnancies, Tarah Demant, the director of the Gender, Sexuality and Identity Program at Amnesty International USA, said: “The attempt by the state of Texas to chip away at one of the most personal and intimate of human rights is absolutely shameful. The only person who should ever make decisions about a pregnancy is the person who is pregnant. Horrifyingly, this ban could yank away people’s decision to do so…
May 20, 2021
Press Release
The U.S. Must Stop Providing Weapons Used to Repress Colombia’s Protests
In light of verified visual evidence by Amnesty International that United States weapons and equipment are being misused to commit human rights violations against protesters in Colombia, the human rights organization is calling on Secretary of State Blinken to immediately cease the direct or indirect supply, sale, or transfer of equipment used for repression such as small arms, shotguns, and related ammunition; less-lethal equipment, such as tear gas, riot control projectiles and launchers; armored vehicles, dual-use surveillance technologies, training, and any other technical or financial assistance. “The United States role in fueling ceaseless cycles of violence committed against the people…
May 20, 2021
Update
Biden Administration Must Immediately End Federal Government’s Discriminatory “China Initiative”
On May 19, 2021, Amnesty International USA issued a statement urging the Biden administration to end the federal government's discriminatory "China Initiative," and the racial profiling and scapegoating of Asian Americans and Asian immigrants. Click here to read the statement Biden Administration Must Immediately End Federal Government’s Discriminatory “China Initiative” President Biden should exercise his full executive authority to stop the federal government’s blatant racial profiling and scapegoating of Asian Americans and Asian immigrants in violation of its own principles of non-discrimination based on race, ethnicity, and national origin. The President, along with top administration officials, has repeatedly underscored a…
May 19, 2021
Press Release
Kamala Harris Should Work with Guatemalan and Mexican Leaders to Address the Root Causes of Displacement and Migration
This week, Amnesty International USA Executive Director Paul O’Brien, Amnesty International Mexico Executive Director Tania Reneaum Panszi, and Amnesty International Americas Director Erika Guevara Rosas wrote to Vice President Kamala Harris ahead of her June trip to Guatemala and Mexico, urging her to work with leaders to develop a regional strategy that addresses the root causes of displacement and migration while respecting the human rights of asylum-seekers and migrants. The Amnesty leaders also urged Vice President Harris to raise key human rights concerns including the arms trade, gender-based violence, unlawful use of force, human rights defenders, arbitrary detention, and enforced…
May 19, 2021
Press Release
Closing of Guantánamo Must be a Priority for President Biden
Responding to the Biden administration approving three more detainees at Guantánamo Bay for release, Daphne Eviatar, the director of the Security With Human Rights program said: “It is not enough for the Biden administration to announce that more detainees are cleared for release when the government has not made any plans for how it will let cleared detainees finally experience freedom. “Nine people are currently cleared for release at Guantánamo and some have been cleared for more than a decade, yet they are still stuck. This is an outrageous and shameful violation of human rights. President Biden cannot have true…
May 18, 2021
Update
House Foreign Affairs Committee – “Statement for the Record” on rights of Afghanistan’s women, human rights defenders (HRDs), and internally displaced persons (IDPs)
On May 18, 2021, Amnesty International USA's advocacy director for Europe and Central Asia, Daniel Balson, submitted the following statement for the record to the House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on "The U.S.-Afghanistan Relationship Following the Military Withdrawal". In the statement, Amnesty International USA (AIUSA) details our human rights concerns in Afghanistan, especially as pertaining to the rights of Afghan women, human rights defenders (HRDs), and internally displaced persons (IDPs). AIUSA calls on the Biden Administration and Congress to use every diplomatic avenue to ensure that women are granted a seat at the negotiating table in Afghanistan, and to prioritize…
May 18, 2021
Update
Amnesty International USA urges a vote “YES” for the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act (H.R.1843)
On May 18, 2021, Amnesty International USA wrote to members of the House of Representatives to urge them to vote "YES" on the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act (H.R.1843). Click here to read the letter May 18, 2021 Amnesty International USA urges a vote “YES” for the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act (H.R.1843) Dear Representative: On behalf of Amnesty International USA, we urge you to vote YES on the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act (H.R.1843), sponsored by Rep. Meng and passed in the Senate on April 22. The COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act addresses the surge in violence against Asian American and Pacific Islander (“AAPI”) communities…
May 18, 2021
Press Release
Biden Administration’s Approval of Weapons Sale to Israel Will Put Civilians at Greater Risk
Responding to reports that the Biden Administration has approved a $735 million sale in weapons to Israel, Philippe Nassif, the advocacy director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International USA, said: “President Biden’s approval of a $735 million offensive arms sale to Israel in the midst of violations of human rights and international humanitarian law perpetrated by Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups directly undermines his commitment to upholding human rights around the world. By supplying weapons that could be used to commit war crimes, the U.S. government is taking the risk of further fueling attacks against…
May 17, 2021
Update
Amnesty International urges Vice President Harris to raise human rights concerns on upcoming trip to Guatemala and Mexico
On May 17, 2021, Amnesty International USA wrote to Vice President Kamala Harris urging her to raise human rights concerns during her upcoming visit to Guatemala and Mexico and inviting her to meet with Amnesty International leaders in Mexico City. Click here to read the letter May 17, 2021 Vice President Kamala Harris White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington DC 20500 Re: Amnesty International urges Vice President Harris to raise human rights concerns on upcoming trip to Guatemala and Mexico Dear Vice President Harris: On behalf of Amnesty International and our more than ten million members, supporters,…
May 17, 2021
Press Release
Pattern of Israeli Attacks on Residential Homes in Gaza Must Be Investigated As War Crimes
Israeli forces have displayed a shocking disregard for the lives of Palestinian civilians by carrying out a number of airstrikes targeting residential buildings in some cases killing entire families - including children - and causing wanton destruction to civilian property, in attacks that may amount to war crimes or crimes against humanity, said Amnesty International today.
May 17, 2021