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Press Release

The US-led coalition’s use of white phosphorus munitions on the outskirts of al-Raqqa, Syria is unlawful and may amount to a war crime, Amnesty International can confirm after verifying five videos of the incident.

June 16, 2017

Press Release

Following a ruling by the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals blocking President Trump’s revised Muslim ban, Margaret Huang, executive director Amnesty International USA had the following reaction:

May 25, 2017

Press Release

Evidence gathered is suggesting a nerve agent was used in an air-launched chemical attack which killed more than 70 and injured hundreds of civilians in Khan Sheikhoun in Syria’s northern province of Idleb, Amnesty International revealed as the UN Security Council meets for an emergency meeting in New York this morning.

April 5, 2017

Press Release

As war crimes and crimes against humanity continue to go unpunished in Syria, an Amnesty International campaign marking the sixth anniversary of the crisis calls on world leaders to take immediate action to deliver justice, truth and reparations to the millions of victims of the conflict.

March 14, 2017

Press Release

President Bashar al-Assad’s interview with Yahoo News recently dismissed the findings of Amnesty International’s recent report on mass hangings and extermination at Saydnaya military prison in Syria. The report found that between 5,000 and 13,000 people were secretly executed at the prison, with prisoners being rounded up in groups as large as 50, given sham “trials” that last under a minute, blindfolded, and hanged. The horrific treatment of prisoners in Syria is part of the reason so many have fled the country in the largest refugee crisis in generations.

February 10, 2017

Report

A chilling new report by Amnesty International exposes the Syrian government’s calculated campaign of extrajudicial executions by mass hangings at Saydnaya Prison. Between 2011 and 2015, every week and often twice a week, groups of up to 50 people were taken out of their prison cells and hanged to death. In five years, as many as 13,000 people, most of them civilians believed to be opposed to the government, were hanged in secret at Saydnaya.

February 3, 2017

Press Release

In response to the United Nations General Assembly resolution establishing an independent international mechanism to ensure accountability for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Syria since March 2011, Anna Neistat, Amnesty International’s Senior Director of Research said: “With this resolution, the General Assembly helps overcome the Security Council's deadlock on accountability and is the first step toward justice for thousands of victims. “The situation in Syria continued to be one of the most heart-breaking tragedies of our time. It is also a clear example of the failure of the broken international system that was established – with the…

December 22, 2016

Press Release

The protracted politicking and negotiations have finally resulted in a Security Council resolution allowing UN monitors to be sent to Aleppo. The resolution follows a weekend of intense negotiation under the threat of a third Russian veto in three months. “The world is watching how the UN responds to the plight of Aleppo. This important measure has come far too late, with hundreds of thousands of people demanding the Syrian and Russian governments allow a safe evacuation and independent monitoring. But thousands are still trapped in besieged areas of Eastern Aleppo, waiting for hours in sub-zero temperatures to be evacuated,”…

December 19, 2016

Press Release

As fighting resumed in the stricken Syrian city of Aleppo today, Amnesty International called for the deployment of monitors from the United Nations to help protect thousands of fleeing civilians from potential revenge attacks and other human rights violations. Heavy shelling has been reported in eastern Aleppo despite a ceasefire agreed on Tuesday to allow the evacuation of tens of thousands of civilians and thousands of rebel fighters. “It is shameful yet unsurprising that, despite the fact the Syrian government agreed last night to the evacuation, civilians fleeing their homes have come under fire today. We fear that without proper…

December 14, 2016

Press Release

Shocking reports from the UN that scores of civilians have been extrajudicially executed by advancing Syrian government forces in eastern Aleppo point to apparent war crimes, said Amnesty International. The organization is making an urgent plea for all parties to the conflict to protect the civilian population.

December 13, 2016

Press Release

Ahead of an urgent declaration being issued today by more than 200 civil society groups from around the world, urging the UN General Assembly to take action regarding the war in Syria, Sherine Tadros, Head of Amnesty International’s UN Office, said:   “It is becoming clearer every day that the UN Security Council has failed the Syrian people. There have been almost half a million deaths, and each one is a stark rebuke of the Security Council, the supposed guardian of international peace and security, which has allowed a political deadlock to stand in the way of saving lives.  …

December 1, 2016

Press Release

Syrian government forces who have captured parts of eastern Aleppo city in recent days must ensure that civilians living in these areas are allowed to move freely and are protected from revenge attacks including arbitrary detention, torture, enforced disappearance or harassment, said Amnesty International today.   Yesterday Syrian government forces took control of two neighborhoods in eastern Aleppo, Jabal Badro and Maskaen Hanano, where at least 100 families are currently living. Many who remain in eastern Aleppo city told Amnesty International that they fear acts of revenge by government forces.   “Syrian government forces have repeatedly launched unlawful attacks on…

November 28, 2016