Below you’ll find breaking news as well as reports, updates on our campaigns, and victories.
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Update
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL USA, CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS CALL ON BIDEN ADMINISTRATION TO BAN LANDMINES AND ACCEDE TO THE 1997 MINE BAN TEATY
Amnesty International USA joined  the U.S. Campaign to Ban Landmines - U.S. Cluster Munition Coalition (USCBL-USCMC) in a letter to President Biden urging him to ban the use, production, acquisition, and transfer of anti personnel landmines and swiftly accede to the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty. Building U.S. Landmines Policy Back and Better April 28, 2021 President Joseph R. Biden The White House Washington, D.C. cc:       National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan; Secretary of State Antony Blinken; Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin Dear Mr. President: We appreciate the statement by our UN Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield on…
April 28, 2021
Press Release
Amnesty International USA to Testify at Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission Hearing: Human Rights and U.S. Policy in the MENA Region Ten Years After the Arab Spring
In advance of the ten-year anniversary of uprisings in countries throughout the MENA region that became known as the "Arab Spring", Philippe Nassif, Advocacy Director, Middle East and North Africa, will be speaking to human rights in the Middle East and North Africa ten years after and implications for U.S. foreign policy. “Ten years on, the human rights situation across much of the Middle East and North Africa paints a bleak picture,” said Philippe Nassif. “Yet despite all, there are clear signs that brave young people have not given up on demanding their rights. In 2019, a new wave of…
April 27, 2021
Update
Amnesty International USA Statement for Hearing on the Southwest Border
On April 27, 2021 Amnesty International USA submitted a written statement ahead of a Senate Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on Government Operations and Border Management hearing on the Southwest Border. Click here to read the statement April 27, 2021 Senator Kyrsten Sinema, Chair Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on Government Operations and Border Management Senator James Lankford, Ranking Member Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on Government Operations and Border Management Re: Amnesty International USA Statement for Hearing: The Non-Governmental Organization Perspective on the Southwest Border Dear Chairperson Sinema, Ranking Member Lankford, and Members of…
April 27, 2021
Update
Amnesty International USA Statement for Hearing on Unaccompanied Children at Border
On April 26, 2021, Amnesty International USA issued a statement for the record ahead of a House Subcommittee on Border Security, Facilitation, and Operations hearing titled "Unaccompanied Children at the Border: Stakeholder Perspectives on the Way Forward." Click here to read the statement April 26, 2021 Representative Nanette Barragán, Chair Homeland Security Subcommittee on Border Security, Facilitation, & Operations Representative Clay Higgins, Ranking Member Homeland Security Subcommittee on Border Security, Facilitation, & Operations Re: Amnesty International USA Statement for Hearing: Unaccompanied Children at the Border: Stakeholder Perspectives on the Way Forward Dear Chairperson Barragán, Ranking Member…
April 26, 2021
Press Release
ICYMI: Amnesty International USA Commends New Orleans Mayor for Launching Office of Gun Violence Prevention
This week New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell announced the launch of the Office of Gun Violence Prevention, which aims to fund, coordinate and evaluate local gun violence reduction and intervention programs. In response, Amnesty International USA End Gun Violence Campaign Manager Ernest Coverson released the following statement
April 23, 2021
Update
Amnesty International Calls on Biden Administration to End “China Initiative”
On April 21, 2021, Amnesty International USA wrote a letter urging the White House to combat racial profiling within the federal government. Specifically, Amnesty calls on the Biden administration to immediately end the “China Initiative,” which has led to the federal government’s racial profiling and targeting of Asian American and Asian immigrant scientists, researchers, and scholars, particularly by the Justice Department (“DOJ”), the National Institutes of Health (“NIH”), and the National Science Foundation (“NSF”). Click here to read the letter April 21, 2021 Ms. Erika L. Moritsugu Deputy Assistant to the President Asian American and Pacific Islander Senior Liaison…
April 21, 2021
Report
Death penalty 2020: Despite Covid-19, some countries ruthlessly pursued death sentences and executions
The unprecedented challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic were not enough to deter 18 countries from carrying out executions in 2020, Amnesty International said today in its annual global review of the death penalty. While there was an overall trend of decline, some countries pursued or even increased the number of executions carried out, indicating a chilling disregard for human life at a time when the world’s attention focused on protecting people from a deadly virus. 2020 executioners included Egypt, which tripled its yearly execution figure compared to the previous year; and China, which announced a crackdown on criminal acts affecting…
April 20, 2021
Press Release
Conviction of Derek Chauvin a Measure of Accountability; Police Reform Still Needed
In response to Derek Chauvin being found guilty of murder in the death of George Floyd, Amnesty International USA (AIUSA) released the following statement:Â
April 20, 2021
Update
Amnesty International USA urges a vote “YES” for H.R. 1333, the National Origin-Based Antidiscrimination for Nonimmigrants (NO BAN) Act and H.R. 1573, the Access to Counsel Act
On April 20, 2021, Amnesty International USA sent a letter to members of the House of Representatives urging them to VOTE YES on the National Origin-Based Antidiscrimination for Nonimmigrants (NO BAN) Act (H.R. 1333) and the Access to Counsel Act (H.R. 1573). Click here to read the letter Dear Representative: On behalf of Amnesty International USA (AIUSA), we urge you to VOTE YES on the National Origin-Based Antidiscrimination for Nonimmigrants (NO BAN) Act (H.R. 1333) and the Access to Counsel Act (H.R. 1573). Congress must pass these two pieces of legislation to ensure that Presidential power cannot again be used…
April 20, 2021
Update
Amnesty International USA Letter on ICE Enforcement Priorities
On April 20, 2021, Amnesty International USA wrote to Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas urging him to revise the February 2021 Interim Guidance: Civil Immigration Enforcement and Removal Priorities to comport with human rights standards and President Biden’s stated commitment to a fair, orderly, and humane immigration system. Click here to read the letter April 20, 2021 The Honorable Alejandro Mayorkas Secretary of Homeland Security Washington, D.C. 20528 Re: Amnesty International USA comments on February 2021 Interim Guidance: Civil Immigration Enforcement and Removal Priorities Dear Secretary Mayorkas: On behalf of Amnesty International USA,[1] we write to urge you to…
April 20, 2021
Press Release
By Maintaining Lowest Refugee Admissions in United States Resettlement History, President Biden Turns His Back on Refugees Around the World
Responding to reports that President Biden will maintain the 15,000 person refugee cap, the lowest refugee numbers established during the 2020 presidential determination under Donald Trump, Joanne Lin, the National Director of Advocacy and Government Relations said: “Today, President Biden is turning his back on tens of thousands of refugees around the world who have been approved to come to the United States. Communities across the United States, from local groups to faith-based institutions, are ready to welcome these refugees. As a presidential candidate, Joe Biden pledged to welcome 125,000 refugees during his first year in office. In February, Secretary…
April 16, 2021