Below you’ll find breaking news as well as reports, updates on our campaigns, and victories.
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Update
Amnesty International USA Board of Directors letter to Secretary Mayorkas
On March 11, 2021, Amnesty International USA's Board of Directors wrote to Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas to urge him to act on the promise of President Biden’s immigration agenda by building an immigration enforcement system based on humanity, compassion, fairness, and respect. As initial steps, Amnesty International USA calls on the Department of Homeland Security to release people in immigration detention through an affirmative file review process with a presumption of liberty, end family detention, and end the use of facilities run by private prison companies and county jails for immigration detention. Click here to read the letter…
March 11, 2021
Update
Amnesty International launches A Fair Shot: Universal Access to COVID-19 Vaccines campaign
Amnesty International has launched a new global campaign calling for universal access to vaccines and calling for pharmaceutical companies to share their knowledge and technology to maximize the number of doses of vaccines available around the globe. It also calls on states to stop engaging in ‘vaccine nationalism’ and work together to ensure that those most at-risk of COVID-19 in all countries can access life-saving COVID-19 vaccines immediately. COVID-19: PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANIES AND RICH STATES PUT LIVES AT RISK AS VACCINE INEQUALITY SOARS 11 March 2021, 00:01 UTC Amnesty launches global campaign calling for universal access to COVID-19 vaccines Rich countries…
March 11, 2021
Press Release
Amnesty International USA Responds to Andrea Sahouri Being Found Not Guilty
Today, a jury in Polk City Iowa found Des Moines Register journalist Andrea Sahouri, who was arrested at a Black Lives Matter protest in 2020 simply for doing her job as a reporter, not guilty on charges of “failure to disperse” and “interference with official acts.” The prosecutor insisted on moving ahead with a trial for two simple misdemeanors, which carried the potential to result in a fine, a 30-day jail sentence, or both.
March 10, 2021
Update
Amnesty International USA urges a vote “YES” on H.R. 8, the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2021, and H.R. 1446, the Enhanced Background Checks Act of 2021
Amnesty International USA vote recommendations on House gun safety bills Dear Representative: On behalf of Amnesty International USA (“AIUSA”), we urge you to vote YES on the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2021 (H.R. 8) and the Enhanced Background Checks Act of 2021 (H.R. 1446). If passed, these bills would require a background check prior to the purchase of any firearm in the U.S., with limited exceptions, and strengthen background check procedures to be followed before a federal firearms licensee may transfer firearms to a private individual. Universal and enhanced background checks would close deadly loopholes, preventing threats to…
March 10, 2021
Press Release
Majority of U.S. Adults Support Government Action to Require COVID-19 Vaccine Manufacturers Share Formulas, Forego Patents to Hasten Deployment of Vaccines Globally
Almost seven in ten U.S. adults (69%) think governments should ensure vaccine science and know-how is shared with qualified manufacturers, alongside adequately compensating the vaccine developers, rather than remaining the exclusive property of a handful of pharmaceutical giants.
March 9, 2021
Update
Amnesty Statement for House Foreign Affairs Committee Hearing on the Biden Administration’s Priorities for U.S. Foreign Policy
On March 9, 2021, Amnesty International USA submitted a statement for the record ahead of a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing titled "The Biden Administration’s Priorities for U.S. Foreign Policy" on March 10. Click here to read the statement Dear Chair Meeks, Ranking Member McCaul, and Members of the Committee: On behalf of Amnesty International and our 10 million members, activists, and supporters worldwide, we urge the Biden administration to implement the following human rights policy recommendations. Our recommendations focus on five global themes[1]: (1) internet shutdowns and restrictions; (2) Big Tech complicity in censorship; (3) government attacks on civil…
March 9, 2021
Update
Amnesty Statement for House Foreign Affairs Committee Hearing on COVID-19 and International Development
On March 9, 2021, Amnesty International USA submitted its statement for the record ahead of a House Foreign Affairs Committee Subcommittee on International Development, International Organizations and Global Corporate Social Impact hearing titled “A Year into the Pandemic: The State of International Development” on March 10. Click here to read the statement March 9, 2021 Subcommittee on International Development COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES WASHINGTON,…
March 9, 2021
Press Release
Iowa Prosecutors Must Drop Criminal Charges Against Journalist Andrea Sahouri
The Polk County attorney in Iowa, USA, should immediately drop the spurious criminal charges against Des Moines Register journalist Andrea Sahouri, who was arrested at a Black Lives Matter protest in 2020 simply for doing her job as a reporter, Amnesty International said today.
March 4, 2021
Update
Amnesty International’s Top Human Rights Priorities for the National Security Council
On March 4, 2021, Amnesty International USA wrote to Shanthi Kalathil, Coordinator for Democracy and Human Rights at the National Security Council, to share the organization's top human rights priorities for the Biden administration. Click here to read the letter March 4, 2021 Ms. Shanthi Kalathil Coordinator for Democracy and Human Rights National Security Council White House Re: Amnesty International USA -- Top Human Rights Priorities Dear Ms. Kalathil: On behalf of Amnesty International and our 10 million members, activists, and supporters worldwide, we urge the Biden administration to implement the following human rights policy recommendations. Our recommendations…
March 4, 2021
Press Release
Amnesty International USA Responds to House Passage of the Justice in Policing Act
This evening, the House of Representatives passed the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act (HR 1280), moving the bill, identical to the one in the 116th Congress, immediately to the floor for a vote out of regular order. In response to the vote, Kristina Roth, Senior Advocate for Criminal Justice Programs at Amnesty International USA, released the following statement:
March 3, 2021
Press Release
Celebrating Paul O’Brien’s Appointment As New Executive Director and a New Chapter for the Human Rights Organization in the United States
Today, Amnesty International USA (AIUSA) announced the appointment of Paul O’Brien as its new Executive Director, following an extensive global search that led the Board of Directors to unanimously pick O’Brien to assume the leadership of AIUSA. O’Brien, who officially joins AIUSA on April 15, brings a wealth of experience in international leadership, coming to the organization after 14 years at Oxfam America where he oversaw campaigning, policy, and advocacy.
March 3, 2021
Press Release
Rainbow Halo Women’s Acquittal Shows Tactics of Intimidation Against Activists in Poland
Responding to the acquittal of three women human rights activists in Poland on charges of ‘offending religious beliefs’ for distributing posters of the Virgin Mary with a halo in the rainbow colors of the LGBTI pride flag, Catrinel Motoc, Senior Campaigner in Amnesty International’s Europe Regional Office said:
March 2, 2021