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Press Release

As Airbnb prepares to go public in a multi-billion-dollar Initial Public Offering (IPO) it must withdraw listings of rental properties built illegally on the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT), Amnesty International said today. The San Francisco-based online accommodation company has around 200 properties for rent in the illegal Israeli settlements that are at the heart of systematic human rights violations faced by Palestinians. Two years ago, Airbnb said it would remove accommodation in the settlements from its listings, before reversing its decision. Responding to reports that Airbnb is set to become a publicly-listed company after filing IPO documents in the US, Saleh Higazi, Deputy Regional Director for Middle East…

December 9, 2020

Press Release

Responding to authorization today from the United States Senate to sell several advanced military capabilities that are worth $23.37 billion and export over $7.2s billion in defense articles to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Philippe Nassif, the advocacy director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International USA said: “Today’s vote could be the first act in a domino effect which ends in human tragedy as this country provides capabilities which risk being used to injure and kill thousands of Yemenis and Libyans in their homes, their schools, and their hospitals. “Today’s sale could result in United States…

December 9, 2020

Press Release

Responding to reports of an executive order issued by President Donald Trump, Amnesty International USA Interim Executive Director, Bob Goodfellow said: “The anticipated executive order from President Trump is morally and strategically misguided.  If this pandemic has taught us anything, it is that we are only as safe as those of us who are most at risk. COVID-19 vaccines should be available to everyone - regardless of where they live or what they can afford. COVID-19 is a global crisis that requires global cooperation, not a me-first approach, or an America-first approach, that jeopardizes everyone’s right to be protected from…

December 8, 2020

Update

On December 8, 2020, Amnesty International USA's National Director of Advocacy and Government Relations Joanne Lin submitted her written testimony ahead of House Foreign Affairs Committee Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations hearing on "International Human Rights and Closing Civic Space" on December 9. Click here to read the written testimony   TESTIMONY OF JOANNE LIN NATIONAL DIRECTOR, ADVOCACY AND GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL USA HOUSE FOREIGN AFFAIRS SUBCOMMITTEE ON AFRICA, GLOBAL HEALTH, GLOBAL HUMAN RIGHTS, AND INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS   Hearing on “International Human Rights and Closing Civic Space” December 9, 2020 Good afternoon Chairwoman…

December 8, 2020

Press Release

Ahead of a vote in the lower chamber of the Argentine Congress on December 10, on Human Rights Day, Tarah Demant, the director of the Gender, Sexuality, and Identity program at Amnesty International USA said: “Abortion is a human right that respects the dignity and autonomy of anyone who can become pregnant. Everyone must be able to access safe abortion, care, and information, and decriminalization is absolutely central. The Argentinian Congress has the opportunity now to recognize the rights of all women, girls and people who can become pregnant to make free decisions about their own bodies.” “It’s well past…

December 8, 2020

Update

The Honorable Mitch McConnell Senate Majority Leader The Honorable Chuck Schumer Senate Minority Leader Senator James E.Risch Chairman Senate Committee on Foreign Relations Senator Bob Menendez Ranking Member Senate Committee on Foreign Relations Senator Roy Blunt Chairman Senate Committee on Rules & Administration Senator Amy Klobuchar Ranking Member Senate Committee on Rules & Administration December 8, 2020 Dear Majority Leader McConnell, Democratic Leader Schumer, Senator Risch, Senator Menendez, Senator Blunt, and Senator Klobuchar: We are writing in strong support of S. Res. 725, a resolution establishing the Senate Human Rights Commission, introduced by Senate Human Rights Caucus co-chairs Senator Chris…

December 8, 2020

Press Release

The US military must not wash its hands of international legal obligations towards civilian victims of US air strikes in Somalia, Amnesty International said, following a Pentagon announcement that troops will be removed by January 2021. Following weeks of speculation about the change in policy, the US Department of Defense issued a press release on December 4, saying US Africa Command (AFRICOM) would “reposition the majority of personnel and assets out of Somalia by early 2021”. Withdrawal of ground troops does not necessarily mean an end to US military action in Somalia, which has included dozens of air strikes each year,…

December 7, 2020

Press Release

In advance of Human Rights Day, Amnesty International will host a virtual briefing on the human rights challenges expected in 2021. The briefing will focus on the human rights crisis in Ethiopia’s Tigray region. Hundreds in the Tigray region have lost their lives, many more have been injured, and tens of thousands of people have been forced into refugee camps in neighboring Sudan. 

December 7, 2020

Update

Amnesty International USA Special Webinar to Commemorate Human Rights Day Tuesday, December 8, 2020 starting at 1:00 PM ET In advance of Human Rights Day, Amnesty International will host a special virtual briefing marking the human rights challenges to come in 2021. In particular, the briefing will focus on the human rights crisis in Ethiopia’s Tigray region that has already claimed hundreds of lives, left many more injured, and forced tens of thousands into refugee camps in neighboring Sudan. Please join Amnesty International and other organizations in this urgent briefing. Special opening remarks on human rights in the 117th Congress…

December 3, 2020

Update

Ethiopia’s internal turmoil reached new heights as the Federal government of Prime Minister Abiy Mohammed launched a full-scale military offensive against the TPLF led regional government of the state of Tigray. Both sides have accused each other of atrocities and Amnesty confirmed a  massacre  where possibly as many as 500 people in Tigray were slaughtered by forces loyal to the TPLF. On November 30, the Ethiopian government announced it had captured Mekelle, the capital of Tigray and that fighting has ended. With communications to the region still cut, and allegations of human rights abuses coming from both sides verifying information,…

December 2, 2020

Report

Tech giants Facebook and YouTube are allowing themselves to become tools of the Vietnamese authorities’ censorship and harassment of its population, in an alarming sign of how these companies could increasingly operate in repressive countries, a new report by Amnesty International reveals today. The 78-page report, "Let us Breathe!”: Censorship and criminalization of online expression in Viet Nam”, documents the systematic repression of peaceful online expression in Viet Nam, including the widespread “geo-blocking” of content deemed critical of the authorities, all while groups affiliated to the government deploy sophisticated campaigns on these platforms to harass everyday users into silence and…

November 30, 2020

Press Release

People working for Amazon have faced great health and safety risks since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, but their ability to speak out and bargain collectively is under pressure from the online retail giant, Amnesty International said today.  On Black Friday, one of Amazon’s busiest periods, Amnesty International released a new briefing, Amazon, Let Workers Unionize, documenting the company’s treatment of workers in the United States, France, Poland, the United Kingdom. Researchers found that Amazon has undermined attempts by workers to unionize and collectively negotiate, including through surveillance in the United States and threats of legal action in the UK, and that it has failed to engage on key health and safety issues in Poland and France.  “All through the pandemic, Amazon workers have been risking their health and lives to ensure essential goods are delivered to our doorsteps, helping Amazon achieve record profits. In…

November 26, 2020