Below you’ll find breaking news as well as reports, updates on our campaigns, and victories.
If you are a member of the press, please reach out to [email protected]
Report
Tech giants are complicit in industrial- scale repression in Viet Nam
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
Black Friday rush must not cost Amazon workers their health and safety
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
Update
Amnesty International Files Brief in Support of Challenge to Draconian “Remain in Mexico” Policy
Today, Amnesty International USA filed a brief in support of a new lawsuit (Immigrant Defenders Law Center v.Wolf) challenging the "Remain in Mexico" policy, which has sent over 65,000 people to danger and precarity in Mexico - where they are now waiting indefinitely given the COVID-19 pandemic. Amnesty's brief, drafted by pro bono firm Wilkinson Stekloff and based on Amnesty's firsthand research, documentation, and advocacy, describes the dangers asylum-seekers are exposed to in Mexico under the policy. To read the brief in full, click here. For more information, please contact Charanya Krishnaswami, Americas Advocacy Director, at [email protected].
November 23, 2020
Press Release
Write for Rights: A chance for governments to stand up for humanity
Amnesty International today launches the world’s biggest human rights campaign, Write for Rights, calling on governments to put right injustices against individuals who are detained or persecuted in countries across the globe, and to lead by example in building a fairer post- COVID-19 world. “Devastating though it has been, the COVID-19 pandemic has also brought out the best in people. We have witnessed countless acts of compassion and solidarity as people come together in their communities to help those most in need. Sadly, many governments have pursued the opposite course, detaining and persecuting people who stand up for human rights,”…
November 20, 2020
Press Release
France shutting down anti-racist organization risks freedoms
Responding to the announcement by Gérald Darmanin, the French Minister of Interior, that the French government will dissolve the Collective Against Islamophobia in France (CCIF), an NGO that combats discrimination against Muslims, Nils Muižnieks, Europe Director at Amnesty International said: “The proposed dissolution of the Collective Against Islamophobia in France would be a shocking move from the French government. This move could have a chilling effect on all people and organizations engaged in combating racism and discrimination in France. “The dissolution of an organization is an extreme measure that can be justified only in very limited circumstances, such as if it poses a clear…
November 20, 2020
Press Release
G20 leaders, don’t buy the spin: Saudi Arabia’s real changemakers are in jail
G20 leaders attending this weekend’s virtual summit hosted by Saudi Arabia must take the Saudi authorities to task for their shameless hypocrisy on women’s rights, Amnesty International said today. Women’s empowerment features prominently on Saudi Arabia’s G20 Agenda, despite the fact the activists who spearheaded campaigns for women’s rights are languishing in jail or facing trial. Amnesty International is urging G20 leaders to join the call for the immediate and unconditional release of Loujain al-Hathloul, Nassima al-Sada, Samar Badawi, Nouf Abdulaziz and Maya’a al-Zahrani, who were arrested in 2018 for their human rights work. “For Saudi authorities the G20 Summit is critical: it is a moment for them to promote their reform agenda to the world, and show their country is open for business. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia’s real reformers are behind bars” said Lynn Maalouf, Amnesty International's Deputy Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa. “Instead of playing along with the Saudi government’s whitewashed narrative, G20 leaders should…
November 19, 2020
Update
Amnesty International USA Statement for the Record on The Rights of Indigenous Peoples in the Americas
For PDF version, click here. Rep. James McGovern, Co-Chair Rep. Chris Smith, Co-Chair Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission November 19, 2020 RE: Amnesty International USA Statement for the Record on The Rights of Indigenous Peoples in the Americas On behalf of Amnesty International USA and our members and supporters in the United States, we are grateful to the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission for holding its November 20 hearing on the rights of Indigenous people in the Americas and for the opportunity to submit this statement for the record. Across the hemisphere, Indigenous people are routinely…
November 19, 2020
Press Release
State Department’s attack on the BDS movement violates freedom of expression and endangers human rights protection
Responding to the United States Department of State announcement designating the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement as antisemitic and planning to identify organizations supporting BDS with a view to reviewing and halting their funding, Bob Goodfellow, the Interim Executive Director of Amnesty International USA, issued the below statement: “The Department of State’s targeting of groups advocating for using peaceful means, such as boycotts, to end human rights violations against Palestinians as antisemitic violates freedom of expression and is a gift to those who seek to silence, harass, intimidate and oppress those standing up for human rights around the world. This…
November 19, 2020
Press Release
Bill Pelke will be remembered as a lifelong activist for death penalty abolition
Amnesty International USA is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Bill Pelke, a longtime death penalty abolition activist, friend and ally. Bill served as the Indiana State Death Penalty Abolition Coordinator from 1990 - 1996 for the organization. For decades, he dedicated his life toward the advancement of human rights by advocating against the use of the death penalty. Upon hearing of Bill’s passing last week from a heart attack, Amnesty International USA Interim Executive Director, Bob Goodfellow said: “Bill was truly a remarkable and gentle man of great courage and compassion. Bill’s love for humanity and his…
November 18, 2020
Press Release
The Libya Stabilization Act will mean accountability for abuses
Responding to the passage of H.R. 4644, the Libya Stabilization Act in Congress, Philippe Nassif, the advocacy director for the Middle East and North Africa said: “The Libya Stabilization Act could finally mean accountability for individuals who commit human rights violations and war crimes, violate the arms embargo in Libya, or threaten the peace, security, and stability of in the country. The passage of this bill creates a much-needed reporting mechanism on foreign interference in Libya, including for those who provide military support in violation of the United Nations arms embargo, threatening civilian lives. This bill directly addresses the root…
November 18, 2020
Press Release
Trump Administration’s Refusal to Cooperate with President-Elect Biden is Worsening COVID-19 Human Rights Crisis
As the U.S. tops 250,000 deaths from COVID-19 today and President Trump continues to reject cooperation with President-Elect Biden’s team on the pandemic, Amnesty International USA Interim Executive Director Bob Goodfellow issued the below statement:
November 18, 2020
Press Release
Immigrant Children and Attorneys’ Plea: Stop Family Deportations
Dilley, TX and Leesport, PA - This weekend, the Trump Administration could move to deport 28 children with their parents, in one of its last immoral immigration acts that shock the conscience. The children, ranging from ages 2 to 18, are begging for their stories to be heard in hopes that someone in power will finally listen.Affected children and their advocates will deliver their messages on a Zoom call with reporters at 4pm ET/1pm PT on November 18. WHO: Bridget Cambria, Attorney, Aldea-The People’s Justice Center Nicole Phillips,Legal Director, Haitian Bridge Alliance Shay Fluharty,Attorney, Proyecto Dilley A 15-year-old girl at risk…
November 18, 2020