Below you’ll find breaking news as well as reports, updates on our campaigns, and victories.
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Press Release
NRA Fails to Stop UN Arms Treaty: Human Rights Victory Today To Protect Children
Amnesty International USA issued comments following adoption by the U.N. General Assembly of a global Arms Trade Treaty
April 2, 2013
Report
USA: Letter to US Secretary of Defense in relation to hunger-strikes at Guantánamo
Amnesty International expresses deep concern at the situation faced by the detainees held in Department of Defense custody at the US naval base at Guantánamo Bay in Cuba.
March 28, 2013
Press Release
Attack on Damascus University Shows “Callous Disregard” for Civilians
Amnesty International called the mortar attack on Damascus University today a serious violation of the laws of war demonstrating “callous disregard” for civilians. The attack reportedly killed up to 15 people and injured many more.
March 28, 2013
Press Release
10 Years On, Violations Remain Widespread in Darfur
Elements of government forces, along with armed militias, are carrying out multiple large-scale attacks against civilians in North Darfur in what represents the worst instance of violence in recent years.
March 27, 2013
Press Release
Russian Authorities Must Ensure that Lawyers in the North Caucasus are Protected and Free to Defend their Clients Without Fear
Lawyers are often the last line of defense for those facing torture and unfair trial in the North Caucasus and elsewhere in Russia, yet they themselves often come under attack in connection with their work, Amnesty International said in a report published Wednesday.
March 20, 2013
Report
A Reflection on U.S. Accountability for Detainee Abuses 10 Years After the Invasion of Iraq
Five months before the invasion of Iraq in mid-March 2003, the two chambers of the United States Congress passed a joint resolution authorizing the use of force against that country. Signing the resolution into law on 16 October 2002, President George W. Bush asserted that the congressional debate had been "in the finest traditions of American democracy". A somewhat hollow tradition, it would seem, as the Bush administration considered the resolution "legally unnecessary" on the grounds that the President, as Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, already had all the authority he needed. A decade later, it seems that none of the three branches…
March 20, 2013
Press Release
Ten Years Later, Iraq Enmeshed in Cycle of Human Rights Abuses
Ten years after the U.S.-led invasion that toppled the brutal regime of Saddam Hussein, Iraq remains enmeshed in a grim cycle of human rights abuses, including attacks on civilians, torture of detainees and unfair trials.
March 8, 2013
Press Release
Drone Transparency Not Enough; Obama Must Follow the Law
Zeke Johnson, director of Amnesty International USA’s Security with Human Rights campaign, issued the following in response to Attorney General Eric Holder’s appearance today in front of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee.
March 6, 2013
Press Release
Brennan Vote Underscores Need to Release Drone Memos and Torture Report
Zeke Johnson, director of Amnesty International USA’s Security with Human Rights Campaign, issued the following statement in advance of the U.S. Senate Select Intelligence Committee’s vote on John Brennan for Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) director.
March 5, 2013
Press Release
Holder Must Answer Tough Questions on Drones and Guantanamo
Zeke Johnson, director of Amnesty International USA’s Security with Human Rights campaign, issued the following statement in advance of U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder’s appearance in front of the U.S. Senate Judiciary committee.
March 4, 2013
Press Release
Amnesty International Responds to Rep. Mike Kelly’s House Briefing Against Arms Trade Treaty
In response to today’s House briefing against the Arms Trade Treaty by Rep. Mike Kelly, Amnesty International USA issued the following comment from Michelle Ringuette, chief of campaigns and programs.
February 27, 2013
Press Release
Crucial Voices Missing from House Hearing on Drones
Zeke Johnson, director of Amnesty International USA’s Security and Human Rights campaign, issued the following statement in response to today’s hearing held by the U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee on the use of drones to target U.S. citizens overseas who are suspected of terror activities:
February 27, 2013