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Update

For PDF version, click here. August 5, 2020   Senator Ron Johnson, Chair Senator Gary Peters, Ranking Member Senate Committee on Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs   RE: Amnesty International Statement for Hearing on “Oversight of DHS Personnel Deployments to Recent Protests”   Dear Chairman Johnson, Ranking Member Peters, and Members of the Committee:   On behalf of Amnesty International USA and our members and supporters in the United States, we hereby submit this statement for the record. This hearing comes on the heels of alarming reports of excessive force by Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”) officers against protesters in…

August 6, 2020

Press Release

Governments who were lauded for releasing prisoners in response to COVID-19 outbreaks have excluded human rights defenders from the measures and continue to make new arrests of activists, journalists and critics, Amnesty International said today. In a new briefing, “Daring to Stand up for Human Rights in a Pandemic”, which documents attacks on human rights defenders during the pandemic, the organization highlights the hypocrisy of governments including Egypt, India, Iran and Turkey, who have left prisoners of conscience to languish in appalling conditions despite widely publicized prisoner release programs. “COVID-19 has been an added punishment for human rights defenders who are…

August 5, 2020

Press Release

Responding to the devastating explosion in Beirut yesterday that killed scores of people and left thousands more injured, Julie Verhaar, Acting Secretary General of Amnesty International, said: “The horrific scenes in the aftermath of the explosion yesterday were devastating for a country already suffering under the strain of multiple crises. Our thoughts are with the victims and their families at this tragic time. “Whatever may have caused the explosion, including the possibility of a large amount of ammonium nitrate stored unsafely, Amnesty International is calling for an international mechanism to be promptly set up to investigate how this happened. “Amnesty…

August 5, 2020

Press Release

Today, a coalition of organizations submitted a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to uncover why the government has refused to release about 150 asylum-seeking families from family detention centers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some families have been detained in ICE custody for over 11 months. The organizations include the Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law, Amnesty International USA, Human Rights Watch, Aldea – The People’s Justice Center, Alianza Americas, Columbia Law School Immigrants’ Rights Clinic, Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice, El Rescate,…

August 4, 2020

Press Release

Responding to the release of Karla* and her fifteen-year-old daughter Katherine* from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Dilley, Texas, Denise Bell, the researcher for refugee rights at Amnesty International USA said: “Today, Katherine no longer has to fear that this country has forgotten about children like her and she can finally imagine a better life in the United States. However, this country can do better by families like Katherine and Karla and finally release all families that they’re currently detaining. Our communities have long advocated for families to be released together – instead ICE continues to choose family separation…

August 4, 2020

Press Release

Today, a coalition of eight advocacy organizations launched a nationwide campaign calling on Ohio Governor Mike DeWine to clearly and explicitly reject proposed ‘Stand Your Ground’ legislation in Ohio.

August 4, 2020

Press Release

Today, Amnesty International USA released a report documenting widespread and egregious human rights violations by police officers against protesters, medics, journalists and legal observers who gathered to protest the unlawful killings of Black people by the police and to call for systemic reform in May and June of 2020.

August 4, 2020

Press Release

Responding to an announcement by Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell that he will not charge the former police officer who fatally shot Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, Kristina Roth, the Senior Advocate, Criminal Justice Program at Amnesty International, said: "Six years ago, Michael Brown, a teenager, was killed by officer Darren Wilson. Thousands more have been killed by police since then, yet few officers have been prosecuted and even fewer convicted. The unlawful killings of Black people around the nation demonstrate the larger pattern of discrimination by law enforcement. The laws in Missouri -- and everywhere else in the United States…

July 30, 2020

Update

For PDF version, click here. July 30, 2020   Congressman Bennie Thompson, Chair Congressman Mike Rogers, Ranking Member House Committee on Homeland Security   RE: Amnesty International Statement for Hearing on “Homeland Insecurity: DHS Police Actions Endanger Our Democracy”   Dear Chairman Thompson, Ranking Member Rogers, and Members of the Committee:   On behalf of Amnesty International USA and our members and supporters in the United States, we hereby submit this statement for the record. We are grateful to the Committee for holding this important hearing on the heels of alarming reports of excessive force by Department of Homeland Security…

July 30, 2020

Press Release

Almost 2,000 Yezidi children who have returned to their families after being held captive by the armed group calling itself Islamic State (IS) are facing a physical and mental health crisis, Amnesty International warned in a new report published today. The report, Legacy of Terror: The Plight of Yezidi Child Survivors of ISIS, also addresses the urgent need to end the enforced separation of women and their children born of sexual violence by IS members. Between 2014 and 2017, IS committed war crimes, crimes against humanity, and what the UN describes as genocide against the Yezidi community in Iraq. The…

July 28, 2020

Press Release

In response to a quarterly civilian casualty assessment report issued today by U.S. Africa Command, Brian Castner, the Senior Crisis Advisor for arms and military operations at Amnesty International said: “Today’s report is the first time AFRICOM has substantiated a report of civilian casualties in Somalia investigated by Amnesty International. This admission is the third case they have substantiated in 13 years of air strikes in the country. Now that there has been an acknowledgment of their actions, there must be accountability and reparations for the victims and their families “While AFRICOM has made tentative progress in acknowledging civilian casualties,…

July 28, 2020

Update

July 24, 2020 The Honorable Chad F. Wolf Acting Secretary Department of Homeland Security 2801 Nebraska Avenue NW Washington, D.C. 20528 RE: Amnesty International USA calls for immediate withdrawal of DHS agents from Portland and a halt to future deployments of agents to other cities Dear Acting Secretary Wolf: On behalf of Amnesty International USA (“AIUSA”) and our members and supporters, we write with serious concern over alarming reports of excessive force by US Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”) officers used against protesters in Portland, Oregon, in violation of their rights to freedom of expression and assembly. Ever since the…

July 25, 2020