Below you’ll find breaking news as well as reports, updates on our campaigns, and victories.
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Press Release
Ignored by COVID-19 responses, refugees face starvation worldwide
Lockdowns and movement restrictions have exacerbated dire living conditions, leaving millions of people at risk of starvation and illness.
May 14, 2020
Press Release
GOVERNMENT MUST TAKE STEPS IN TURKEY TO COMBAT RISING HOMOPHOBIA AND TRANSPHOBIA
Ahead of the May 17 International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia (IDAHOTB) Amnesty International calls on the government of Turkey to take urgent action to counter the increasing number of discriminatory statements and policies by state officials against LGBTI people. The authorities must instead promote equality both in their statements and actions. On April 24, a senior state official at the Religious Affairs Directorate (Diyanet) blamed homosexuality and people in relationships outside marriage for the spread of HIV, urging followers to combat this “evil” in a Friday sermon focusing on the Covid-19 outbreak. These homophobic statements were publicly supported…
May 13, 2020
Press Release
The Trump administration’s asylum ban was never about public health
The Trump administration must end this racist and hateful policy, which has already sent thousands of people into danger and attacked the fundamental right to seek safety. Racism, xenophobia, and discrimination won't make people in this country safe from the COVID-19 pandemic. Policies that embrace the humanity and fundamental human rights of all, will.
May 13, 2020
Press Release
Supreme Court’s decision in Kyrgyzstan leaves Azimjan Askarov languishing in prison
The conviction of Azimjan Askarov, an ethnic Uzbek wrongly imprisoned for his work documenting tragic ethnic violence in southern Kyrgyzstan in 2010, is a blatant example of the disproportionate prosecution of and unfair trials against Uzbeks after the violence.
May 13, 2020
Press Release
UN must not cut vital aid lifeline to north-west Syria amid Russian and Syrian war crimes
A new Amnesty International report, 'Nowhere is safe for us': Unlawful attacks and mass displacement in north-west Syria, details 18 cases – the majority in January and February 2020 – where Syrian and/or Russian government forces targeted medical facilities and schools in Idlib, western Aleppo and north-western Hama governorates.
May 10, 2020
Press Release
Palestine must end arbitrary detention of critics in West Bank and Gaza
The Fatah-led Palestinian authorities in the West Bank and the Hamas de facto administration in the Gaza Strip must halt violations of the right to freedom of expression, in particular arbitrary detentions, and immediately and unconditionally release all those who have been detained solely for peacefully expressing their views, said Amnesty International today as it published a detailed statement outlining a pattern of arbitrary arrests against people who have criticized the authorities amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.
May 8, 2020
Press Release
First COVID-19 death in immigration detention a result of continued dehumanization of people by ICE
Reacting to reports that a person has died after contracting COVID-19 while in ICE custody, Denise Bell, researcher for refugee and migrant rights at Amnesty International USA, said: “If confirmed, this is the result of a continued dehumanization of people by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Coupled with a pandemic, these unchanging behaviors result in tragic deaths that could have been prevented.
May 6, 2020
Press Release
Defense Department undercounts civilian casualties in new reporting
Responding to the Pentagon’s report on U.S. civilian casualties to Congress, Daphne Eviatar, the director of the Security with Human Rights program at Amnesty International USA stated: “The Department of Defense’s submission of this year’s report marks some progress in terms of transparency of U.S. military operations. The content of the report, however, suggests that the Pentagon is still undercounting civilian casualties. It still fails to acknowledge hundreds of civilian casualties that Amnesty International’s researchers investigated on the ground in Raqqa, Syria, and assessed from the U.S.-led military operation in 2017. “The Defense Department appears to have dismissed out of hand many of the…
May 6, 2020
Update
Amnesty International USA Calls on DHS to Temporarily Halt Deportations
On May 6, 2020, Amnesty International USA wrote to Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf demanding an immediate, temporary moratorium on deportations in light of the dangers presented by COVID-19. The letter is available below and at this link. May 6, 2020 Dear Acting Secretary Wolf, On behalf of Amnesty International USA and our members and supporters in the United States, we write to urge you to immediately adopt a temporary moratorium on deportations in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Amnesty International is the world’s largest grassroots human rights organization, comprising a global support base of millions of…
May 6, 2020
Press Release
Governments in Southern Africa must move beyond politics in distribution of COVID-19 food aid
Millions of people face the threat of starvation and are already in a precarious situation as they have now lost their income as a result of lockdown regimes that are currently in place to combat the spread of COVID-19. Hunger should not be used for political campaigning. Anyone who does not have the means to make a living must be provided with food regardless of their perceived political affiliation.
May 6, 2020
Update
Human Rights on Capitol Hill Newsletter – May Edition (5-5-2020)
To view PDF version click here: Human Rights on Capitol Hill May 2020 Human Rights on Capitol Hill published by Amnesty International USA May 5, 2020  In this edition of Human Rights on Capitol Hill: 1) This Month’s Feature World Health Organization – Amnesty International USA Calls on Trump Administration to Reverse its Decision to Halt Funding for the World Health Organization (“WHO”) 2) Major Human Rights News a) RightsNow! – Amnesty International USA Launches New Campaign to Center Human Rights in the COVID-19 Response and Recovery Gun Violence - Congress Should Fund Community Gun Violence Prevention and Pass the…
May 5, 2020
Press Release
Privacy Must Not Be ‘Another Casualty’ of the Virus in the UK
UK Government plans to introduce a COVID-19 tracing app with a potentially centralized contract tracing system are deeply concerning and may mean that people’s right to privacy could become “another casualty” of coronavirus, Amnesty International UK warned today.
May 4, 2020