Below you’ll find breaking news as well as reports, updates on our campaigns, and victories.
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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
Press Release
Massacre at Guanare Detention Center in Venezuela Must Not Go Unpunished
In response to reports that at least 46 prisoners were killed and more than 70 injured in a violent incident inside the Los Llanos Penitentiary Centre (CEPELLA) in Guanare, Portuguesa state, yesterday, Erika Guevara-Rosas, Americas director at Amnesty International, said:
May 4, 2020
Press Release
Amnesty International Calls for the Release of All Prisoners of Conscience Worldwide
Amnesty International is calling for the immediate and unconditional release of all the prisoners of conscience it is campaigning for worldwide, who are now at heightened risk due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
May 4, 2020
Press Release
U.S. military sheds some light on civilian casualties from shadowy war in Somalia
Reacting to the publication today of US Africa Command’s (AFRICOM) first quarterly assessment of civilian casualties resulting from its operations in Africa, which acknowledges that two Somali civilians were killed and three injured in an air strike, Seif Magango, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for Eastern Africa, said: “This first regular public report acknowledging AFRICOM’s role in civilian casualties is a welcome glimmer of transparency in more than a decade of deadly military operations that until now have been shrouded in secrecy. Now there must be accountability and reparation for the victims and their families – the U.S. military has…
April 27, 2020
Press Release
Judge to government: promptly and safely release kids from detention centers
Responding to a decision by Judge Dolly M. Gee of the United States District Court directing the government to make every effort to promptly and safely release children currently being held in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) custody, including children subjected to the so-called “Remain in Mexico” program, or the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), Denise Bell, researcher for refugee and migrant rights at Amnesty International USA said: “It is well past time that children were released. No child should ever be detained because of their immigration status and the continued detention of children as…
April 24, 2020
Press Release
Jeff Bezos must address concerns of Amazon workers during COVID-19 crisis
The multinational U.S.-based company Amazon must ensure its workers across the globe receive adequate health and safety protection during the COVID-19 pandemic, Amnesty International said, as hundreds of U.S. Amazon workers prepare to call in sick on Friday in protest over labour issues. Worker organizations report that hundreds of Amazon warehouse workers in the U.S. have already stayed home from work this week, citing concerns including a lack of health protection at warehouses. Amnesty International also called on the e-commerce giant to protect the rights of workers who speak out, amid allegations that staff have been fired after voicing safety…
April 24, 2020
Press Release
Prisoner of Conscience in Saudi Arabia: Dr. Abdullah al-Hamid Dies While in Detention
Responding to news of the death of Dr Abdullah al-Hamid, a prisoner of conscience who passed away while in detention in Saudi Arabia, Lynn Maalouf, Amnesty International’s Middle East Research Director, said:
April 24, 2020
Update
Amnesty International USA Opposes New Rule Empowering Unlawful Expulsions of Asylum-Seekers
Amnesty International USA submitted the following comment opposing a new U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) interim final rule which is currently empowering mass expulsions of asylum-seekers and unaccompanied children at U.S. borders. For PDF version, click here. Kyle McGowan Office of the Chief of Staff Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 1600 Clifton Road NE, MS H21-10 Atlanta, GA 30329 Telephone: 404-498-7000 [email protected] HHS Docket No. CDC-2020-0033 85 FR 16559 April 23, 2020 Via electronic submission to eRulemaking Portal RE: Amnesty International USA Comments on “Suspension of Introduction of Persons into United States…
April 23, 2020
Press Release
Basic Human Rights Should Be at the Center of COVID-19 Response, UN Report Shows
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has published a report on the need for a human rights centered response to COVID-19, warning that the pandemic risks becoming a human rights crisis. Steve Cockburn, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director of Global Issues, said:
April 23, 2020
Press Release
Dr. López-Gatell Must Support the Release of Migrants in Mexico Due to COVID-19
Amnesty International sent an open letter today to the Undersecretary of Prevention and the Promotion of Health, Dr Hugo López-Gatell Ramírez, the maximum authority on the response to COVID-19 in the country, to express its concerns about the lack of protection of the health of migrants and people in need of international protection in Mexico.
April 23, 2020
Update
Amnesty International USA Teleconference Briefing on the Impact of COVID-19 on Human Rights Around the World (April 29, 1 PM EST)
Amnesty International USA Teleconference Briefing on the Impact of COVID-19 on Human Rights Around the World: Special Updates on COVID-19 in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America WHEN: Wednesday, April 29, 1 p.m. (Eastern time) WHO: Francisco Bencosme, Asia Advocacy Manager Daniel Balson, Eurasia Advocacy Director Philippe Nassif, Middle East and North Africa Advocacy Director Adotei Akwei, Africa Advocacy Director Charanya Krishnaswami, Americas Advocacy Director Joanne Lin, National Director, Advocacy and Government Affairs HOW: Pre-register here WHAT: While the U.S. has been the most recent epicenter of the raging corona virus, every part of the…
April 22, 2020
Press Release
Facebook Must Cease Complicity with Government Censorship in Vietnam
Facebook must immediately reverse its decision to censor posts deemed critical of the government in Viet Nam, said Amnesty International today.
April 22, 2020