Press Release

Immediately revoke suspension of environmental protections

Responding to the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) announcement it would suspend enforcement of environmental laws indefinitely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Richard Pearshouse, Amnesty International’s Head of Crisis and…

March 27, 2020
EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler Testifies On Agency's Budget Before House Committee
WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 04: David Bloom (C), acting chief financial officer of the U.S. Environmental Protection (EPA), confers with aides as he arrives for a House Appropriations Committee hearing in the Rayburn House Office Building on March 4, 2020 in Washington, DC. Wheeler testified about the EPA's fiscal 2021 budget requests. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Press Release

Overcrowded detention centers in Cambodia a “ticking time bomb” for COVID-19 amid raft of “fake news” arrests

Overcrowded and squalid prisons and detention centers risk becoming detonators for a major COVID-19 outbreak in Cambodia that will make the pandemic much harder to control, said Amnesty International today,…

March 27, 2020
A vendor is wearing a mask in Cambodia
PHNOM PENH, March 25, 2020 -- A vendor wearing mask is seen in front of the Independence Monument in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, March 25, 2020. Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen said on Wednesday that he is considering to put the country in a state of emergency after a spike of COVID-19 cases. Cambodia has recorded a total of 93 confirmed cases of the COVID-19 to date. (Photo by Mao Pengfei/Xinhua via Getty) (Xinhua/Mao Pengfei via Getty Images)

Press Release

Decision in Bosnia to confine thousands of migrants into camp inhumane and puts lives at risk

Responding to the decision of the local authorities in Una-Sana Canton in Bosnia and Herzegovina to forcefully transfer and confine thousands of migrants living in the area to an inadequate…

March 27, 2020
Officials inspect a quarantine zone created for people, who come from abroad
BANJA LUKA, BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA - MARCH 26: (----EDITORIAL USE ONLY â MANDATORY CREDIT - "BANJA LUKA MUNICIPALITY / HANDOUT" - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS----) Officials inspect a quarantine zone created for people, who come from abroad and their coronavirus (COVID-19) testings are not positive, as a precaution in Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina on March 26, 2020. It has been reported that three quarantine zones will be created in different locations in the city of Banja Luka. (Photo by Banja Luka Municipality / Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Press Release

Measures against COVID-19 in Colombia must not be an excuse for neglecting the protection of human rights defenders

The Colombian state must not use measures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic as a pretext to weaken or withdraw protection for human rights defenders and social leaders, Amnesty International…

March 27, 2020
Woman walks with a mask on
CALI, COLOMBIA - MARCH 26: Some pedestrians walk through the tourist area of Cali at Boulevard del Rio during the second day of quarantine to stop spread of COVID-19 on March 26, 2020 in Cali, Colombia. The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has spread to many countries across the world, claiming over 20,000 lives and infecting hundreds of thousands more. (Photo by Gabriel Aponte/Vizzor Image/Getty Images)

Press Release

As COVID-19 spreads in South Asia, fears rise for people at higher risk

As cases of COVID-19 escalate in South Asia, one of the world’s poorest and most populous regions, Amnesty International calls on the authorities there to put human rights at the…

March 26, 2020
Bangladeshi volunteer sprays disinfectant inside vehicles on the street during a government-imposed lockdown as a preventive measure against the COVID-19 coronavirus in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on March 28, 2020. (Photo by Mamunur Rashid/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Press Release

Response to President Bolsonaro’s comments around COVID-19: health and life are basic human rights

In relation to the COVID-19 pandemic and President Jair Bolsonaro's statement on national television last Tuesday night, Amnesty International said:  “Health and life are human rights. We’re facing what is…

March 25, 2020
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - MARCH 28: A Brazilian Army soldier from the 1st Nuclear, Radiological, Biological and Chemical Defense Battalion (1 BTL DQBRN) performs disinfection operations at BRT (Bus Rapid Transportation) Stations at Barra da Tijuca neighborhood due to the coronavirus (COVID - 19) pandemic on March 28, 2020 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has spread to many countries across the world, claiming over 20,000 lives and infecting hundreds of thousands more. (Photo by Andre Coelho/Getty Images)

Press Release

COVID-19 Pandemic Doesn’t Give States The Right to Limit Abortion Access

As Texas announces plans to aggressively roll back abortion rights to halt the spread of COVID-19, Amnesty International USA released the following statement in response: 

March 25, 2020
DALLAS, March 22, 2020 . Medical workers work at a drive-through COVID-19 testing site in Dallas, Texas, the United States, March 21, 2020. The number of COVID-19 cases in the United States topped 20,000 as of 1:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on Saturday ,1730 GMT, according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering ,CSSE, at Johns Hopkins University. (Photo by Dan Tian/Xinhua via Getty) (Xinhua/ via Getty Images)

Press Release

G20 Leaders Must Cooperate on COVID-19 to Protect Those Most at Risk

Ahead of an extraordinary virtual meeting of the G20 group which is scheduled to take place on Thursday, Amnesty International called on leaders to coordinate responses to help the most…

March 25, 2020
BARCELONA, SPAIN - MARCH 25: A Cruz Roja member is seen at the pavilion that Fira de Barcelona fair prepares to accommodate homeless people during the Coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak on March 25, 2020 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Miquel Benitez/Getty Images). Fira De Barcelona Shall Accommodate Homeless People. A coalition Cruz Roja, 'Red Cross', Barcelona City Council, Spanish Army, E.T. Logistics Brigade, UME Military Emergency Unit, Urban Guard, Health Personnel and Bombers of Catalonia. For 225 homeless, check them without Coronavirus ready to accommodate them, bunks, showers and food. (Photo by Miquel Benitez/Getty Images)

Press Release

Amnesty International highlights human rights priorities in the Americas for state responses to COVID-19

Amnesty International has published recommendations today for states in the Americas to ensure that their responses to COVID-19 are in line with their international human rights obligations, as well as flagging a…

March 24, 2020
Man walks into a hospital with a mask on his face to avoid Coronavirus
The entrance of the General Hospital of Mexico City, Mexico, on March 22, 2020 during the health crisis caused by COVID-19. (Photo by Cristian Leyva/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Press Release

Media advisory: AIUSA to Provide Workshops on Aspects of COVID-19 and Human Rights

As COVID-19 has reached pandemic levels around the world, Amnesty International USA is piloting workshops to media on the aspects of COVID-19 and human rights. While the focus has rightfully…

March 23, 2020
Man walks into a hospital with a mask on his face to avoid Coronavirus
The entrance of the General Hospital of Mexico City, Mexico, on March 22, 2020 during the health crisis caused by COVID-19. (Photo by Cristian Leyva/NurPhoto via Getty Images)