February 6, 2023 – Marking the 6 February Global Day of Solidarity with Native American activist Leonard Peltier, Amnesty International reiterates its call on President Biden to immediately grant Mr. Peltier clemency. Leonard Peltier has been imprisoned in the United States for over 46 years, some of which were spent in solitary confinement, serving two […]
Amnesty International USA
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The United States Must Revamp Refugee Admissions as Soon as Possible, Says Amnesty
May 3, 2021 – Responding to President Biden’s proposed presidential determination to admit up to 62,500 refugees this fiscal year, Joanne Lin, the National Director of Advocacy and Government Relations at Amnesty International USA, said: “It’s absolutely vital for the United States to revamp refugee admissions as soon as possible so that the U.S. can […]
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Pass PRO Act to Empower Workers, Protect Rights, Says Amnesty International
Washington, DC, April 29, 2021 – The United States Senate should pass the Protecting the Right to Organize Act (PRO Act), five human rights and labor groups said today in releasing a question-and-answer document about the issue. The Senate should seize on a once-in-a-generation opportunity to tackle rampant economic inequality by empowering workers and building a more just […]
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Denise Bell: Separated Families Must Be Reunited As Quickly as Possible
November 11, 2020 – Responding to reports that the Trump Administration is unable to reunite hundreds more families than previously reported, Denise Bell, the researcher for refugee and migrant rights at Amnesty International USA said: As the numbers of children that continue to be apart from their families continues to grow, accountability for the people […]
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United Nations Review Will Bring U.S. Human Rights Abuses to Light, Says Amnesty International USA
November 9, 2020 – As the United States’ human rights record is examined under the United Nations Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review during a two-week session, which begins today, Amnesty International USA issued the following statement: “Today, the world watches to see whether the United States will seize the opportunity for its policies to […]
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Amnesty International USA: President Trump Must Condemn White Supremacy and Racist Violence
September 30, 2020 – Last night, President Donald Trump failed to condemn white supremacist groups and instead told the Proud Boys to “stand back and stand by.” In response, Amnesty International USA’s End Gun Violence Campaign Manager, Ernest Coverson, released the following statement: “Last night, President Trump blew yet another dog whistle to the Proud […]
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NO BAN Act Passage a Critical Step to Undoing Muslim Ban and Years’ Worth of Discriminatory Immigration Policies
July 22, 2020 – In response to the passage of the NO BAN Act (H.R. 2214) in the House of Representatives, Ryan Mace, senior policy advisor for Amnesty International USA, released the following statement: “From his very first week in office, President Trump delivered on the bigoted rhetoric of his campaign. The president and his […]
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Amnesty International Documents Widespread Police Violence Against Protesters for Black Lives
June 23, 2020 – Police forces across the USA committed widespread and egregious human rights violations against people protesting the unlawful killings of Black people and calling for police reform, Amnesty International said today, as itlaunched an interactive map of incidents of police violence and a new campaign calling for systemic changes in policing. Amnesty International […]
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President Trump Tramples the Right to Protest, Says Amnesty
June 1, 2020 – Responding to remarks by President Donald Trump today in the Rose Garden, Ernest Coverson, the End Gun Violence campaign manager at Amnesty International USA said: “The violence that can no longer be ignored is the violence committed against Black lives by the police. The real disgrace is the anti-Black racism of […]
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Amnesty International USA Joins Senate Push for Gun Violence Prevention Funding in COVID-19 Stimulus
May 22, 2020 – Today, Senators Tammy Duckworth and Corey Booker, along with 18 other Senators released a letter to U.S. Senate leadership building on Amnesty International USA (AIUSA) research to call for increased funding in support of communities affected by gun violence during the COVID-19 pandemic. This comes on the heels of an AIUSA […]
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Defense Department undercounts civilian casualties in new reporting
May 6, 2020 – 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 […]
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Amnesty USA Response to Dangerous Asylum Agreement between the US and Guatemala
WASHINGTON, DC, July 26, 2019 – In response to reports that the United States and Guatemala may have finalized an agreement on asylum that would potentially limit access to asylum for Hondurans and Salvadorans, Amnesty International USA advocacy director for the Americas Charanya Krishnaswami released the following statement: “While the agreement between the US and […]
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Amnesty International USA: Pompeo and Haspel Must Disavow Torture and Other Abuses as Nominees for State and CIA
March 13, 2018 – In response to reports that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will be replaced by current CIA director Mike Pompeo – who will in turn be replaced by current CIA deputy director Gina Haspel — Margaret Huang, executive director of Amnesty International USA, issued this statement: “Both Pompeo and Haspel have deeply […]
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Amnesty Calls on President Trump to Shut Down Military Commissions
NEW YORK, Nov. 2, 2017— The Guantánamo military judge handling the case of the alleged USS Cole bomber has ordered three civilian defense attorneys who resigned from the case over alleged breaches of attorney-client privilege to testify from Virginia by video feed to the Guantánamo courtroom Friday morning in a contempt hearing. The hearing will […]
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Margaret Huang: President Trump’s Budget is a Rejection of Human Rights
NEW YORK, NY, May 23, 2017 – In response to President Trump’s federal budget, Amnesty International USA’s executive director, Margaret Huang, released the following statement: President Trump’s budget is a rejection of American leadership on human rights and will hurt people inside the U.S. and all over the world. Instead of strengthening human rights, Trump […]
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Nidya Sarria: Seven People Whose Lives Have Been Upended by the Muslim Ban
May 16, 2017 – President Trump’s travel ban is a disaster. Rather than make people safer, the order has caused thousands of people to live in fear and uncertainty. Families have been unnecessarily separated. Refugees have been turned away or told to keep waiting, despite credible threats of violence against them. Students have been detained […]
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Statements by Sec. Tillerson and removal of human rights position at NSC send dangerous signals, says Amnesty
NEW YORK, May 4, 2017 – Just days after marking Trump’s first 100 days in office by detailing 100 ways his administration has threatened human rights, Amnesty International again reacted to new actions by the Trump Administration that appear to push human rights to the sidelines. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told State Department staff […]
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100 ways Trump has threatened human rights in first 100 days (VIDEO)
April 25, 2017 – As the first 100 days of President Donald Trump’s administration come to a close, Amnesty International has compiled a list of 100 ways the Trump administration has threatened human rights in the U.S. and around the world – sometimes succeeding, and sometimes being blocked by a powerful and growing resistance movement. […]
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Activists Protest Upcoming Executions in Arkansas and Ask Governor for Clemency
NEW YORK, April 14, 2017 – Activists have gathered in Little Rock to protest the state’s plans to execute seven people in 10 days starting next week. The executions are scheduled before the state’s lethal injection supply expires at the end of the month. “While the death penalty is unacceptable in any circumstance, the horrific […]
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Amnesty: U.S. falls from death penalty top five in 2016, but upcoming Arkansas executions could hinder progress
April 11, 2017 – For the first time since 2006, and only the second time since 1991, the United States is not among the world’s five biggest executioners, Amnesty International said in its 2016 global review of the death penalty published today. The number of executions (20) in 2016 reached the lowest level recorded in […]