Below you’ll find breaking news as well as reports, updates on our campaigns, and victories.
If you are a member of the press, please reach out to [email protected]
Press Release
‘Nowhere safe in Gaza’: Unlawful Israeli strikes illustrate callous disregard for Palestinian lives
Israeli forces have demonstrated – yet again – a chilling indifference to the catastrophic toll on civilians of their ongoing relentless bombardment of the occupied Gaza Strip.
November 20, 2023
Press Release
Statement of Support for U.S. Student Groups in the Wake of Escalating Conflict in Gaza and Israel
Amnesty International USA is deeply concerned about increased threats, silencing, and deactivation of school and university groups in the wake of the escalating conflict in Gaza and Israel.
November 17, 2023
Press Release
UNSC Resolution on ‘humanitarian pauses’ in Gaza presents vital opportunity to stop massive suffering
In response to the United Nations Security Council adoption of a resolution calling for urgent and extended humanitarian pauses and the need to address the situation of children in the occupied Gaza Strip, Amnesty International’s Secretary General, Agnès Callamard, said: “After four failed resolutions over the last 30 days, the UN Security Council has finally exercised the role and leadership it is mandated to play – the maintenance of peace and security, and the protection of international rule of law.” “While the resolution is not prescriptive in terms of the duration of the humanitarian pauses, it is a much-needed step in the…
November 16, 2023
Press Release
Amnesty International USA Responds to Biden-Xi Meeting
In response to President Biden’s meeting with President Xi Jinping of China on Wednesday, Carolyn Nash, Asia Advocacy Director, Amnesty International USA, said: “The question isn’t whether Biden talks about human rights with Xi, Jokowi, and other Indo-Pacific leaders. It’s whether he understands and makes clear that no government, including his own, will realize economic, security, or climate progress while denying rights and jeopardizing people’s safety. “The economic relationship between the US and China is impacted by abusive labor practices in Xinjiang and by the unfair competition they create for climate-responsible industries to develop. The climate advances the US can…
November 15, 2023
Press Release
Israel/OPT: Another Blackout in Gaza Imminent if Sufficient Fuel is Not Restored
The occupied Gaza Strip will likely plunge into another total communications blackout on Thursday if appropriate fuel supplies are not immediately delivered, which will worsen an already catastrophic humanitarian situation, Amnesty International said today. Today, Paltel group and Jawwal, two of the largest telecommunication companies in the area, issued a joint statement to report that their main data servers and switches were gradually shutting down due to fuel depletion. The blackout faced by Paltel and Jawwal would not be recoverable until fuel has been restored––as the two largest operators in the area, the consequences of this would be devastating. Israel…
November 15, 2023
Press Release
Pakistan: Halt mass detentions and deportations of Afghan refugees
The Government of Pakistan must immediately halt the continued detentions, deportations and widespread harassment of Afghan refugees, said Amnesty International today. “Thousands of Afghan refugees are being used as political pawns to be returned to Taliban-ruled Afghanistan where their life and physical integrity could be at risk amidst an intensified crackdown on human rights and an ongoing humanitarian catastrophe. No one should be subjected to mass forced deportations, and Pakistan would do well to remember its international legal obligations, including the principle of non-refoulement,” said Livia Saccardi, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for Campaigns for South Asia. “If the Pakistani…
November 13, 2023
Press Release
‘Alarming’ defamation indictment for two human rights defenders in Indonesia
Responding to today’s indictment of two prominent human rights defenders, Fatia Maulidiyanti and Haris Azhar, Amnesty International Indonesia’s Executive Director Usman Hamid said: “This disgraceful indictment will have a destructive effect on the work of human rights defenders in Indonesia. “Instead of protecting the right to freedom of expression, the Indonesian authorities are obliterating civic space. These alarming indictments illustrate the increasing oppression faced by activists who express dissenting opinions. “We urge the Indonesian authorities to immediately release Fatia Maulidiyanti and Haris Azhar. The right to freedom of expression must be respected and guaranteed.” Background Today, the public prosecutor indicted…
November 13, 2023
Press Release
Global: Agreement at COP28 to Phase Out Fossil Fuels is Vital to Prevent a Climate and Human Rights Catastrophe
An agreement at the COP28 summit to end the production and use of fossil fuels is vital to prevent a global climate catastrophe and stop an unprecedented human rights crisis which threatens the rights of billions of people from escalating, Amnesty International said today. In a briefing titled, Fatal Fuels, Amnesty International calls for parties at COP28, which starts later this month, to agree to a full, fair, fast and funded phase out of fossil fuels and a human-rights compliant transition to renewable power which facilitates access to energy for all. “For decades the fossil fuel industry has spread disinformation…
November 12, 2023
Press Release
Amnesty petition demanding ceasefire to end civilian suffering backed by more than one million signatures
More than a million signatures from people around the world have been gathered for an Amnesty International petition demanding an immediate ceasefire to end the unparalleled escalation of hostilities in Gaza and Israel since 7 October 2023. In response, Erika Guevara-Rosas, Senior Director of Research, Advocacy, Policy and Campaigns at Amnesty International, said: “The world is watching in horror as more and more civilians lose their lives each day amid Israel’s relentless bombardment and ground operations, and the unfolding of an unprecedented, man-made humanitarian catastrophe in the occupied Gaza Strip. More than 10,800 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza including at least…
November 10, 2023
Press Release
AIUSA Response to Rise in Antisemitic, Islamophobic Hate Speech and Violence
In response to recent rising levels of hate speech, discrimination and violence across the US, Amnesty International USA’s Executive Director, Paul O’Brien, made this statement
November 8, 2023
Press Release
Israel/OPT: Horrifying Cases of Torture and Degrading Treatment of Palestinian Detainees Amid Spike in Arbitrary Arrests
Israeli authorities have dramatically increased their use of administrative detention, a form of arbitrary detention, of Palestinians across the occupied West Bank; extended emergency measures that facilitate inhuman and degrading treatment of prisoners; and failed to investigate incidents of torture and death in custody over the past four weeks, Amnesty International said today. Since 7 October, Israeli forces have detained more than 2,200 Palestinian men and women, according to the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club. According to Israeli human rights organization HaMoked between 1 October and 1 November, the total number of Palestinians held in administrative detention, without charge or trial, rose from 1,319 to 2,070. Testimony from released detainees and human rights lawyers, as well as video footage and images illustrate…
November 8, 2023
Press Release
In Response to the News that Voters in Ohio have Passed State Constitutional Protections to the Right to Abortion, Tarah Demant, National Director of Programs said:
“Ohio has become the latest state to protect abortion rights at the polls. Abortion is a human right and basic healthcare—and protecting abortion access remains popular with voters across the country. Despite this latest victory for abortion rights at the polls, politicians at the state and federal level, including in Ohio, continue relentless assaults on abortion and other reproductive healthcare and rights. We continue to call on legislators to work to protect the right to abortion and to ensure full access to abortion for all instead of seeking to control the human rights and bodies of their constituents. No one should ever…
November 7, 2023