Newsroom

Press Release

On October 21, 2023, the Israeli army dropped leaflets on northern Gaza, ordering residents' immediate “evacuation”. The leaflets warned residents to leave immediately, declaring their lives at risk and explicitly stating that “anyone who chooses not to leave from the north of the [Gaza] Strip to south of Wadi Gaza may be determined an accomplice in a terrorist organization”. The move came one week after the Israeli army had issued an ultimatum warning the 1.1 million residents in those areas to leave southwards. Responding to the latest developments, Amnesty International’s Senior Crisis Response Adviser, Donatella Rovera said: “Declaring a whole…

October 25, 2023

Press Release

The US government must immediately stop disregarding international refugee law and human rights law and end all deportation flights and forced returns to Venezuela, Amnesty International said today in response to the unlawful return of Venezuelan nationals from the United States to Venezuela. “Over 25% of the population of Venezuela – more than 7.71 million people – have fled massive human rights violations and possible crimes against humanity. That’s one in every four people in the country while numbers continue to rise. Since May 2022, there has been a 1.4 million increase. Amnesty International calls for a ban on all…

October 20, 2023

Press Release

As Israeli forces continue to intensify their cataclysmic assault on the occupied Gaza Strip, Amnesty International has documented unlawful Israeli attacks, including indiscriminate attacks, which caused mass civilian casualties and must be investigated as war crimes. The organization spoke to survivors and eyewitnesses, analysed satellite imagery, and verified photos and videos to investigate air bombardments carried out by Israeli forces between 7 and 12 October, which caused horrific destruction, and in some cases wiped out entire families. Here the organization presents an in-depth analysis of its findings in five of these unlawful attacks. In each of these cases, Israeli attacks…

October 20, 2023

Press Release

"20 trucks of aid for over 2 million people in peril is not enough to protect Palestinian civilians facing extreme risk. The violence and the blockade need to end. “President Biden said he spoke with Prime Minister Netanyahu about upholding international law. He talked about the importance of getting food, water, and medicine into Gaza. He said that Palestinians and Israelis deserve to live in dignity and peace. Yet, he has simultaneously committed further military funding to the Israeli government which will only escalate the violence and cause more civilian deaths. Right now, millions of Palestinians are at extreme risk…

October 19, 2023

Press Release

In response to President Biden’s trip to Israel and his comments this morning, Paul O’Brien, Executive Director of Amnesty International USA, issued the following statement: “President Biden had an opportunity to prevent the further loss of life in the face of grave human suffering and make clear that the US will hold all parties, including its allies, to account for any violations of international human rights and humanitarian law. “Given the unique influence of the U.S. in this moment, the President should have worked to de-escalate the violence and protect all civilians following the loss of life of thousands, and…

October 18, 2023

Press Release

“The U.S. government has a moral obligation and a responsibility in this conflict to urgently ensure the protection of all civilians and prevent further suffering, in addition to the important stated goal of making sure humanitarian assistance flows into Gaza. President Biden must use this opportunity to engage with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to save thousands of lives. “So far, President Biden and his top officials, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, have shared their grief and outrage over the horrific mass killing of Israeli civilians, hostage taking and other serious violations committed during the October 7 attacks, but they…

October 17, 2023

Press Release

Human rights defenders (HRDs), government dignitaries, an independent United Nations expert, and human rights organizations today urged the US government and the international community to continue to stand with and increase support and protection for human rights defenders worldwide.  Several leading human rights organizations also hosted a delegation of HRDs from Colombia, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, and Ukraine in Washington, D.C., for an event on Capitol Hill to mark the 25th anniversary of the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, adopted on December 9, 1998. “The US played a key role ahead of the adoption of the UN Declaration, which…

October 17, 2023

Press Release

The Israeli army’s order to people in northern Gaza and Gaza City to “evacuate” to the south of the Gaza Strip, cannot be considered an effective warning and may amount to forced displacement of the civilian population, a violation of international humanitarian law, said Amnesty International. The initial announcement gave people 24 hours to leave northern Gaza “for their safety and protection” - an impossible demand that even the Israeli army spokesperson has admitted cannot be implemented in one day. Regardless of timeframe, Israel cannot treat northern Gaza as an open-fire zone based on having issued this order. Their forces…

October 13, 2023

Press Release

The shutdown of Gaza’s only power plant will exacerbate an already desperate humanitarian crisis for more than 2.2 million people trapped in the Gaza Strip, amid a massive bombing campaign by Israel that has killed at least 1,350 people and injured more than 6,000 people. The airstrikes were launched in retaliation to the attack on 7 October by Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups from Gaza who fired indiscriminate rockets and sent fighters into southern Israel, killing more than 1,200 people and injuring more than 2,700 and taking hostages, including many civilians. “The Israeli authorities must immediately restore Gaza’s electricity…

October 12, 2023

Press Release

Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups flagrantly violated international law and displayed a chilling disregard for human life by carrying out cruel and brutal crimes including mass summary killings, hostage-taking, and launching indiscriminate rocket attacks into Israel, Amnesty International said today. With evidence still emerging of the horrors that unfolded in southern Israel, Amnesty International will continue its investigations in order to determine the full range of crimes under international law. In Israel, more than 1,200 people – mostly civilians, including children – have been killed, and 2,400 have been injured since the attacks began in the early morning of 7 October. In Gaza at least 1,200 people, including children, have been killed by Israeli military retaliation. The recently intensified blockade which completely disconnected…

October 12, 2023

Press Release

Narges Mohammadi, unjustly imprisoned human rights defender, is currently serving multiple sentences amounting to a total of 11 years and 11 months in prison, in addition to other cruel, inhuman, and degrading punishments including 154 lashes.  Reacting to the news that Narges Mohammadi has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, Amnesty International’s Secretary General, Agnès Callamard, said:   “Narges Mohammadi receives this prize today from behind bars in Iran where she has been unjustly imprisoned since 2021 solely for her human rights activism. For years, she has worked tirelessly to bring attention to the dire human rights situation in Iran. Even…

October 6, 2023

Report

This Amnesty International report examines how new technologies are increasingly central to how people access work and essential services around the world.

October 3, 2023