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Press Release

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

“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

Press Release

Amnesty International reiterates its call for the immediate and unconditional release of all civilian hostages, some of them children, who have been held in the occupied Gaza Strip for a month after being abducted by Hamas and other armed groups on October 7.

November 7, 2023

Press Release

Financial Action Task Force Review Should Document Crackdown on Dissent The global terrorism financing and money laundering watchdog, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), should call on the Indian government to stop prosecuting, intimidating and harassing human rights defenders, activists and non-profit organisations in the country on the pretext of countering terrorist financing, Amnesty International, Charity and Security Network and Human Rights Watch said today.  FATF members are to start their fourth periodic review of India’s record on tackling illicit funding on November 6, 2023. Indian authorities have exploited FATF’s recommendations which aim to prevent terrorist financing as part of…

November 3, 2023

Press Release

With negotiations on how to finance and manage an international Loss and Damage Fund on the brink of failure before the COP28 climate summit begins later this month, Amnesty International’s Climate Advisor Ann Harrison said: “A functioning and effective Loss and Damage Fund which can help communities shattered by catastrophic climate events to recover is potentially a matter of life or death for people facing the severe consequences of global warming, such as droughts, floods, rising sea levels and loss of livelihoods. “It is shameful and deeply concerning that since parties agreed to establish the Loss and Damage Fund almost…

November 1, 2023

Press Release

The Israeli army fired artillery shells containing white phosphorus, an incendiary weapon, in military operations along Lebanon’s southern border between 10 and 16 October 2023, Amnesty International said today. One attack on the town of Dhayra on 16 October must be investigated as a war crime because it was an indiscriminate attack that injured at least nine civilians and damaged civilian objects, and was therefore unlawful, said the organization. Cross-border hostilities in southern Lebanon have escalated significantly since 7 October. Israeli shelling in Lebanon has killed at least four civilians and 48 Hezbollah members so far. Hezbollah and other armed…

October 31, 2023

Press Release

Civilians in Gaza are at unprecedented risk as Israel imposes communication black-out during bombardment and expanding ground attacks, according to Amnesty International. In response to the black-out, Erika Guevara-Rosas, Senior Director of Research, Advocacy, Policy and Campaigns at Amnesty International, said:   “Palestinian civilians are already besieged in the occupied Gaza Strip and are now also trapped in a complete communications blackout, with data from internet monitoring networks reporting signals rapidly failing as air and ground strikes reportedly intensify, in particular in the northern and central part of the Strip. We call on Israel to put an immediate end to indiscriminate and…

October 27, 2023

Press Release

Responding to last night’s mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine, Ernest Coverson, Amnesty International USA’s Director of Gun Violence Prevention, had this to say: “Once again, someone used an AR-15 to cause death, destruction, and grief. This assault rifle is the weapon of choice of mass shooters. Buffalo. Uvalde. And now Lewiston. “Already 35,270 deaths in 2023. Uncaring. Indifferent. Reckless. Cowardly. Irresponsible. My wish is for every American to call their Congressional representative today and use these words to describe our government's inaction on dealing with gun violence. “Those who honestly want to make a change would see the numbers—billions of…

October 26, 2023

Press Release

Amnesty International is issuing an urgent call for an immediate ceasefire by all parties in the occupied Gaza Strip and Israel to prevent further loss of civilian lives and to ensure access to life-saving aid for people in Gaza amidst an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe. “Over the past two and a half weeks we have witnessed horror unfolding on an unimaginable scale in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. More than 2 million people in the Gaza Strip are struggling to survive amidst a catastrophic humanitarian crisis and the level of civilian casualties has been unprecedented. Over 6546 people have been…

October 26, 2023

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