Below you’ll find breaking news as well as reports, updates on our campaigns, and victories.
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Press Release
Countries are failing to protect rights of health workers at the forefront of the COVID-19 pandemic
The cost of curing: Health workers’ rights in the Americas during COVID-19 and beyond documents how those on the forefront of the pandemic are often working in unsafe conditions with insufficient protective equipment and risk reprisals from authorities or employers if they speak out, while some have even suffered death threats and physical attacks. The report also calls on governments to ensure safe working conditions for cleaners and other support staff who are at risk due to their work in healthcare facilities and nursing homes.
May 19, 2020
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 already one of the greatest crises in history, with these two rights that are so basic and precious to us under threat. Scientific evidence and recommendations from global health authorities show the seriousness of COVID-19 for people’s health and the healthcare systems of all countries. There are 220 million of us in Brazil. Imagine if we get infected and need to run to hospitals at the same time, as has…
March 25, 2020
Press Release
Generation Z Ranks Climate Change Highest as Vital Issue of our Time in Amnesty International Survey
Climate change leads as one of the most important issues facing the world, according to a major new survey of young people published by Amnesty International today to mark Human Rights Day.
December 9, 2019
Press Release
18 Months On, Brazilian Authorities Must Not Let Marielle Franco Killing Remain Unsolved
Six months after authorities in Rio de Janeiro arrested two men accused of killing Marielle Franco and her driver, Anderson Gomes, and committed to continue the investigations in meetings with Amnesty International and Marielle’s family, they have yet to make any meaningful progress in identifying those who ordered the crime and their motives.
September 11, 2019
Press Release
Brazilian Government’s Failures are Fueling Wildfires Across the Amazon
Responding to the news of the wildfires that have been raging in the Amazon rainforest for several weeks, Kumi Naidoo, Secretary General of Amnesty International said: "The responsibility to stop the wildfires that have been raging in the Amazon rainforest for several weeks now lies squarely with President Bolsonaro and his government."
August 22, 2019
Press Release
Climate activists Greta Thunberg and the Fridays for Future movement honored with top Amnesty International award
Climate change activist Greta Thunberg and the Fridays for Future movement of school-children have been honored with Amnesty International’s Ambassador of Conscience Award for 2019, the human rights organization announced today. “The Ambassador of Conscience Award is Amnesty International’s highest honor, celebrating people who have shown unique leadership and courage in standing up for human rights. I can think of no better recipients this year than Greta Thunberg and the Fridays for Future climate strike movement,” said Kumi Naidoo, Secretary General of Amnesty International. “We are humbled and inspired by the determination with which youth activists across the world are…
June 7, 2019
Press Release
Brazil: Risk of bloodshed in the Amazon unless government protects Indigenous peoples from illegal land seizures and logging
There is an imminent risk of violent clashes in Brazil’s Amazon region unless the government protects Indigenous peoples’ traditional lands from increasing illegal land seizures and logging by armed intruders, Amnesty International warned today.
May 7, 2019
Press Release
Amnesty and Sofar Sounds partner for Write for Rights concert and letter writing event
On Saturday, December 8, human rights organization Amnesty International USA in partnership with live music events startup Sofar Sounds will host a powerful evening of collective action along with an intimate concert experience in New York City. The event, Write for Rights, is aimed at securing justice for women human rights defenders under threat and in need of urgent help as a result of speaking out and taking action against various human rights abuses. Write for Rights will feature a letter-writing session during which members of the public will be asked to write government officials in support of specific cases…
November 30, 2018
Press Release
Amnesty International launches world’s biggest human rights campaign
Women human rights defenders around the world are facing unprecedented levels of abuse, intimidation and violence, said Amnesty International as it launched its global Write for Rights campaign, in a bid to shine a spotlight on brave women who have been harassed, jailed, tortured or even killed for their human rights work. Women continue to face multiple forms of discrimination, targeted because of their gender and other characteristics, as well as for their human rights work. However, women refuse to stay silent and have been at the forefront of the battle for human rights in 2018. “Across the world, women are…
November 28, 2018
Press Release
Brazil: Toxic speech must not become government policy
Reacting to the election of Jair Bolsonaro and Hamilton Mourão as president and vice president of Brazil, Amnesty International said today: “The president-elect has campaigned with an openly anti-human-rights agenda and frequently made discriminatory statements about different groups of society. His election as Brazil´s president could pose a huge risk to Indigenous Peoples and quilombolas, traditional rural communities, LGBTI people, black youth, women, activists and civil society organizations, if his rhetoric is transformed in public policy” said Erika Guevara-Rosas, Americas director at Amnesty International. Bolsonaro’s campaign promises include loosening gun control laws and granting prior authorization for law enforcement officials to…
October 28, 2018
Press Release
Brazil: Failure to identify Marielle Franco’s killers after six months is unacceptable
The Brazilian authorities’ failure to identify all those responsible for the killing of human rights defender Marielle Franco, six months after she was brutally shot dead, raises concerns about their commitment to deliver justice for this atrocious crime and ensure a safe environment for human rights defenders in the country, Amnesty International said today. Marielle Franco and her driver Anderson Gomes were killed in their car in Rio de Janeiro on March 14. She was shot in the head four times. Media reports suggest that the killing was carefully planned, believed to have involved agents of the state and the security forces. “Today sadly…
September 14, 2018
Press Release
BRICS: Nations Must Put Human Rights First
BRICS nations must put human rights at the forefront of their discussions, said Amnesty International India and South Africa in a joint statement released at the commencement of the 10th BRICS Summit in Johannesburg today. All the BRICS countries face a number of human rights challenges. In Brazil, there are still no answers for the murder of Marielle Franco, a human rights defender who was killed in Rio De Janeiro. In Russia, LGBTI people face serious threats and live in constant fear. In China, a Tibetan HRD, Tashi Wangchuck, was handed an unjust five year prison sentence after being featured…
July 25, 2018