Amnesty International is urging President Biden to change course and take specific steps to respect, protect and fulfill human rights in the United States and beyond before the end of his term. In a letter sent to the President today, Amnesty International laid out five issues that President Biden must address during the last weeks of his presidency.
Specifically, Amnesty International is asking President Biden to:
- Commute the death sentences of Billie Allen and all others currently on federal and military death rows,
- Transfer cleared detainees out of Guantanamo and close the detention facilities,
- Free Indigenous elder and activist Leonard Peltier,
- Restore access to asylum at the border and protect communities from mass deportations, and
- Stop arms transfers to the Israeli government and use all possible leverage to move towards an immediate and permanent ceasefire, unhindered humanitarian access, and the safe return of all remaining hostages.
In the letter, Amnesty International reminds President Biden of the pledges he made when he took office. Time is running out for him to act on these human rights concerns.
“With only weeks left in your term as President of the United States, we implore you to keep your word on pledges you have made,” said Paul O’Brien, Executive Director of Amnesty International USA. “This is a question of simple moral decency, Mr. President. The world is watching you and holding out hope that you will take bold action to protect and fulfill human rights while you and your administration still have the power to do so.”
As President-Elect Donald Trump prepares to take office, Amnesty International has noted that Donald Trump’s first term as president was marked by bigotry, xenophobia, and white supremacist rhetoric, and led to extensive human rights violations. The organization has promised that its members, supporters and activists in the United States and across the world will work to defend human rights and hold the Trump administration and all newly elected U.S. officials accountable.
“President Biden can, and must, help people right now who are enduring human rights abuses,” said O’Brien. “This is his final chance as president to take a concrete stand for human rights.”
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