Amnesty International USA Media Statement
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Amnesty International USA Appalled at Arizona Immigration Law
Contact: AIUSA media office, 202-509-8194
(Washington, DC) – Vienna Colucci, senior advisor for Amnesty International USA, issued the following statement in response to the immigration law recently signed by Arizona Governor Jan Brewer:
"Amnesty International is appalled that Governor Brewer signed into law a bill that will surely increase racial profiling, arbitrary arrests and detentions in the state."
"The governor abdicated her responsibility to protect the human rights of every individual in Arizona…not just those who look ‘American.’
"The law is both cruel and misguided. A vast majority of police officers in Arizona opposed the bill, fearing that enforcement will drastically undermine their communication with communities of color, thereby placing not only these communities, but all Arizonans, in greater jeopardy."
"Human rights exist regardless of nationality, ethnicity or immigration status. Governor Brewer ignored this truth to the detriment of every individual who passes through or lives in the state."
Amnesty International is a Nobel Peace Prize-winning grassroots activist organization with more than 2.8 million supporters, activists and volunteers in more than 150 countries campaigning for human rights worldwide. The organization investigates and exposes abuses, educates and mobilizes the public, and works to protect people wherever justice, freedom, truth and dignity are denied.
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For more information, please visit: www.amnestyusa.org .