Francisco Bencosme is the Asia Pacific Advocacy Manager at Amnesty International USA. Francisco has testified before Congress and has provided media commentary on multiple outlets including the New York Times, Washington Post, and the Wall Street Journal. In 2018, Francisco was named one of The Hill’s Top 2018 Lobbyist for their campaign on Myanmar Rohingya issues. Before joining AIUSA, he served as a Professional Staff Member on the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, where he assisted Democratic Senators on issues related to East Asia/Pacific, South Asia, and State Department/USAID oversight. Francisco also served as the President of the Congressional Hispanic Staff Association and as a board member of the Foreign Affairs Congressional Staff Association. Francisco is also a Truman Security Fellow, a Penn-Kemble Fellow, and an International Career Advancement Program alum.
Francisco received his Master of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University, a graduate certificate from the USAF Air University, and his B.A. from Wake Forest University.
Regional
- Hearing | Written Testimony for OGR Hearing on Religious Persecution (1.28.2020)
- Brief | Key U.S. Policy Issues in the Indo-Pacific for the 116th Congress (2.19.2019)
- Letter | AIUSA Congressional Statement on Asia Human SFRC Hearing (4.9.2019)
- Hearing | Written Testimony Asia House Foreign Affairs Southeast Asia Human Rights (7.25.2019)
- Hearing | Written Testimony House Foreign Affairs Committee “Human Rights in South Asia: Views from the State Department and the Region”(10.22.2019)
🇧🇳 Brunei
- Letter | AIUSA letter to the Embassy of Brunei (4.1.2019)
- Op-ed | It’s Not Just Brunei—9 Other Places LGBTQ+ Rights Are in Danger (4.5.2019)
🇨🇳 China
- Hearing | House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee: Congressional Statement on XUAR Hearing (9.26.2018)
- Podcast | Mass Detentions in Xinjiang, China, with Francisco Bencosme (10.3.2018)
- Blog | Medium Piece: Amnesty USA Endorses Key Uighur Legislation Making Its Way Through Congress (2.12.2019)
- Brief | Human Rights Crisis in Xinjiang, China (3.19.2019)
- Op-ed | Thirty Years After Tiananmen Square, China is Richer—But Not Remotely Free (6.4.2019)
🇭🇰 Hong Kong
- Letter | AIUSA Letter to Chief Executive of Hong Kong on Proposed Changes to Extradition Law (6.11.2019)
- Letter | Pompeo letter on Extradition Bill (6.18.2019)
- Letter | Letter Dep of Commerce Hong Kong Protest – US Crowd Control equipment (7.31.2019)
🇮🇳 India
- Brief | Human Rights in India under Attack (2.4.2019)
- Brief | Human Rights Defenders Detained in India (6.12.2019)
🇮🇩 Indonesia
🇲🇲 Myanmar (Burma)
- Podcast | Journey to Justice: Bringing Human Rights to the Rohingya of Myanmar (6.18.2018)
- Op-ed | Congress Must Hold Senior Myanmar Military Officials Accountable (6.28.2018)
- Testimony | Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission: Victims’ Rights in Burma (7.25.2018)
- Panel | Where Do We Go From Here? One Year after the Rohingya Crisis (7.30.2018)
- Press | Senior Myanmar Officials Should Be Held Accountable For Crimes Against Humanity (8.17.2018)
- Op-ed | America Must Do More Against Ethnic Cleansing in Myanmar (9.14.2018)
- Op-ed | Older People Denied Dignity in Camps after Facing Military Atrocities in Myanmar (6.19.2019)
- Brief | Crimes Against Humanity in Myanmar (7.26.2019)
🇰🇵 North Korea
- Op-ed | Trump Smiling With Kim Jong Un on the World Stage Shows His Disdain for Human Rights (2.28.2019)
- Letter | Joint Letter To President Trump Regarding North Korea Human Rights (5.8.2018)
- Press | Amnesty International USA Reaction To U.S.-North Korea Summit (6.12.2018)
🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
🇹🇭 Thailand