(2018-11-28). HRE workshop participants use storytelling to call attention to Lebanon's migrant workers. amnesty.org Youth from Beirut take action to abolish Lebanon's Kafala system after participating in a Human Rights Education Workshop. | In a small community bookshop and coffeeshop — snug within the hip area of Mar Mikhael, Beirut — university students, youth, activists and migrant workers gathered to share stories of oppression and resilience in an event put together by Amnesty youth volunteers. |
(2018-11-28). Prominent Rights Activist Goes On Hunger Strike In Iran Prison. iranian.com A prominent Iranian rights activist and political prisoner has started a hunger strike to support another prisoner of conscience whose health is deteriorating in prison. Nasrin Sotoudeh's family announced on November 26 that she has started a hunger strike in Tehran's notorious Evin prison to protest the deteriorating health of Farhad Meysami, who himself has […]
(2018-11-28). Honduras: State must ensure access to justice for victims of post-election repression. amnesty.org One year after the Honduran security forces began their repression of those involved in mass post-election protests, Erika Guevara-Rosas, Americas Director at Amnesty International, said: | "We reiterate our call for investigations into all cases of unnecessary or excessive use of force by the Honduran authorities during the post-election period last year, including killings, arbitrary detentions and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment. The people responsible for this brutal repression must be brought to justice without further delay." |
(2018-11-28). Airbnb Pressured to Remove Listings in Illegal Israeli Settlements on Occupied Palestinian Land. therealnews.com 
House-sharing company Airbnb was pressured to remove listings in illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian West Bank, after a campaign by human rights organizations. CODEPINK's Ariel Gold says this is a big victory for peace activists
(2018-11-28). UN Announces $9.2M in Sanctions Relieving Aid to Venezuela. mintpressnews.com 
The United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) has assigned US $9.2 million during the month of November to reinforce existing efforts to alleviate the impact of Venezuela's economic downturn, UN officials announced Monday. | The funding, most of which has already been disbursed, will target sectors hardest hit by US-led sanctions, such as health and nutrition. With the support of UN bodies present in Venezuela, it will be channeled through government organizations which run the public healthcare and organize a series of subsidized food programs
(2018-11-28). Mexico: Amnesty International urges the president-elect to take action for human rights during his first 100 days. amnesty.org Amnesty International launched a campaign today urging President-elect Andrés Manuel López Obrador to take concrete measures during the first 100 days of his administration to improve the human rights situation in Mexico. | "The government of President-elect López Obrador has a historic opportunity to build a Mexico in which the human rights of every individual are respected and protected," said Erika Guevara Rosas, Americas Director at Amnesty International. |
(2018-11-28). A Mexican Perspective on Trump's Border Crisis. progressive.org "You've got a President of the United States who is a racist. Instead of having the United States be a world leader in human rights, Trump wants to be world leader of racism. It's very difficult."
(2018-11-28). The War In Yemen Is Not A War, It Is A Massacre. iranian.com The numbers are mind-blowing: Since the beginning of the conflict in Yemen, an estimated 85,000 children under five may have died from extreme hunger and disease, according to the last analysis by Save the Children, the international health and human rights organization. Although children are the most affected by the conflict, 14 million people are […]
(2018-11-28). US Complicity in Saudi Arabia's Genocide in Yemen Spans Both Obama and Trump. theantimedia.com 
As a scholar of genocide and human rights, I believe the destruction brought about by these attacks combined with the blockade amounts to genocide. (CONVERSATION) — A Saudi-led coalition of states has been aggressively bombing Yemen and imposing an air and naval blockade of its ports for more than three years, leading U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to describe Yemen as "the world's …
(2018-11-28). S. Korea Admits It Botched Inquiry on Enslavement of Vagrants. truthdig.com SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea's top public prosecutor apologized Tuesday over what he described as a botched investigation into the enslavement and mistreatment of thousands of people at a vagrants' facility in the 1970s and 1980s nearly three decades after its owner was acquitted of serious charges. | The remarks by Prosecutor General Moon Moo-il were the government's first formal expression of remorse over one of the worst human rights atrocities in modern South Korea. They add pressure for parliament to pass legislation to start a deeper inquiry into what happened at the now-closed Brothers Home, whos…
(2018-11-28). 100 days for Mexico: Open Letter to the President-elect for his first 100 days in office. amnesty.org Amnesty International adresses Mexican President-elect Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who takes office on 1 December 2018, and calls on him to take concrete actions during his first 100 days as President to improve Mexico's grave human rights crisis. The letter is published as part of the "100 Days for Mexico" campaign.
(2018-11-28). Stranded refugees and migrants must be immediately allowed to dock in Italy or Malta. amnesty.org Twelve refugees and migrants who have been stranded in the Central Mediterranean on a Spanish fishing boat for almost a week must be allowed to disembark in Europe as soon as possible, said Amnesty International. | Six days after they were rescued from the water by the Nuestra Madre de Loreto vessel, the 12 – including two children – remain on board in overcrowded conditions and stormy waters. |
(2018-11-28). 100 días por México: Carta abierta al presidente electo para sus primeros 100 días de gobierno. amnesty.org Amnistía Internacional se dirige al presidente electo de México, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, quien tomará la administración el 1 de diciembre del 2018, y le pide tomar acciones concretas durante sus primeros 100 días de gobierno para mejorar la grave crisis de derechos humanos que sufre México. La carta se publica como parte de la campaña "100 días por México".
(2018-11-28). DRC: UN must investigate disturbing 'cover-up' claims over murders of experts. amnesty.org Responding to reports that the United Nations "covered up" information implicating senior Congolese military and security officers in the killing of UN investigators Zaida Catalan and Michael Sharp in March 2017, Amnesty International's Director for East Africa, the Horn and the Great Lakes Joan Nyanyuki said: |
(2018-11-28). Israel: 'Rogue' NSO Group must have licence revoked over controversial surveillance software. amnesty.org Amnesty International is taking legal advice in order to revoke the export licence of Israeli-based NSO Group, after it was revealed the cyber firm's spyware had been used in an attempt to spy on an Amnesty staff member. | A recent investigation by Haaretz newspaper uncovered the firm's sophisticated surveillance tool "Pegasus" was offered to authorities in Saudi Arabia last year. | Two weeks ago, Amnesty International Israel submitted an urgent request to the Israeli Ministry of Defence, demanding that NSO Group's defence export licence be revoked in light of an attempted cyber attack on an Amnesty staff member…
(2018-11-28). Julián Carrillo defended the forest with his life. amnesty.org The first time I arranged a meeting with environmental defender Julián Carrillo, I wanted to visit him at his home in the Rarámuri community of Coloradas de la Virgen in the Sierra Tarahumara, Chihuahua. But various people and organizations told me that if I went there, "the bad guys" (organized crime), would not let me through and if I did manage to get there, it would put my life and the lives of members of the community in danger.
(2018-11-28). America Has Desegregated in Name Only. truthdig.com More than 50 years after the passage of the Civil Rights Act, people of color remain confined to the most destitute corners of the country.
(2018-11-28). Yemen's Human-Rights Defenders Are Fighting Increasingly Desperate Odds. thenation.com Yemen's Human-Rights Defenders Are Fighting Increasingly Desperate Odds…
(2018-11-28). In the Muscogee Creek Nation, the free press isn't free. peoplesworld.org 
OKMULGEE, Okla.—"I think it's just this second go-round is the tribe exploiting its rights," Sterling Cosper, former Mvskoke Media manager, said. "It has sovereignty to decide what's best for it." Cosper resigned November 8 following the decision of the Muscogee (Creek) National Council to repeal the tribe's Free Press Act of 2015. By repealing the …
(2018-11-28). Chuck Schumer Ignites Calls for Ouster as Senate Minority Leader. truthdig.com 
With the brutal consequences of President Donald Trump's anti-immigrant agenda on full display after U.S. Border Patrol fired tear gas at asylum seekers in Mexico, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) sparked fury from progressives and immigrant rights groups on Tuesday by telling reporters that he is perfectly willing to cede ground to the president's xenophobic policies and offer up $1.6 billion for "border security" funding in upcoming budget talks. | "We are for…
(2018-11-28). How Trump Weaponized the Government's Refugee Resettlement Agency. aclu.org The Office of Refugee Resettlement was supposed to protect vulnerable immigrant children. Now it's an arm of Trump's deportation force. | Back in April, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection, both under the Department of Homeland Security, entered into a memorandum of agreement with an obscure government agency known as the Office of Refugee Resettlement, a division of the Department of Health and Human Services. The office, known by its initials ORR, had traditionally served vulnerable immigrant youth coming to the United States without an adult. The agency took custody of those c…
(2018-11-28). The Real Effect Of Iran Sanction Waivers. iranian.com On the day U.S. sanctions against Iran went into effect, Brent crude traded at US$72.68 a barrel. Today, three weeks later, Brent is down to US$59.59 a barrel and President Trump is congratulating himself on the low oil prices. Instead of shooting up to US$100, oil prices are falling and the U.S. waivers granted to […]
(2018-11-28). Migrant Teens at Risk as FBI Checks Are Waived for Detention Staff. truthdig.com An AP investigation and a new federal watchdog raise questions about a Texas tent city that houses more than 2,300 young people.
(2018-11-27). "Red Flag Laws": Rights Can't be "Suspended," Only Violated. counterpunch.org Hanna Scott of Seattle's KIRO radio reports that prosecutors in Washington are wrestling with the question of whether or not the state's "Red Flag law" applies to minors, and trying to stretch it to do so. Under the "law," Scott writes, a judge can issue an "Extreme Risk Protection Order" to "temporarily suspend a person's More
(2018-11-27). The War in Yemen is Not a War, It is a Massacre. counterpunch.org 
The numbers are mind-blowing: Since the beginning of the conflict in Yemen, an estimated 85,000 children under five may have died from extreme hunger and disease, according to the last analysis by Save the Children, the international health and human rights organization. Although children are the most affected by the conflict, 14 million people are at risk of famine, according to data compiled by the United Nations. More
(2018-11-27). Protect women fighting hate in Poland. amnesty.org On 11 November 2017, 14 brave Polish women were attacked during The Independence Day March in Warsaw. Their peaceful demonstration against hate caused fury among marchers who beat them and left several of the women with injuries, bruises and cuts.: | Polish authorities failed to protect the women. Instead they are now punishing them for their actions and tolerating their attackers with absurd justifications.: | The Independence Day March in Warsaw is an annual event attracting also far-right and nationalist groups. Many demonstrators were holding flares, throwing firecrackers, shouting and display…
(2018-11-27). Haiti: Authorities must avoid excessive use of force during protests. amnesty.org In response to the violence in Haiti following the Petrocaribe protests, Erika Guevara Rosas, Americas Director at Amnesty International, said: | "Amnesty International is concerned about the unrest in Haiti following several citizen protests demanding transparency in relation to the use of Petrocaribe funds. We have received worrying reports of the use of force by police against civilians during these protests leading to several people being killed and injured as a result of clashes with firearms". | "The Haitian state is legally obliged to ensure that the use of force in the context of protests is legitimate, n…
(2018-11-27). "Tear Gassing Children Is Outrageous": US Condemned for Violence Against Asylum Seekers. theantimedia.com 
(CD) — As legal experts and human rights advocates overnight and Monday morning continued to denounce the tear gassing of children and other asylum seekers by U.S. forces at the Mexico border on Sunday, Rep.-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was among Democratic lawmakers who slammed the Trump administration for its treatment of refugees as she issued a reminder that vulnerable …
(2018-11-27). Burundi: Human rights defender jailed for 32 years must be released. amnesty.org The Burundian authorities should overturn the 32-year sentence handed to human rights defender Germain Rukuki and set him free, Amnesty International said following his appeal hearing on 26 November. | "Germain was tried and imprisoned simply because he worked for a human rights organization. The appeal court should quash his sentence and release him immediately and unconditionally," said Joan Nyanyuki, Amnesty International's Director for East Africa, the Horn and the Great Lakes. |
(2018-11-27). Russian National Dies After Detention by US Immigration. hrw.org 
| | Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, Washington. | © Nathalie Graham/The Stranger | Over Thanksgiving weekend, another person who was in US immigration detention died. | Amar Mergensana, a Russian national who had been detained at Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, Washington, was taken off life support on Saturday, according to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement. ICE stated he had attempted suicide on November 15; the…
(2018-11-27). Argentina Opens War Crimes Inquiry on Saudi Crown Prince for Role in Yemen War. theantimedia.com 
(MEE) — Argentina has opened up an inquiry on whether to press criminal charges against Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, known as MBS, for his role in leading the Saudi-led military campaign in Yemen, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Monday. The inquiry was opened after HRW and an Argentine federal prosecutor lodged a complaint against …
(2018-11-27). Two Years Later, No Answers on Uganda Killings. hrw.org 
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(2018-11-27). Ukraine Shouldn't Abandon Human Rights under New Martial Law. hrw.org 
| | Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko addresses the parliament in Kiev, Ukraine, May 12, 2016. | © 2016 Reuters | The Ukrainian parliament has voted to enforce the declaration of martial law in Ukraine's 10 regions that border Russia, following clashes between the two countries' forces earlier this week. | According to numerous media reports, on November 25, Russian forces …
(2018-11-27). Amnesty International Charity Limited: Report and financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2017. amnesty.org The Trustees, who are also the Directors of the Charity, present their annual report on the affairs of the Charity, together with the financial statements and auditors' report for the year ended 31 December 2017.
(2018-11-27). Google must not capitulate to China's censorship demands. amnesty.org Update: Google staff join Amnesty's call | Yesterday Google staff published an open letter in support of Amnesty International's campaign for Google to #Drop Dragonfly. Part of the letter reads: | "Many of us accepted employment at Google with the company's values in mind, including its previous position on Chinese censorship and surveillance, and an understanding that Google was a company willing to p…
(2018-11-27). Pitzer College Faculty Votes Support BDS for Palestinian Rights. bdsmovement.net 
Pitzer College Faculty Votes Support BDS for Palestinian Rights: UpdateFaculty at Pitzer College in California have overwhelmingly voted to pass two motions that support the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement for Palestinian rights. As Israel's attacks on Palestinian education escalate, professors and students are standing up for Palestinian rights. | Academic Boycott …
(2018-11-27). China Has Detained a Million Muslims in Reeducation Camps. thenation.com China Has Detained a Million Muslims in Reeducation Camps…
(2018-11-27). UN Announces $9.2m of Funding Following Maduro's Request for Sanctions-Countering Assistance. venezuelanalysis.com The medical and nutritional supplies will reinforce existing UN support for government social programs targeting pregnant women, young children, and HIV carriers.
(2018-11-26). Colombia: 'Not everything here is rosy'. amnesty.org Two years ago, the signing of the Peace Agreement between the FARC-EP guerrillas and the Colombian state inspired a sense of hope among the communities most affected by one of the cruellest conflicts in the region. The Alabaos (traditional songs of solidarity) sung by the women of Bojayá in Chocó — one of the areas most affected by violence — were one of the ways people showed their support for this process. | The Alabaos singers are a symbol of peaceful resistance and their presence at the historic signing of the Agreement sent a strong message of reconciliation. Their songs, full of both pain and ho…
(2018-11-26). Américas: Varadas en la Puerta: La Urgente Necesidad de Protección de las Caravanas de Personas Refugiadas, Solicitantes de Asilo y Migrantes de Centroamérica. amnesty.org La llegada a México, desde el 19 de octubre de 2018, de entre 8.000 y 10.000 personas migrantes, refugiadas y solicitantes de asilo de Honduras, así como de El Salvador, Nicaragua y Guatemala, en una serie de "caravanas", como se ha dado en llamarlas, es una situación urgente, que requiere que los Estados respondan de conformidad con el derecho y las normas internacionales de derechos humanos.
(2018-11-26). Azerbaijan: Right to freedom of peaceful assembly must be protected and detained peaceful demonstrators released. amnesty.org The 17 November 2018 detention of Azerbaijani opposition leaders and activists as they were attempting to organize a peaceful rally in the capital Baku is a violation of the right to freedom of peaceful assembly.
(2018-11-26). Americas: US government endangers asylum seekers with unlawful policies. amnesty.org Unlawful US border policies are leaving thousands of asylum seekers stranded in Mexico, where they are facing threats of deportation to their countries of origin, where they potentially face serious harm, Amnesty International said today following a research mission last week. Conditions could only worsen under a reported deal between both countries that, if agreed, would force asylum-seekers to remain in Mexico while their claims are processed, rather than allow them to enter the United States. | As a result of Amnesty International's research focusing on the treatment of refugees and migrants in the caravans in…
(2018-11-26). A Peaceful Demonstration Turns Ugly at US Border. hrw.org 
| | Central American migrants run away from tear gas fired by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers near the US and Mexico border in Tijuana, Mexico, on Sunday, Nov. 25, 2018. | © 2018 Tomas Ayuso/Bloomberg via Getty Images | The day started peacefully. Hundreds of Central American men, women, and children walked with banners and baby strollers from the Benito Juarez stadium to the El Chaparral port of entry, on the US-Mexico border. They marched to ask for asylum and thank the …
(2018-11-26). Americas: Stuck at the door: The Urgent Need for Protection of Central American Refugees, Asylum Seekers and Migrants in the Caravans. amnesty.org The arrival in Mexico since 19 October 2018 of between 8,000 and 10,000 migrants, refugees and people seeking asylum from Honduras, as well as from El Salvador, Nicaragua and Guatemala as part of a series of so-called caravans is an urgent situation that requires States to respond in line with international human rights law and standards.
(2018-11-26). Headlines for November 26, 2018. democracynow.org U.S. Border Patrol Fires Tear Gas at Families Seeking Asylum, Border Patrol Officer Who Shot Teen Acquitted of Manslaughter Charge, North Carolina: ICE Arrests Immigrant Who Left Church Sanctuary, White House Tries to Bury Climate Report With Devastating Conclusions, California: Camp Fire 100% Contained as Death Toll Climbs to 85, Russia Seizes Three Ukrainian Ships Near Crimean Peninsula, President Trump Contradicts CIA Findings on Jamal Khashoggi Murder, Yemen: U.N. Urges Warring Parties to Enter Peace Talks, UAE Pardons UK Academic of Spying After Months of Imprisonment, EU Approves Brexit Deal, France: Police…
(2018-11-26). G20: Saudi Crown Prince Faces Legal Scrutiny. hrw.org 
| | Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, attends a bilateral meeting with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in the Executive Suite at UN Headquarters in New York. | © 2018 Albin Lohr-Jones/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images | (Buenos Aires) — Argentine judicial authorities have begun examining a submission concerning the role of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman in connection with alleged war crimes by the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen and to…
(2018-11-26). New Law Could Give U.K. Unconstitutional Access to Americans' Personal Data, Human Rights Groups Warn. theintercept.com This form of international data-sharing could put Americans' privacy at risk and expose citizens to potential Fourth Amendment abuses, critics say.
(2018-11-26). Chinese Courts Give Domestic Abusers a Pass. hrw.org 
"In principle, in divorce cases, the first time one sues for divorce, it won't be granted. [Marriage is] a traditional value," said Judge Zhang Yanbin in the Chinese city of Chengdu, ruling against a woman's petition for divorce. "We made the ruling to give the man a chance." | | | A woman wearing a protective mask makes her way on a heavily polluted day in Beijing, December 26, 20…
(2018-11-26). Russia: Bail refusal for Chechen prisoner of conscience is latest affront to justice. amnesty.org Responding to the news that a court in Chechnya has refused to release human rights defender Oyub Titiev on bail, Natalia Prilutskaya, Amnesty International's Russia Researcher, said: | "The decision not to grant bail to Oyub Titiev once again demonstrates the political motivation of the case against him. He has committed no crime, having been jailed on completely fabricated drug charges, and must be released immediately and unconditionally. |
(2018-11-26). Court sides with L.A. cop who murdered Jesse Romero. fightbacknews.org Los Angeles, CA – In an outrageous decision, the jury sided with two-time killer and Los Angeles Police Department officer Eden Medina. The civil rights violations trial on 14-year-old Jesse Romero's killing started November 13 and lasted only six days. Early in the preceding, a judge ruled to exclude key evidence from the proceedings. | Killed on August 9, 2016 Jesse Romero was visiting his friends at the apartment complex in Boyle Heights. Someone inside of the apartment complex called 911 saying Romero and another teen were potentially smoking marijuana and graffitiing. LAPD officers Eden Medina and backu…