Author Archives: Sunjeev Bery

About Sunjeev Bery

Sunjeev Bery serves as Middle East North Africa Advocacy Director at Amnesty International USA. He lobbies government officials and diplomats on human rights concerns across the MENA region. He has testified before the U.S. Senate and briefed Members of Congress on the intersection of U.S. foreign policy and human rights. He is a frequent guest commentator on major news media, including CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, BBC, Al Jazeera, Al Arabia, and Huffington Post Live. His comments have appeared in a wide range of print media as well, including The New York Times, USA Today, Washington Post, AP, and international newspapers. Previously, Sunjeev served as a regional director for the American Civil Liberties Union, where his work included advocacy on police oversight, immigrant rights, and post-9/11 security policies. He has also served as a federal public interest lobbyist on student financial aid issues and as a fundraiser for environmental and human rights organizations. Sunjeev holds a BA from UC Berkeley and an MPA from the Harvard Kennedy School, where he was a Harvard Public Service Fellow. He is a recipient of the 2007 Asian Law Alliance Community Impact Award and has received commendations from the California State Senate and Assembly for his human rights advocacy.
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Our Response to President Vladimir Putin’s New York Times Op-Ed

September 12, 2013 at 3:52 PM
President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin (Photo Credit: Mikhail Kireev/Host Photo Agency via Getty Images).

President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin (Photo Credit: Mikhail Kireev/Host Photo Agency via Getty Images).

In his New York Times opinion piece regarding Syria, Russian President Vladimir Putin argues against the recently proposed U.S. military strike on Syria. Amnesty International neither condemns nor condones armed intervention in Syria. However, some of President Putin’s arguments obscure Russia’s own role in blocking a resolution to the human rights crisis in Syria.

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6 Steps For Syria We Want to Hear in Obama’s Speech Tonight

September 10, 2013 at 6:47 PM

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Amid a swirl of political developments, President Obama is set to deliver a national televised speech on Syria at 9:00 p.m. EST tonight. The speech was originally expected to be an effort by the White House to argue for a U.S. military strike targeting Syria. But now there’s talk of U.N. Security Council proposals to remove Syria’s chemical weapons from the country, for presumed eventual destruction. And against a backdrop of growing domestic opposition to a U.S. military strike, the U.S. government is changing its political posture in response.

Given the rapidly shifting geopolitical landscape, it is difficult to know for sure what President Obama will say in a few short hours. Indeed, it’s likely that White House advisers are themselves still editing the President’s script as you read this.

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BREAKING: Pro-Morsi Demonstration Dispersed in Cairo, Amnesty Researchers On the Ground

August 14, 2013 at 11:48 AM
An unknown number of pro-Morsi protesters were killed in Egypt's capital today as Egyptian Security Forces undertook a planned operation to clear Morsi supporters from two sit-in demonstrations in Cairo where they have camped for over one month (Photo Credit: Ed Giles/Getty Images).

An unknown number of pro-Morsi protesters were killed in Cairo today as security forces undertook a planned operation to clear Morsi supporters from two sit-in demonstrations  (Photo Credit: Ed Giles/Getty Images).

Promises by the authorities to use lethal methods only as a last resort to disperse protesters appear to have been broken. All too often in the past, Egyptian security forces have used excessive force against demonstrators with catastrophic consequences.

Amnesty International working on the ground to verify any abuses that may have been carried out after a pro-Morsi sit-in was dispersed in Cairo today. We also stress Egyptian security forces must take urgent steps to avoid further bloodshed.

Access to the main hospital in the area near the sit-in at Rabaa al-Adawiya is also reported to be restricted.

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“The World Has Forgotten Us”: Syrian Mother Speaks

July 29, 2013 at 10:29 AM
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A child looks on next to a woman at a Syrian refugee camp 5 km from Diyarbakir after a snowfall. This past winter, refugees faced further misery due to increasing shortages of supplies, low temperatures and snowfall (Photo Credit: STR/AFP/Getty Images).

On a recent visit to a camp near Atmeh, just inside Syria near the Turkish border, some 21,000 people were sheltering amid hellish conditions.

Heavy rain leaked into the tents and had turned the clay soil into thick slippery mud; raw sewage flowed between the tents. There wasn’t enough food and little medical aid.

Children and families have borne the brunt of the bloodshed in Syria. Most at risk are those fleeing the violence – refugees and the displaced still trapped within Syria, for whom the global community is still not doing enough.

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What is the UN Saying on Syria?

June 5, 2013 at 1:15 PM
Sunjeev Bery on Sky News Arabia

Sunjeev Bery on Sky News Arabia

Yesterday, I joined the team at Sky News Arabia for a live discussion of the latest report on Syria by an independent UN panel. Special thanks to Sky News producer Arwa Sawan, reporter Joseph Khawly, and anchor Amer Abdel Aziz for giving Amnesty International USA an opportunity to share our analysis of the grave human rights situation.

The report (PDF) is a catalog of violence, suffering, and geopolitical developments, focusing on events between January 15th and May 15th of this year. It was produced by the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic, established by the UN Human Rights Council in 2011.

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