Dispatch from Ferguson: Why We Fight

August 16, 2014 at 8:38 PM

Outrage In Missouri Town After Police Shooting Of 18-Yr-Old Man

Residents and faith and community leaders discuss unrest in Ferguson following the shooting death of Michael Brown during a forum held at Christ the King UCC Church on August 14, 2014. ((Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

By Rachel O’Leary, Amnesty Interntional USA Acting Deputy Executive Director for Membership Mobilization

On August 9, Michael Brown, an unarmed 18-year old, was shot dead by a six-year veteran of the Ferguson police force. The next day, the community organized protests condemning the actions of the police and demanding to know the name of the officer who shot and killed Michael. Those actions continue still, a week later.

The day after the shooting, I sent a text to my colleague at 3:30 AM. It read, “We need to go to Ferguson.” Later that week, I was on a plane, leading the Amnesty International USA human rights delegation to Ferguson, Missouri.

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Amnesty International Stands with Ferguson Because All Lives Matter

By Guest Writer

August 14, 2014 at 6:32 PM

Arniesha Randall protests the killing of 18-year-old Michael Brown who was shot by police in Ferguson, Missouri. Police responded with tear gas and rubber bullets as residents and their supporters protested the shooting by police of an unarmed black teenager named Michael Brown (Photo Credit: Scott Olson/Getty Images).

By Muhammed Malik, Amnesty International USA Member

Today, people across the country attended vigils and solidarity actions to mourn the victims of police brutality, a problem that has gripped this nation for far too long.

A few days ago, a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri confronted Michael Brown – a teenager who was full of promise and who had his whole life ahead of him. There are conflicting reports about what happened next, but the end result was the officer shooting the unarmed Brown.

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Justice for Ali Ismail Korkmaz: Two Quick Ways to Take Action

By Howard Eissenstat

March 18, 2014 at 12:27 PM

Thousands of people, holding placards that read “We are here for Ali Ismail and for justice” gather outside a local courthouse (Photo Credit: Adem Altan/AFP/Getty Images).

Ali Ismail Korkmaz was among those killed during the Gezi protests in Turkey last June. He would have celebrated his twentieth birthday today. Today, let’s work to ensure that his family sees justice done.

Korkmaz was savagely beaten on June 2, 2013 during the Gezi Protests. In a statement to authorities before he died, Korkmaz he described the attack:

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7 Days Before Sochi, 7 Prisoners of Conscience You Should Be Thinking About

By Samir Goswami

January 31, 2014 at 8:00 AM

(Photo Credit: Antonin Thuillier/AFP/Getty Images)

On February 7, 2014, the XXII Winter Olympic Games will begin in the Russian city of Sochi. The lead up to the Games has shone a spotlight on Russia and the country’s human rights record.

Since his re-election, President Vladimir Putin has signed laws and instituted measures that restrict the rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly.

Since Putin announced his intention to return to the Presidency, thousands of people have attended protests all over Russia, and hundreds have been arrested and prosecuted simply for exercising their right to peaceful assembly.

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5 Human Rights Victories in Iran You Helped Make Possible

By Elise Auerbach

October 29, 2013 at 4:38 PM

Iranian lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh after being freed after three years in prison (Photo Credit: Behrouz Mehri/AFP/Getty Images).

How many human rights activists does it take to achieve human rights victories in Iran?

The answer is a lot and they have to be persistent over a long period of time. But in the end, all the hard work does pay off as we have seen over the past several weeks.

On September 18, Iran released prominent human rights attorney Nasrin Sotoudeh, who had been in prison for three years just for representing her clients – many of them young people sentenced to death and human rights defenders such as Nobel Peace Laureate Shirin Ebadi.

There are also indications that a man known as “Alireza M” – who had been subjected to a botched execution, had been declared dead and who was then discovered to be alive in the morgue the next day – will not have to face the horrific prospect of a reattempt of his execution.

Other positive signs include an announcement from Iran’s Minister of Culture Ali Jannati that censorship of books will be eased and a call from President Hasan Rouhani for the lifting of restrictions on academic freedom and for allowing Iranian scholars more opportunity to take part in international conferences.

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How to Honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Legacy 50 Years Later

By Guest Writer

August 29, 2013 at 12:40 PM

By Thenjiwe McHarris, Senior Campaigner at Amnesty International

On August 28, 2013, thousands upon thousands of people gathered on the 50th anniversary of the historic March on Washington. As we gather as a community and as a nation to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and remember his courageous I Have A Dream speech, we are compelled to not only think of the progress made over the past 50 years, but also just how much of his dream has yet to be truly fulfilled.

In a time where racial profiling by law enforcement has become a social norm and many young people of color are forced to learn what it means to be criminalized in the 21^st century, we must remember that to truly honor Dr. King, we must continue the struggle for justice.

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Is U.S. Aid Complicit in Egyptian Abuses?

By Geoffrey Mock

August 23, 2013 at 12:43 PM

President Barack Obama during his statement on Egypt in Chilmark, Massachusetts on August 15, 2013 (Photo Credit: Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images).

President Obama, it’s time to stop the export of small arms and light weapons to Egypt and to come clean with the American people what our military aid has been buying in Egypt.

Following weeks of brutal crackdowns on civilians in Egypt, the United States should halt exports of small arms, light weapons and tear gas and any other items that could be used to facilitate human rights violations. Any such items, including ammunition, used in these weapons and armored vehicles, must not be transferred until Egyptian authorities install adequate safeguards to prevent violations of international human rights law.

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Let’s Be Clear – Israel’s Long-Running Settlement Policy Constitutes a War Crime

By Edith Garwood

August 14, 2013 at 3:25 PM

An ‘Israeli only’ by-pass road that links Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, sitting below an Israeli settlement outside of Jerusalem (Photo Credit: Edith Garwood).

ALL Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) are illegal.
Israel’s long-running policy of settling civilians in occupied territory amounts to a war crime.[1]

This needs to be clearly said now, without ambiguity. The United States government, as sponsor of the current ‘peace talks’ between Israel and Palestinians, must uphold rule of law and human rights. Despite the fact that the U.S. has historically taken the same position as the international community that Israeli settlements within the OPT are illegal, they have chosen to prevaricate in recent years, using words like ‘unhelpful’ or ‘illegitimate’ to describe settlement building by Israel.

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

By Sunjeev Bery

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 Other Side of the Olympics: Rio de Janeiro’s Pacification Program

By Guest Writer

August 6, 2013 at 2:12 PM

Officers with a special operations force known as BOPE patrol the streets of the violence-plagued Mare complex. Brazilian authorities have stepped up a pacification drive, in part to prepare for Rio de Janeiro to host the World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics (Photo Credit: Christophe Simon/AFP/Getty Images).

By Salil Shetty, Secretary General at Amnesty International

When listening to the people of Maré discuss what is soon going to happen in their communities, their fear is palpable. Partly spurred by the upcoming role of Rio de Janerio as host to both the World Cup and the Olympics, the police are undertaking a program of “pacification.”

One of several community leaders I met with today said it best, “Impunity is the mother of all violence.” I was listening to people from Maré speak about their experiences living in Rio de Janerio’s largest favela. They spoke of intertwined communities that have been established in Rio as long as their more famed sisters – Copacabana, Ipanema and Leblon.

But their stories were not of beautiful beaches, famed dance clubs or glamorous bars and restaurants. Their stories were of working class Brazilians trying to survive the twin threats of violence at the hands of criminals, and indifference or violence by the police.

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Human Rights Now Blog

Tag Archives: military and police training

Dispatch from Ferguson: Why We Fight

Amnesty International Stands with Ferguson Because All Lives Matter

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