Published December 10, 2008 @ 08:34AM PST

Anniversaries are a dime a dozen. We’ve got days for everything. Sled Dog Day. Bubble Gum Day. Ballet Day. Dump Your Significant Jerk Day.  I’m not kidding. Today is different. 60 years ago this December 10th – after the horrors of World War II – the world came together to unanimously pass the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). Not one nation dissented (though a few abstained). The declaration says that every human being deserves dignity, freedom and respect.  It’s the first blueprint for global rights, establishing fundamental freedoms for every human being. I guess years of a hellish war have a way of teaching you what’s important. 60 years later, millions if not billions still suffer from tyranny, torture, injustice and ine... Read More

Published July 18, 2008 @ 12:36PM PST

This week, we celebrate the ten year anniversary of the treaty establishing the International Criminal Court (ICC). The treaty is groundbreaking because it established for the first time in history a permanent court to investigate individuals accused of the most serious crimes of concern to the international community. Today, 107 countries around the world have joined the Court. On Monday, the ICC Prosecutor requested a warrant for Sudanese President Omar Hassan Ahmad al Bashir, alleging that Bashir bears criminal responsibility for 10 counts of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide in Darfur. In recognition of International Justice Day this year, we invite you to watch AIUSA's film Justice Without Borders and find or organize an International Justice Day event in your ... Read More

Published May 28, 2008 @ 12:30PM PST

Sixty years ago, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) was adopted by the United Nations.  Amnesty International's brand new 2008 round-up of the State of the World's Human Rights show that sixty years later people still face: • torture or ill-treatment in at least 81 countries • unfair trials in at least 54 countries • filtered or blocked speech in at least 77 countries Governments are failing to respond to growing angry demands for justice, freedom, and equality - similarly to those voiced in Myanmar, Pakistan and Iran. In honor of the 60th anniversary of the UDHR, Amnesty International challenges governments around the world to set a new paradigm for collective leadership to solve the world's human rights crises. Read More

Published May 22, 2008 @ 07:45AM PST

This spring and summer, Amnesty International will tour a life-size replica of a maximum security cell at Guantánamo to cities across the USA. The tour kicked off in Miami in early May. Check out all our photos on Flickr.  Visitors will experience firsthand the harsh realities of illegal detention and prolonged isolation. Those moved will be able to record 30 second videos protesting illegal detention. Find out where the cell will stop next. And if you have time, sign our global petition to close Guantanamo! Read More

Published April 24, 2008 @ 01:33PM PST

The CIA must stop stonewalling congressional oversight committees and release vital documents related to the program of secret detentions, renditions, and torture. The CIA this week filed to end a lawsuit and avoid turning over more than 7000 documents related to its secret “ghost” detention and extraordinary rendition program. This motion is in response to a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit filed in federal court last June by Amnesty International.  Amnesty International's Denounce Torture campaign is working to end illegal U.S. detentions, rendition and torture.

Published April 17, 2008 @ 08:52AM PST

Figures from a new report, released by Amnesty International, show that more than two thirds of the countries in the world have now abolished the death penalty in law or practice. As in previous years, the vast majority of executions worldwide were carried out in a small handful of countries. In 2007, 88 per cent of all known executions took place in five countries: China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and the USA. » Read the report

Published April 09, 2008 @ 08:54AM PST

Rather than striving to improve its human rights record in the run-up to the 2008 Olympics, Chinese authorities have seemingly increased the crackdown on activists in China, including in Tibet, with no indication that their tactics will change. "The Olympic Games have so far failed to act as a catalyst for reform," said Irene Khan, secretary general of Amnesty International. "Unless urgent steps are taken to redress the situation, a positive human rights legacy for the Beijing Olympics looks increasingly beyond reach." Khan added that China's recent actions "cast doubt on whether the Chinese authorities are really serious about their commitment to improve human rights in the run up to the Olympics." In and around Beijing, the Chinese authorities have continued to silence and impris... Read More

Published April 09, 2008 @ 08:35AM PST

In 2008, Amnesty International will bring a life-size replica of a maximum security Guantánamo cell to a number of cities across the US. The cell tour is a way to bring the harsh realities of illegal detention to concerned citizens and call attention to the injustice and human rights abuses that Guantánamo symbolizes. In Guantánamo's maximum security facilities, detainees are kept for up to 23 hours per day in complete isolation. Find out more about the tour and take action.  You can also watch a panoramic video from inside the cell.

Published April 02, 2008 @ 09:48AM PST

Sign our petition to the President of China demanding the immediate release of the 15 Tibetan Monks and other peaceful protesters: http://tinyurl.com/2qnp8b You've seen the images on YouTube and in the news papers... Chinese security forces brutally attacking unarmed, non-violent protestors, including Buddhist monks, in Tibet. We need your help right now to secure the freedom of 15 Tibetan monks who were arrested on March 10 for staging a peaceful protest in Barkhor, Lhasa, the capital of the Tibetan Autonomous Region. We have no information on the monk's current whereabouts. We don't know the nature of the charges brought against them. And, they’re at very high risk of torture or other ill treatment. What we do know, is that by acting together we can place enormo... Read More

Published March 28, 2008 @ 07:36AM PST

On March 17 the Georgia Supreme Court decided 4-3 to deny a new trial for Troy Anthony Davis, despite significant concerns regarding his innocence. The case has been tainted from the start, with a questionable police investigation, a lack of funding to ensure adequate defense, and an increasingly restrictive appeals process, which has thwarted attempts to present new evidence in the case. No murder weapon was found and no physical evidence linked Davis to the crime. Troy Davis was convicted of murder solely on the basis of witness testimony, and seven of the nine non-police witnesses have since recanted or changed their testimony, several citing police coercion. Others have signed affidavits implicating one of the remaining two witnesses as the actual killer.   » Tell the ... Read More