Aug 29Do Not Forget the Disappeared!By the AIUSA Cogroup Writers August 30 is observed globally as the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances. You may wonder why. You may wonder what is meant by an “enforced disappearance”? Read on, and we’ll tell you. We’ll also tell you how you can join the fight…8 min read8 min read
Aug 16Two Steps Forward, Two Steps Back — Updates on the Death Penalty in 2023by Justin Mazzola (He/Him), Researcher, Amnesty International USA On 16 May, Amnesty International released its annual Death Sentences and Executions report which documents the global developments on the use of the death penalty in 2022. As the restrictions put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic began to wane in 2022…6 min read6 min read
Jul 12The 1122 and 1033 Programs: Obfuscation enables Police MilitarizationBy Lillian Mauldin The violence done to communities by U.S. police forces has gained significant and widespread attention in recent years. As the public demands accountability and remediation for this violence, lawmakers have introduced legislation and made efforts to increase oversight and reduce harm. However, police militarization and its equipment…4 min read4 min read
May 2Why the Freedom of Press Matters for Shaping a Future of Human RightsWorld Press Freedom Day, on May 3rd, is a day to acknowledge and defend the crucial role of journalists in promoting transparency and human rights around the world. Journalists play a critical role in reporting on human rights violations, and that can have significant consequences for those responsible. …10 min read10 min read
Nov 21, 2022Afghan Women and Girls Must Not Be AbandonedBy Alice Dahle, AIUSA Women’s Human Rights Coordination Group, Chair At the abrupt departure from Afghanistan of US and NATO military forces in August 2021, Afghan civilians rushed to leave the country as the Taliban quickly moved in to fill the power vacuum. Hundreds of thousands fled their homes in…4 min read4 min read
Aug 29, 2022How to Get Justice for the DisappearedBy the AIUSA Cogroup Writers August 30 is observed globally as the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances. Enforced disappearances are a horrific crime where a government or its agents detain someone and then deny all knowledge of their whereabouts or fate. They are committed in every region…5 min read5 min read
Jun 28, 2022Death Penalty in the United States: Furman v. Georgia 50 Years OnBy Rick Halperin Director, SMU Human Rights program Texas SDPAC and former Chair, AIUSA Board of Directors Fifty years ago, as spring faded and summer arrived in late June, the United States (and the world) was a vastly different place. In June, the first U.S. Libertarian Party National Convention was…6 min read6 min read
Jun 9, 2022Would you “wait and have patience”?By Larry Ladutke, El Salvador Country Specialist That’s what a guard at the infamous Mariona prison told Salvadoran families to do when they tried to find out where their loved ones were being held during the state of emergency that has been going on since late March 2022. He advised…3 min read3 min read
May 26, 2022Amnesty International has left Hong Kong but there will still be candles in the darknessBy Chow Hang-tung, human rights activist, Tiananmen vigil organizer and barrister, currently jailed in Hong Kong It was a sad moment when Amnesty International closed its Hong Kong offices after standing for more than 40 years in my city. This organization is very important to me — and not just…4 min read4 min read
May 2, 2022Protect Threatened Journalists on World Press Freedom DayBy the AIUSA Cogroup Writers World Press Freedom Day, May 3rd, provides an opportunity for people around the world to celebrate the fundamental human right to freedom of expression, enshrined under Article 19 of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights. …6 min read6 min read
