Protecting Human Rights Defenders
Human rights defenders protect our freedom of expression, our access to health care and clean water, our ability to protest peacefully, and all of our other fundamental human rights. Human rights are increasingly under attack in the United States and around the world. That’s why human rights defenders are needed – and that’s why Amnesty International is working to protect them. Human rights defenders face threats, intimidation and imprisonment. Governments around the world, including in the United States, prevent them from speaking out or imprison them because of their peaceful activism.
Things to know
I WELCOME: Standing with Refugees & Asylum-Seekers
We all want to live in a world where we look after each other, and everyone is treated with dignity, respect, and fairness. Those seeking safety want the same thing any of us would want if we were in their shoes. Together, we can respond with compassion and respect for the people who arrive at our borders.
Things to know
Death Penalty Abolition - End the use of the of the Death Penalty
Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all circumstances as the ultimate affront to human rights, violating the right to life and the right to be free from cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment. The Death Penalty Abolition Campaign (DPAC) directs our work to abolish the death penalty.
Things to know
The death penalty is too flawed to fix.
National Security & Human Rights
We all need safety from violence and terrorism, but no government should sacrifice people’s human rights in the name of national security. Unfortunately, in the United States and beyond, that’s exactly what’s happening – and Amnesty International is helping stop it.
Things to know
Deadly Force & Police Accountability
We all have the human right to live and to be safe, secure, and treated equally. These fundamental human rights are violated when police can kill people without justification or accountability – and that’s why Amnesty International is working to enact standards and safeguards to protect everyone.
Things to know
End Gun Violence
We all want to live free from fear of gun violence. We all want our loved ones and communities to be safe. This is a human rights crisis, and we must act together. Amnesty International is offering a movement of combined research, government advocacy, public education and grassroots activism to work towards a world where everyone can live free of violence and fear.
Things to know
Our research shows that four critical acts could make everyone safer:
Gender, Sexuality & Identity
We all have the right to be treated equally. Governments have a moral and legal obligation to protect people from discrimination or violence based on who they are. When governments fail to protect people, Amnesty International is there – helping ensure that all people can live in dignity, safety, and freedom.
Things to know
Individuals at Risk
Around the world, there are people being tortured or imprisoned by their government because of who they are or what they believe. Amnesty International was founded on the idea that ordinary people around the world could end these human rights abuses by taking action on behalf of other people. Through our individual case work, millions of messages have been sent to governments around the world – giving hope to people in dire circumstances, and ultimately helping free thousands of people who were unjustly imprisoned.
Things to know
Human rights defenders protect our freedom of expression, our access to health care and clean water, our ability to protest peacefully, and all of our other fundamental human rights. Human rights are increasingly under attack in the United States and around the world. That’s why human rights defenders are needed – and that’s why Amnesty International is working to protect them. Human rights defenders face threats, intimidation and imprisonment. Governments around the world, including in the United States, prevent them from speaking out or imprison them because of their peaceful activism.
Things to know
- Worldwide, at least 156 human rights defenders died in detention or were killed in 2015.
- At least 61 countries put people in prison simply for exercising their rights and freedoms.
- At least 113 countries restricted freedom of expression and the press in 2015.
I WELCOME: Standing with Refugees & Asylum-Seekers
We all want to live in a world where we look after each other, and everyone is treated with dignity, respect, and fairness. Those seeking safety want the same thing any of us would want if we were in their shoes. Together, we can respond with compassion and respect for the people who arrive at our borders.
Things to know
- 25.9 million - Total number of refugees worldwide.
- More then 50% - Percentage of refugees who are under the age of 18.
- At least 113 countries restricted freedom of expression and the press in 2015.
- 18,000 - Number of refugees the U.S. may admit in 2020, as determined by President Trump.
- 850,000 - Number of people who signed Amnesty International’s petition to the U.N. demanding that countries do more to help refugees.
Death Penalty Abolition - End the use of the of the Death Penalty
Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all circumstances as the ultimate affront to human rights, violating the right to life and the right to be free from cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment. The Death Penalty Abolition Campaign (DPAC) directs our work to abolish the death penalty.
Things to know
The death penalty is too flawed to fix.
- It is irreversible and mistakes happen. The risk of executing an innocent person can never be eliminated. Since 1973, for example, more than 160 prisoners sent to death row in the U.S. have later been exonerated or released from death row on grounds of innocence. Others have been executed despite serious doubts about their guilt.
- It does not stop crime. Countries who execute commonly cite the death penalty as a way to deter people from committing crime. This claim is false: there is no evidence that the death penalty uniquely deters crime or improves public safety.
- It is often used within unjust legal systems. In many cases recorded by Amnesty International, people were executed after being convicted in unfair trials, without legal representation. In some countries, death sentences are mandatory punishments for certain offenses, meaning that judges are not able to consider the particular circumstances. Two wrongs don’t make a right. The death penalty is no way to impart justice.
- It is discriminatory. The death penalty is applied disproportionally against people of color and poor people, in a racially biased way.
- It is used as a political tool. The authorities in some countries, like Iran and Sudan, use the death penalty to punish political opponents.
National Security & Human Rights
We all need safety from violence and terrorism, but no government should sacrifice people’s human rights in the name of national security. Unfortunately, in the United States and beyond, that’s exactly what’s happening – and Amnesty International is helping stop it.
Things to know
- 40 - Number of people detained at Guantanamo by the end of January 2019.
- 13,000 - Number of people deported under the NSEERS program, without being convicted of any crimes, before it was dismantled.
- 132 - Number of protests Amnesty International USA held in the weeks after President Trump issued his first Muslim Ban.
Deadly Force & Police Accountability
We all have the human right to live and to be safe, secure, and treated equally. These fundamental human rights are violated when police can kill people without justification or accountability – and that’s why Amnesty International is working to enact standards and safeguards to protect everyone.
Things to know
- 963 - Number of people killed by police in 2016, according to the Washington Post.
- 5x - Increased likelihood that an unarmed black man will be shot, as compared to an unarmed white man.
- 0 - Number of states in the U.S. with laws on the books that meet international standards for police use of lethal force.
End Gun Violence
We all want to live free from fear of gun violence. We all want our loved ones and communities to be safe. This is a human rights crisis, and we must act together. Amnesty International is offering a movement of combined research, government advocacy, public education and grassroots activism to work towards a world where everyone can live free of violence and fear.
Things to know
Our research shows that four critical acts could make everyone safer:
- Pass laws to prevent guns from being in the hands of those likely to misuse them.
- Fund gun violence research to inform evidence-based policy solutions.
- Invest in violence-prevention programs led by impacted communities.
- Provide support, including mental and physical health care, for survivors of gun violence.
Gender, Sexuality & Identity
We all have the right to be treated equally. Governments have a moral and legal obligation to protect people from discrimination or violence based on who they are. When governments fail to protect people, Amnesty International is there – helping ensure that all people can live in dignity, safety, and freedom.
Things to know
- 76 - Number of countries that criminalize sexual activity between adults of the same sex.
- 338 - Number of restrictions on abortion that have been enacted in the U.S. since 2010, according to the Guttmacher Institute.
- 435 - Number of advocates trained by Amnesty International USA to protect sexual and reproductive rights.
Individuals at Risk
Around the world, there are people being tortured or imprisoned by their government because of who they are or what they believe. Amnesty International was founded on the idea that ordinary people around the world could end these human rights abuses by taking action on behalf of other people. Through our individual case work, millions of messages have been sent to governments around the world – giving hope to people in dire circumstances, and ultimately helping free thousands of people who were unjustly imprisoned.
Things to know
- 47 - Number of countries that arrested people for peaceful expression on social media/online in 2019.
- 142 - Number of case that received positive impact in 2019 after Amnesty campaigned in their cases.
- 335 - Number of U.S. classrooms that participated in the Write for Rights campaign in 2016.
