US President Donald Trump had been in office for exactly a week when he issued an executive order barring the entry of people from seven Muslim-majority countries and slamming the door on refugees. Besides documenting the harms caused by the first executive order during the relatively brief period in which it was in effect, this briefing paper describes the situations of people who are still awaiting US visas, some of whom could be irreparably harmed if the US courts were to rule that the second executive order is constitutional.
Urgent: Syrian Father Of Three Missing For 1403 Days (Syria: 101.17)
Urgent Action
May 5, 2017
Today is Ali Mohammed Mostafa’s 55th birthday. He is a father of three who has been forcibly disappeared for nearly four years, and his family still has no information about his fate or whereabouts. On 2 July 2013, Ali went missing after being taken from his family home in Damascus. Take Action
Peru: Peruvian authorities put an end to the criminalization of defender Máxima Acuña
The ruling of the Supreme Court of Peru marking the end of the trial for land invasion against the human rights defender Máxima Acuña Atalaya is a landmark decision for environmental defenders in the country.
Continue reading: Amnesty International
All Arkansas Executions Temporarily Put On Hold After Judge Blocks Use of Lethal Injection Drugs
An Arkansas judge has temporarily blocked six executions from taking place after the company that manufactured the drugs to be used in the executions filed a complaint that the drug was not meant to be used for lethal injection.
Continue reading: Amnesty International USA
More information: AP News
Urgent: Stop Arkansas’ rush to execute 8 people in 10 days
Arkansas hasn’t had an execution in 12 years, so why the sudden rush? Simple: their lethal injection drugs are about to expire.
Arkansas has exactly eight doses left of a crucial drug used to perform lethal injections, and it’s set to expire at the end of April. So the governor scheduled eight executions packed into a ten day period — with two executions per day — as if the justice system was a conveyor belt. Take Action
Information on the individual cases (note that Jason McGehee’s execution has been stayed):
17 April: Bruce Ward
17 April: Don Davis
20 April: Stacey Johnson
20 April: Ledell Lee
24 April: Jack Jones
24 April: Marcel Williams
27 April: Kenneth Williams
27 April: Jason McGehee
Urgent Action: USA
Virginia Execution Reset As Doubts Persist (USA: UA 55/17)
March 13, 2017
Ivan Teleguz, a Ukrainian national, is scheduled to be executed in Virginia on 25 April. He maintains his innocence of the 2001 murder for which he was sent to death row in 2006.
Sara Hernandez is free
On Thursday, Sara Beltran Hernandez was released.
Sara is a 26-year-old mother of two who fled to the U.S. to escape gang and domestic violence. But despite having a claim to asylum, she was locked up for 15 months. ICE officials refused to release Sara on parole even after she collapsed in her cell as a result of a brain tumor.
But Amnesty members like you spoke up. And when you raised your voice, you shut down three ICE phone lines. Read more
Speak out for Máxima Acuña
Journalist Muhammad Bekzhanov was arrested by Uzbekistani security forces in 1999. He was beaten, suffocated and given electric shocks until he confessed to fabricated charges. A judge ignored his claims of torture and used Muhammad’s forced confession to send him to prison.
You and thousands of other Amnesty supporters tirelessly campaigned for his release as part of Write for Rights 2015 – you never gave up on him.
And it worked! Read more
Amnesty International USA: Immigration Raids Raise Human Rights Concerns
Following reports of immigration raids across the country, Amnesty International executive director Margaret Huang released the following statement:
“Reports of immigration raids in the United States raise grave human rights concerns. It is a violation of human rights to deport people with asylum claims, meaning that they face persecution or violence if they are deported, and it is a violation of human rights to tear families apart through deportation. We call for an immediate pause in these raids and a suspension of this Executive Order in order to ensure that people’s human rights are protected.”
News:
Urgent Vote Feb. 27
The President has picked David Friedman, a bankruptcy attorney who backs Israeli settlements, to be U.S. Ambassador to Israel. The confirmation hearing is already over, but the Senate Foreign Relations Committee won’t vote until February 27. Please read about Mr. Friedman here.
Then, please contact the members of the committee before Feb. 27. For a list of current committee members, click here.