Thousands of people were detained for breaching the curfew ordered in March by the government to contain the spread of COVID-19. Health workers faced difficult working conditions during the pandemic, often lacking personal protective equipment and in some cases work contracts or wages. Attacks on...

States in the Americas must address the closure of civic space in the region, end repressive policies and respond to the social demands of the population of the region, said Amnesty International today in an open letter to heads of state attending the 53rd General Assembly of the Organization of...

Reacting to the signing of a communiqué by more than 30 countries in Costa Rica today calling for international law including prohibitions and regulations in relation to the development and use of autonomous weapons systems, Amnesty International’s Secretary General Agnès Callamard said: “The...

Former prosecutor and prisoner of conscience Virginia Laparra has been unjustly imprisoned for one year as a result of unfounded criminal proceedings riddled with irregularities that violate her human rights, Amnesty International said today. “It is alarming that the Guatemalan authorities have...

In light of the progress of the criminal proceedings against Virginia Laparra, former prosecutor of the Special Prosecutor’s Office Against Impunity (FECI), which could conclude with a conviction this week, Erika Guevara-Rosas, Americas director at Amnesty International, said: “Virginia Laparra is...

Former prosecutor Virginia Laparra, who was head of the Special Prosecutor’s Office against Impunity (FECI) in Quetzaltenango, is a prisoner of conscience who has been unjustly imprisoned for more than nine months because of her work investigating corruption cases in Guatemala, said Amnesty...

In order to fight inequality and discrimination, governments in the Americas must adopt all measures necessary to ensure full enjoyment of economic, social, and cultural rights in the region, Amnesty International said today in an open letter to the heads of state who will attend the 52nd General...

Indigenous Peoples face racism and discrimination in most countries. We have been stripped of our lands and evicted from them. The powerful implement policies that leave us impoverished and obstruct all kinds of opportunities for human, social and professional development. Very few governments...

In response to the news that at least 50 people have been found dead in a trailer in San Antonio, Texas, and a dozen others who were onboard have been hospitalized, Erika Guevara-Rosas, Americas director at Amnesty International, said: “The tragedy in San Antonio is a devastating example of the...

Instead of addressing deep-seated socioeconomic inequalities to deliver a fair recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic, states across the Americas waged a sustained assault on the defence of human rights in 2021, targeting peaceful demonstrators, journalists, human rights defenders and civil society...

Today, 24 March 2022, Bernardo Caal Xol was released from the penitentiary centre in Cobán after more than four years of imprisonment. The defender’s lawyers reported that a judge had ordered his release for good behaviour. “It’s great news for Bernardo, his family and Guatemala’s Indigenous Mayan...

The “Life and Family Protection Law” (Law 5272) represents a grave threat to lives, human rights and families in Guatemala, said Amnesty International after Congress approved the law with a large majority on 8 March. “This law will not protect families or lives; it will foment hate and...

Amnesty International’s record-breaking Write for Rights campaign launches today, marking 20 years of the global letter-writing drive. Since 2001, the organization has collected millions of messages written in support of people who are unjustly detained or persecuted, and Write for Rights has...