Tuesday, November 25, 2014

U.S.A. Ferguson: Call for Peaceful Protests by Steven Hawkins, Amnesty International USA Executive Director - Nov. 24, 2014

 From Amnesty International Human Rights Blog, Steven W. Hawkins, Amnesty International USA Executive Director

Tue, 25/11/2014
      "Today, we learned that a grand jury in Ferguson decided not to indict Police Officer Darren Wilson for the shooting death of Michael Brown - an unarmed 18-year-old - in August.

      I’m headed to Ferguson on behalf of people like the one pictured in this post. This little boy reminds us that his life – and all lives – matter. While we can’t all be in Ferguson in this moment, we can stand in solidarity today. As you share this image in support of peaceful protest, we ask that you remember the human rights of boys like this one.
And as law enforcement officers head to work today, we ask that they do the same."
For complete blog entry, click here.  

From Amnesty International: USA: Respect the right to peaceful demonstration in wake of Ferguson decision, Steven W. Hawkins, Amnesty International USA Executive Director
Tue, 25/11/2014

     "Amnesty International USA laid out its concerns about the protests in the report On the Streets of America: Human Rights Abuses in Ferguson. The report detailed observations on the ground including analysis of policing methods, such as the refusal to let people gather peacefully.The report also outlined the organization’s concern regarding Missouri’s state statute which appears to broadly authorize the use of lethal force. Amnesty International notes that the statute is not in line with international standards as it goes well beyond the requirement that lethal force only be used when strictly unavoidable to protect life.     As a matter of organizational policy, Amnesty International does not comment on grand jury decisions. The organization has deployed a team of human rights observers to Ferguson to monitor any protests and law enforcement response."
Click here for entire article.