Amnesty International USA
July 20, 2016
I'm writing to you from downtown Cleveland, where Amnesty International USA has deployed a delegation of independent human rights observers to monitor protests at the Republican National Convention. We'll be in Philadelphia next week doing the same thing at the Democratic National Convention.
This is the first time we've deployed human rights observers to
political conventions in the U.S. We're here because we've seen the
right to peacefully protest being infringed upon at demonstrations
around the country in the years and months leading up to the
conventions.Simply put, we're here to help ensure that all people's human rights are respected and protected – as only Amnesty can.
Our 12-person delegation, which includes trained Amnesty staff and members from the U.S. and Canada, are monitoring both sanctioned events and spontaneous protests. They observe protests and police response, documenting what they're seeing so that we can share it with the public, law enforcement agencies, and state and national policymakers. Following international guidelines for human rights monitors, our delegation is documenting both positive steps that police are taking and problematic police responses.
As of now, the protests that our observers have monitored in Cleveland appeared largely peaceful, with police protecting people's freedom of assembly and expression. While there have been some situations where observers are still gathering facts and context, they have seen the police take steps to protect the safety of protestors and counter-protestors.
The team will be in Cleveland until Friday morning, monitoring more than a dozen more protests, and then we'll be in Philadelphia all next week. You can follow developments on AIUSA's website, Twitter, and Facebook feeds.
You can also help spread the word about the importance of protecting all people's human right to protest peacefully: Share this facebook post and share this tweet.
We'll update you with any further information. Thank you for your partnership and support. Eric Ferrero
Deputy Executive Director for Strategic Communications and Digital Initiatives
Amnesty International USA
