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Justice For All Condemns The Raid on Amnesty’s Offices in India

(11/20/2019, Chicago) - Today Justice For All flatly condemns the raid on the offices of Amnesty International India conducted by India’s Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The raid is a clear attempt to intimidate and silence an organization that has been an outspoken critic of the Indian government’s violations of human rights, particularly in Assam and Kashmir, and will have a chilling effect on other, similar organizations that are doing their best to hold governments accountable. Citing dubious claims of funding irregularities, the CBI’s raid is part of a longer pattern of harassment targeting the human rights organization since it has publicly criticized the policies of the Indian government, especially in Jammu and Kashmir, whose autonomy was recently revoked by the government. Muting human rights organizations like Amnesty International contributes to the government’s preferred narrative of “normalization” in Kashmir, following the unprecedented revocation of its own constitutional article granting formal autonomy to the region. “This hamfisted attempt on the part…

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U.S. Human rights leaders commend Gambia lawsuit against Myanmar in International Court of Justice

Chicago – Justice For All, an interfaith human rights group, applauds the government of the Republic of The Gambia for filing a lawsuit at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) against the Republic of the Union of Myanmar for violating its obligations under the Genocide Convention. The ICJ is the principal judicial body of the United Nations and rules on disputes between states and other questions of international law. The lawsuit, filed yesterday, is aimed at holding the state of Myanmar accountable for the atrocities it has committed against Rohingya Muslims.

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House Passes Burma Act of 2019, Burma Task Force Urges Senate To Follow

Last night, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the BURMA Act, H.R. 3190. This legislation, sponsored by Reps. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.) and Steve Chabot (R-Ohio), holds Burma's government accountable for their long-running campaign of violence against the Rohingya, indigenous Muslims from Rakhine State, as well as more recent campaigns targeting religious and ethnic minority groups such as the Kachin, Karen, and Chin within the Buddhist-majority country. In the USA and around the world,  there is a growing movement to stop genocide and ensure justice in Burma. We face an enormous challenge,  with China and other nations enabling Burma to avoid accountability. United Nations experts state that the genocide is ongoing. The situation is extremely dire with communications restricted in the camps in Bangladesh and no freedom of movement on either side of the border.  And yet, Rohingya are being pressured to return to a stateless and dangerous situation back in Burma.  The main challenge to effective action remains in the…

Interfaith Letter to Prime Minister of New Zealand on Gates Foundation Award To Modi

September 17, 2019 Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern Executive Wing, Parliament Buildings, Wellington, New Zealand information@dpmc.govt.nz Dear Prime Minister: We congratulate you for your thoughtful and civilized response after the terroristic hate crime attacks in Christchurch, NZ earlier this year: indeed, you richly deserve the award that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation plan to present to you in New York ten days from now. However, we are deeply disturbed to discover that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will also be giving an award to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi later this month.  In this way, the Gates Foundation treats a notorious hate monger the same way as a champion for pluralism and coexistence who struggles against the power of hate. Why lend your presence and your credibility to this wrong-headed awards ceremony? Who will it benefit? Certainly, your presence will not benefit the NZ Muslim community in the way your solidarity after the attacks did. Even generalized remarks about the importance…

Leeter To UN
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Interfaith Organizations Write To United Nations Deputy Secretary General Amina Mohammed’s Participation In Gates Awards

September 17, 2019 Amina J Mohammed Deputy Secretary General United Nations Headquarters New York, NY 10017 Dear Deputy SG Amina Mohammed: Though we appreciate your strong support for humanitarian and development programs around the world, we face a serious conflict with human rights protections that requires attention. We are deeply disturbed to learn that you will speak at a September 26 program in which the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will be giving an award to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Under Prime Minister Modi’s leadership, religious and ethnic minorities have been demonized and disenfranchised and organized mobs have systematically attacked Muslims while elected leaders call for violence.  India has descended into dangerous, deadly and divisive politics that has consistently undermined human rights and democracy. The situation in the state of Assam and Indian-administered Kashmir is cause for grave concern as well. In Assam, 1.9 million Indians have been stripped of citizenship; in Kashmir, since August, 800,000 Indian armed forces have kept…

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Press Advisory: Religious Persecution Increasing Globally

As the United Nations General Assembly convenes in New York, communities decimated by persecution and genocide continue to suffer from its ongoing failure to stop mass atrocities.  Despite good efforts from the UN Human Rights Commission and various UN mechanisms, human rights are under siege around the globe. Due to the obstruction of influential governments, will the UN also fail to stop climate change, the main theme of the current gathering?   FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: CONTACT: Connor Mayes September 22, 2019 Media Advisory RELIGIOUS PERSECUTION INCREASING GLOBALLY United Nations Must Challenge Extreme Nationalism, Stop Genocide UNITED NATIONS, NY – As the United Nations General Assembly convenes in New York, communities decimated by persecution and genocide continue to suffer from its ongoing failure to stop mass atrocities.  Despite good efforts from the UN Human Rights Commission and various UN mechanisms, human rights are under siege around the globe. Due to the obstruction of influential governments, will the UN also fail to stop…

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